Comics and Addiction (About That PRISM Award)

Just a note going in - as many of you are aware, my professional background includes work in both chemical dependency treatment and prevention. I also know several people who are in recovery for addictions, so consider this the perspective of a well-informed bystander.

I always have a slight interest in how addiction is presented in the media - much of it still tends to operate in the "After School Special" range. However, I was a little taken aback when I read DC Comics' announcement that they had won the PRISM Award for the best depiction of addiction and mental health issues for both Greek Street  and Justice League: the Rise of Arsenal.

To quote Chris Sims, yes, that Rise of Arsenal.

Rather than go into a litany of how rotten the book was (and besides, the above link goes straight to that litany), I would like to talk a little about how, well, DC created the comic equivalent of the punk rock episode of Quincy, M.E.

But Gordon, you're probably thinking, Why are you getting worked up about this? In the end, isn't it just about comics? 

Let me just say - Greek Street got it right. Its portrayal of a soldier with Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome was a very strong tale, and if you haven't read it, pick up the trades. But I'm not the only person who finds the PRISM Awards rationale a little...well, questionable.

Addiction is never as clean cut in "real life" as it is in pop culture...or even on Celebrity Detox. Relapse is never just a clear cut "I-had-a-bad-day-oh-to-heck-with-sobriety" - in fact, many of my peers who have relapsed in their recovery could easily claim that they mentally relapsed (fell into old patterns) before they began using again. (If you would like a more formal introduction to relapse issues, try reading Staying Sober: A Guide for Relapse Prevention by Terence Gorski). However, The Rise of Arsenal turned much of this into nothing more than melodrama...and really bad melodrama at that.

Many people who are recovering - and who identify themselves as addicts - will disclose that they don't take their sobriety for granted. It's a neverending struggle that they manage through connecting with others, working with appropriate groups, and more importantly, seeing themselves as more than just an addict. When the idea of a superhero sidekick as addict was written in the 1970s, it was meant to push comics into a much more realistic - and recognizable - area of storytelling.

However, all Rise of Arsenal has done is taken old cliches and given them a 21st century spin...and sadly, they've been rewarded for it.

'Til Net Tuesday

Open Books
Originally uploaded by Karitas

(or, yet another one of those rare glimpses into my personal life that Roger enjoys reading, I hope you do, too).

I have to admit, I miss being a community organizer, or "Sarah Palin's Worst Nightmare".

Which is why I enjoy being a part of Net Tuesday Chicago - it allows me to vicariously engage those not-used-very-much skills, while at the same time hanging with some brilliant, committed, talented people.

(Like the photo you see? Kara, one of my co-organizers, took it. If that doesn't say "talent", I don't know what does).

It was, well, a great lineup - it was held at Open Books, a bookstore that took donations, sold them, and funded literacy programs. The site itself - I could easily live there. Shelves chock full of an eclectic mixture of books; wide, expansive shelves...will definitely make an effort to revisit again in the near future.

Our focus (obviously) was literacy, with not only Open Books presenting, but also with representatives from the Chicago Underground Library (which works with cataloging and archiving small media), and Reading With Pictures (an organization that I would never, ever blog about)...and quite frankly, the results were spectacular. In all honesty, most of my efforts consisted in creating an agenda and inviting one guest - most of the "heavy lifting" was done by several of my co-organizers.

I'm writing this after attending - briefly - another related networking event which (for me) was extremely disappointing. Being harassed with Facebook messages to attend (followed by a slightly snarky post from me, resulting in a half-hearted apology). Getting to the event in a dark, noisy atmosphere, being ignored by waitresses, and pretty much cramped into an uncomfortable space...it just reminded me of why I was - and am - committed to building communities.

There's nothing more exhilarating as the experience of being part of something bigger than myself - something that actually benefits a wide range of people. It's also exciting to be part of a team, worrying less about my own agenda but making sure everyone's agenda fits some common goals. I also enjoy feeling like a peer, and having intelligent, respectful conversations with people who share my values.

In short, community work helps me feel totally human.

And sometimes, I miss it to death.

Quitting's Never Easy

Most of my life has been drenched in alcohol and tobacco.

Most of my childhood I lived around adults who smoked, seemingly at Mad Men levels. Tried it a few times, and it never really took. My mother quit when I was about ten years old, and my father passed a few years ago from complications from smoking (and when you pass away three weeks after a triple bypass....that's not good). In fact, later in my professional life I worked towards clean air ordinances - so much that I attempted a few blog posts, but nothing came of it.

I am writing this because today is the Great American Smokeout, an effort by the American Cancer Society to encourage smokers to quit for at least one day. (Or more accurately, those smokers who want to quit). Admittedly, tobacco use and secondhand smoke are emotionally charged issues...but as long as states are putting in the effort to prohibit smoking in public places, let us also put the effort on them to fund cessation efforts. If you want to do something in support of the Smokeout, but do not know anyone who wishes to quit...my suggestion is to get involved in helping fund and promote cessation as an option. Tobacco use will not ever go away, but having a balance in providing resources - always a good thing.

