Looks like everybody is going crazy over what they think they know about something. That’s something Jason Aaron struggles with for a good part of his life. It’s also what drives him to write powerful stories on how identity crumbles and how to build it up. From war stories to epic superheroes, this is the story of a Southerner who builds himself up after tearing himself down.
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Jason Aaron Gets Re-Baptized
Born in Jasper, Alabama, Aaron is raised on Southern Baptist values. This means that God is without error, that men hold authority, and adherence is the ultimate cure for everything. However, rather than the Testaments, Aaron finds a Holy Bible in his cousin’s novel; the same novel serves as the basis for Full Metal Jacket. Rather than go down Gustav Hasford’s path though Aaron decides to dive into comics. Each with topics that range from psyches that damage people, where religion and fandom intercedes, and why worship of those are a pretty bad thing.
‘Nam and Fractured Psyches
Let’s start with one of Aaron’s influences, the Vietnam War. One of Aaron’s first pitches was a tribute to The Short-Timers which later becomes a full series. The Other Side is a look into the Vietnam War that shows both sides of the conflict through soldiers grappling with their personal demons. It’s like walking through the Hell of their countries’ own making. Each atrocity and hallucination makes Apocalypse Now look tame by comparison. These soldiers survive but feel dead by the end of the series. All things considered though, they got off lucky unlike the Punisher.
In a follow-up to Garth Ennis’ iconic series comes Punishermax. While Ennis shows Frank Castle as a force of necessary evil against greater evils, Aaron displays how hollow Frank really is. After years of fighting against criminals and syndicates, he’s simply grown tired and wants a good death. Ultimately, that’s what makes his fall as a symbol all the more tragic. As Bullseye comes to find out, Frank was never motivated to end crime by his family’s death. For Frank Castle, the war never ended and kept going because the war was kept him alive. In truth, that’s what the Vietnam War was, a losing battle that was prolonged out of hubris. These are likely the best representations of such a conflict in fiction.
Even The Villains Can Be Sympathetic
One thing Jason Aaron never seems to get enough credit for is how he portrays supervillains. Even slashers like Jason Voorhees seem like better people with Aaron. In Friday the 13th: How I Spent My Summer Vacation, Voorhees takes pity on a boy with deformities like his. Now if only Voorhees was around when Thanos was a kid. As it turns out, the Mad Titan actually had a good childhood until Mistress Death showed up. Because plot twist, she’s the one who made Thanos into a monster by beckoning his love. Only for the reader to realize she’s just stringing Thanos around for her own amusement. Worship of someone can be the very definition of a toxic relationship; one where people take meaning from something devoid of it.
Aaron further depicts this in the anthology series Batman: Joker’s Asylum through the Penguin. Oswald Cobblepot has layers to him in terms of self-esteem and love. With a childhood of teasing and ridicule, love seems foreign to him. Even his wealth and power doesn’t give him a sense of fulfillment. So it’s surprising when he takes pity on a woman in human trafficking, seeing her like a caged bird. For once, he’s in love with someone who sees past his appearance. Only until Penguin’s ruthless side comes out and ultimately reveals Penguin sees love as another form of ownership.
Jason Aaron Scalps Stereotypes
Whenever I hear about Native Americans in comics, people usually complain on poor representation. So it’s a relieving in Aaron’s sympathy to the First Nations he’s familiar with. One pitch of his involves Top Cow’s Cyberforce character Ripclaw, a powerful fighter on par with Wolverine. This character is driven by his regrets over the many losses he has. Then there’s American Eagle (not the clothes brand), an underrepresented Marvel hero. He not only fights to preserve his Navajo community but also its dignity from outsiders. Though these pale in comparison to one of Aaron’s more powerful depictions, Scalped.
Dashiell Bad Horse returns to his home county on a reservation to clean up crime. The Nations face some heavy issues even on their sacred ancestral land. Life on the reservations (according to people living in them) is less than ideal. Dash’s mother makes him leave home 15 years ago because of this. With an unemployment rate of 80% it’s hard to blame her. The series really hammers home the struggles the reservation people do to survive.
Some people like Chief Red Crow do just about anything to help the reservation no matter how dirty. Dash meanwhile wants little to do with the Rez, seeing it as a lost cause. Other characters want to preserve their traditions and try to coexist with the world outside. With their less than ideal systems though, many people resort to using drugs to cope. Dash himself changes his approach to make a better situation. This is not cultural appropriation or criticism mind you, it is respect of a high calibre. If Aaron’s guilty of showing any culture at its most stereotypical, it’s his own Southern roots.
