In my opinion, comics were at the forefront of social transformation in the US in the 1960's. However, comics were not exactly the "go to" form of news about social issues, especially with the television being a new form for news and entertainment. With all that being said, some comics were able to stay up with the times. Marvel Comics was consistently good at this, creating stories that were directly related to major social issues that were current in the country. Although comics seemed to have been overshadowed by radio and television by this time period, the companies were still getting stories out about social topics because they were able to create new and interesting stories to keep their fanbase buying and coming back for more. One of the other main reasons comics were able to stay at the forefront of social transformation was because they were able to change the way superheroes were created, another change that was beneficial to the industry. Spiderman, for example, was a new way of developing a hero. Even when Peter Parker develops his powers, he is still reluctant to use them for fighting crime and instead uses them to make money. Only when his grandfather is murdered by a criminal he let go does he start to use his powers for good. By keeping up with the times, comics were able to stay at the forefront of the social transformation in the US.
A blog for and about the intersection of comic books and American history.
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