From Ink to Reality

A few weeks ago, as you devoted blog visitors know, I posted an analysis of an image pulled from the cover of Best Comic Books No. 10. The image had wonderful examples of the use of line and space to comunicate powerful messages of propaganda, while incorporarating an artistic style unique to comic books themselves. Recently, I happened across another such image, and many others, in which I noticed a recurring pattern. This pattern is what I will attempt to formulate and discuss in this particular post.

One of the images which I came across is from USA Comics Vol.2 No. 5. Seemingly unfamiliar, the cover of this issue had just as many effects, particularities, and moral issues as the previous image I discussed. What makes it unique, however, is the idea it insantly shot into my mind, as an effect of all of the action on the page.

Examining this image carefully, we can establish the same groundwork of Nazi symbolism, action and movement, and the message of American superiority over the Axis forces, whether it be moral or physical. With all of this emotion and action, I couldn't help but realize that the image conveyed the feeling of being saturated with information. The Victory Boys are seen leaping from ropes and flags, Hitler ,as usual, is kicked in the mouth, a Japanese monster seems to be the commander of the Japanese forces, and even the background is filled with some sort of mysterious space-like aura. Along with having no more room for additional content, the comic also had no room for racial variety.

When I say there is no more room for racial variety, I speak for most comics bred of this time and developed in lieu of the war. World War 2 was the white man's war, and incorporating racial variety would seem out of place and off- putting to a 1950s comic book reader. In fact, I believe that if an African- American or Latino- American was put onto the front cover, that character would draw most of the attention away from the scene. This creates a unique problem for publishers and creators of the comics: is it beneficial to make the moral step to include gender and racial variety in comics?

Obviously, the industry at that time would have said, "No! Of course not!" Since we can all agree that the majority of businesses are in it for the money, comic books are no exception. By using a topic so closely related to the civilizations, cultures, and issues of the white man, the industry effectively made it impossible for them to include more racial variety. Hopefully this insight gave you a new and special way to analyze the comic books of different eras, and tie them to the moral issues surrounding the inclusion, or exclusion, of races seperate from the predominantly Caucasion characters of most graphic novels.

Adressing the Topic Once More

     Hey guys! How’s it going? I’m back to talk about our group’s topic about the justification of predominantly white characters in comics. A couple of days ago, I finished reading issues 1-8 of The New Teen Titans series. This comic series was created in the 80’s and was written and illustrated, respectively, by Marv Wolfman and George Perez. The comic was very entertaining and fun to read. To give a basic summary, the New Teen Titans are formed and fight crime together against the demon Trigon and the Furious 5. Because of the intense scenes and amazing artwork,  I am planning to buy the next collection of issues (specifically numbers 8-16). As I was reading the comic, I noticed the small variation of races within the comic characters. The main comic characters that were racially different was Cyborg (African American), Starfire (alien) and Beast Boy aka Changeling (a green boy). The rest of the characters (which include Raven, Robin, Kid Flash, Wonder Girl, and the enemies) are white.

     As always, there are always going to be some that state the comics like these are racist because of the lack of diversity. While I do agree that there is a lack of diversity in this comic and other similar to this, I argue that there is justification for having predominant white characters in comics. To support  my claim, I'll start off with some history. At the start of World War 2, many comic characters were predominantly white males kicking butt against Hirohito and Hitler. A lot of people looked to America as the “savior” of the world; because of this, white was associated with safety and American. Comics against Japanese were especially racist against the Japanese for how they were portrayed as ugly and evil. However, I state that it was during a time of national crisis. America was in a two front war. Comics helped rally the people to not be intimidated and help with the war effort. Comics after that were normally associated with what was happening during the time and also expressed opinions of the comic creators.

     As time passed on, comics were mainly dominated by white comic characters. This has been the case for many years. To many readers growing up reading comics, many were accustomed to having the comic characters predominantly white. With diversity slowly becoming integrated into the comic world, many of the old fans of comic series aren’t liking it. It doesn’t mean that they are racist. It’s just that they are used to having the tradition of white characters being predominantly white in comics; nothing is wrong with that.