(Hard to believe that the old community organizer spirit hasn't gone away).

On a related note, part of my previous professional life also involved work with substance abuse treatment & prevention. As I've stated before, I have never been a member of AA, but have plenty of friends in the program, so I've received second-hand recovery. (How's that for a transition?) So I was quite surprised - shocked, quite honestly, when Roger Ebert broke his anonymity on his blog.

Part of it, admittedly, is the whole I-can't-believe-he-had-a-problem-he-seemed-ok-to-me syndrome...but much of it is that to do so in a public way, and not avoiding directly addressing AA. (The only other person to "say it without saying it" is Craig Ferguson in a popular You Tube video). But there's something extremely powerful - in light of his other health issues - about admitting that he has had an issue, and that he's not cured, he's recovering.

Pop culture often glamorizes substance use, and then trivializes treatment (Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew anyone?). Having lived through others' use, as a blogger, I think it's important to not only educate myself, but also work towards encouraging others.

Today is the Great American Smokeout. If you're looking for help, click on the link.

Hopefully, I've done my part.

Be A Hero and Add This to This Week's Pull List

Even though it's coming out to stores this Wednesday (at least, that's what I heard), I managed to pick up a copy when I attended Wizard World this week. This is one of my you-gotta-buy-this recommendations, but only because of the cause behind it.

And that cause is the Hero Initiative - it's an organization that provides help and support to comics legends old and new. Everyone knows that the history of comics creators is spotty - they often worked for-hire, with little to no pay (often from paycheck to paycheck) and without such amenities as, say, health insurance. Hero Initiative works to help creators face such problems head-on, providing support and assistance to those who need it.

As a way of earning some money, the Initiative will be putting out Hero Comics - a one-shot geared towards raising money (and awareness) for the cause. It comes with two variant covers - one by Matt Wagner, and one by J. Scott Campbell (which I've included in this post in a cheap attempt to drive traffic. No, I'm not proud, why do you ask?). Inside, however, coolness abounds - a new, short American Flagg story by Howard Chaykin. Arthur Adams recreates some classic Marvel covers. But there are some nice, smaller, not-so-major pieces that deserve your attention, such as David Lloyd's moody one-pager. A recreation of the late Dave Simon's script. William Messener-Loebs (another Hero Initiative recipient) meditating on the "Bunny of Death". Take away the fundraising aspect of this, and it's still an incredibly cool comic.

In a way, it's also very timely - with the current discussion of health care going on in Washington, it's more important to insure that everyone has access. Even though the connection is tenuous, buying this comic book - in a small way - helps keep the discussion going. It's not going to bring a wonderful change in national policy, but it will bring some enjoyment. It will serve as a reminder about the comic industry's past, and more importantly - being building towards the future.

I'm also going to ask a favor of you, dear reader - please feel free to distribute this blog post amongst your social networks. Post it on your Facebook page. Retweet it. Use the "Share This" icon below to distribute it amongst other social networks. If you're a blogger, blog about it. (Can you tell I'm co-moderator for an organization that works with non-profits and the tech field?) Yes, it will drive traffic, but more importantly - I'm hoping it will sell this comic.

Most comic fans are in the know about the Hero Initiative, but let's not keep it a secret. If it means other people buy this book, so be it.

Without a doubt, Hero Comics is one you have to put on your pull list.

Equal Opportunity for the King or the Hood

(...or, a cool comic-related thing nobody else knew about last week except me)

It all started, innocently enough, with a Twitter follow.

At first, I thought it was a request from one of my fellow (and favorite) comic bloggers, who tweets under the name "The Atom". Ignoring my usual check-out-the-link-before-following rule, I followed...and then realized my mistake, but then, checked out the home site atomfordc.com, thinking that I might have to quickly unfollow.

Following various links, a story emerged that appealed to the blogger/social media user/non-profit community organizing geek within me. It turns out this initiative was part of a training sponsored by the New Organizing Institute, which trains people to become sharp online advocates. They all participated in a "BootCamp" training to engage people to advocate online, and the premise for this year was....superheroes running for Mayor of DC.

Granted, the effort received a lot of mainstream media support (click here, although it will spoil the result of the election), but I'm surprised a lot of comic bloggers/writers did not write about this...until now. (I am more than happy to be proven wrong) Perhaps the idea that political candidates are often comic characters (and I'm talking to you, Sarah Palin) has taken over popular characters, but the idea of supporting someone who actually seems to propose a general train of thought - rather than the usual bullet points - who is fictional seems appealing.

And to answer your question - yes, I supported the Atom. The guy's been through enough, and quite frankly, I would have loved knowing I helped put a physicist in office.