Superheroes Impact On American Culture Essay

Superheroes are very popular in our society, most people in today’s world spend their time either watching superhero movies or reading superhero comic books. Although there are many reasons why superhero fans are so popular, the most important ones are, their movies are related to the current world issues, such as fight prejudice, stereotype, good team work, and they always inspire the young children. Superheroes having powers doesn’t mean that they’re not humans, They can save the world and fight criminals but they still have to deal with the fact of being a human being because they also face negative things like prejudice and stereotype. Superheroes fighting these will influence the children to do the same thing.

Mass media allowed Americans to hear news as it was occurring and to hear news from across the country. “Radio drew the nation together by bringing news, entertainment, and advertisements to more than 10 million households by 1929. Radio blunted regional differences and imposed similar tastes and lifestyles. No other media had the power to create heroes and villains so quickly.” (Digital History). Another aspect of American culture that radios allowed to grow was the rise of celebrities and heroes. People were able to hear about the events that were occurring all over the nation involving famous individuals. It was the first time in American history where the most famous and well-known citizens were not politicians or war heroes. “One way to measure America’s shift away from a hero-oriented stance to an embrace of celebrity was...to survey the biographical articles that appeared in The Saturday Evening Post and Collier… after 1922 over half came from the world of entertainment: sports figures like Joe Louis and Babe Ruth, and movie stars such as Gloria Swanson and Charlie Chaplin.” (OAH Magazine of History). Because these rising stars were not famous for their role in politics or war, they inspired Americans to work hard to achieve their dreams. This created a society of hardworking determined

Similarly, a new type of journalism was established that focused on the gossip and the culture more than the daily news. People were now more aware of certain trends; therefore, they were focused on entertainment like comic books and listening to the radio. The “roaring twenties” defined the norms of the American society and successfully reinforced the

Why are comics not appreciated as much as the dry narratives of novels in the literary world? A comic is composed of symbols to express concepts shared by all people in their own social environment, and provide more tools than conventional art to truly show artistic intention.

The time was even praised as “the Golden Age of Comics”. On the top, movies had their greatest peak when “Superman” was released in 1938. Superman sparked so many interests of people regardless of the country’s harsh situation. Moreover, so many spinoff were created after Superman including Batman, Wonder Woman, The Great Lantern, and the Flash, which together are known as “The Justice League”. The victory of those heroic figures against evil one planted American citizens a hope to survive in the Great Depression and these small hopes of American people gave birth to a huge popularity of heroes around the world.

With the rise of one mass media culture there must always be another. The 1930's marked a new system of mass communication, and the evolution of mass culture. In order to revolutionize the industry one must have ingenious ideas, that push society to reevaluate what they know. Orson Welles did this in his radio broadcast War of The Worlds. Welles forced the viewer to stop seeing the radio as the voice of war.

During many interesting time periods of American history, news about impactful events were not only communicated to the people through the radio or news articles. In fact an even more intriguing medium was used to serve this purpose, Thomas nast was an illustrator that made comics. In the current day, there are still many cartoons made about the American Government. This form of news telling attracts a massive amount of people because of how much more engaging it makes news.

There were many comics in the 1920’s that dealt from Superheros to Propaganda. Many comic books begin to develop fantasy and escapism In the Early and Mid 1920’s.Many comics in the 1920’s dealt with Red Scare Propaganda,Jazz Music,and how women slowly were not relying on men any longer.People wanted to be the perfect americans by supporting government laws and views.There were also many racist comics in the south were done by the KKK(Ku Klux Klan)They were widely followed by anyone who believed white people are the dominant race.They Believed that the white race was supreme and Immigrants and other things were bad.

The word 'superhero' dates to at least 1917, but the concept predates the word. Superheroes can draw their origins to the Scarlet Pimpernel and other pulp fiction heroes who wore costumes and had secret identities. The 1903 play The Scarlet Pimpernel and its spinoffs popularized the idea of a masked avenger and the superhero trope of a secret identity. Shortly afterward, masked and costumed pulp-fiction characters such as Zorro in 1919 or The Shadow in 1930 appeared in printed

Comics are viewed as a lower level of entertainment and are not held to the same standards of high art. The Jewish people were despised, mistreated and looked upon as being less than human. The medium of comics and the views that were held of the Jewish people make comics an appropriate means to portray their plight. The use of the graphic novel medium allows a parallel of the art style and the people to be shown. The historical background of the Holocaust allows for Maus to draw a parallel between the Jewish people and the history of propaganda that justifies the use of the comic

Isn't America considered to be the land of the free and the home of the brave? The Comics Code Authority didn't see it that way. The North American regulatory body for comic books, part of the Comics Magazine association of America, was in charge of monitoring and forbidding comic books of the main-stream world. This didn't come in the way of innovative artists like Robert Crumb and Gilbert Shelton who freely wrote comics based on social taboos. These artists took a risk creating the booming underground comic world, bring revolutionary concepts to everyday homes, while attracting readers and opening the minds of millions.

“The times are not so good -- we’re looking for heroes” is a remark from Jerry Robinson, the creator of comic book villain the Joker. Since the late 1930’s superheroes have emerged in times of war or fear to lift the American spirit and instill a sense of hope. Superhero comics “reflect the politics, prejudices and concerns of a particular historical moment.” Events in superhero comics and these heroes’ characteristics are a product of the time in which they were created. Historical events greatly influenced these superheroes, and continue to dictate their role and popularity in comics and cinema.

There are many aspects of American life that greatly influence the culture of its citizens that are unlike any cultural aspect of other countries. One such aspect is the American comic book. Other countries have comic books and have had them for decades, but no other country has as deep an attachment to the characters in their comic books or even the comic books themselves. Comics matured from a simple series of hand drawn pictures telling a story to full blown books, and the characters in them blossomed into full blown cultural icons that pervade every aspect of American entertainment, from the comic books themselves, to movies, television, toys, clothes, and even amusement parks.

Back towards the beginning of American history we see superheroes arising for the first time in our culture. They were not necessarily able to fly or see through walls. However, they were still extraordinary people. Their stories were passed from father to son and the story grew with every telling. People like Paul Bunyan and Pecos Bill were just two of the many tales of the time which spoke of men doing extraordinary things. These tales wouldn’t excite forever, though. As years go by our country and its people become less and less naïve and craved more. A giant man with a blue ox and an axe just could not suffice. People become more and more numb to pain and murder, and needed more than these tall tales.

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.