Have comics gone to war?

The London Free Press has an interesting opinion piece up about mainstream comics and the current Iraq War:

So what, then, do comic books have to say about America's latest nightmare: the war in Iraq?

On one hand, not much. Unlike the propaganda-heavy comics of the Second World War, where readers thrilled to see Captain America punch out Hitler and Superman bury Hirohito in war bonds, today's heroes are -- for the most part -- keeping silent. Yet a deeper look shows that comic books are saying quite a bit about Iraq. They're just being clever about it.

Once again, Batman surges to the forefront. In the 2005 multi-issue story War Games, the Dark Knight's plan to overthrow Gotham's underworld -- by destabilizing it and then putting a puppet leader in charge (sound familiar?) -- is prematurely put into effect. The result? The death of innocents, terror in the streets, with the end result being that life in Gotham has been made even worse than before. As War Games ended, it left the reader with one lingering question: Who knew Batman drafted American foreign policy?

The article also mentions the Justice League cartoon and Ultimates. Go check it out.