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Favorite EditSanction this itemBatman - Anarky by Alan Grant
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Batman - Anarky
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Albert Einstein said that “The only justifiable purpose of political institutions is to ensure the unhampered development of the individual.” But our institutions are the opposite. They enslave us – rule us by fear and deceit!

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Imagine – you're a child again. Filled with innocence, and wonder, and life. Remember how good it felt? That's what the parasites stole from us. They bled us dry. And like sheep we lined up to give more blood. But we can have back all that they stole, and more. The information age provides a spotlight the parasites can't squirm away from. Identify them. Negate their evil. Ostracize them. Step with me into a better world.
Yes, that's a comic-book character speaking. The main character, Anarky, undergoes something of an evolution throughout the various Anarky stories. As explained on http://www.praxeology.net/anarky.htm the Anarky character started off as a socialist-leaning Anarchist, but in a process that quite probably mirrored the evolution of the author Alan Grant, became a minarchist-Libertarian.

Anarky himself (at least in the pro-liberty period portrayed in Batman - Anarky) is a rational superhero in a similar vein to Batman. One of the central themes of the comic is his purposeful development; for example, in his first run-in with Batman he is demolished in hand-to-hand combat (unsurprisingly). His response is to dedicate himself to studying combat techniques and improving his body through training, so the next time he meets Batman he is closer to being his physical equal. No guilt, no recrimination - just a rational assessment of his failure, and a well-executed plan of action to correct it.

Another feature of the comic which personally appealed to me is the number of single-page, single-frame lectures on philosophy, usually delivered by Anarky to his dog, Yap. I imagine these would be quite informative to a reader who has previously had little interest in philosophy - especially the lecture on the heroic nature of man and the way in which contemporary philosophy seeks to deny it.

I can't speak for the earlier socialist-leaning work, but I can strongly recommend Batman - Anarky to any SOLOist who enjoys comics - the major theme of the comic, that one can't force people to live rationally, leads to some truly entertaining adventures. Just don't be put off by the name - the latter-day Anarky is most definitely not an Anarchist.
Added by Duncan Bayne
on 11/08/2004, 3:46pm

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