Wave it High

I just picked up a copy of Marvel’s The Ultimates 2 #13 (yeah, I think it’s a stupid title for a comicbook as well, but no one asked me either). Well, the comic is the final issue in the series (big storyline, major conflict), and well, it’s a year late. But that’s not my problem.

I picked up the comic because I had heard that Ultimate Spider-Man was going to appear. He did for one panel, and not only did he only appear in one panel, but the artist screwed up his uniform by not including the Spider image on it. (The artist also didn't include Mr. Fantastic’s “4” on his uniform, so I guess that I shouldn’t complain too much.)

Only that’s just the beginning.

On what is ostensibly page 30 (not counting the eleven-teen page foldout), we have the image that is bothering me. Penciled by Bryan Hitch and inked by Paul Neary (a couple of Brits — and this is important to know) we see a pair of American flags that are hung (vertically rather than horizontally) off the U.S. Capital Building.



Both are hung wrong.

One is hung seriously wrong.

U.S. Flags (like — I would suspect — the flags of most sovereign countries have very specific rules about how they are to be displayed. For the U.S. Flag, that way is (among other rules) the blue field is always (always) in the upper left of the flag. Whether hung horizontally, or vertically. Only these yahbos have it both backwards and upside down.

No I honestly don’t expect them to know the difference, but their U.S. editor, Ralph Macchio should have known. Even if no one knew, they should have had the common sense (professionalism) to look it up! Yes, professionalism! As artists, they had to take life model classes, to learn how to get anatomy right. Since they are drawing specific, real-world monuments (the White House, the Capital building, Washington, NY, et. al.) they had to look at visual references of those. Heck, they have to look at visual references of the heroes to get their costumes correct.

Now I just know that someone out there is going to point out that the Ultimates storyline has the U.S. under attack by Rogue Russian elements, but I honestly don't believe that the wrongly-hung flags is a story element. I believe that it is the mistake of two artists and their editor who simply didn’t know any better.

If it is shown to me that I’m wrong about this, I’ll be happy to apologize. I just don’t think that I am.