      Tying this to the comic I read, I feel that this comic doesn’t not do anything that affects the reader in any way or form; it is an enjoyable read. The lack of diversity in this comic is justifiable. Because it was created in the 80’s, a time where there wasn’t much diversity in comics, it is justifiable for there to be predominant white characters. A lot of people are becoming more sensitive to small issues like this that really doesn't affect general views and such. Maybe these people aren't old school comic readers or even comic readers at all. Maybe they are the people who watch the movies based on the comics. Whatever the case may be, there is a justification for predominant characters in comics.

I must confess....

Well, hello there. Nice of you to join me today where I might have something to confess. I had some time to think about it and honestly, I do not know where to start but I can tell you it started with an interview that I recently made. In my last blog post, I interviewed my room mate who happened to be a comic book fanatic. His father had a very large collection and he loved everything about them. I asked him "do you ever feel like there is not enough representation of your race in comics" and he told me that it did not matter to him, he said the stories and comic book action was rich enough for him to continue reading them. In fact he said he had never paid attention to it until I brought it up.

A few weeks before conducting the interview I did happen to read a book named "The Shadow Hero" by Yang and Liew. I've talked about this book all through my English class and the truth is I fell in love with it. The story line is rich and genuine and it had to do a lot with the race of the superhero. He was an Asian American raised by his father to be a calm young man. Little did his family know he was accompanied by an ancient spirit that fulfilled a promise in exchange for a body to live with. The character was Asian and there was a tiger, dragon, turtle spirit. So I mean naturally it made sense, you know he grew up poor like most minorities. So, it made sense with everything I've ever written in this blog. Race is a key factor and adding a spin to it would not be as easy as anyone would say. So, I asked him about the book after the interview. He said he felt in different, that if it had a good story line and action it was worthy of reading. Take into account my room mate is Asian. So I began to ask myself who in reality makes up these comments about the injustice of comics. The more I think about, I come to realize that maybe it's just the media. Everyone does hear about it but no one seems to have the same shared opinion. I honestly began to think that people who make these comments aren't comic book readers to start with and are just people that want to find something to criticize. That fueled my energy for my whole blog. I was tired of White people being put down for having pride or expressing themselves in their literature. Yeah, they might have done things wrong at some points but we shouldn't be so hard on them. But after a couple of these recent events I've thought about it and I'm not saying I don't have the same energy fueling but at first I thought it was people who felt really indifferent and that they were strong comic book fans that felt left out and in different. But in reality I  from what I have seen and realized, comic book fans love the book and recognize their flaws but love the story for what it is and not for what it could be. They love to keep the characters the way they are because those are the charchters they grew up to love while they were innocent and just loved a good story, because bottom line race really is not an issue, people just want good literature. The factor that race plays is one that leans towards a new scent, something different but pleasing, something that can change the play of the game but not the rules. Because a comic book with diverse characters add interesting stories and allusions but at the end they still have a hero and a villain. You might have thought this from the start, but I've come to learn this now. I won't stop saying what I believe but I must confess my foundation has been shaken a bit. I will just have to continue observing and will continue picking up new evidence as a go along but I wonder what you think about the situation, is there really an issue or it's all made up because there is something out there that is being said about our comic books today. What it is, that's the really question.

Creativity

Hey guys! I found this cover of a comic book very fascinating. We see two soldiers with their arms linked with Superman. They have this very jolly feeling towards them. If we take a look at their facial expression they are admiring Superman. They are looking at him as a role model with whom they look up to.

We can tell that Superman is the most important person in the drawing because in Molly Bang's book, Picture This, she states, "The center of the page is the most effective "center of attention." It is the point of greatest attraction" (62). So we can see that the artist is using Superman to first reel in their readers. Then they use the soldiers to get them to want to join the army because by just looking at this image and seeing them all happy with Superman it perceives the army as fun tempting their readers to join in the war.

Many people may argue that is it racist that the men in the image aren't diverse but I would have to disagree because although the men are white I do not believe this to be racist because it's not about the color of their skin but rather about what this picture's message is trying to say. As we all know Superman is a very strong and masculine superhero that many people adore and admire. So when this artist portrays Superman with soldiers in the war the artist is just using propaganda in his drawing to promote participation in the war.

