Kirill Korsakov

My name is Kirill Korsakov, and I’m here to help you delve deeper into the world of superheroes and villains to discover the true influence of the World Wars on the rise of the comic book industry. The year is 1938. The planet is on the brink of entering its Second World War. Men, women, and children of America cling to the promises of neutrality from the United States government. As the years slowly go by, an attack on American soil quickly strikes feelings of doubt, insecurity, and fear into the population, but also ignites a fire hungry for revenge. Although, at this point in time, comic books have already existed for several years, this stew of heated emotions and warring superpowers created a perfect environment for the comic book ‘golden age.’ Comic books provided soldiers and children alike with a relatively cheap source of entertainment and morale. The, now classic, image of an American Superman lifting cars over his head with feats of unimaginable strength must have sent adrenaline pumping into the young men and women of the time. This image produced not only entertainment, but it subconsciously provided morale and spirit to the younger generation. Was race as much of a social issue to the writers of such comics as it is today? Unlikely. But it doesn’t take super-intelligence to see why the majority of superheroes of the time, such as Superman, Mr. America, and Vigilante had such a strong white American background.