WEEK 0: THE SECRET ORIGIN OF COMIC BOOKS

Myths and Human Culture

Many people view superheroes as the main characters in an ongoing modern mythology. But what does that mean? Myths are stories told by culturesin poems, songs, oral narratives, and so forththat often feature larger-than-life individuals who teach us something about ourselves and our place in the world. There is a fundamental paradox here, though. Why do we need tales of fantastical beings and creatures in order to make sense of our all-too-ordinary lives?

Before answering that, consider that myths span the globe and arise in dozens and dozens of cultures (just how many depends on how you divide them up) over multiple ages in human history. They have been a staple of human society for as long as weve been around. And though the early superhero stories found most of their inspiration from Greek, Roman and Norse mythology (can you figure out which two characters are depicted above?), it needs to be acknowledged that these popular mythologies are but a fraction of the cultural myths that have dominated the world.

The stories that come out of these global mythologies are rich and varied. Many of them discuss the origins of the universe and the natural phenomena we see around us. Others offer keen insights into human nature and lend themselves as lessons in morality. Still others seek to establish what binds a people together. Scholars debate what myths are really trying to do. Some view them as failed attempts at doing science: astronomy, sociology, and so forth. Other scholars think that this totally misses the point. Myths were never intended to be taken as literally true, but as metaphorically true. These debates will unlikely ever be resolved.

So what about that paradox? To bring it back to superheroes, why do we need a story where a teenager has the power to crawl on walls like a spider to reflect upon issues of power and responsibility? Why do we need a story about a guy who dresses up as a bat to fight crime in order to reflect upon what justice demands and what responsibility the government versus individual citizens have in ensuring that justice is done?

Well, we dont quite need these stories to think about such deep matters, but they sure do help. And they help in a variety of ways. The fantastical elements of early myths helped us share these stories. In cultures dominated by oral traditions, its easier to remember and pass along the details of larger-than-life narratives than ordinary ones. For us, communication isnt the problem. But engagement is. If we want young people to think about power and responsibility, we can sit them down and give them a lecture, or we can hand them Spider-Man. Do you want to guess which one is more effective?

Its not just about kids, either. As adults, were disposed not to tackle deep, emotionally challenging issues directlywere often at our best when we can approach a problem at a distance. Its no accident that Godzilla came out of Japan post-WWII. Was it because the Japanese were just itching for a fantastical story about the destruction of their cities? Certainly not. They were traumatized by what the United States had done to them with the dropping of the atom bomb and what they had done to bring on such attacks. That trauma, and the reflection that comes along with it, is easier to think about metaphorically at first, and so a giant city-destroying, radiation-breathing monster is created, something fantastical to fight.

Superman is a myth about the immigrant experience. Batman emerged as a way to address dissatisfaction with crime and government complicity. The Silver Age focused a tremendous amount of attention on America coming to terms with the unfathomable power it had acquired through the atomic bomb.

As superhero stories continue to be consumed by new generations of people across the world, the challenges facing different communities in different cultures will find their way into our expanding modern mythology of mightily powerful agents of good and dastardly villains. And that is all for the best. Mythologies that last are not static, but dynamic. So heres to the next generation of globally-informed superhero tales!Week 1: From Chaos Came SuperheroesSuperheroes arent just born of their creators imaginations. They are born of their times. The standouts of the Golden Age of Comic BooksSuperman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Captain America and Namor the Submariner, and otherscame to us at the end of the 1930s into the start of the 1940s, a tumultuous time for America and the world.The Roaring 20s

1920s America. The Jazz Age. Having put the horrors of World War I behind them, Americans enjoyed close to a decade of momentous artistic and industrial growth. Women came into the twenties having finally secured their constitutional right to vote, and with that came the era of the flappers. African American culture went mainstream with the widespread popularity of jazz. Cinema took off more than ever as talkies made their way into movie houses. Industry boomed and technological advances paved the way for the mass consumption of cars and telephones. It was truly a wonderful decadethat also had a very dark underbelly. January of 1920 saw the start of Prohibition. A year earlier, the 18th Amendment to the Constitution banned the production, sale and transportation of alcohol across the country. Together with the Volstead Act, which helped to define how to enforce the 18th Amendment, America became an entirely dry nation in the 1920s. But only sort-of. People didnt stop wanting alcohol, and so there emerged in major cities across the States some of the first instances of organized crime syndicatesthe mob.