On the Other Hand..

Hello friends! Welcome back to our conversation, and feel free to join in whenever you so desire. Today, like my fellow blog- mates, I have found an intriguing and unusual character whose experience we can dissect, learn from, and open our minds to. Luckily, I didn't have to travel far to encounter such a person, as he is part of my family.

Lev Korsakov, my grandfather, was born on September 1st 1939, a very significant date. It was this very day that the Nazi invasion of Russia had begun. He spent his early years living in a war- torn Soviet Union, in the northern city of Russia known as Magadan. Here is a translated transcript of several insightful questions I posed, and Lev's personal accounts and responses.


How did the war affect you, your family, your neighbors, and the surrounding community?
World War 2 was devastating to every person. Countless lives were being taken, the government seemed to be more against its own people than the Nazis, and every family member, friend, neighbor, or stranger had someone who had died in effort of the war campaign.

What was the sociological environment of the years following the wars like?
People began to turn against each other. With the ever- growing iron rule of Stalin and his cruel ways, many began to fear even discussing controversial topics.. One wrong move and you could be sent to a labor camp deep in the heart of the country. Obviously, it was a confusing and turbulent point in history.

What was daily life like? What did your days consist of?
Daily life was hard, but people got used to it and didn't notice; or at least they pretended not to. Children went to school 6 days a week (Yes, Saturdays were school days!), while the men were drafted into the army as soon as they turned 18. Women stayed at home and raised children. My days around that time period consisted of going to school, making extra money selling imported (and illegal) shoes, and causing general mischief with  friends, who were more like family due to the confined living conditions of the communal apartment blocks.

How did people escape their daily troubles? What did they do during leisure time?
Just like any other young adults, we swam, hiked, went on adventures. Scholarly interests were also common. Students read and wrote Soviet approved books, journals, and publications. However, the general public wasn't blind or stupid; everyone knew that certain books and publications were being censored and removed, and that a majority of works were ignorantly propagandist.

What constraints or limits were put on the people of the USSR regarding creativity?
Generally, most or all imports were banned unless they met the strict requirements of the Soviet Union. This included art, music, radio, clothing, and pretty much any form of creativity imaginable. I remember it was a great risk to smuggle in German pop and American jazz music vinyls, but we did it anyways because that was our secret way of rebelling and being exposed to new and unique thoughts and ideas.

Were comic books, or anything of the sort, prevalent in your city?
Comic books? [Due to lack of a good translation, it took me a prevalent amount of time to describe a comic book to my grandfather, who hasn't been introduced to the American style of graphic novels]. Comic books were around, but my friends and I paid little attention. Our focus was more geared towards new styles of music, new fashion coming out of France and Italy, and anything that could seperate us from the crowds of kids just like us in practically every way.

How were Americans viewed, in terms of WW2, and after, during the years of the Cold War?
Americans were discussed as immoral and not particularly bright. Everyone seemed to think little of the foreigners, but this was no surprise as our government showed us endless amounts of television footage and articles on why the Soviet Union was the greatest country in the entire world. We believed it, too, until we got a little older, but by then the damage was done and our outlook on America was tainted.

How were these works regarded, in both an artistic and political perspective?
Outside infromation was always exciting. Kids would wire their radios to pick up signals from Poland, Germany, and other surrounding nations to see what was different and interesting. We learned of new songs and musical styles like pop, rock, and jazz. News was less of propaganda and more of current events, and these sources were the only thing that allowed us to gain any knowledge of the outside world.

Jacob Korean Fanatic of American Comics

Hello, Guys we are back with a special post. This is a special interview I had with a friend of mine on comics. It gave me a couple of insight on a different point of view and a different racial view. Just follow along it is based on a Question/ Response format and easy to follow. His name is Jacob Larson a South Korean from Ventura.(age 21) He grew up as a huge comic book fanatic with his dad owning a large collection of old comics. Please Enjoy and Here You go, Im Fabian Munoz and this is a special interview just for you guys. 