Jason Aaron Reexamines His Own Origins
Aaron as a southerner loves his barbecues, beer, and football. He’s no stranger to all of the controversies that come with the south either. That’s where Southern Bastards and Men of Wrath come in.
These series portray Southern Gothic Horror that deal with the toxicity associated with it. Sports and family all have their place among society. But taken to such a high extreme reveals a dominating aspect to it all. Southern Bastards has a high school football coach practically running the town. All while heading up his drug empire from behind the scenes. Nobody really even seems to care so long as the coach keeps getting wins.
Family on the other hand is a bit more complicated. In Men of Wrath, the patriarch wants to end it all by killing off his children. All because the family is practically cursed with a life of violence. Back in Southern Bastards however is Earl Tubbs who feels constrained by his hometown long after leaving it. But there’s a genuine sense of love Earl gives to his late father, which was enough for Earl’s daughter to mature. All because family and settings are a part of people’s identity even when they don’t define them.
The Families That Spread Across Space
Just look at when Marvel reacquires the Star Wars franchise, Jason Aaron is their first choice to reintroduce the setting. Aaron surprises everyone with how these characters live behind the scenes. Between trying to improve themselves or reassuring their place in the wider universe, they grow in ways the movies tend to miss. From Luke Skywalker recognizing his lack of space magic to Leia and Han’s relationship. Even Darth Vader goes through some character development when his effectiveness is questioned. All with an overarching familial connection that will eventually lead to the iconic “I am your father” phrase.
Family also takes center stage in Aaron’s original space opera Sea of Stars. In that series the main characters’ motivations come from finding places and people to connect with. A space trucker tries to bond with his son after the loss of his son’s mother. So much that when they are separated, the trucker Gil makes every attempt to rescue Kadyn. Kadyn does this as well when he is accidentally bonded to a mystic artifact. A young woman ostracized by her people plans to use Kadyn as a bargaining chip to get back in. But as it turns out, the head priest who worships the artifact Kadyn is bonded to is a traitor who was slowly turning everyone against each other. All in the name of his god, the Space Leviathan that separated Gil and Kadyn in the first place. So while family is sacred, gods are evil?
Jason Aaron is a Misotheist
Aaron is a firm believer of defying fate by going against higher beliefs. Some are more literal such as Aaron’s Wolverine back-up story script for a contest that reappears in The Logan Files. Logan the Byronic hero doesn’t believe he’s a good man just for changing a woman’s tire. The woman suggests he start praying only for the woman to immediately get gunned down by Logan’s pursuers. That screams Aaron turning away from his baptist roots. Because at the end of the day; what good is having faith if you only believe it will get better?
The Highway Through Hell
That might actually be why there are so many Ghost Riders riding around in a notable run. In this Marvel grindhouse special, Johnny fights new enemies in the form of Heaven. Yeah, it’s a hamfisted spectacle of Aaron flipping the bird against his baptist roots but there’s more. It asks people to think and doubt. If angels are the ones who always win; doesn’t that make them more threatening than demons? They did try to recruit the Punisher.
With monsters like The Deacon in devotion to such beings, who can blame Aaron’s views? Especially since people like this have been committing atrocities by acting on their beliefs as a law book with loopholes to escape into delusions. Zadkiel uses these beliefs into manipulating others to become all-powerful, complete with an army of followers. Anyone who defies them is by their definition an enemy. Sound familiar? The worst part is, the only thing to do is fight when the odds are stacked against you. Because even if you win, the influence remains.
Aaron’s Image series, The Goddamned demonstrates the above statement. Even if someone wins conflicts like these, that doesn’t always mean that they’re in the right. People are inherently flawed, often doing terrible things to survive or get their way. In the words of the protagonist Cain (yes that one), “[God] made us in his own image. F@%&$d up.” But there are times when Misotheism can backfire as well.
Jason Aaron Makes Lightning Strike Thrice
This is the moment we’ve all been waiting for. So epic words can’t describe it.
Have you got the message? Because there’s another besides what’s on the videos. Amid all of the carnage, Misotheism can become another system of faith; a very self-destructive one no less. This practically subverts the purpose of trying not to be revered. Ultimately it demonstrates a critical flaw within religion and fandoms, gatekeeping. Gatekeeping is the act of people deciding who does or doesn’t have rights in identity or community. Among the internet and with comics in recent times, this is a very serious problem.
Which brings us to Aaron’s final chapter with the Odinson, King Thor. What starts as the classic ever-renewing battle against Thor and Loki leads to the resurrection of Gorr. In Gorr’s words, he is now a force of nature. It’s hard not to feel like this is Aaron’s feelings about the future, facing toxic fandoms as he moves onto bigger IPs. But more importantly how the ideas he leaves behind can become part of this toxicity. All Aaron can do is channel the rage and shame into something productive.
