Red Skull: Incarnate #5

[cyberghostface]

Comments

[leahandillyana]

A missed opportunity for JAJED KCESZA.

[tcampbell1000]

?

(Google is no help for me here.)

At any rate, Pak is really good. Like, really good.

[leahandillyana]

That's what the title would say if they used faux Russian script.

[tinygaylaura]

This ending sums up why I can't say I'm a fan of this story. It ends with the utterly horrible evil piece of garbage getting exactly what he wanted. There's no satisfying comeuppance, just horrible things happening to good people and horrible people getting away with it

The Kingpin origin story I enjoyed more because Fisk is at least a character who you can give some layers and who isn't always portrayed as a complete monster. So even if it's still a "Bad guy wins" story the bad guy in question is one who you can actually feel for

But a story about the Red Skull? No normal person with a soul would ever remotely empathise with, care about or relate to a creature like the Red Skull or any other nazi piece of trash like him. It's like making a comic with Dr Light or Purple Man as the protagonist

[agent8]

If you think of comics as escapism from the real world and always want to see the horrible evil piece of garbage get their justly deserved comeuppance, then I understand why you're not a fan.

But I'm fine with the story because, while escapism has it's place, I'm more of fan of realistic storytelling. I think it's a good story and it reinforces the lesson that, in the real world, the utterly horrible evil piece of garbage often does get exactly what he wants with no satisfying comeuppance. Horrible things really do happen to good people and horrible people get away with it. That right there is a lesson that needs teaching to people,

I'm not sure that I agree with the idea that Johann actively worked and planned to bring himself to Hitler's attention vice being randomly selected. That does take away some of the "banality of evil" lessons or the "nature vs nurture" argument aspect of the Skull's backstory.
But in this story's context it works fine.

Plus, of course, the story's kinda predestined to end as it did no matter what. Johann he had to succeed or there wouldn't have been a Red Skull in the Marvel U.

[lego_joker]

I dunno - I think it would've been a neat twist if the last issue had Johann unceremoniously dying (or otherwise getting taken off the board), and Hitler's brass shrugging and handing the Skull mantle to someone else. After all, Nazism only got as bad as it did because it's a group effort; what's the point concentrating on one guy as some kind of Super-Nazi that can survive literally anything?

[agent8]

but then it wouldn't have been a Red Skull story. It would have just been a slice of life story about orphan boy Johann Schmidt growing up and dying in 20s and 30s Germany.

This series ends in 1934 and at this point he hasn't been handled the mantel of Red Skull because there is no Red Skull; even the idea hasn't been conceived of yet.

All Schmidt's gotten at the close of this story is membership in the SS and, apparently, some kind of position as Hitler's aide de camp/gopher.

What's really needed now is a sequel that shows how Schmidt went from generic SS guy to Red Skull. The plot could be something along the lines of the Nazis get wind of America's Super Soldier project and decide they need one of their own.

Due to his inside position near Hitler, Schmidt learns of the German Super Soldier plan and decides he's going to be the one to become the German Super Soldier. Then you could fill out a book or two on the machinations he goes through to achieve that ambition.

[tinygaylaura]

I'm fine with "The bad guy" wins stories

But not when the bad guy is a Nazi

The only time I want to see Nazis in comics (Or in real life for that matter) is when they're being beaten

Preferably to death