Y: The Last Man, 10 Downing Street, & Australian (and Canadian) Constitutional Law

First off, let me say that I love Y: The Last Man by Brian K. Vaughan. This entire 60 issue series is fantastic and I have never torn through trade paperbacks as quickly has I have these. If you have a friend who wants to try comics but isn't interested in Batman or Spider-Man, et al then I highly recommend Y. It’s a thought-provoking story with compelling characters and accessible and enjoyable art. 

Cover of Vertigo Comic's Y: The Last Man #1 (September 2002) Written by Brian K. Vaughan, pencils by Pia Guerra & inks by Jose Marzan, Jr. 

I also have a love of Constitutional history and being from Canada -- a country with a similar constitutional history as Australia -- I was struck by a page in issue 38 as I re-read one of my favourite parts of the series. The scene depicts an Australian government agent explaining to an American doctor how her country is being run after all the men were wiped out by mysterious plague. Take a look:
 

From Vertigo Comic's Y: The Last Man #38 (December 2005) Written by Brian K. Vaughan, pencils by art by Pia Guerra & Goran Zudzuka, inks by Jose Marzan, Jr.

From Vertigo Comic's Y: The Last Man #38 (December 2005)

In the timeline of Y, “10 Downing Street” – a metonym for the British government – is controlling Australia because Queen Elizabeth was forced to appoint her own Governor-General of Australia when no women were able to take the position. It's certainly an interesting situation, but is it plausible either legally or politically? To begin to answer this question we will first look at some constitutional history of the former British Empire and from there apply the existing law to the situation above. 

Let's begin with a survey of the history of the largely English speaking countries that are often very friendly with the United States and have Queen Elizabeth II as their Head of State, but are not the United Kingdom. These countries include a number of Caribbean nations as well as larger countries such as Australia and Canada. Australia and Canada until the post-war period were settled in large part by people from Great Britain and Ireland. Of course, they were never completely homogeneous (Canada had a signficant French-speaking population for example) and both are currently multicultural and pluralistic societies. But what they did have were largely British-styled political and legal institutions.

And these is a key point. Gradually as Australia and Canada built their legal and political institutions they were modelled after what they knew in Great Britain. However, as these societies started to expand across their continental land-masses (often to the consternation of the aboriginal populations living there: but that's for another blog entry) their political and legal institutions began to experience new demands. So it was towards the end of the nineteenth century that the various disparate colonies of Australia and Canada started to consider merging into federal states. It first happened in North America when the four colonies of British North America merged to become the self-governing Dominion of Canada in 1867. Then, in 1901, the same happened in Australia, with six colonies there forming a federation called the Commonwealth of Australia. 

Changing from colonies to "provinces" (Canada) or "states” (Australia) meant that the former colonies kept their own elected legislatures while at the same time having laws passed by a new federal parliament as well; similarly to what happened with the 13 colonies of North America in 1776. But unlike the USA, which cut all ties to Great Britain, Canadians and Australians were responsible for most things but not everything: the British still maintained a measure of control over imperial matters, especially as they related to defence. This is why when King George V declared war in 1914 on behalf of the British Empire he did so with Canada and Australia automatically in tow.

The flag of the State of New York. Notice the crown at the feet of Liberty on your left. This symbolizes the break the American Revolution made between the Crown and the 13 colonies. Canada and Australia did not have a similar cut of sovereignty until 1982 and 1986 respectively.   

But as wars are prone to do, the Great War changed things significantly. Both Canada and Australia made important and distinctive contributions – Canadians at Vimy Ridge and Australians (and New Zealanders) at Gallipoli – and rightfully took their places at the table when sorting things out at Versailles in 1919. This, in turn, led to an increased desire for autonomy and was eventually realised when the Statute of Westminster 1931 was passed by the British parliament. It declared in law, what was already a de facto truth: Canada and Australia were equals to the United Kingdom.

But is often the case with law, things were not that simple. Because the Westminster parliament was sovereign the Australian and Canadian parliaments were still creations of that body, even the Statute did not break the legal connection when they were adapted by Canada and Australia. Simply put, if Britain wanted to repeal the Statute of Westminster, and have Canada and Australia join them again as subservient colonies, it was legally possible because of the doctrine of the Sovereignty of Parliament. Practically impossible, yes, but still legally so.  

