Comics Influence On American Society

Sitcoms have long been characterized by laughter, large casts of characters, and recurring locations. While these qualities have remained consistent over the years, sitcoms have adjusted over time to better reflect their audience. A number of pre-2000s shows such as Friends and Cheers depict an idealized group of friends who spend sizeable amounts of their days with each other. These characters rarely come into conflict, and they confront any problem as a group. These shows possess a generally positive vibe, acting as a form of escapism for anyone who might be feeling down.

American society has been known as the melting pot of our world’s many diverse cultures. A nation where many come together to form a multicultural environment. Stemming from this American melting pot of culture is the animated television show, The Simpsons, “a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle,” (Flew 1994, p. 97). Starting out as a comic strip created by Matt Groening, The Simpsons came into existence as a thirty minute television show in 1989. As of today, the show has produced over 573 different episodes over a remarkable span of 26 years, and has already been renewed for seasons 27 and 28. The show tends to make many references to our American culture making it a comedic sort of reference to what issues are happening

Mass media has experienced many major developments over the past hundred years. As the manner in which media is communicated to the world evolves a definite shift to American culture has occurred in the process. Mass media has undergone numerous changes in the way it is distributed to the general public, going from newspapers, to radio, to television, and now to the World Wide Web. American culture is so ingrained in technology, that distributing mass media in this format seems like a natural step in the evolutionary process of distribution.

Of course, when anime first came over to America, it had to be edited to go over well with the popular audience. Television stations would go through and remove excessively violent scenes, alter translations, and even change whole plots just to make the shows more suitable for American audiences, (Ladd & Deneroff, 2009). Of course, it didn’t help that Americans viewed anime in general as children’s cartoons when it wasn’t created to be that way.

In today’s society, media is present in our lives 24/7 allowing it to have a major influence on our culture in both positive and negative ways.

Comics became an integral part of allied propaganda machines, emphasizing the need for the maximum war effort by portraying the enemy as the inhuman offspring of a vast and pernicious evil . Wonder Woman was amongst the many comics that displayed this. She was often seen protecting her country from Axis spies and terrorists . For example, in Wonder Woman #2 she is put up against the bloodthirsty pawns of Ares (God of war and mortal enemy), better known as the Nazi’s . The idea of comics used in the war was not only an illustration to boost morality of those overseas but it applied propaganda techniques to children in America. In the film, Comic Book Superheroes Unmasked, the narration states that Wonder Woman urged children to collect scrap metal and paper so it could be used for weapons in order to support the home-front . At this time, Wonder Woman seemed to have become a positive symbol to nationalism and as well as femininity.

The Golden age of comic books could be one of the most important. This was the age of the first superhero ever. In The History of funnies in America, it says. ” Action comics make its first appearance, and feature the first superhero ever: Superman in 1938.”

The lecture's final point was America was inspired by all over the world for creation of art like Disney cartoon from Europe, even many American cartoon artist influenced by Japanese artist. This point contradicts to the reading because, they try to show that all over the world inspired by the American

For centuries, man has struggled with the concepts of good and evil and have produced astounding works as a reflection of it. This is ideally the foundation of early fables and folklore dating back to ancient civilizations. Stories about famed heroes and the battle of good and evil woven into extravagant tales of danger, destiny, and triumph. These stories were often assimilated into individual societies, told from generation to generation until eventually finding themselves becoming an integral part of the culture. In 1938, a new era began to emerge known as the “golden age” of superheroes. Superman made his first appearance in action comics, forging a unique identity as the first comic book superhero in American culture and quickly

Back in the 1920s people had receive news and entertainment through the radio, which then in turn out-shined newspapers and magazines. Now day’s social media sites have become the most popular form to get the news and information. The biggest tool in the media that generates revenue by the millions every day, is advertising. The media has its way of showing us constructive information when it comes to news channels, travel and other educational shows. Kids benefit from watching these, since it can boost self-esteem, heighten interest levels in a particular subject, or encourage them to ask relevant questions.

In 1940 there was a rise in popularity for patriotic themed superheroes caused by the creation of the hero the Shield. As a result, in 1941, Jack Kirby and Joe Simon created the second most iconic superhero in Marvel comics, Captain America. (“Marvel comics database.”) Captain America, whose original name was Super American, was a consciously political character that was used to attack enemies of the United States, and had become Timely Comics most

Along with the economy, popular culture flourished. Movie-makers poured millions of dollars into making films that were filled with dramatic special effects. Jurassic Park (1993) and Titanic (1997) are two examples of such films. Network television produced a good number of worthwhile shows, including one of the most loved situation comedies (sitcoms) in TV history in Seinfeld and one of the most creative sitcoms in The Simpsons. Cable TV offered a growing number of Americans more variety than ever before in home entertainment. Musically, Americans also had many styles from which to choose, from a revived country music scene to alternative rock to rap. The United States faced several serious challenges as it entered the 1990s. On the one hand,

Growing up the biggest dream of mine was to wake up one day and have a super power. I would be able to help defend the world, save people from bad guys, and make the world a better place. Sadly, I ended up just going to college and studying to be a mechanical engineer, but the dream is still alive! Even now while going through my studies, comic books still intrigue me and one of the aspects that has me the most curious is the sudden shift recently taking place in Marvel comics. Iron man has been replaced by a young African American girl, Thor is female, and the mantle of Spiderman now goes to a homosexual teenage boy. Society has been drastically changing as time has gone on, and Marvel is starting to follow suit with changing some of their main comics. I have researched the impact of social status on comics in the past versus how they are now to determine how the audience is receiving these changes, either positively or negatively.

Since the times of the Persian Empires, propaganda has been an effective tool for forces of the State government, or other institutions trying to spread a political message, usually for militarily or humanitarian missions. In modern times, propaganda has taken a new face with the Internet, but during the 1940’s one of the most effective types of propaganda was the use of comic books. Currently comic books are used around the world to spread the message of peace, war, and even religion. For example, in Egypt a comic book is used to spread the word of Islam and what a true Muslim should act like in accordance to Allah. Catholic undertones are used in comic books to spread a message of Christianity to people in an interesting way, with bloody action. In Bosnia and Herzegovina during the Bosnian War, Superman was used to get out awareness of landmines to the people in affected areas. Comic Books are an effective form of propaganda because they are meant to be interesting, and the superheroes show people how they should be acting during times of strife. Throughout the history of comic books, they have been unifying and brought people together and light to certain messages for people from different countries, cultures, and ethnicities.

Throughout the world, popular culture has made an impact, especially on especially to people living throughout the world. The impact of popular culture has several benefits on both individuals and society. Several of the benefits that popular culture has on society are entertaining, informing, and interactions.