Skip to main content

Discuss the impact of socially relevance stories in the late 1960s

The impact of socially relevance stories in the late 1960s is very apparent in comic books that came about in the sixties. The Amazing Spider-Man comics that came out in the sixties demonstrate the impact that the sixties had on comics. Race was a concept that got displayed in comics in different ways. For example, Spider-Man did have an African American character, but the African Americans that did appear, remained in the background and were not prominent. Spider-Man was a character that was relatable to most people, including the youth. He was a very complex character that experienced problems that were socially relevant to most people. One of the main issues in Amazing Spider-Man was drugs. The sixties was a time when Americans began experimenting with drugs. Most of these Americans were labeled as hippies, and were seen in a negative connotation. The hippie culture influenced American media, including musical theatre. The musical Hair, which was a great success, portrayed this hippie culture, including the way drugs influenced American society. Comics were also influenced by this drug culture.

The issues of Amazing Spider-Man show the influence of this drug culture. Spider-Man saves a man from falling off a building, as he notes that he is under the influence of drugs. The man is a clear indication on how drugs were a prominent part of the culture of the sixties. The underground comics also explored taboo themes that still were socially relevant in the late sixties. These comics were still prominent even as most were banned and they are usually not talked about. Many of the topics in these comics were relevant to the different parts of society, even though not many people approved of the content.

The late sixties also gave rise to more superhero archetypes that made them relatable to society. Although you could still see segregation in the comics, it was becoming more apparent on how society began to shape comics. The late sixties was a time when comics became popular again as people began to be interested again. The content and the stories attracted more audiences as characters finally began to be relevant to people in America. Minorities still remained, but times were changing and superheroes transformed as a new era and new ways of thinking began to emerge.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Why blame comics for societal failure?

Why blame comics for societal failure? Society blamed comics for the societal failures because it was a fairly new industry, and as things seemed to go “wrong” they figured it must be comic books. When a child grew up during the war, his father was probably killing people and the military and his mother was probably making things in factories to help kill the opposition. The only things kids had to “babysit” them was comic books, and they read many different kinds. So when kids starting acting differently in this new generation the figured it must be the comic books. Society didn’t want to believe it may have been the internal and external scars war causes on the soldiers and their families. Also the fact that young unattended children are reading these comics may not be able to differentiate between fantasy and reality. When society fails it always needs a scapegoat then it was comic books next it was rock and roll. Society naturally resist change.
2 comments
Read more

Were comics at the forefront of social transformation or lagging behind in the 1960’s?

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...
Post a Comment
Read more

The 1950s are often portrayed as a period of social cohesion. Why is this misleading?

When we think of the 1950's, most people think of similar things such as "Leave it to Beaver", very conservative and cliched pop music, and high patriotism. Our view of that time is one of social conformity to conservative values, with a traditional nuclear family where the father worked and the mother stayed home, where a majority of people attended church, where crime was relatively low, where a majority of American citizens were extremely patriotic, and where entertainment media emphasized these same conservative values and were subjected to censorship if they did not conform. This is misleading because while these things were all true to a certain extent, the world was obviously not perfect and not everyone was conforming or upholding traditional values, even if it seemed like they were. The 1950's were actually a very tumultuous time period, with the end of World War II leaving Europe war torn and in debt, the outbreak of the Korean War and the clashes of opinion...
1 comment
Read more