At what age and year did you start reading comic books?

I’d say younger, I mean 7 or 8. I stopped reading but wait no I have those over there. (Batman Comics) I’ve read a lot of comics but was never consistent. My dad had a huge collection. I won’t go out of my way but I did read a lot of comics.

What was your favorite comic book? Comic book character?

That’s a hard one. Does Captain Underpants counts? Because if it does I loved all those series of comics. But if I had to choose my character it would have to be Batman. I love him because I grew up watching the animated show, and he does not have a super power but he is still a hero not in the supernatural sense but he represents serious justice. He said “Anyone can be a hero” And they have made him so badass recently. 

At the moment, do you own any old comic books? If so, which ones?

I actually have some back at Ventura, hmmmm okay maybe ill just go for it, I have a lot of the classic Batman, Superman and Spiderman comics. I actually really like SpiderMan too, I own a lot of Magna if that counts. I have Dragon Ball Z, Bleach, Shonen Jump, I used to subscribe to their issues. 

Have you recently read any modern comics? How do you feel about them?

I’ve read the recent Batman comics. I would wish if they stuck with the story even though found something else to revamp it but I would like them to stick to their old predecessor because the original batman was not super armored and geared up like today. I wish they could stick to the original technological sense.

How do you feel about comics of the past?

I love Origins and source material if that makes sense. I do not like the ones that are so old, like Batman they are kind of boring. I feel like there is not enough character development especially in the first issues. I like the newer comics because of the color! Like how Dark and Sinister can make something Evil, how the pictures work, they are much better now, they play a better role. 

Have you seen any changes with comics and with comic book based movies recently?

Ohh, ummmmm, yeah I guess. So for the Batman movies you cannot include everything. They did not include ClayFace and Penguin in the newer movies. Same like the original spiderman like Toby Maguire’s because they do not include as much characters. I just feel like comics are so supernatural that you cannot put that in a movie. Like Bane in the Movie’s he was not Latino like in the old animations. And he injected himself with a  venom but in the movies, there was a whole new story. It is so hard to portray all of that in a two hour movie.

How do you feel about certain Superhero characters becoming more diverse?

I think that it is fine. I think it adds or I do not think it lacks anything. It honestly just depends on the stories backstory. I think the backstory matters a lot, I mean if he is rich we can see that more powerful in certain races but I do not mind. I do not like though that they made an origin story and they change it up, like Nick Furry was white but in the movies he was African American. I just think for Origin stories they should stick to the original races. Like what if they made a Black Panther movie and he was White. 

Do you agree with the idea of Superhero’s becoming more diverse or do you think it ruins the tradition of having white males and females endorsing those roles?

I actually do appreciate the addition of different cultures and races. Like I feel like I learn more from that culture. I think their is a diverse of introducing a hero from a culture than attempting to change the current one to a different culture. 

Do you feel that comic books in the past had reason to only have predominant white characters?

Yeah, I mean that was the dominant culture. A lot of cultures were under privileged. That is why a lot of comics are dominant white. Well just in America, I know in WWII there were other races fighting for us but the country was still dominated by whites. 

Growing up with comics, did you feel appalled that you hardly saw any other race in comics?

I think a hero is a hero. And not because most of them were masked. I never thought of them when they were wearing their mask. I feel like their mask is their identity and the person who they actually are is a mask. I think a hero is identified with his costume. 

Now taking this into an American perspective, do you feel that it was acceptable during WWII to use Comics as Propaganda. 

Ummm, I think from my viewpoint anyone can see anything as propaganda. But from an American perspective I think it gave people drive, if it helped us win and surpass WWII then it’s more than okay. It allowed people to believe in something more than themselves.

Would you say that it was just propaganda and not racism?

I would not say it was Racism. I would not say it was even propaganda, I think it was just putting the American people to believe in something more. And for me I think it’s only racist when someone brings it up. 

Throughout the crisis’s the U.S. have experienced, the comic books have often alluded to these national instances. For example; WW2 propaganda against the Japanese and Cold War depicting Vietnamese as hateful and ugly people. Do you think that when the U.S. is experiencing these types of moments, it’s ok to do this?