Pierre Trudeau, the Prime Minister of Canada talks with Guardian in Marvel's Uncanny X-Men #110 (March 1977). Art by John Byrne. It is actually an accurate depiction of what Trudeau looked like.

Trudeau was the driving force behind the patriation of the Canadian constitution. Art again from Uncanny X-Men #110 (March 1977)

Which brings us to the 1980s and the wave of patriation efforts that followed, starting in Canada with Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. This former legal scholar wanted to bring home the constitution and sever all remaining legal ties to the British parliament. After substantial negotiations with provincial political leaders, this happened in 1982 with the passing of the Canada Act 1982 (UK) in London and the Constitution Act, 1982 in Ottawa. This was soon followed with the similar Australia Act 1986 (UK), and Australia's own Australia Act 1986. These four pieces of legislation changed the nature of the legal relationships between Canada and Australia and cut all sovereign ties with the former mother country's parliament. So while both countries kept Queen Elizabeth II as their head of state, she became the Queen of Canada and Queen of Australia respectively. Which takes us back to our original question. Could the Queen or British Prime Minister step in to govern Australia if there were no woman in Australia capable of doing so?

Personally, I would say this is both politically and legally impossible. While, I'm not overly familiar with Australian political affairs, I’m sure there are many well qualified women who would step in and run the federation if there were no men left alive. Moreover, although she was recently removed by a vote of her own party, a woman named Julia Gillard was prime minister from 2010 to 2013. Further to that, the current Governor-General of Australia (the Queen's representative) is also a woman. And while this position is ostensibly appointed by the Queen, by constitutional convention it is actually the prime minister who makes the pick. Because of this, it would be highly irregular for the Queen to appoint "her own Governor-General" after decades of deferring to her prime ministers. Because of this convention, even the most junior female minister of state in the government of Australia has a more practical right to choose a Govenor-General than the Queen. 

Also, the republican movement which has been much more active in Australia than in Canada (a 1999 referendum to replace the Queen was lost by a 54.8 to 45.2 margin) would  take umbrage with the legally impossible notion that the British could step in and make policy decisions on behalf of the Australian government.  

So there you have it. I don't think the scenario presented by Brian K. Vaughan could really happen. But it was fun thinking about it, and as I hope you enjoyed learning a little bit about British, Australian and Canadian constitutional law in the process. Of course, this slightly inaccurate seven panel exchange does not take anything from what is an amazing 60 issue story and I encourage any comic reader to check out Y: The Last Man. Thanks again for stopping by WGTB and have a great day.

Happy Canada Day!

Today Canadians around the world celebrate Canada's 146th birthday. And to celebrate here at WGTB, we've decided one of our "Top Five" posts is in order. This time it's Canadian characters in comics and hopefully there's a little something here to teach you about comics and that great country situated on the northern portion of North America.  

Quebec City's famous Chateau Frontenac as depicted in the splash of Captain Canuck #11 (Sept/Oct 1980)

 Let's begin...

5) Joe Shuster

We start our list with Superman co-creator Joe Shuster. Okay, we know it's a stretch to say this flesh and blood fellow and the first artist of the superhero responsible for defending "truth, justice and the American way" is a Canadian character, but we'll argue this by way of Toronto. Joe Shuster was born in Toronto and lived in Canada's largest city until he moved to Cleveland  when he was ten. Before moving, Joe worked as a newsboy for the Toronto Daily Star and used its former King and Bay street headquarters as models for the Daily Planet building in Metropolis. In his waining years he would also speak fondly of his Toronto roots and this is undoubtedly a source of pride for any comic loving Canadian. Joe Shuster: 5th on our list of Canadian characters in comics.

