Back in the day, superheros stood for Truth, Justice, and the American Way. Remember that?
In the forties, Superman could pick Hitler up with one hand, Tojo in the his other, and bang their heads together until they saw the logic of Freedom, Democracy, Liberty, and 31 Flavors of Ice Cream (we call this “multiculturalism” nowadays, but the principal is the same).
But today, our superheros must be angst-ridden and guilt-wracked. Gone is the sense of mission, the chivalrous behavior, the duty to protect the weak, the ability to Make Things Right by throwing a villain through a wall. We don’t have superheros anymore. We have antiheros.
Well, the original angst-ridden, guilt-wracked antihero, the Dark Knight himself, is going to take on Al Qaeda, courtesy of Frank Miller.
Miller returns to the world of the Batman, this time with Holy Terror, Batman!. Though the title plays with Robin's classic catchphrase, the book deals with a serious subject. Gotham has been attacked by Al Qaeda and Batman sets out to defend the city he loves. The book, which Miller has inked through 120 pages, is expected to run roughly 200 pages total… Miller doesn't hold back on the true purpose of the book, calling it "a piece of propoganda," where 'Batman kicks al Qaeda's ass."
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