I do not think dehumanization of a culture is acceptable. Although it helped American’s I do not think it is acceptable to dehumanize people. 

Finally, do you feel that comic books of the past are justified in having comic characters being predominantly white?

That’s a good question, ummm. Yeah I do because, I think yeah because I mean I can’t speak for only me but the culture was very white dominant and a lot of the works, soldiers were white. I do not even think about it like that. I do understand that people feel left out but I think if you are the creator you can do whatever you want. If I was in power of a comic book panel or owned my own and I wrote about nothing but asians because I love their culture and all, I would not do it because I'm  being racist it is just what I am passionate about. 

Interview: Racism in comic books

Hey guys today in my post I will be interviewing one of my closest friends who happens to be a comic book fanatic. Her name is Sandra and she is 21 years old.

Interviewer: Claudia Mercado

Interviewee: Sandra Leon

Claudia: Hello Sandra! I would like to first of all thank you for taking time out of your busy day to have this interview with me today. I wanted to start and ask you, what makes you such an expert on comic books?

Sandra: Well I just always loved comic books as such a young age that I started reading them and building my knowledge of them. I really enjoyed being able to connect with the superheroes and get into the storyline.

Claudia: You had said you were able to connect with superheroes but I want to know how that is when most superheroes were white and male?

Sandra: That is true but it wasn’t really about the appearance of the superhero it was more about what they were doing and how they were feeling that I was able to connect with them.

Claudia: Now that we have moved into the topic of how superheroes were mostly white dominated, do you believe that this was racist?

Sandra: I actually do not. I don’t believe that the writers of these comic were trying to make them racist I think they were just trying to make the superheroes as relatable as to their audience as possible.

Claudia: So are you saying that only whites purchased comic books?

Sandra: Well I’m pretty sure many different ethnicities purchased comic books but seeing how they were first published in the 1940’s when whites were more dominate in society they were the majority of the people that were purchasing the comics.   

Claudia: So are you saying that it is justifiable that comic books had mostly white characters?

Sandra: Yes I would have to say it is.

Claudia: But times have changed, do you believe comic books have become more diverse today?

Sandra: I do believe to some extend they have become more diverse but that they haven’t reached their full potential that they can.

Claudia: What do you mean?

Sandra: Well comic books have slowly tried making more diverse characters but they haven’t gone full out.

Claudia: Why do you think this is?

Sandra: Well because there are many die hard comic book fans that would most likely get angry or upset if the authors would change their superheroes. But I don’t believe that they need to change the old superheroes. I just think they should make new superheroes that can relate to an even bigger diverse audience. In todays society we do now have more women rights and gay rights and so on… so why not make characters that these people can relate to. I’m pretty sure there would be more people who would purchase these books.

Claudia: Well thank you Sandra for taking your time to do this interview. I really enjoyed hearing your thoughts on this topic.

Sandra: Well tank you for having me here.  

Interview

Hey guys. Back with another blog! This time, I interviewed someone, Salvador Jr. Lopez last Tuesday this week. Starting at 17, he began to become infatuated with comics. I decided to interview him because of the close proximity and the fact that he has, more or less, experience and knowledge comic books and its history. Here is a transcript.

Interviewer: Joseph Lopez

Interviewee: Salvador Jr. Lopez

Questions:

At what age and year did you start reading comic books?

-It was during my teenage years I started reading and becoming interested into comic books. For age, I have to say I was about 17. It was hard to get them because of the lack of money I had. When I got job, that was when I started buying and reading them.

What was your favorite comic book? Comic book character?

-My favorite comic book character has to be from the X-Men Sitcom series. He name is Gambit. He was awesome because of the way he would use kinetic energy into any object he came into contact with and use it as a bomb. I also liked the way he used his deck of cards. He was also suave and was like a Casanova.

At the moment, do you own any old comic books? If so, which ones?

-As of now, I own a variety of them. I own a few from Superman, X-Men Sitcoms, Thundercats, Robotech, Spiderman, Fantastic Four, Gambit, and Wolverine. For the Superman comics, I own the one where Superman dies.

