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Strength is a Tree
Al Ewing is a comics writer I started following a few years ago. He writes big, brash, silly superhero stories, but with a large amount of thought, symbolism, and subtext underneath the action. In Ultimates^2 #100, he presents a new metaphor that I think deserves to be spread far and wide:
The character speaking is Blue Marvel, a black scientific genius and superhero:
"Where fascism gets its name from--the Latin fascis, meaning bundle. Except a bundle of sticks is only strong when firmly held.
"Let it be, and it's just dead wood, rotting down. Most people take the wrong lesson from that. Strength is not a bundle of sticks.
"Strength is a tree. We're stronger when we can grow."
The character speaking is Blue Marvel, a black scientific genius and superhero:
"Where fascism gets its name from--the Latin fascis, meaning bundle. Except a bundle of sticks is only strong when firmly held.
"Let it be, and it's just dead wood, rotting down. Most people take the wrong lesson from that. Strength is not a bundle of sticks.
"Strength is a tree. We're stronger when we can grow."