Superman was created by two Jewish immigrants by the names of Stiegal and Shuster. In 1933 the United States was swarming with immigrants. Everyone was moving from the frontier to the cities. Urban life was the new way to live. The question is, was Superman an American character? First we must discuss what it is to be American. Technically to be American is to be born in the US. Superman was born on a planet called Krypton and was sent to Earth by his parents. On earth he was raised on a farm by people that found him. He then moved to the city, where he fought crime. So technically, Superman is an immigrant who moved to the city from the frontier. Stiegal and Shuster created Superman as they saw the American people. Everyone in the United States is an immigrant. We all came from another country to settle here and make a living. Everyone wanted to obtain the American Dream. Superman was an immigrant who came to earth and made a living for himself in the United States. But, is he an American character? I would say yes. He portrays the American people significantly. An immigrant and living in a city, Superman is living just as his fellow Americans live. He is an American Character because of how he portrays the American people.
Throughout the 60’s, comics were at the forefront of social transformation. Possibly the best example of this is through comics reflection of the public’s view of the Vietnam War. At the beginning of the war a majority of Americans fully supported the cause. The idea that communism, the most evil idea conceived, could spread first through South-East Asia and eventually to the US lead Americans to accept the need to occupy Vietnam. However as the war progressed it became more obvious that it was less to defend democracy and actually just a proxy war against Russia. As support for the war diminished, comics greatly altered their position on the war to question the causes of the war, and whether the US should actually be there. The comic Iron Man accurately represented this shift in support as he stopped dealing arms, and took a moral stand against their use. As well as Vietnam War culture, comics also accurately portrayed youth culture in the US throughout the 60’s. Comics suc...
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