Super Heroes and Patriotism: Why They Wear the Flag

“Truth, Justice and the American Way”. The phrase was first associated with Superman but has been coopted to refer to the actions of all super heroes. Instantly, comic book heroes have been branded with a sense of patriotism. Which makes complete sense since most comic books were birthed during one of the most patriotic periods in American history.

A quick crash course in comic book history, the first what we could consider a “comic book” was printed in 1936. There had been comics long before this of course, some entertaining and/or political, but they had usually appeared in the pages of other periodicals. It was not until 1936 that publishers decided to print a book consisting solely of comics. Of course these initial comics were merely collected reprints of the comics that had appeared in the weekly newspapers. It was not until a year later where publishers started to write completely original content for their comic books. This original content led to the eventual creation of Superman in 1938 and the birth of the modern super hero.

On a more serious note, while American children were enjoying comics, European children were living in terror of war. Just one year after the introduction of Superman, Germany invaded Poland and set off the beginning of the 2^nd Great War. America would not be dragged into the war until two years later when we were attacked by Japan. And when America went to war, so too did our Super heroes.

The most famous super hero associated with World War II is Captain America. Ironically, the Captain appeared the comics a full six months before America officially joined the war. Many saw the comic controversial, especially those who wanted to stay out of the fighting. The cover of the first Captain America comic depicted the character punching Adolph Hitler in the jaw. In many ways it was a rally cry to war.

And when the brave men of the US Armed Forces went to war, the Captain was right along with him. Both in the stories and in print. Comics were small and light and easy to trade among troops. They were a common accessory found among soldiers in the field. They were included in care packages sent to soldiers in the thick of fighting and welcome reading material during the brief moments of downtime a soldier could try and grab.

Comic book heroes also helped fight the war on the home front by encouraging their readers to engage in scrap drives and rationing. It was these vary scrap drives that ended up making so many comics from that era so valuable as young readers (and more likely their parents) happily donated their comics to the cause.

Cap would give birth to a slew of patriotic themed heroes.  Brave men and women were wrapped in the flag and depicted as the defenders of America. These characters, while being patriotic, also helped form the backbone of the comic book industry and gave the various publishers the sales needed to keep going. 

While World War II was an impressive moment of patriotism in comics, but it was not the last. As I type this, we have recently passed the eleven-year anniversary of September 11^th. As an American, but even more specific as a New Yorker, this tragic event deeply saddened me. And like me, the publishers and artists and writers of both DC and Marvel were also affected by this event, their offices both being mere blocks away from Ground Zero. And so the events in the stories were a reflection of the emotions of the people working on them. Both companies also put out special art books to raise money for the families of the victims.

A special issue of Amazing Spider-Man (famously called the “black issue” due to its solid black cover) depicted the Webswinger trying to help recover people from the wreckage. It also featured no dialogue or word balloons, reflecting the speechlessness many of us felt about these events. There were also back up stories in other comics, showing scenes of emotion and togetherness among families, friends and even complete strangers who were all connected by one simple thing. They were all Americans.

A society’s entertainment can many times reflect a socity’s values. No where is this more true than in comics. Although comic books are published in countries all around the world, there is something inherently American about the medium. Super heroes tend to reflect the ideal characteristics we all wish we possessed and should all strive towards.