Panel Vision - Medicine Soldiers

At the time of writing the US is paying witness to one of the most egregious miscarriages of justice and corruptions of the legal system we’ve seen in quite some time.  I’m referring of course to the native water protectors at Standing Rock facing down the corporate machinery and military police of the Dakota Access Pipeline.  

If you’re unfamiliar with the details, an oil pipeline was deemed too dangerous to go through the Dakota capital of Bismarck and so has been rerouted through native lands of the Sioux people against their will. 

Rather than just let a soulless corporation steal their land and poison their resources the Sioux have taken to non-violently blocking construction.  In response, authorities have responded with near deadly force- spraying protestors with freezing water and even shooting a woman’s arm off with rubber bullets.  

The whole thing is an absolute cluster and here are some links if you want to give support to the protesters, but we’re here to talk about comics.  Specifically, the entire situation reminded me of the comic that first got me interested in Native Rights, one of the best Batman stories of the modern era- Medicine Soldiers. 

Comics Rainbow - Batman Family

So, this past week Gotham revealed the central mystery around its new villain Theo Galavan.  The “big reveal” of was that Galavan was actually a radical revision of the Batman supporting hero Azrael and the Order of Saint Dumas, now reimagined as a disgraced Gotham family returning to seek revenge on the Waynes.  It’s a pretty dumb idea that got me thinking about how much I hate Gotham, but also how much I love Azrael and Batman’s extended roster of fellow heroes.  Batman has one of the largest rosters of supporting heroes out there and the idea of Batman working alongside other heroes has been furrowed into the character almost since the beginning.  As much as people like to believe Batman is a deadly lone squirrel he’s definitely a pack animal, as best demonstrated by the major success enjoyed by both the Bat Family comic line and the Brave and the Bold comics and shows that paired him with fellow heroes.  So, this is your full spectrum look at the Batman Family in all their shades, shames, and successes.