Tfw You, As A Mind Reader, Have To Team Up With A Man Who Thinks Too Much

I like how this one is glowing like a powerful magic tome

whenever i see that meme i think of felicia and peter

“David” by Craig Drake

“If it’s darkness we’re having, let it be extravagant.”

— Jane Kenyon

Wastelanders: Doom #1

(w) Torunn GronBekk (a) Julius Ohta (colorist) Bryan Valenza There were 3 editors on this comic: Editor in Chief - C.B. Cebulski Editor - Mark Basso Assistant Editor - Drew Baumgartner Please e-mail mheroes@marvel.com to point out that Victor Von Doom and Valeria Karlea (also known as Valeria, Victor’s first love) were white washed in this issue and inform them that this is unacceptable for two Romani characters. 

Two comic pages that show Doctor Doom, Victor Von Doom viewing some old memories, the first memory is of Valeria, a Romani woman that Victor was in love with when they were younger, the third memory shows Victor as a child. The problem with both of these arts is that it depicts both Victor and Valeria as white blonde Caucasian people instead of their true ethnic background which is them being Romani people with dark hair, dark eyes, and varying light to dark skin tones over the years in comics. Although at times Victor’s hair is depicted as a reddish brown instead of a dark brown the fact remains that neither of these characters were ever white blonde looking people. The images above have white washed two characters of color and neither the colorist, nor THREE EDITORS thought to check to make sure that this was corrected.  

Victor proudly claims his heritage, and his background is essential to his character’s story and growth. This is NOT a new thing, this has been his original story since his background was first revealed in Fantastic Four (1961) Annual 2.

Valeria has always been a Romani woman, her first appearance is in Marvel Super-Heroes (1967) #20

More images of Victor and Valeria when they were younger: Books of Doom #1

Marvel Double-Shot #2: Masks

Fantastic Four (1961) #501

Victor once again mentions that he is Roma: Doctor Doom (2019) #3

Victor von Doom as an adult, unmasked:

Victor in Marvel Two in One #6

Victor in The Unbelievable Gwenpool #23

Once again there is no reason that these two characters were white washed yet here we are in 2022, decades since they first appeared in comics, still dealing with this major problem that occurs to many characters of color within the comics. 

Another lesson from Animal Farm.

One of my favorite characters from Animal Farm by George Orwell is the character Boxer. Boxer is an enormous Clydesdale and he is the hardest worker on the farm. His work ethic never falters. He inspires the other animals to keep going. Boxer goes above and beyond to do heavier work and longer hours. Every time the windmill is destroyed Boxer gets up earlier, stays out later, works harder on less, determined to see the project to completion. His personal maxims are “I will work harder” and “[Our Leader] is always right”. 

While all the animals work hard to sustain Animal Farm, all while the pigs in charge who sit back and make rules and supervise take the milk, the best apples, and greater food rations than anyone else on the farm. They convince the animals constantly through use of propaganda, manipulation, and fear tactics that their hard work and their reward of very little is patriotic, for the good of all, that they should take pride in how they are sustaining themselves on next to nothing, that they are indeed free animals working for themselves and not for humans - most of the animals are too poorly educated to understand how severely their “freedoms” are being controlled and manipulated. Most of them don’t understand that things are actually *worse off* than before they rebelled against the humans because the pig leaders are so good at manipulating them into nationalism. 

Anyway, that part of it is going off topic from what I want to say about Boxer specifically. 

Boxer ages throughout the story and his ceaseless hard work begins to take a toll but he presses on. His body is beginning to break down but he does not let that stop him. He starts to realize he may not be able to finish the project he has worked so hard to complete before his promised age of retirement. However he begins to look forward to simply completing as much as he can and that soon he will be able to rest in the lovely pasture that the pigs have promised for years to set aside for aging animals. He’ll get better rations. His hard work will be rewarded and he will be taken care of in his latter years.

But one day while Boxer is up before every other animal working hard and straining himself, sides heaving as he struggles to breathe, bloody foam around his muzzle, he collapses and cannot get up. His friend finds him and word is soon all over the farm that Boxer is not doing well.

Maybe Boxer who has been the backbone of the farm, constantly working hard, never giving up, will be allowed to retire early. He will be able to go to the nice pasture. He’ll be able to recover and heal from his work-induced injuries and fatigue. He will be honored and be able to live a nice retirement until he is gone. The pigs (leaders) have promised this after all.

The pigs lied.

The pigs use the pasture for themselves. 

The don’t give a shit. But they promise the animals that they will take care of good ol’ Boxer. They will send him away to a vet so he can get well and soon, Comrades, Boxer will be back and he’ll be healthy and able to continue work.

A truck comes to take Boxer away and his friends are all wishing him well he’s going to get medical help and he’ll be fine! The animals are stupid. They’re not educated. Most of them cannot read. Benjamin the Donkey can read. He sees the terrible words on the side of the truck.

Boxer is not being taken away to be helped. He’s not going to get medical care. He’s not going to get a nice retirement in a promised green pasture with sugar cubes and bright apples to reward him for his toil and contributions. 

Boxer is being taken to the glue factory.

He is of no use to the pigs any longer so they sold him away to his death.

They literally use the profit from Boxer’s body to buy alcohol for themselves and get drunk and have a grand old time if I recall correctly. 

Benjamin begins shouting at the other animals who are smiling and cheering as Boxer is carted off down the lane “FOOLS” and he tells them what the words on the truck say, and they all try to stop them, but it’s too late. Even after Boxer is gone the pigs fabricate a story that Boxer was taken to the vet and died while being as comfortable as possible. The vet had simply purchased the truck from a glue factory and had yet to repaint it. By now a lot of the animals are questioning the pigs, but a lot of them are also still accepting, and by now it is also largely too late.

Does this sound familiar?

By the way this and many other reasons is why I am always telling people to read this book. 

Anyway, Boxer isn’t a horse.

He is the poor and working class who bust their ass, work until they are in pain and exhausted day after day, still barely able to make ends meet, etc. But at least we’re supposed to have healthcare to help us, and social security, and our hard work is what keeps our country together! Working people are the backbone! We are strong! We are gritty and determined and inspirational because we keep going on through our struggles and hardship and wow we are so resilient! One day we can have a shiny red apple that was promised to us if we work hard enough. 

But no… we can’t afford a house, or even to pay bills, the healthcare we should be able to have access to is a lie–it is a glue cart sold to us as medicine. The pasture we may have dreamed of one day has been robbed of us. It’s not there. The Pigs Do Not Give A Fuck. 

They are selling us to the glue factory and people who are uneducated and unaware and taken in by nationalism and propaganda stand by wearing their MAGA hats and cheer as their peers are being taken to slaughter by greedy liars who have built their empire on the backs of working people. 

Read the fucking book and don’t be a fool.

Open your eyes.

Don’t let the Pigs sell you for glue.

All the Boxers and all of us deserve better than this kind of a story.

Fuck the Pigs. 

FUCK the Pigs.

btw roleplaying various characters with your friends is the singular most healing thing in the world. playing with toys for adults

of course tony joined the trend!

[from left to right: modok, princess python, nomad!steve, the sentient armor, the quadratic formula, doctor doom, wonderland!ty, madame masque, fin fang foom, mikas & he is holding whiplash and the beast]

I needed this omg