Not especially. The movie was like 99% criticism of white dudes with money and power. There were like, some minor shots at gay dudes and Mexicans but aside from that it was pretty on-point.
There were some jibes about some black stereotypes, least in film at the time. And c'mon! How often you hear a white character in any film call a black one the N word and it isn't some "true story about racism" sort of movie? While I agree with you, I also feel BLAZING SADDLES spread things around with some raunchy humor.
I also bought another comic on my lunch break today that I missed at my LCS; it came out about 2 weeks ago, but so what?
X-MEN: FIRST CLASS #16: And thus ends the ongoing series run for this franchise. It started as an 8 issue mini, and surprisingly, a one-shot and then this ongoing, which at 16 issues has lasted longer than quite a few more "mainstream" Marvel ongoings for the past 4-9 years. But it isn't the end for Jeff Parker and XM:FC yet. Another one-shot is due, and then another mini. Quite what advantage this strategy is supposed to have compared to another 5-6 issues of the ongoing is beyond me. If I recall my sales figures for THE BEAT correctly, the last one-shot and the new #1 really didn't boost sales beyond where they already were. Most retailers just treated it as extra issues of the core title, and they were right. Now we're in more cautious economic times where some shops may be not as willing to blindly up orders for every #1 that ships. But that never stopped the Big Two.
XM:FC is an odd duck title. It is intended to fit into the Silver Age continuity of Marvel comics, and Uncanny X-Men in particular, but often fudges that continuity. Easy examples include having the original 5 X-Men meet Man-Thing or Machine Man when both didn't debut into the 70's, when UXM was either All New or doing reprints. The continuity is basically abandoned at the drop of a hat for a plot, while other issues can clearly take place between some 60's comics. Also, considering the entire Marvel Universe from 1961 to 2008 is supposed to be under 16 years, the series inserts things that clearly didn't exist in the early 90's, such as X-Box and, in this issue, sleek modern cell phones with pictures (cells existed in the 90's, but were bulkier). Basically, is this a MARVEL ADVENTURES title, or not? It doesn't know, but it usually outsells the MA line, so Marvel takes it. And even branched off, giving Wolverine not one, but TWO FIRST CLASS titles, even if that title doesn't really suit him.
But I usually ignore all this because the title is fun. It relies too much on team-up's rather than dealing with the title characters, but team-up's happened all the time in the 60's. Amazingly, this series went over 2 years without a guest stint from Spider-Man, and even here, he really doesn't do much but appear for maybe 4 pages. The focus is on Iceman and Human Torch, feeling they are both kindred souls (as the immature "brat" member of their teams, out for glory and laughs), uniting as a sort of Dynamic Duo. They meet when they stop some armored thieves and then end up taking a mission from Spider-Man by fighting Beetle and Scorpion (with Beetle in his vintage whielding mask costume). The action is light and fluffy and the banter between Bobby and Johnny shallow and entertaining. It's 80's Saturday Morning fare, but every now and then, that's alright.
Scherberger does the pencils and his style is very kinetic for young superheroes. I wouldn't mind seeing him do some other young hero books that actually matter.
I passed up PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL in the shop and wouldn't budge on skipping it. The difference between the two books amounted to this; while I would read both and then immediately forget about them, XM:FC was at least more amusing, light, and better drawn. I'll likely get the other material, although I don't see why they couldn't either leave it an ongoing or pull the plug. It seems like a wishy washy move. Like when sports teams make a coach a lame duck with a 1-2 year deal with a buy-out or something instead of just giving a confidence-boosting 3-4 year deal or outright sacking 'em.
