11 April 2017

Comic book artist in suicide attack on own career

Ardian Syaf had just landed a plum assignment for an ambitious comic-book artist. After making a name for himself at DC Comics, the Indonesian penciller was now working at Marvel Comics as the penciller for X-Men Gold, a new title that's part of a relaunch for Marvel's ever-popular mutant line. The first issue appeared last week. Today, Syaf states on Facebook that "my career is over" because he was caught -- by readers, though not by his editors -- inserting "easter egg" references to Indonesian sectarian politics into a superhero comic. This comic-book news site explains exactly what Syaf did and how it's relevant to issues in his own country. Some of these references would have sailed over most readers' heads, but when a comics artist puts specifics words, letters or numbers in his art, some people are going to want to know what they all mean. In Syaf's worst offense, he drew one character sporting a shirt that referred to sura 5, verse 51 of the Qur'an, which in one translation reads: "O you who have believed, do not take the Jews and the Christians as allies. They are [in fact] allies of one another. And whoever is an ally to them among you - then indeed, he is [one] of them. Indeed, Allah guides not the wrongdoing people." This verse served as a slogan for opponents of Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, the Christian governor of Jakarta, Indonesia's capital, who led the first round of voting in his re-election campaign earlier this year but has been accused of blaspheming Islam because he'd accused his opponents of using the verse in question to deceive voters. Of course, you don't have to know jack about Jakarta or Indonesian politics to be offended by a verse described just about universally in reports on the Syaf scandal as anti-Christian and anti-semitic. Denunciation from Syaf's peers appears universal, including a diatribe from a Marvel colleague and fellow Muslim G. Willow Wilson, the writer of the popular Ms. Marvel book, who denounces Syaf's "garbage philosophy" while claiming that twice-removed translations used in reporting the story miss the sura's actual meaning and historical context. An Indonesian colleague used Facebook to politely call Syaf a bonehead for imposing his pictorial commentary into someone else's script and intellectual property. In all likelihood, the remaining issues of X-Men Gold Syaf has already finished will be his last work at Marvel, though his own report of his career death may prove exaggerated. That only leaves the big question many comics consumers are asking themselves now: Does this make X-Men Gold #1 a collectors item?

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I get so sick and tired of lying muslim scum claiming that surahs are 'taken out of context'. The translators knew damned well what they were doing. There is nothing being taken out of context, just lies by muslims who don't want to be thrown out of the West for what they are truly up to. There will be a backlash against these motherfuckers, the sooner the better.

Samuel Wilson said...

What exactly is the comic book writer G. Willow Wilson "up to," besides writing comic books?

Anonymous said...

It isn't what any individual muslime may be up to, but what the religion dictates that should be taken into account.
Given that the Quran declares that non-muslims aren't human (Surely the vilest of animals in Allah's sight are those who disbelieve, then they would not believe. 8:55); that muslims must NOT befriend christians or jews (O you who believe! do not take the Jews and the Christians for friends; they are friends of each other; and whoever amongst you takes them for a friend, then surely he is one of them; surely Allah does not guide the unjust people." 5:51; that it is the solemn duty of muslims to kill non-muslims (They [kafirs] will be cursed, and wherever they are found, they will be seized and murdered. It was Allah’s same practice with those who came before them, and you will find no change in Allah’s ways. 33:60)
Then it only follows that to allow muslims in to non-muslim lands is, at best, asking for trouble. The ONLY way to ensure an end to islamic terrorism in the West is to ban islam from the West. Any muslims who doesn't subscribe to the above verses can't really call themselves a good or faithful muslim anyway, so they should have no problem with renouncing islam in order be allowed to continue living in the West.