Have you recently read any modern comics? How do you feel about them?

-At my work, I recently read a comic called Chew. My friends introduced me to it. It is about a detective who solves murders and looks into the past by biting the person. As for how I feel about them, I feel as if they are too graphic and have changed the stories from the original series. The author spices things up to appeal to the new generation. Scarp for new generation essentially. 

How do you feel about comics of the past?

-Love them. Love the story, action, and romance. To me, it was amazing back then. Typical good guy catches bad guy and bad guy gets thrown in jail. Comics represented the current situation they were in, like propaganda.

Have you seen any changes with comics and with comic book based movies recently?

-I feel like the movies are more different than the comic. It’s more interesting but short. They usually alter the movie from the book to make it better with explosions and such. Most of the time, they are accurate.

How do you feel about certain Superhero characters becoming more diverse?

I don’t like it. Ruins the originality of the Superhero’s.

Do you agree with the idea of Superhero’s becoming more diverse or do you think it ruins the tradition of having white males and females endorsing those roles?

I’d rather keep it old school. For me, I’d rather have it stay the same.

Do you feel that comic books in the past had reason to only have predominant white characters?

Yes. During the past, there was segregation, war, etc. To me, it didn’t really matter.

Growing up with comics, did you feel appalled that you hardly saw any other race in comics?

The only thing that got to me or that I was afraid of was the stereotypes. For example: seeing Hispanics as gardeners as such. I just accepted it.

After being showed this comic book cover, how do you feel about it? (Captain American punching the Japanese emperor Hirohito).

-I personally thought it was cool. It’s a classic and it’s Captain America. ß Emphasis on Captain America. I feel like it represented the American people and it was a personal matter.

Now taking this into an American perspective, do you feel that it was acceptable during the time period? Do you think it appealed the American sense of pride and nationalism?

-Yes. It appealed to the nationalism and pride of the American people. It instilled confidence and used this as weapons against the Japanese and Germans.

Would you say that it was just propaganda and not racism?

-I say it was just propaganda.

Throughout the crisis’s the U.S. have experienced, the comic books have often alluded to these national instances. For example; WW2 propaganda against the Japanese and Cold War depicting Vietnamese as hateful and ugly people. Do you think that when the U.S. is experiencing these types of moments, it’s ok to do this?

-Today, it is wrong to be that descriptive about a certain race. However, considering what was happening at the time, I view it as acceptable. There always going to be deep meaning with this kind of material. Makes you think of the moment you have when you discover what its true intent was for.

Finally, do you feel that comic books of the past are justified in having comic characters being predominantly white?

-I agree. They were written back then for a specific audience and written because of the incidences happening back then.

X-Men and the Jewish Effect?

Today we will be talking about Marvel's most diverse group of heroes. The X-MEN are not only the most diverse racially but they show a vast variety of gifts and complications that reflect our real world. In the article "X-Men" as J Men: The Jewish Subtext of a Comic Book Movie the author depicts an interesting argument a answer, a why to the question of the characters and motives for their actions. The author claims that most of the characters motives rest upon the questionable assumption that it has a lot to do with the background of the creators. In other words he believes that Stan Lee and Kirby were both descendants of Jewish immigrants that were trying to fit into society. Lawrence Baron himself writes "X-Men comic book series belong to the generation of American-born Jews who sought acceptance and social mobility through assimilation." This is then reflected especially by Magneto. At the start of the X-Men film we find out he is a survivor of the holocaust. He saw the atrocities when his whole family was executed, when he escaped he realized he could not let the same event happen, he had to protect people like himself. In Baron's view Magneto is paranoid. He then goes on to say that this paranoia is a reflection of the authors, that they had to tell the truth and they did in the best way they could-through comics. Baron complicates matters further when he writes "American Jewish sympathy for the mainstream of the Civil Rights Movement also left its mark on the characters and plots of X-Men and other Marvel comic books." Basically he is implying that the wonderful action packed stories of the X-Men fall back on a deeper picture that reflects in the author's words "...ethnic minorities who dreamed up the original comic book superheroes projected their own social insecurities onto their creations by depicting them as aliens or physically distinctive beings who gladly relinquished "their heritage, in part or in full, for assimilation into the American melting pot." To finish of his article the author reminds us of the success the series has had, and it is amazing to see how far it has come but my only question is "Can we really base all that success off mere sympathy and original author's mask?" I agree with him partially but there has to be something more "I don't know" less emotional.

