Not long ago, I wrote about a series of "Dope Comics With Something to Say." As a general rule, I love it when comic creators find a way to put real world perspectives in the pages of funny books. After all, learning through literature has been a thing since we were sitting in a circle hearing Mother Goose rhymes. But a few recent reads have had me flip-flopping on my position a bit, and now I'm scratching my head trying to articulate myself.

I already told you how I felt about Tom King's Animal Pound. The latest culprit, however, is One World Under Doom -- the newest company-wide crossover event from Marvel Comics. Spawned directly from the conclusion of last year's Blood Hunt, this event sees Doctor Doom take on the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme under the condition that he doesn't relinquish the title until the world is saved. Of course, that means Doom is on an "only I can fix it" mission.

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As Doom sees it, the biggest problem with the world is Democracy. Each human only acts in their own self interests, and each nation is only as good as its citizens. The solution? A benevolent dictator. A leader as good as Doom could end poverty, world hunger, racism and the like. But Doom can't just take over the world... that would be evil. First, he needs the consent of the people, so the dog and pony shows commence. Hopefully, Marvel's heroes can help the world see through Doom's smokescreen before it's too late.

Quite honestly, it's been a well crafted story so far. It's fun to see Ryan North expand from his work on a relatively siloed Fantastic Four title to a major event with a superstar like R.B. Silva on artwork. I love seeing the heroes up against a problem that only gets worse when they try to solve it with their fists. But often, the real-world parallels feel like too much to bear. Every few pages, I find myself feeling like that Leo DiCaprio meme...

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I still can't pinpoint what it is about Trump references that bothers me so much. My visceral reaction is that it just feels too close to home. But I think the closest comparison comes from one of my favorite rappers, Phonte of hip-hop group Little Brother. In the early 2000s, they were among the most-loved underground hip-hop groups. Insightful lyrics over classic East Coast style sampled beats. Their second album, The Minstrel Show features a song called Cheatin'. Meant to be a parody of R. Kelly and Ronald Isley's series of scandalous soap opera songs, it features Phonte singing as a character named Percy Miracles.

During a Red Bull Music Academy interview in 2006, Phonte explains why Percy never made another appearance after that album. As insane as the subject matter of Cheatin' sounded, R. Kelly topped it just months later with a series called Trapped in the Closet. As Phonte explained: "If [people] don't think it's a joke, then the joke's on you."

One World Under Doom wasn't meant to be a joke. Neither was Animal Pound. But when Victor Von Doom taking over the world somehow feels more harmless than the headlines I've been trying so hard to avoid, maybe we've all lost the plot.

Or maybe I'm just too sensitive and this book was designed to keep my head out of the sand. Well played, Ryan North.

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Read Something Dope Today,

BJ KICKS