The Movement #2

This comic book is called The Movement #2.

Last issue I wondered who The Movement's billionaire backers were because I forgot that a comic book called "The Green Team" was also coming out. Commodore Murphy would fit the bill but he and J.P. Houston mention a "cult" that has been harassing the Commodore. That cult is The Riot Act who seem to speak for the Middle Class. The Movement speaks for the lower class and, perhaps, are also a "cult" that have been hassling the rich (not that the rich shouldn't be hassled! If you want to make a shit ton of money exploiting millions of other people and manipulating law to your benefit, then you don't deserve to live hassle-free). My guess is that J.P.'s sister, L.L., is funding The Movement. Mostly because she's young and cute and would fit right in with the other kids in this group.

Last issue two cops were acting like people tend to act when they join a fraternal organization that is told they are an authority and arbiter of right and wrong when actually they're just more people with all the normal flaws and fears that go with that. How is it those people tend to act? Like they can do fucking anything and anything they do is right. Well now these two dirty cops have been captured by Virtue and the Movement. They're being given a tour of Coral City's version of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. It's basically the historical poster child for why you can't trust a capitalist free market devoid of government regulations. I mean, I guess you can if you have people like The Movement willing to fuck some serious shit up when corporations treat workers worse than the machines the workers oversee.

My political views entry on Facebook used to read "Ivory Tower Marxist." People would often ask if I were really a Marxist and then I'd have to stop being frustratingly subtle and explain to them that what that means is I'm for educating oneself and taking as much responsibility for your life and well-being as you possibly can. Control the means and production of your own life. Don't rely on a corporation or the government for your health and happiness and prosperity. Now my political views say, "And this I believe: that the free, exploring mind of the individual human is the most valuable thing in the world. And this I would fight for: the freedom of the mind to take any direction it wishes, undirected. And this I must fight against: any idea, religion, or government which limits or destroys the individual. This is what I am and what I am about. I can understand why a system built on a pattern must try to destroy the free mind, for this is one thing which can by inspection destroy such a system. Surely I can understand this, and I hate it and I will fight against it to preserve the one thing that separates us from the uncreative beasts. If the glory can be killed, we are lost." That's from East of Eden by John Steinbeck. And since I'm going on about my Facebook profile, here's what it says for my Religious Views: "Our partial knowledge of reality is sufficient to get us by--for a while longer. Cause and effect bumble on, and we go with them; like good middle-class Americans we keep paying on our insurance policies, hoping to outbet the actuary tables. What will destroy us in the end is synchronicity; eventually we will arrive in a blind intersection at 4:00 A.M. the same time another idiot does, also tanked up with beer; both of us will then depart for the next life, with probably the same outcome there, too. Synchronicity, you see, can't be anticipated; that's one of its aspects." That's by Philip K. Dick and except for the departing for the next life bit, I think it's pretty fucking spot on.

Oh, so Virtue brings the cops to meet the kids they hassled in the less poo-titled The Movement #1.

Katharsis messed this bitch up. Even when it's only happening to fictional bad people, I hate seeing teeth knocked out.

Virtue locks the cops up and then the cop starts sputtering some shit about The Movement being like the factory owners and locking people up. That's bullshit because these cops abused their power treating other people like shit and deserve some kind of punishment or scare or timeout. The factory workers just wanted to feed their fucking families and live their Goddamned lives and got treated like shit. Now, if the cop had compared The Movement to the cops of Coral City, going about thinking they have the authority to do anything they like as long as it fits The Movement's perception of right, then I'd say he had a really strong point!

Vengeance Moth makes an appearance during this scene. Her super power seems to be having fruit snacks on hand. Seriously though, what kind of super power would lead you to name yourself Vengeance Moth? I have a feeling she punishes light bulbs somehow. Perhaps she can create darkness or manipulate light? Or maybe she simply has the power of erratic flight and likes to punish those who deserve punishment? I have a feeling I shouldn't let the meek attitude and the fruit snacks cloud my judgment. You don't add "vengeance" to your name without proper reasons.

Meanwhile, Mouse is breaking down the way he probably breaks down every day or two.

Given the life expectancy of a rat of 2-4 years, and given that Mouse has tens of thousands of rats, and doing the pretend math, I have to figure one dies every other day. Also, I kind of get the wanting to eat him thing.

Meanwhile the Police Chief realizes that Virtue and her pals "slid their dicks down his throat and made him say thank you," to paraphrase and steal a quote from Negan over in Walking Dead. And Chiefy didn't like it at all. It made him feel uncomfortable and powerless and a little bit sick. So he's ready to invade the Tweens after he goes back to the station to get some mouthwash and/or more firepower.

In the secret war room of The Movement, the first Narration Boxing of The Movement occurs. It's the kind of Narration Boxing that works because it fits the thoughts of the character at the moment. And they're full of crazy because it's Burden that's thinking these things as if he's speaking to his mom, or composing a mental letter to her. He believes he does not have super powers but is instead possessed by Satan. Virtue thinks he can lend some muscle to the team but he seems pretty set against violence. I have a feeling they are going to have to quote scripture at him when they need him to amp up his powers. At least that's better than Skitters who had to spend hours in a cocoon before changing into a creature that might possibly help the Teen Titans or might possibly attack the Teen Titans. That character was a bust. I imagine she'll eventually make her way back to the book with the ability to control her powers better.

Shit, I started talking about a Scott Lobdell book again! At least I didn't spend a paragraph ranting like a madman about Lobdell's writing! I'm turning over a new leaf (whatever the fuck that means) and only praising writers and artists now, no matter how bad they are at their job!

Besides the Narration Boxing, the Movement is also trying to decide what to do with the officers.

Katharsis's plan is to castrate them. I think.

Excuse me, Katharsis's plan is to deal with the Cornea Killer while the rest of the group decide to go see The Witch. Both ventures end in violence and revelations.

Well let's not dismiss the mental patient thing out of hand either.

Maybe Katharsis's venture ends in a better revelation than Virtue's group's venture. The Witch turns out to be The Weather Witch also known as The Rainmaker. This is significant because some of the evidence at the scene of every Cornea Killer murder indicate that a small, localized rainstorm was present at every murder. Also, the Weather Witch has glowing eyes and corneas happen to occur in only two places in the human body: the eyes and the...oh wait, just the eyes. I was never very good at Biologistry.

The Movement #2 Rating: +1 Ranking. Is that why Katharsis had to leave Knightfall's group? Was she undercover trying to nail Charise for crimes against good taste? Wait, did she eat her family? Was that joke in bad taste? I don't remember her crazy history very well! I'm surprised I even remembered her name! Anyway, was she transferred to run undercover with The Movement because Charise is being watched by a new undercover agent by the name of Ferdie?