The Factor 0971633851, 9780971633858

The work that brought writer Nat Gertler his Eisner Award nomination is collected in book form for the first time. This

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The Factor
 0971633851, 9780971633858

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The Factor

About Comics

Thousand Oaks, California

Stories copyright 1996-1999 Nat Gertler Art copyright by the respective atists These stories previously saw print in Negative Burn 29-31 (previously reprinted as The Factor issue 0) and The Factor issues 1-4. Some material has been enhanced from its original appearance. “Exposure”, “Arms and the Man”, and “Protection” lettered by Roxanne Starr. Lettering on “To Serve and Protect” and “Action” by Cara and Bradley Walton. Lettering on “Dull Summer Day” by Nat Gertler. All other lettering by the respective artists. Published by About Comics, Thousand Oaks, CA. Direct licensing inquiries to [email protected] ISBN: 0-9716338-5-1 First Printing, March 2004 Electronic edition: June 2006 Printed in Canada.

www.AboutComics.com

Table of Contents All stories written by Nat Gertler Title

Artist

page

Exposure . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Adam Rex and Paul Whitehead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Arms and the Man . . . . . . . . . . . .Janine Johnston . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Alexander Grecian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 To Serve and Protect .Jim Schumaker and Bradley Walton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 Da-Daba-Dumma-Dum-Da-Data . .Joe Staton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31 Escalation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Alexander Grecian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37 Telephone for the ‘90’s . . . . . . . . . .Nat Gertler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43 Commute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Mike Vosburg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47 Da Oudda-Towners . . . . . . . . . . . . .Matt Feazell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48 Disagreement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .John Drury . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50 In Need . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Tom Luth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51 Clothes Making... . . . . . . . . . . . .Carl Speed McNeil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55 Essay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Rich Johnston . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59 The Green Diamond Protocol . . .Carlos Saldaña . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63 Dull Summer Day . . . . . . . . . . . . .Paul Whitehead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71 The Limits of the Lawyer . . . . . . .Ted Slampyak . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73 Direction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Mark Lewis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81 Action . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jim Schumaker and Bradley Walton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89 I am the Factor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Justine Shaw . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97 I am too the Factor . . . . . . . . . . . .Rich Johnston . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105 I am the Factoy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Rusty Haller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109 News Carrier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jim Wheelock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113 At Joe’s Lunch Stop . . . . . . . . . . . .Jason Whitley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .115 Friday Morning. 11:47 AM . . . . . . .Justine Shaw . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .120

The Factor: EXPOSURE

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

END

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The Factor:

ARMS AND THE MAN

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10

11

12

13

END

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The Factor: PROTECTION

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16

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The Factor: TO SERVE AND PROTECT

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The Factor: DA-DABA-DUMMA-DUM-DA-DATA

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The Factor: ESCALATION

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The Factor: TELEPHONE FOR THE ‘90’S

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The Factor: COMMUTE

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The Factor: DA OUDDA-TOWNERS

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The Factor: DISAGREEMENT

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The Factor: IN NEED

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The Factor: CLOTHES MAKING…

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The Factor: ESSAY Emily Cohen-Lieberman Issues in Socio-Economics 203 Prof. Goffe Modern Issue Analysis: The Factor The current media darling referred to as “The Factor” is often held up as a “hero of the people”, a modern rescuer of the masses. In reality, he is anything but. He is a protector of the status quo, supporting the very economic system that keeps the people oppressed. The only positive force he provides for the people is a small amount of entertainment, and even that only serves to distract from the real issues of the day. The Factor’s defense of the oppressive status quo has never been hidden. That his first public appearance was to defend a bank, an institution that wields power and generates profits not by creating anything but merely by moving around fictitious representations of money (itself a fictitious representation of value) is telling. However, the case that this analysis is concerned with his the recent park attack that drew so much press coverage. That The Factor was defending a park is telling. After all, what is a New York City park but an area of land, developed at taxpayer expense, whose

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presence increases the value of the surrounding properties and thus pleases the property owners and landlords? It comes as no surprise that the so-called “victims” of the piece were relatively wealthy, landowners themselves. It is known that they frequented the park, a place designed for the oppressor class. It was here that they encountered the other parties involved. These three young men come from known oppressed groups. Two of them who had previously sought to advance their own success had been incarcerated previously, a primary method used to make sure that those whom we have kept uneducated and unsocialized are kept poor as well. They (and other members of their alliance, the “Deegee boys”) had been removed from the park on previous occasions, which is again to be expected because they were not of the oppressor class. Upon encountering members of the moneyed oppressor class, of the class that simultaneous works to stimulate desire for products while denying financial access to them, these oppressed individuals became understandably agitated. They sought to redistribute the wealth in a very immediate and direct manner. The amount involved was relatively minor on the grand scale of evening out the

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financial injustice of our times, but it was a valiant effort. It comes as no surprise that the oppressors sought to defend even this minor sum, for it symbolizes what makes them who they are and different from the rest of us. The money is what gives them power (and vice versa). In order to enact this redistribution, the oppressed youth were forced to use the only method of power that the system cannot take away. That is when The Factor chose to get involved. He didn’t get involved years ago when the youths were being raised in enforced squalor, nor when they were being babysat through a low-quality system of supposed education. No, it was when they sought to improve their station that he chose to get involved. He came masked, as instruments of terror so often do. He did not help them achieve economic reform. He did not punish the oppressor that had held them down for so long. No, he battered them down himself, both physically and metaphorically. He enforced with violence the same oppression that these boys had been subjected to their entire life. Then, uncontent to let them learn the twisted lesson he taught through their failure to achieve redistribution, through the physical battering, or even through the emotional humiliation he subjected them to, he enforced his cruel will even further. He bound them physically, much in the way that the white oppressors had shackled these proud youths’ forefathers and foremothers not

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very long ago. And then he left them to be handled by the police and the injustice system, the traditional systemic protectors of the oppressive status quo. As such, The Factor is hardly a hero. Quite the opposite; he battered down and removed from society four true heroes, only to allow the media to use it as another popular distraction from the true problems that face the oppressed of this world.

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The Factor: THE GREEN DIAMOND PROTOCOL

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The Factor: DULL SUMMER DAY ...and then we get out of there, head down the subway, and bam! we're lost, no one can find us. It's all profit, straight-up cash!

I dunno, man. I'm not down with the whole gun thing.

Everything goes down smooth, we don't have to use the guns. They're for showin', not for shootin' Geez, man, you two always wuss out. Always.

Nothin' ever felt right like this. We are doing this!

Not this time. Plan's perfect. We're doing this.

what if they got a gun behind the counter?

They're gonna blow lead in a room full of customers? what are they, stupid?

what if the cops show up??

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Ain't nobody gonna be callin' the cops

Even if they do, takes time to reach the cops. takes time to get the word out, takes time for the cops to show up. We're long gone!

We are doing this! We are!

what if the factor shows up?

Man, have you guys seen that new popcorn chick at the harwan?

I'm gonna get me some of that. I am!

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The Factor: THE LIMITS OF THE LAWYER

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The Factor: DIRECTION

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The Factor: ACTION

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The Factor: I AM THE FACTOR

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The Factor: I AM TOO THE FACTOR

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The Factor: I AM THE FACTOY

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The Factor: NEWS CARRIER

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The Factor: AT JOE’S LUNCH STOP

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The Factor: FRIDAY MORNING, 11:47 AM

THE END

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