The March of the Superhero Patriots
As the US Prepared for WWII Super Heroes led the Way
Sep 30, 2009
As America's involvement in World War II became more imminent and ominous, the comic book publishing industry discovered that superheroes were a very hot commodity. Comic book publishers were quick to take advantage of that commercial popularity to stoke the fires of war.
Subtle Propaganda
The initial manner in which superheroes served to bolster the American war machine as the US built up to WWII was simply that the costumed crusader was (and remains) an innately American invention and, as such, reinforces traditional American values. The superhero of 1940 to 1945 was an individual who surrendered an "ordinary" life to put on a uniform, generally covered with patriotic symbols, to fight the often superior forces which threatened the American way of life. American readers, especially young Americans, appreciated these four-color melodramas and their inherent symbolism, with terrible intimacy, as the America's entry into the war approached and during World War II itself.
This type of escapist literature is especially ripe for purveying social allegory. Readers rapidly self-identify with the hero and subconsciously take on the actions and ideals of that hero. This process works with religious allegory, fairy or folk tales, fables, and it was a perfect fit for the medium of the super hero comic. With its simple heroes' quest motif and characters drawn in stark strokes of good or evil, the super patriot was superb, and perhaps not so subtle, propaganda.
Racist Depictions of Germans and Japanese
The stories told in superhero comics also served to dehumanize the Axis powers. Comics, as a medium, tend to simplify the relationship which exists between hero and villain. After all, the story must be told in a limited amount of space. To make it clear to readers that the Axis menace was the lowest form of evil, the characterization of Axis villains were simplified to the point of becoming, by peace-time standards, racist.
Germans were portrayed as wily, jack-booted, steel-helmeted, killing machines or as the stereotypical "evil scientist." The Japanese, perhaps, received the worst treatment. They were depicted as buck-toothed (or fanged), near-sighted, deformed, monstrosities with clawed fingers and wearing thick eyeglasses. The message, which was obvious to the reader of the day, was that their outer grotesqueness reveals the inner evil. A simplified set of symbols, yet a very powerful one as it was combined with frequent textual references to Axis' racial inferiority which justified our superheroes killing the vile creatures off in droves.
Captain America and the Super Patriots
The super patriot did not just espouse pro-American ideology, he or she wrapped themselves in the flag. This went beyond the many images of Superman, the Blue Beetle, or Wonder Woman waving an American flag or holding a bald eagle. The true super patriot wore costumes of red, white, and blue fabric, festooned with gold stars and alternating red and white stripes.
Between 1940 and the end of the war, over 25 super patriots were developed for comic books. The first of the super patriots was the Shield, who appeared in Pep Comics #1 (January 1940). Next was the muscle-bound version of Uncle Sam who appeared in National Comics. Women super patriots followed such as Spirit of Old Glory and Miss America; but the super patriot who is best known today is Captain America.
Timely Comics published Captain America Comics, as written by Joe Simon and drawn by Jack Kirby, beginning in 1941. Cap was designed to represent the rising tide of American patriotism with his star-spangled costume and shield. He also quickly became a symbol of the strength of American values. Cap was also symbolic of the prowess of the American war (or hyperbole) machine as he was credited, in one issue, with single-handedly killing one million Japanese soldiers.
Super patriotism did not end with the fall of the Axis powers. It merely took on some new guises as America entered a Cold War and comic heroes, as well as educational comics, heated things up.
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