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Page 4, 'Tuesday, September 29, 1992 e e = Our Opinion: Politics too much of a side show The Media is becoming too important in the game of poli- tics. Politics has become--a game with each American running mate more councered about their television image than gov- erning the country. The issues are no longer the driving force in a political game. It doesn't matter who will best represent the people, looks and television personality are the deciding factor. The economy and unemployment are shoved aside while television ratings take over. Take a look at Vice-President Dan Quayle. While other politicians spend their time watching CNN and condemning each other he's too busy condemning fictional characters' lifestyles such as Murphy Brown's choice to be a single moth- er. It's kind of annoying to watch these political characters not only appearing on every newscast but also on television com- mercials advertising their-campaigns. Let's not forget Quayle's plug for Murphy Brown. And every chance they get, President George Bush and Democrat Bill Clinton are preaching family values like they were appearing on the PTL and similar stations. It may sound good in an interview on CNN, but with their track records, I would take what they have to say with a grain of salt. I think what they are saying is "do as I say, not as I do." Maybe they should stop preaching about family values and search for ways to help the American people. And if I see Bill Clinton on Arsenio Hall...I'll scream. He's a talented musician, but isn't appearing on CNN and every other newscast enough. Hey, if he's defeated for the président cy maybe Arsenio Could give him' a' full-time job, or is that the plan... arit uni F nuns Sar | It's kind of amusing much emphasis on appealing to the American public glued to the television while our Canadian leaders have little or no flair for television cameras. When George Bush responded to Quayle's response to the comedy, Murphy Brown, Brian Mulroncy asked his American friend--Who's Murphy Brown? Hey maybe Mulroney should take some pointers from the American politicians. By appearing outside of the non-politi- cal arena, these politicians have become more ordinary to the public. They do things "normal" people do such as watch sit- coms or Arsenio and other late night-talk shows. , i mollis cn tHe ' EE The public no longér sees them as President Bush or 'Governor Clintori. They continue to work to be considered as everyday people, the only difference is they arc the leaders of the country and should act as such. Cindy Laundry that American politicians place so . 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GST must be added to all subscription purchases. ss THE NATIONAL FABRIC 7 Caped Crusader no match for Beancounters at DC Comics Faster than a speeding bullet More powerful than a locomotive Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound It's a bird, it's a plane, it's... All over folks. As of next month the guy in the blue leotards and flowing red cape is _ history. The Man of Steel is headed for the 'slag heap. Superman is about'to die. My comic book spies tell me it will happenin DC Superman issue'#75, which' is scheduled to hit the streets about three weeks from today. In that issue, I am told, Superman runs afoul of an intergalactic maniac by the name of Doomsday, a chap who's on unsupervised leave from : a cosmic lunatic asylum. Rumou has it that Mister Doomsday ha huge muscles, magic powers and a bad attitude towards authority. Heck, that doesn't sound lik . anything the most famous son o Krypton couldn't handle. 'Over the years, he's put the boots to, hundreds of terrorists, tyrants and thugs--home-grown and extraterrestrial. But not this time. The fellows with the flow charts at DC's executive offices have decreed that it is time for the caped crusader to make the one-way trip to Superhero Heaven. It's going to leave a big cavity in the fantasy world of comic lovers. Oh, there's still lots of superheroes to choose from. They run the gamut from Spiderman and Captain Marvel to Electra and the Silver Surfer. But Superman was the original. He was the character that spawned the whole galaxy of flashy, overpowered imitators. Legend has it that Superman was born on the dying planet Krypton, but that's-not true. Superman was in fact, born on the back of a piece of left-over wallpaper in an apartment in downtown Toronto. It happened in the depths of the Great Depression (no, Brian--the one before this one). Superman was the brainchild of a Toronto artist by the name of Joe Shuster. In 1938, Shuster doodled the first images of Superman, showed them to his pal, Jerry Seigel, and together they pitched DC Comics on the idea Arthur Black of a new comic book hero. The tycoons at DC liked the concept. They wined and dined the boys and then sweet- talked them into the biggest blunder of their lives. Joe Shuster and Jerry Seigel sold all the Superman rights to DC. For $180 U.S. _ Pretty. soon, Superman was an "international star and Jerry and Joe"were still grubbing along as graphic artists for DC. They sued the company for more money. The company responded by firing them on the spot. Over the next 25 years the two originators sued again and again--and always lost. Bearcat : Finally, a few years back : the papers got wind of the i story. The public wasn't : too pleased to hear about ithe chintzy treatment Superman's creators were receiving. Embarrassed, the. company awarded = Seigel and Shuster lifetime pensions of $20,000 apiece. Meanwhile, Superman had left his wallpaper e* origins far behind for the celluloid glory of Hollywood. The Superman films were box office smashes and brought in hundreds of millions - each year for the company. In appreciation, the company moguls bumped the Seigel and Shuster pensions up another ten grand each. "Victory" was rather academic at this point for Joe Shuster. He was in his 70's, blind and unable to draw. Oh well, time eventually blindsides all of us--even the Man of Steel. Ironically it won't be Kryptonite or Lex Luthor or any of the regular arch-fiends that do in Superman. It won't even really be Mister Doomsday. It'll be the bean-counters at DC. The bottom-line boys have decided that people aren't buying enough Superman comics any more. Ergo, cut your losses. Kill him off. At least they won't have to explain the decision to the man who gave us Superman in the first place. Joe Shuster died in Los Angeles on July 30th.