Superman is probably the most famous comic book super hero in the world. It seems pretty apparent to me that Superman is an American character. Sure his creators were Jewish immigrants who weren't born in America, but that doesn't mean that Superman can't be classified as an American character. Superman really represents the dream that many people come to this country for. Superman really lives the American dream in a sense. After he he is found on earth, he is raised out on a farm and then moves to the city of metropolis. Here he uses his super powers to battle evil and protect the citizens. Superman swept the nation and became extremely popular. Today there are movies and tv shows about him. His creators may be immigrants to the country, but in America who isn't? America was built on people immigrating to the country. I'd say this makes superman even more American. Seigel and Schuster were really living the American dream. They were unpopular and un-athletic high school kids and they became some of the most successful comic book writers at the time and created arguably the most iconic character ever made. Superman is definitely an American character, and an American hero.
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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