The Great Depression

Organized crime wasnt the only problem America faced in the 1920s. As the decade came to a close, things crashed. Literally. Black Tuesday, the great stock market crash of October 29, 1929, ushered in a decade of economic catastrophe for the United States and much of the rest of the world. Fortunes were lost and businesses were shuttered overnight. At its height, one in four Americans were unemployed.As people scrambled to find employment and keep themselves and their families fed, crime unsurprisingly rose. Desperate times led people to commit desperate acts, and in the background, organized crime thrived like never before.And so mob bosses, hit men and police officers on the take became the main villains in popular culture. Its no surprise, then, that so many of the immediate ancestors to superheroes, like the Green Hornet, The Shadow, and Dick Tracy, found themselves battling these baddies in newspapers and on the radio.

World War IIAs the thirties came to a close, a second world war got underway in Europe and Asia. Although America wouldnt enter it for a few more years, its shadow covered the nation, and superheroes were born under its influence. Superman1938. Batman1939. Namor the Submariner1939. Captain America1940. And Wonder Woman1941. Over the next handful of years, these superheroes devoted as much of their time to battling the Axis powers and the Japanese as they did the mob. And Americans rallied behind them like never before. Comic books sales soared during these years of conflicts, setting the stage for them to become a permanent part of American culture.

DICK TRACYThe good cop. The master investigator. The definition of square-jawed, straight-laced police. Hes tough, sharp, persistent, and manages against all odds to look intimidating in a bright yellow trench coat and hat. Its Dick Tracy! In 1931, as the Depression wore on and as Prohibition emboldened the mob, Chester Gould gave us our first glimpse of the man who would become one of the most enduring pulp heroes of all time. Dick Tracy has remained a staple of American society since the 30s, and although Gould retired in the 70s, his most famous character remains alive and well in comic strips across the country.THE FIRST "SMARTWATCH"Similar to the Shadow, Dick Tracy is an important influence on the first superheroes. Its impossible to think about the character without also thinking about his famous watch, the Two Way Wrist Radio. Created by the blind inventor Brilliant for the detective, this amazing gadget is now being heralded as the conceptual predecessor to the smart watch. And it was also the predecessor to Batmans famous utility belt and other assorted gadgets. The Dark Knight Detective follows Dick Tracys lead in employing technology to solve crimes and save the day.

ROGUES AND VILLAINSAnother standout feature of Dick Tracy stories are the colorful characters who share the panels with him. No, Im not talking about Tess Trueheart or Breathless Mahony, though theyre great. Im talking about Dick Tracys infamous rogues gallery. Big Boy, Flattop, Pruneface, Mumbles, The Blank, The Mole, 88 Keyes, B-B Eyesthese are just a few of the dozens and dozens of colorfully-drawn villains Tracy has faced in his many years fighting crime. From Prunefaces sliding skin to Flattops exceedingly horizontal head, these delightfully dastardly baddies provided a clear blueprint for the cavalcade of criminals that Batman would eventually face, from the Joker and Penguin to Clayface and Two-Face.

Tracy also influenced Batman in the character of Jim Gordon, the incorruptible police officer who works with the Dark Knight to battle the underworld elements. Tracys stalwartness and persistence inform Lieutenant-turned-Commissioner Gordons development over the decades as the one cop Batman could reliably count on to fight corruption in the system, even at great personal risk. Whether in comic strips, serials, tv shows or film, Dick Tracy, his wrist-watch, his rogues gallery and his signature attire have captured the imagination of generations of fans, and have deeply informed the development of superhero stories. If you havent yet, check out some of his adventures!

Covers GalleryHere are some iconic comic book and pulp magazine covers from the 1920s and 1930s. How many can you recognize? Share your answers in the Discussion below and/or on