Toronto-born comics legend Joe Shuster, co-creator of Superman, holds a copy of Action Comics #1 (June 1938)

And from the Man of Steel's latest book, Superman Unchained #1 (June 2013)

4) Northstar & Aurora 

Alpha Flight's Quebecois contingent, the twin siblings Northstar and Aurora have long been two of Marvel's most innovative characters. Northstar was one of the first openly gay characters in comics, coming out of the closet in the early 90s and getting married in Astonishing X-Men #51 in June 2012. Aurora, on the other hand, has long battled various forms of mental illness, her own mutant powers manifesting as a teenager during a suicide attempt. These important and thoughtful attributes have meant that Northstar and Aurora have been two of Marvel's guiding lights (sorry I couldn't resist!) since first created in 1979 and have undoubtedly helped many young readers on their own journey of self discovery. As such, they get 4th place on our list today.   

Northstar and Aurora in Alpha Flight Vol. 1 #1 (August 1983)

3) Captain Canuck 

Captain Canuck is the ketchup chips of Canadian comics: invented in Canada; usually found only in Canada; and mostly red. Invented by Winnipeg's Comely Comix in 1975, Captain Canuck was published periodically (and with some very large gaps) between 1975 and 2004. The Captain inhabited a world where contact with extra-terrestial life gave Canadian Tom Evans space-born powers and much of the book's backdrop featured space and futuristic themed stories. The character has recently found new life in the form of an animated series which will debut today at the Silver Snail in Toronto. If you'd like to learn more about the latest incarnation of a Canadian funny book institution, please watch this YouTube video or visit this site.

Captain Canuck kicks robot butt in Captain Canuck Vol. 1 #11 (Sept/Oct 1980) 

 2) Vindicator/Heather McNeil Hudson 

The longtime leader of Alpha Flight, Vindicator was vaulted into the position when her husband died in an early issue of John Byrne's run on Alpha Flight. Never the shrinking violet, Heather Hudson threw herself into the role, taking up the mantle of Alpha Flight leader with gusto, soon becoming an important leader in her own right. This made her -- in a similar vein to her colleague Northstar -- a trailblazer as the first female leader of a major Marvel group. Because of this, she is a close second to the top Canadian character, someone Hudson counts as a close friend... 

At the funeral of James Hudson as depicted in Alpha Flight Vol. 1 #13 (August 1984)

Vindicator kicks butt and cracks wise in Alpha Flight Vol. 1 #89 (October 1990)

1) Wolverine 

...the Wolverine! One of the most popular characters in all of comics, this Canadian is the "best at what he does" and instantly recognizable not only to comic fans, but in wider popular culture as well. Created by the legendary Len Wein in October 1974, Wolverine was originally intended to be a one off character in an Incredible Hulk story. But the character proved to be too good for just one arch and a year later would resurface in Giant Sized X-Men #1, soon becoming an integral part of the X-Men line-up. He would also go on to star in a number of titular series, cartoons and even two feature films, one of which will be released later this month. Wolverine is hands down one of Marvel's most popular characters and in 2011 was named by IGN the 4th best comic book hero of all time, behind only Superman, Batman and Spider-Man. That is fine company and worthy of top pick in WGTB's Top Five Canadian characters in comics. Happy Canada Day, everyone!    

Wolverine a.k.a. Logan in Wolverine Vol. 2 #1 (Nov. 1988)

Wolverine in Alpha Flight Special Vol. 1 #1 (June 1992)

WGTB Reviews Army of God: Joseph Kony's War in Central Africa

You may remember the #Kony2012 campaign that exploded onto social media in March 2012. Launched by an organization called Invisible Children, it centred around an online video by Jason Russell and told the story of Joseph Kony, a ruthless and quasi-religious warlord who has been a marauding through Africa for almost two decades. Since the #Kony2012 campaign galvanized political will around the world, Kony's forces have been reduced to a rump of a couple hundred in central Africa. But one must never discount or forget the massive damage he and his followers wrought on that continent, and Army of God: Joseph Kony's War in Central Africa by David Axe and Tim Hamilton is an excellent graphic-story introduction to the evil Kony perpetrated and the multitude of damage he has caused in the lives of thousands of Africans.

