What Role Do Superheros Play In Pop Culture

Introduction
Comic book characters have always been an important part of the pop culture phenomenon. Many of these characters have been in publication for over five decades and now are transformed into multibillion dollar movie franchises. Superhero comics started gaining popularity from the 1930s with the arrival of Superman in Action Comics volume one published by Detective Comics (now known as DC Comics). The wave was carried forward by other contemporary superhero characters like Batman, Wonder Woman and Captain America who gave comic books a cult status among the young generation. The comic book scene has experienced a huge change over time with evolving storylines, media censorship and introduction of anti-hero characters who have redefined
the rules.
‘Superhero’ has become a common term for fictional comic book heroes and heroines who wear costumes or masks, and may or may not possess superhuman abilities. In spite of widely varying traits of these characters, they were always portrayed as good and fighters for justice. The subject may sound juvenile at first, but on careful observation, we will find the huge impact the social and political conditions have on the characterization of these superheroes. Their growth almost replicates the change in political dynamics and social conditions over the ages. [1] The timeline of superhero comics is generally defined as –
• Golden Age 1938-1945
• Silver Age 1956-1970
• Bronze Age 1970-1984
• Copper Age 1984-1992
• Modern Age 1992-Present [2]
For instance, between the years 1938 and 1950, the comic books were greatly impacted by the Great Depression, the Second World War and the Atomic Era.
After the Atom Bomb attack on Japan in 1943, a whole new line of heroes who got their power from the radiation. Political propaganda and American nationalism were also clear in the comic book storylines where they showed Captain America holding Hitler by his collar or Superman fighting the Japanese military in the World War. Similarly, the 1970s saw the superheroes deal with real-world issues like drugs, violence and alcoholism which became a major threat to society.
Thus, it is impossible to overlook the socio-political undertones of the superhero characters who have thrived over ages and now have gained cult status.
References:
1. Russell, Christian, Heroic Moments: A study of comic book superheroes in real-world society, Dissertation, Greensboro College.
2. Retrieved From: http://www.scribd.com/doc/189672338/Ages-of-Comics-Davey-Beauchamp (Accessed on: March 09th,
2015)

Golden Age: Arrival of the Superheroes (1938-1945)
The comic strips in the news papers and magazines were always popular among the American readers, and as a result, the newspapers decided to release collections of these archived strips. This can be considered as the first form of comic books and that format is still prevalent in the industry. Soon enough, the publishers released a new line of original stories featuring pirate adventures, alien attacks and most famously, detective storylines. These comics mainly targeted adolescent boys who were seeking adventure storylines and older men who liked pulp fiction stories. The sales were quite steady, but the publications started looking for a new story idea which will revolutionize the comic book industry.
In 1938, two talented youngsters Joseph Shuster and Jerome Siegel were employed by DC Comics (then National Periodical Publications) and they came up with an iconic superhero who went on to change the world of comic books – Superman. Within the pages of Action Comics Issue 1, the world was introduced to an invincible alien superhero who kept his identity a secret by leading a simple life as a mild natured newspaper reporter. Superman was an instant hit with the American audience as they could identify with the character’s human side and soon, he became the face of empowerment in the country. The comic sales boomed, the publishers were happy and the world found its first true superhero. [1]
The following year, DC Comics came up with its second superhero – Batman, created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger. This superhero was completely different from Superman and this led to the introduction of human superheroes and darker themes in the superhero genre. The comic book was the story of billionaire playboy, Bruce Wayne, who lost his parents when he was young in a mugging incident and that made him into a masked vigilante who swore to strike fear into the heart of the city’s underworld. The point which made this comic unique was that Batman did not possess any superpowers; rather he was a masked detective who was at the peak of physical form and with the help of gadgets he himself developed. The introduction of two superheroes solidified the circulation figures of the publications, but a war was coming. [2]
The popularity of Superman gave birth to a number of superheroes like the Flash, Human Torch and Green Lantern, all of whom followed the same tradition and were mainly concerned with fighting inter galactic struggles or imaginary villains. By 1941, the Justice Society of America was released in All Star Comics #3 which combined nearly all the popular superheroes of the time as a unified force to fight the Nazis as a replication of the Second World War on paper. But the superhero who led the charge of American war Propaganda was created by cartoonists Joe Simon and Jack Kirby and was aptly named ‘Captain America’. The character, published by Marvel Comics in 1941, announced its arrival as a fighting force for his country when the first issue cover featured the super soldier punching Hitler in his face. Captain America, combined with his uniform and shield which depicted the American colours, stood for his country’s war efforts and acted as a source of inspiration for the soldiers who were fighting in the war and the people back home. This was also the first time that the comic books were affected by the socio-political conditions and a superhero was used for war propaganda purposes.
The Second World War was a boon for the comic book industry as it was a perfect chance for them to cash in on the war themes and national patriotism through their publications. The DC superheroes started promoting public welfare and the new storylines saw them helping out the troops on the war front. Even the non-military superheroes were called upon to join the war effort, the biggest example being Clark Kent, also known as Superman. Like any patriotic American, Superman also wanted to join the army following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, but the authors were concerned with the amount of expectation which the younger audience had on his superpowers. There were newspaper cartoons depicting Superman grabbing Hitler by his collar to finish the World War, but the publications decided to take a whole new route. As a result, they devised a clever storyline where Clark Kent goes for his army physical inspection, and by mistake, uses his X-ray vision to read the eye chart in the next room instead of his own. This makes it impossible for him to join the army and Superman graciously takes the role of demonstrating the importance of the war efforts to the American civilians. [3]
The most notable female comic character of this era was Wonder Woman, created by William Marston and Harry G.
Peter in December 1941. At this point of time, female characters were expected to stay at home and support the male superheroes in their quest to save the world. But Wonder Woman was an exception with her star spangled skirt and lasso of truth which she used to directly fight domestic criminals and spies. According to the majority of literary historians, she stood for significant advancement when it came to woman empowerment, and she was the first to break into a scene which can safely be called a ‘men’s club’ till then. For the war effort, however, she encouraged both boys and girls to do their part for the country, either through combat or through working for the country back home. [4]

References:
1. Retrieved From: http://www.scribd.com/doc/189672338/Ages-of-Comics-Davey-Beauchamp (Accessed on: March 09th, 2015)
2. Greenberger, Robert (2008), The Essential Batman Encyclopedia, New York: Ballantine Books.
3. Scott, Cord A., "Comics and Conflict: War and Patriotically Themed Comics in American Cultural History from World War II through the Iraq War" (2011), Dissertations, Loyola University Chicago.
4. Kerr, Sarah(2014), Wonder Woman: The Weird, True Story, The New York Review of Books, November
20.