AMERICAN PHENOMENA / TNP SUMMER 2010

American Superheroes and the Politics of Good and Evil

Ji ří G. R ůž ička

A nation needs heroes.

How to create a history clearly borrows elements from the Greek god Hermes, Superheroes of course have The United States of even wearing a winged the necessary social America is the Promised helmet, an icon of the god. compassion, but they are not Land – for comics. Void of Similarly, heroes such as terribly interested in fighting any ancient history or Zeus, Thor and mythology of its own Beowulf have all (Americans distanced been used as themselves from Native models for the American mythology by creation of comic massacring the native tribes heroes. Others are and dissolving their remains a combination of in the national melting pot), legendary the nation has embraced and characters or

worshiped its comic archetypes. Any domain public the imagein This is superheroes. origin, they all have one thing in Comic books originated in common: they the Unites States in the late always fight in the 1800s. However, it wasn’t name of good, in until the 1930s that the name of superheroes gained their honest citizens, popularity. It is not by and they are chance, that they found an always victorious. audience during a time of If we were to economic recession. Perhaps place these Four Favorites #11, August, 1943 they were meant to superheroes intervene, if not as saviors of somewhere on the political poverty. After all, many of the economy, as saviors of spectrum, they would most them belong to the upper all that is good, and certainly lean to the right as classes of society in their guardians of a better future. they protect the traditional civilian lives: Batman as Traditionally superheroes societal values based on a Bruce Wayne is a billionaire were based on characters capitalist model. who owns practically the from Ancient Greek legends entire city; Iron Man as and stories. For example, The need for an ideological Tony Stark is a weapons’ hero Flash adversary magnate. Two other

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AMERICAN PHENOMENA / TNP SUMMER 2010 superheroes – and When this, however, no wing politics. He creates a Spiderman – work for longer interested readers, the quasiFascist system, full of tabloid newspapers. All are comic books “moved away CCTV cameras and white collar, upper middle from explicitly ideological manipulated media, where class, successful members of texts. The genre political leaders create society. which had been used to build artificial fear of “the other” consensus and morale during among its population. In this Captain America is the WWII was now questioning comic, the superhero is a left ultimate symbol of America’s role as the world's wing anarchist who is not American idealism. During superpower, due largely in scared to face the the Cold War American part to the public’s establishment and point out superheroes fought against perception of the Vietnam that the ruling elites are the the evil Soviets and other War.” Comic creators began real evil. “vermin” from the East, who to reevaluate what good and always planned to take over evil really meant. This represents a turning the world. At the end of the point for heroes. They were Cold War, communist This was the case with “further revolutionized” villains lost some popularity British author Alan Moore when leading characters had (although there still was the who created a superhero some kind of “weakness or odd Communist villain story that defined this notion defect, such as the Hulk and lurking in some far off place of ‘good’ that superheroes Spiderman,” explains who wanted to seize power had been hiding behind all Coogan in his book. “They and return the “old world this time. Not only did he were persecuted and order”), but eventually a new challenge the established misunderstood and enemy appeared: the ideas of good and evil, he spoke directly to public terrorist. Superheroes need also asked a question that disorientation.” As times super villains and super was ubiquitous to traditional have changed, the definition villains need a reason to comics: is there a greater of what it means to be a want to destroy the world. good? And if so, is it superhero, and a villain, has They look more credible if superior to an average, dramatically changed as they belong to an ideological everyday good? Moore well. camp. In this way, comic illustrated his answers to superheroes and their these questions in his comic adversaries in many ways series Watchmen . Taking Underground comix paralleled reality. place during the Cold War, a fake attack on New York Left wing comics began to Disrupting the superhero City (by aliens from outer take off in the 1960s thanks cliché from the other side space) leads to global peace, to the underground of the Atlantic as the two sides of the Iron movement. Underground Curtain unite in a fight comics were more or less a The mid 1950s – 1970s are against their common reaction to the ethical codex commonly referred to as the extraterrestrial adversary. In of the Comics Code Silver Age of comics. At this this series, Moore critiques Authority (CCA) which was time, according to Peter the traditional superhero established in the 1950s to Coogan, author of concept. cleanse comics from Superhero: The Secret anything that could harm Origin of a Genre , Moore is also the author of children’s development “superhero comic books the series V for Vendetta , in (children were found to act[ed] to convey the which he creates a dystopian constitute the largest prevailing social ideology.” exaggeration of strictly right readership of this media).

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AMERICAN PHENOMENA / TNP SUMMER 2010

Scary creatures disappeared, Just your average not work too hard, and are violence was hidden in everyday superhero struggling to find happiness. between the graphic panels As the series progresses and the superhero language One of the most interesting Hernandez loses the scifi was cleaned up as well. The left wing comic books is the elements and further desire to this codex Love and Rockets series, or develops Maggie as well as gave rise to comics intended rather its subseries Locas , her friends. His heroines get for adult audiences. written and illustrated by older, fatter and lazier. In the Jaime Hernandez (His Ghost of Hoppers series An entirely underground brother Gilbert is the author Maggie is going on 40 and scene appeared, dealing with of the second subseries her carefree past is just a problems of regular people. called Palomar ). Published distant memory. Still, at The heroes of the comics for the first time in the 1980s every age, Maggie represents were often the authors – in the conservative years a new kind of superhero themselves. The storylines of Margaret Thatcher and because she prevails in her reflected the ideas and Ronald Reagan – it was struggles and hardships of realities of the created in a time when everyday life. counterculture of the time. economies prospered, Some of the most important militaries militarized and the May good prevail authors in this movement fall of the Iron Curtain was were Robert Crumb, Kim just around the corner. The As much as the political Deitch, Art Spiegelman, and market solved everything leanings of traditional Harvey Pekar. The and people seemed almost superheroes are hidden underground comic book redundant. within the comics, it is scene is often referred to as obvious which side of the comix. The first series, Maggie the political spectrum they Mechanic , tells the story of prefer. Characters in left an 18yearold girl wing comix are more who lives in a forward with their opinions.

n 2.0n Hispanic suburb of While traditional California. superheroes try to protect the Hernandez works values of society as it is, new with the scifi superheroes try to determine genre allowing the and define their existence characters to live within a society in which in a world split they do not agree. Either between the way, they have taken on an fantastic and the important role in American mundane of society. They reflect and ordinary life commentate on current situations. Maggie happenings and illustrate has normal issues unique views of the world –

and struggles with where good (however it is her job, friends, defined) still always

Photo Comiquero.com,by Creative Commons Attributio Generic and relationships. prevails. She and her friend (and sometimes Jiří G. Růžička is the Editor lover) Hopey are of A2, a weekly periodical Jaime Hernandez, creator of Maggie the Mechanic , active in the punk for culture. signs autographs at ComicCon movement, do

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