Well, let me start of by saying that "it's not that I do not believe in emotion." Appealing or having emotional motives can always attract a large audience because a majority of society has feelings. Yes, I understand that it's effective and we can credit it's success to it but hear me out for a bit. Baron overlooks what I consider an important point about human differences. Although I do believe that the authors had some emotional effect to the horrors committed half across the world, I do not believe those fueled all their motives. My own view is that Kirby and Lee saw the possibility of a great story. They did not experience first hand the concentration camps and troubles but they were conscious that they existed. What if they saw this as an opportunity to attract a large audience that wanted to read a relate-able story. I just find it hard to believe that these awesome stories came just from a mask that the authors wanted to show. That their motives were to write about their personal problems and what they had to go through in the melting pot of the U.S. Anyone familiar with the X-Men movies and comics should agree that what attracts us the most is the diversity and action. Yes, there might be an underlying deeper connection with the stories but we love to see the explosions and the different gifts the mutants show. Yes, the overall plot is a Magneto trying to save his own kind almost an anti-hero that has reasonable justification for his motives. But if the authors did recognize the horrors committed, I do not think they would write a story that does the same but not to Jewish this time, in this story humans are the ones that have to be killed and eradicated. My feelings on the issue are mixed. I do support Baron's argument that there is an emotional background to the story, but I find his argument difficult to digest because they could have just seen the idea and opportunity to write about an emotional topic and run with it not necessarily to  reflect their feelings. Yes maybe spread awareness and possibly to reflect their feelings but ultimately I believe they are just creative writers playing the role to develop these amazing stories.

Charley's War

Welcome, all, to this discussion of the morality, influence, and aesthetic of the World Wars and the effect they had on the industry of graphic novels! We have linked many details, comic books, and  individual panels to the Second World War, in particular. Now, I would like to bring to your attention to a philological analyzation of the literature of the World Wars and how the multiple texts which the events have birthed have influenced many peculiarities singular to the graphic novel. Written by James F. Wurtz, "Representing the Great War: Violence, Memory, and Comic Form" outlines the key ways in which literature, current events, and personal experience have shaped the stylistic approaches and hidden meaning rooted in comic books such as, Charley's War. This comic strip, published in the British Battle Picture Weekly comic book series, takes a distinctive view on the World Wars and delivers a subtle, yet powerful anti- war message. Wurtz states, "Carefully researched, his [Charley's] story maintained a firm grounding in the reality of daily life in the trenches while presenting its anti-war message in terms that readers could both understand and enjoy reading." (207). When discussing comic literature, Wurtz introduces the idea that many assume the position that this literary and artistic form is childish and meant for a young audience. Although this is true for some comics, Wurtz explains that Charley's War uses a combination of unusual, 'non- linear' images, or 'signposts', which do not appear in a set order to create a deeper meaning, allowing older readers to enjoy the book as well. "Charley's War, however, makes careful use of its visual and verbal "signposts," creating a disjunction between narrative and representation that rejects linearity and thus allows the "hidden political significance" to emerge." (Wurtz, p.206). He goes on to explain that coupled with well- written captions, the comic portrays a virtuosic work meant for readers of all ages. "The dialogue and the captions are clearly aimed at a younger audience, but the complexities of the art and the relationship between the pictures and the words undermine the idea that this is children's literature."(Wurtz, p.207). This consideration is notable, because it secures the literary magnitude and depth of the comic book. On a side note, it seems that Pat Mills and Joe Colquhoun, the authors of the novel, have found the perfect middle ground and literary medium to project their ideas of World War I & II to an audience of all age groups. Going deeper into the subject, Wurtz begins to analyze the characters which are used in comic books, and what races are associated with either friend or foe. He himself writes, "With a clear-cut enemy to fight against, heroes like Superman, Captain America, Daredevil, and the Human Torch sold comics as they battled stereotypical Nazis and caricatures of Japanese soldiers." (206). In making this observation, Wurtz urges us to make the connection between historical events and the races used in comics to illustrate enemies and comrades, alike. The author continues describing attributes of the Charley's War which point to the traditions, personal accounts, and internal conflicts surrounding the World Wars. He introduces the argument that this interpretation of war, in general, in combination with aesthetically pleasing art can be used to advance the business model of the publication, and in effect, the work can lose its profound meaning. "When memory becomes commodity, it becomes available for consumption to any one. Likewise violence, rendered artistically and sold, loses its referent and so loses its impact." (Wurtz, p.213). His point is that by interpreting comics from an aesthetical viewpoint, war, itself, becomes beautiful, as any work of art. However, Wurtz maintains that Charley's War is an exception to his previous claim. "Charley's War portrays the violence of the war with the specificity of detail and the emotional impact of the abstract in order not to de-commodify but to represent the destruction of the Great War in such a way as to make impossible any interpretation of violence as beautiful." (Wurtz, p.214). This concludes Wurtz's article, and provides us with the full theory of the artist on the subject of the Wars influencing comic book style, content, and marketing.

