Next they'll be taking pre-emptive action against Krypton...

In these difficult times, when the stress and depression begin to set in, my favorite distraction to ward off the real-world is to curl up with nice comic book.

Ah, Superman! Your patriotism is never questioned and your inter-species marriage to Lois Lane was in no way preceded by the legitimizing of gay unions.

And Wonder Woman! Your position as Ambassador to the United Nations for your native island of Themyscria, home of the mythic Amazons, is seen as a respectable asset and testament to your multi-lateral approach to world peace!

And of course, Batman! Your seemingly obsessive habit of conscripting underage boys and girls into your army of justice as your sidekicks...

Well that's honestly a little weird. But your stance on gun control and respect for life! That's admirable.

These are the characters I visit when the prospect of an endless war on terrorists of our own narrow-minded creation threaten to consume me. But now, even that has been infiltrated by neo-cons!

Marvel Comics' is working on a comic called Combat Zone: True Tales from GI's in Iraq. I find nothing offensive about the comic from its title. In fact, it strikes me as something that can be very powerful if done correctly. Comics are a versatile medium and I applaud the attempt at branching out in new directions for the medium. It doesn't sound like my cup of tea exactly, but I get plenty of war stories from the front page of the paper each day.

However, it was recently reported that this book has been in production at Marvel for a while, because a number of artists have been approached, started on the book, and then left when it's true nature was revealed. A number of Marvel's previous titles involving war and terrorism have tried to explore issues from different perspectives, according to many sources this is not the case here. America is the One True Hope, all who oppose her or disagree with her current thinking are evil scum, and the world would be better off without them. And thank the Lord we have these plucky brave soldiers to do her bidding.

Why is this comic book becoming some sort of one-sided, lying drivel? Could have to do with Karl Zinsmeister, credited as the "embedded correspondent" writing the book?

Zinsmeister is editor-in-chief of the American Enterprise Magazine, the in-house magazine of "The American Enterprise Institute" (AEI). The AEI is a neo-conservative think tank, with strong ties to the oil industry and the White House, and one of the most important architects of President Bush's current foreign policy. Famous members include Richard Perle, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, ExxonMobile's CEO Lee Raymond and the Vice-President's wife Lynne Cheney.

Also, the AEI gave office space to the "Project for a New American Century," an even more conservative think tank with Vice President Dick Cheney and Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz on it's roster. Who better to write a touching, poignant and truthful version of the current state of affairs in Iraq than someone who works for the guys who planned it?

These neo-con freaks are everywhere these days. Stay out of my funny books!