Army of God: Joseph Kony's War in Central Africa, David Axe (script) & Tim Hamilton (art),  PublicAffairs, 2013, pp. 111, $14.99

Born sometime in 1961 to a Roman Catholic father and Anglican mother, Joseph Kony is the founder of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), a Ugandan guerrilla group that when left on the losing side of the 1986 Ugandan civil war, became a murderous group of religiously motivated terrorists. When forming his group, Kony drew upon his own personal history, infusing the LRA with a bizarre pastiche of Christianity, and both recruited and enslaved young Ugandans and other Africans as he did. When encountered with resistance, the LRA would use a favourite tactic -- rape -- to keep Africans in-line and for much of the past twenty years moved from Uganda to Sudan to Congo, eventually settling in the Central African Republic where they have evaded capture (albeit in much reduced numbers) since the late 2000s. 

Army of God: Joseph Kony's War in Central Africa's art dipicts a stark and horror-filled life for many Africans. 

Army of God itself is divided into eight chapters (ten if you include the prologue and postscript), each being four to six pages long and dealing with a different aspect of the tragic story of Kony and his victims. Starting with mid 19th century colonialism and ending with recent political developments, each chapter is a manageable and pictorially described precis of the LRA's crimes in Africa, doing so by focusing on particular protagonists (or in the case of the chapter on Kony, the antagonist). The chapters are also comprehensive enough for sophisticated readers to get an understanding of a complicated subject, while at the same time would be a solid introduction for a teenaged reader wanting to start a project on the topic. This would not be a good book for children.

Sexually based crimes, so often a tactic used by the LRA, is depicted as the horror it is in Army of God: Joseph Kony's War in Central Africa

Ably written, the script is crisp and concise and the tragedy of Kony's victims is brought to life in a combination of first person narration and character word bubbles. The art is also very good and its black and white yet life-like quality shows the horror of this chapter in African history well by both capturing the humanity of the subject, while not forcing the reader to look away in disgust. That this could happen to our fellow human beings is an absolute monstrosity and the co-creators of this book have done us a service in bringing this story to graphic print. 

The political implications of Kony and his terror are also discussed with characters such as former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton making an appearance.

So if you need a break from mainstream comics; want to explain to someone that comics are so much more than Superman or Captain America; or are just looking to learn about what is happening in central Africa and the events around #Kony2012, I highly recommend you read this graphic book. It is a credit to our medium and something that will help western readers understand a terrible tragedy that has and will continue to occur in central Africa until Joseph Kony is brought to justice. 4.5/5 STARS

WGTB Reviews TV on Strike: Why Holleywood Went to War over the Internet

Of the books I’ve read this past month, TV on Strike:  Why Hollywood Went to War over the Internet by Cynthia Littleton has been my favourite and is a must read for anyone interested in the business of Hollywood television production, labour relations and what effect the Internet is having on our daily lives.  

TV on Strike: Why Hollywood Went to War over the Internet, Cynthia Littleton, University of Syracuse Press, 2013, pp. 296, $29.95 

Littleton, the deputy editor of the industry tabloid Variety (itself a recent example of how the Internet has drastically changed media – it halted production of its newsprint edition in March) is no stranger to the business of television and has a mastery of her subject matter, the likes of which requires the reader to have a tablet close to help with the deluge of biographical, business and geographical information found within. 

The story of the 2007/2008 Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike is a long and complex one, and Littleton is careful to provide a detailed history of labour relations between the talent unions prior to the conflict, and grounds the reader in how episodes happening decades prior to the strike – including the guild’s terrible result in a late 80s strike related to VCR residuals – related directly to their 2007 situation and thinking. From there, the WGA's pathological fear of not getting caught in bad deal became clear and we learnt how the principal characters of 2007-2008: the leaders WGA and the seven media conglomerates as represented by the Association of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) went to battle in what was often a very personal and heated conflict between two groups that were normally close partners. 

And this is what is particularly fascinating about of this book. TV on Strike really gets down to the nitty-gritty of the labour negotiations and provides some fascinating insight into the essence of the strike itself: the important role the Internet and the delivery of new entertainment has played in drastically altering the entire entertainment industry. From here it becomes clear that the strikers did not see themselves as millionaires wanting more, but as workers at the vanguard of one of the most significant changes to the American economy since the industrial revolution. If you’re a user of Netflix or Hulu or ‘PVR’ your favourite programs to watch later, you are part of the changes in television viewership that were as issue in the strike and have had, in your own way, an effect on the writers and conglomerates. TV on Strike explains this and why the habits of skipping commercials and watching full seasons on DVD have drastically altered the TV business up to the highest levels. 

