Thought Balloons by Don MacPherson "A New Context" I took a week off from writing this column. I had only one thing I wanted to write about last week, but it was too soon to talk about it. In the instant the first airplane hit the World Trade Center, the entire world changed in every way imaginable. Physically, intellectually, emotionally. Spiritually, ideologically and economically. The extent of the changes is the only unknown at this point. Some of those changes are obvious. In Washington, D.C., a family grieves the loss of a daughter or father or friend at the Pentagon. In Phoenix, someone's tidy job of packing his suitcase is undone by a more thorough security check. In Montreal, a bride's wedding day isn't quite as perfect as she'd hoped, since her florist's supply of roses -- normally flown in from South America -- has dried up due to interruptions in air service. Yes, some of the effects are obvious, some unexpected. Some extreme, some slightly inconvenient. The most widespread change has easily been our perceptions. We have a whole new context in which to experience life, from the mundane to the critical. Take, for example, Adventures of Superman #596, released by DC Comics last week. The publisher has opted to make the issue returnable, as there's a panel that mirrors the initial devastations of Towers 1 and 2 of the World Trade Center. Making the issue in question returnable was DC's way of acknowledging worldwide sensitivities over the terrorist attacks. It may have even been taking things too far, but it was a nice, harmless gesture. On Sept.10, no one would have flinched at the scene in question. Mass destruction is a common storytelling element in a genre of fiction dedicated to caped gods and smiling monsters. But as of Sept.11, that comic book was read by different eyes. Take a look at a comic book from a simpler time. Remember Fantastic Four #5, the first appearance of Dr. Doom? He wrenched the title team's skyscraper headquarters from the ground, radically altering the skyline of Marvel Comics' fictional New York City. It seems an outrageous, perhaps even silly idea, but it has a new meaning now, as it can remind one of something far less innocent. Should such scenes of devastation be eliminated from comics, or video games or movies, for that matter? Obviously not. In fact, such notions become even more important in our fiction, for fiction is meant to reflect reality, to give us cause for introspection and examination of the world around us. Do yourself a favor. Reread the entire run of The Authority thus far (or if you haven't read it, what are you waiting for?). The stories by Warren Ellis and Mark Millar were powerful when we first read them, but there's a greater significance to those tales now. The Gammeran attack in the first story arc, in which three of the world's largest cities are devastated, is far more chilling today than it was when first published. The broken buildings and charred ruins rendered by Bryan Hitch and Frank Quitely seem unnervingly real now. When you read U.S. War Machine #2 this week, pay close attention to Chuck Austen's examination of issues of race. And then think about racial intolerance that has been directed at innocent Arab Americans in the past week. Take a look back at John Byrne's mid-1980s reinterpretation of the planet Krypton. It was a strictly controlled society, in which the most basic aspects of humanity -- even simple physical contact with another person -- was taboo. Now consider the actions of a government intent on preventing repeated terrorist attacks, perhaps at any cost. Consider what you believe to be too high a cost to pay. These new perspectives have come with a horrible price, but we shouldn't let the price blind us to the importance of uncomfortable realities. It's time to exercise our new eyes, not to mention our minds and our voices as well. Don MacPherson lives in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. Email Don MacPherson comments about this column, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board.