Jason Aaron Rewrites Magic
Jason Aaron further explores toxic cultures with Doctor Strange. Stephen’s first major enemies in Aaron’s run are a science worshipping cult run by the magic hating Imperator. With magic replacing gods in this case, misotheism and gatekeeping collide. Imperator has it out for magic because it was treated with religious devotion, so much that science was outlawed. In essence, this is nothing but petty retaliation for the slaughter of the Imperator’s parents. To make a cult out of misotheism/gatekeeping doesn’t fix the problems of religion/fandoms, it reinforces it. It’s why when the battle is over, the magic cultures of the Marvel universe provide relief.
Avengers Vs. Toxic Fandoms
To bring the point home about toxic fandoms even further is a certain element within Avengers by Jason Aaron. Probably because the entire run has people in a never-ending battle over quality and who has an agenda. In my perspective, Aaron tries to do a lot of things some with fresh new spins instead of nostalgia. Like having Black Panther lead the Avengers and bringing the likes of Blade and a Ghost Rider into the fold. It allows for a bunch of quirky characters both classic and new into the mix. Enough to have some good solid downtime between events that serve as the bedrock of Avengers. It’s just so unfortunate that people focus on the shortcomings of this run.
Yet so many fans get so hung up on the debates they don’t see the real shortcomings. Moon Knight’s depiction for example is more or less because of the comparisons with Batman. I doubt Aaron actually had time to study him, just took the Post-Modern percpetions. Or how Phil “Cheese” Coulson advocates for DC with the Squadron Supreme; to the point of an obnoxious Fix Fic in Heroes Reborn by selling his soul to Marvel’s devil, Mephisto. But come on, roasting competition isn’t anything new. It’d be a whole lot easier if fans would quit sweating the small stuff like She-Hulk’s powerlifting build.
Jason Aaron Is The Best At What He Does
But extremes should not be the only thing to deconstruct and demystify. Look no further than when Jason Aaron works with Wolverine. What fascinates people about Logan most of all is his ability to defy expectations. There are many fans and in-comic villains who wish for the return of the edgelord killer. Doing so however removes the truly human characteristics Logan unpacks after lifetimes. Look no further than Aaron’s first story with Wolverine where besides outsmarting his attacker, he shows sympathy for the horrible life the attacker went through. Get Mystique for that matter shows that Logan’s actions are all because he believes in something bigger than his berserker reputation.
In fact Wolverine and the X-Men is a testament to Logan opening up to others and taking on greater responsibilities. Imagine keeping a bunch of rowdy would be superheroes under control. Especially when there are forces out there trying to profit off the carnage like the Hellfire Club. But even Wolverine and the X-Men are powerless against event fatigue which takes them away from downtime. So it’s pretty relieving when Aaron has the mutants form the Amazing X-Men. All while incorporating Aaron’s misotheism in a better way; by mocking the meaningless death of a popular character. Who cares if people go to Heaven if they die over something stupid?
Jason Aaron: For The Sake of It
That bit leads to the most important thing that Jason Aaron has to say, remember to have fun. It’s okay to make epics or compelling dramas, but that shouldn’t be the default option. If something bad like an overly exhausting event comes in, just take it easy with a self-contained story. That is what Aaron does with the Black Panther Secret Invasion tie-in and Weirdworld. Other times, crossovers that build chemistry like Astonishing Spider-Man & Wolverine are great too. The quipping Spider-Man with the more serious Logan even switch roles as comic relief. Logan nonchalantly invents beer while Spider-Man panics on time travel; it’s comic books at their most fun.
The best times come when business mixes with pleasure. The 900th issue of Deadpool has the Merc with the Mouth fight aliens just because. All of which leads to Avengers and Conan the Barbarian. These classic titles display character histories that touch every part of their worlds. Some people will find things that they like, some won’t. Because unlike the heroes of old, these epics show that today’s legends continue.
Jason Aaron: The Influence of the Worthy
Aaron is one of those writers who reminds people on why they love comics so much. Overarching stories are great and all, but it’s the characters who people grow to love that matter most. For all of the serious themes, it’s always important to have fun. Let no part of life be sacred, as it comes with different sides. Aaron’s influence certainly inspires people to make continue his legacy. Donny Cates in particular, succeeds many of Aaron’s runs. Not for revitalizing characters, but sharing what they love with them.
In these times of uncertainty, the ink’s not dry yet on anyone’s story. Thanks for coming and as always remember to look between the panels.