The writing, at times, is dense and in places it needs to be read a couple times to fully comprehend what is happening. And as mentioned above, if you’re not an industry insider the details will be aided severely (and ironically) with the Internet close for reference. This is especially the case in the portion that outlines the negotiations themselves in the latter chapters, and this part probably having been written with insiders (read: entertainment lawyers and journalists) in mind rather than the average reader. But that said, the book is accessible to someone with even a passing interest in the entertainment industry and would also be a good book for public relations practitioners as well. With so much at stake, often having the public onside is as important as having a good negotiator at the table and there was certainly that element to this strike as well. 4.5/5 STARS

WGTB talks Iron Man 3 & Community

Like the previous two Iron Man and Avengers films, Iron Man 3 (released May 3rd) stars Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark, the billionaire industrial magnate turned superhero who's called upon to once again save the United States. This time, he squares off against the Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) and his squad of biologically enhanced goons who have been augmented by the Extremis program, itself created by a scientific organization headed by Aldrich Killian (Guy Pierce). Gwyneth Paltrow reprises her role as Stark Industries chief and Tony's love interest, Pepper Potts while Jon Favreau and Don Cheadle return as Iron Man friends and allies, Happy Hogan and James Rhodes.  

Iron Man 3 stars Robert Downey, Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall, Jon Favreau & Ben Kingsley. Directed by Shane Black. 130 minutes

Being a generally positive reviewer, I’ll begin with the visuals, which were in a word: stunning. There's a scene you’ve probably seen on TV where Iron Man saves people falling out of Air Force One and seeing this in 3D was simply breathtaking. As someone who has never exited a plane that wasn’t grounded, I have to say this is probably the closest I’ll ever come to skydiving. Other technological aspects of the film, including Iron Man's new armour and the climactic battle at the end were equally amazing, with a special note going to the various models of Iron Man suits which were awesome escapist fare for any comic book reader. 

 

Unfortunately, the positivity of this review ends there as the rest of the film was lacklustre and on the whole disappointing. Frankly, there were just too many plot holes and silly subplots to contain my suspension of disbelief and by mid-film I was waiting for the next battle because I had lost interest in the story. With regard to the actors, I also found their characters seemed tired and played-out to the point where they were just going through the motions to get a third film done. I know that's the Hollywood thing these days – a trilogy per character – but here it just seemed forced to the point where it was no longer necessary. I know this seems harsh, especially because Robert Downey, Jr. was so good in The Avengers and that film was fantastic. But here he just seemed fatigued and no amount of (admittedly) great action was enough to salvage a sub par performance or a stretched and pockmarked story. I hate giving bad reviews on this blog, but in this case the best I can do is 2.5/5 STARS.    

Community RENEWED! 

Somewhat tangentially but likely of note to many readers of this blog, last night we learned Community, NBC’s quirky single camera comedy was picked up for a fifth season. Being in the UK the past few years, I was a late convert to the show, but have since taken up the cause of Greendale with a relentless fervor. Suffice it to say, I was very pleased to hear this news. 

With Chevy Chase off the show and Joel McHale's character graduated, might we see an addition or two to the core cast of Community next year? Pictured here are Abed Nadir (Danny Pudi), Troy Barnes (Donald Glover), Ben Chang (Ken Jeong), Britta Perry (Gillian Jacobs), Shirley Bennett (Yvette Nicole Brown) & Annie Edison (Alison Brie). Photo from Community's Google+ site.

And while I’m certain the line-up will change as former regular Chevy Chase left the show in November 2012 and Joel McHale’s character graduated from Greendale at the end of Season 4, the core of the group is taking an Astronomy class together which means the same fun and (regularly) geek-themed antics we’ve come to love from the show. If you’re not familiar with Community, think of it as Arrested Development in a 90210 setting with a smattering of The Big Bang Theory thrown in for good measure. Except it's so much better than TBBT, that I can't for the life of me understand why it loses in the ratings battle. But that's for another blog...