It is no secret ex-California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has a (distinctly low-brow) sense of humor, but who knew he'd like his it's-a'good-and-a-bad-thing "Governator" nickname so much?
A television cartoon of the same name is to be made (with scripts written by Marvel Comics legend Stan Lee...tell me it ain't so Stan!), to focus on Schwarzenegger's real political life history and to make his post-politics life a superhero fantasy. Conan the Batman anyone?
There is precedent for this, after all "professional wrestler" Hulk Hogan had a cartoon on tv for two seasons plus a re-run season. But when you think about such things, what stands out? Batman, Batman Beyond, Spiderman, Superman, The Fantastic Four, the X-Men (several versions, including a Japanese manga-style tv cartoon), for starters. Then there are the full-movie-length animes like AKIRA, PRINCESS MONONOKE, and others (some that I've seen, like the latter two named...) that get a lot more respect than Hulk Hogan or The Governator ever will.
Superhero comic books, cartoons, movies and series do the same thing tv cop shows do--reinforce the status quo and provide an attractive fantasy of evil beaten, justice triumphant night after night, week after week (or month after month if we're talking 48 pages of four-color goodness...).
It's a good thing super powers are fantasy--I wouldn't be helping out the Avengers or Fantastic Four.
Mass market comic and tv cartoon outfits have never allowed their heroes or villains to change the world permanently. If you thought the 50's (and beyond) anti-comic book campaigns, and the even harsher criticisms of video games were bad, you ain't seen bad! Comic books haven't changed much--cellphones, the internet, and video games did generate significant alterations in how many people live their lives and interact with other folks.
Comic book big boys, like Stan Lee, HAVE done messaging about social causes. That is likely the most powerful impulse driving "The Governator" project. The belief that there's a Vast Liberal-Bias Conspiracy to corrupt adults and children alike is a favorite screed of conservatives--and we have our own take on who is doing the corrupting and who is the target.
Apparently European television entertainment marketers want "The Governator" (Amerikkkan rights to it haven't been sold yet), though at least one media expert across the pond opined that "the market" would rather see Schwarzenegger do a tv series or action movie.
For some "The Governator" may be fun to watch. For me, it would be a big WTF! The guy who attacked poor single mamaz on welfare over and over gets a cartoon celebrating that? No thank you. I'd rather read a "Wild Cards" novel. SUICIDE KINGS is about super-human child soldiers in Africa. Message? Yes. Obnoxious? No. Powerful? Yes. Beat that Governator!