Taking into account the arguments, observations, and opinions of James F. Wurtz, a firm connection can be established between his work and the assertion of World Wars influencing the races of post-war comic book heroes and villains. Wurtz proves through his analyzation of Charley's War that the political, social, and subliminal meaning behind comic books can be very complex, and simply dismissing them as a child's form of entertainment cannot be justified. This exact meaning varies throughout the differing stories of superheroes, but in this case, the message against war is crystal clear.  It can be inferred that the writer and illustrator of this comic did not realize the shortcomings of their comic in the area of equality, since their moral is one of peace and prosperity. That being said, the authors still did not use much racial variation when it came to races not directly involved with the Second World War.  Perhaps this is due to the personal experience the men had with the war. On the other hand, business aspirations and the views of common people who bought the books must have also played a role in the decision, or non-decision, of including other races such as African Americans in the comics. Whatever the influencing factor may be, comic books of different origin throughout the United States demonstrate the same patterns of predominance of white characters, and I stand beside my original idea of the World Wars inhibiting equality in comic books, whether it be due to personal experience, sociological standpoints, or business endeavors.

Comic Books and Wars

Today I will be reviewing the article, “Written in Red, White, and Blue: A Comparison of Comic Book Propaganda from World War II and September 11,” by Cord Scott. In the article Scott compares comic book propaganda with the attacks of Pearl Harbor and the September 11. Scott brings out that writers of comic books would use their comics as a form of propaganda to get their readers to join the army and support their country. He goes on to name a few comic book characters that appear with a patriotic duty such as Uncle Sam, Blackhawk, Fin, Boy Commandos, and Citizen V. He mentions that by the end of the World War II comic books had accomplished its goal of getting people to join and support the war. 

In the article Scott states,"As the threat of war in Europe turned into reality in 1939, comics in the United States incorporated the real villains into their story lines. The villains in the books had exotic names and came from yet familiar locales, but adults recognized the true origins," which shows how comic books were used as a form of propaganda for the war back in the 1940's. He goes on to say how different ethnicities were stereotyped and as the wars continued the more the stereotypes increased. Many would argue that by doing this that comic books were being racist but I would have to disagree. The writers of comics were just portraying the "enemies" of the United States during the war in the worst possible way to try to influence their readers and to get them to join the army. "Youth, especially younger people who are formulating ideas (and are the basis for marketing of comic books), needed to be given these characterizations and the subtle stereotypes, so that when the time came children would help in the war effort," Scott says in his article and I would have to agree with him because comic books were very successful in getting many youths to join the army because of the way they did portray the "villains".

Overall I really enjoyed reading this article by Scott because he had brought out many good points about propaganda in wars. Although the enemies of the U.S. were portrayed very stereotypical there was a very good reason to this which Scott helped his readers understand.