美国国家公共电台 NPR Can A Canadian Prime Minister Be An Action Hero? Marvel Comics Thinks So

Can A Canadian Prime Minister Be An Action Hero? Marvel¹ Comics Thinks So  

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Justin Trudeau already had a diverse resume when he became prime minister of Canada. He's been a schoolteacher and a snowboard instructor³. Now he can add action hero to his resume. A new issue of Marvel Comics released today has Trudeau facing evildoers in the halls of parliament and in the boxing ring, too. NPR's Jackie Northam reports.

JACKIE NORTHAM, BYLINE⁴: It is quite the image of Canada's prime minister. The front cover of the latest Marvel Comics shows Justin Trudeau sitting in the corner of a boxing ring, elbows resting on the ropes. He's wearing boxing shorts, a tank top that's emblazoned with a large maple⁵ leaf and a smile that's a bit difficult to read.

RAMON PEREZ: I was going for a little bit of attitude, a little bit of smugness. You don't know if he's already been boxing for a little bit and he's going back in or he's just starting out and he's kind of gearing himself up.

NORTHAM: That's Ramon Perez, the cartoonist behind the depictions of Trudeau in this latest issue of Marvel Comics. The Toronto-based Perez says his original drafts showed Trudeau bare-chested.

PEREZ: And Marvel was - well, I don't know. That might be a little bit too risque, a little bit too much. And then, about two weeks or three weeks ago, we have, like, Justin's popping up in media topless here and there, camping with his family and stuff like that. And I'm like, there you go. We could have had him topless.

NORTHAM: The image of the 44-year-old Trudeau is one of two covers Marvel Comics is using for its latest edition, which features a Canadian superhero squad⁶ called Alpha Flight. Marvel approached Chip Zdarsky, also based in Toronto, to write the action story. It was Zdarsky who came up with the idea to feature Trudeau, who he thinks is a bit of an action man in real life.

CHIP ZDARSKY: It kind of just made sense, like, this opportunity to have a Canadian-driven story at a time when Trudeau just keeps making headlines as Canada's cool prime minister.

NORTHAM: Zdarsky says he wouldn't have been able to do the same thing with Trudeau's predecessor⁷, Stephen Harper, who was seen as more businesslike.

ZDARSKY: That would have been a little bit trickier⁸. His only superpower, as far as I know, is awkwardly playing Beatles medleys⁹ on piano.

NORTHAM: Zdarsky approached Trudeau's office to get the OK. It came back saying it can't approve using Trudeau in the comic, but it wouldn't stand in the way either. While Marvel Comics rarely features world leaders, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, Justin's father, did make an appearance back in 1979, and President Obama in 2009. Marvel Comics' editor, Will Moss¹⁰, says he's sure this edition with the younger Trudeau will do well.

WILL MOSS: I think he's somebody that a lot of Americans are aware of and fans of. I know several women here in our office are big fans of Justin Trudeau.

NORTHAM: Moss says the story focuses on a character named Ulysses, who can see into the future and crimes before they happen. The Alpha Team is divided whether to use that information to arrest people for crimes they haven't yet committed. Moss says they turned to Trudeau for guidance.

MOSS: It's natural that they'd want to seek counsel from the leader of their country.

NORTHAM: Except that he's in a boxing ring wearing boxing shorts (laughter).

MOSS: Yeah, yeah, that's right. There's a little bit of both. They seek his council, and then - and then he blows off some steam with Iron Man in a boxing ring.

NORTHAM: The creators won't give away any more of the storyline. They just hope Trudeau gets a chance to pick up the latest Marvel comic. Jackie Northam, NPR News.

1 marvel   

vi.(at)惊叹vt.感到惊异；n.令人惊异的事

参考例句：

• The robot is a marvel of modern engineering.机器人是现代工程技术的奇迹。
• The operation was a marvel of medical skill.这次手术是医术上的一个奇迹。

2 browser   

n.浏览者

参考例句：

• View edits in a web browser.在浏览器中看编辑的效果。
• I think my browser has a list of shareware links.我想在浏览器中会有一系列的共享软件链接。

3 instructor   

n.指导者，教员，教练

参考例句：

• The college jumped him from instructor to full professor.大学突然把他从讲师提升为正教授。
• The skiing instructor was a tall,sunburnt man.滑雪教练是一个高高个子晒得黑黑的男子。

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 maple   

n.槭树，枫树，槭木

参考例句：

• Maple sugar is made from the sap of maple trees.枫糖是由枫树的树液制成的。
• The maple leaves are tinge with autumn red.枫叶染上了秋天的红色。

6 squad   

n.班，小队，小团体；vt.把…编成班或小组

参考例句：

• The squad leader ordered the men to mark time.班长命令战士们原地踏步。
• A squad is the smallest unit in an army.班是军队的最小构成单位。

7 predecessor   

n.前辈，前任

参考例句：

• It will share the fate of its predecessor.它将遭受与前者同样的命运。
• The new ambassador is more mature than his predecessor.新大使比他的前任更成熟一些。

8 trickier   

adj.狡猾的( tricky的比较级 )；（形势、工作等）复杂的；机警的；微妙的

参考例句：

• This is the general rule, but some cases are trickier than others. 以上是一般规则，但某些案例会比别的案例更为棘手。 来自互联网
• The lower the numbers go, the trickier the problems get. 武器的数量越低，问题就越复杂。 来自互联网

9 medleys   

n.混杂物( medley的名词复数 )；混合物；混杂的人群；混成曲（多首声乐曲或器乐曲串联在一起）

参考例句：

10 moss   

n.苔，藓，地衣

参考例句：

• Moss grows on a rock.苔藓生在石头上。
• He was found asleep on a pillow of leaves and moss.有人看见他枕着树叶和苔藓睡着了。