Visual Analysis

Hello friends! I have returned again, this time with a cover from the original Superman comics. This particular Superman comic cover is from issue 63 of Action Comics. This cover depicts Superman on top of a Japanese fighter plane. He looks like he is about to punch the Japanese fighter pilot. On the bottom right corner of the cover is a ship firing at an unseen target while narrowly avoiding an explosion. It can either be seen as Superman protecting the American battleship or it can be a Japanese battleship firing at a U.S. battleship or something similar. However, because of this issue being printed in the U.S., it can be assumed that it is a U.S. battleship.

This cover, during World War 2, was one of the many forms of propaganda supporting the war effort against Germany and Japan. Many comic covers, as this one, normally showed comic characters attacking anything related to the Axis Powers. If you were to imagine yourself as an American living during World War 2 and, knowing that the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, saw this comic cover, it would make you upset and angry at the Japanese and very happy that children are knowing the evils of the Axis Powers through their comic character heroes. Regardless of how racist and evil the comic covers or any propaganda looked, it was, at the time, very patriotic and important.

This comic covers shows a lot of interesting aspects in terms of lines, space, colors, and shapes that adds to our blog’s topic and adds to its visual argument. The way the fighter plane and Superman are diagonal adds a sense of tension and moment, which was true during the 1940s between Japan and the U.S. As Molly Bang puts it “… [Leads] to the picture”. The way the Japanese fighter pilot loses his goggles gives this comic a sense of gravity and the feeling of an air battle. The vast amount of space in the comic covers suggests the movement against the Japanese. In addition, the empty space gives it a more “one on one” action between Superman and the Japanese fighter pilot; it gives it “…a place of freedom, happiness, triumph” (Bang).  The colors also show a bit of patriotic/racist impression. Superman is white and the Japanese pilot is yellow. White is associated with safety and innocence while yellow is associated with deceit. Superman’s blue and red outfit looks patriotic because of how the U.S. flag looks like. Also, the Japanese fighter pilot’s brown flight suit suggests danger. The physique of Superman suggests the feelings of safety while the jagged shapes of the Japanese fighter pilot suggests danger. As Molly Bang of “Picture This” puts it, “ We feel more scared looking at pointy shapes; we feel more secure and comfort or comforted looking at rounded shapes”. Having Superman in front of the large plane suggests that Superman is stronger and more important.

This comic cover adds the ideas that the Japanese were evil and dangerous people and it was the duty of Americans to take revenge and fight against the tyrannical enemy. It can be said that this comic was very racist and disturbing in today’s standard. To add on, many U.S. born Japanese-Americans have been affected by this war and propaganda portrayal of themselves. To many white Americans, however, it was important. While it was racist during the time, it was showing patriotism and perseverance against a ruthless enemy. To an American child during the era, it would have really stood out. To a Japanese child, it would have been horrible. Overall, it made the Japanese people in general look very stupid, deceitful, and weak. It made them inferior in American eyes all because of how Superman, in this comic, is pretty much destroying the Japanese fighter pilot with ease.