Jessica Fisher, Staff Writer
“Superheroes are American Gods, the American mythology.” This is the first line that introduces the audience to this three-part, three-hour mini-series documentary. A PBS original, the documentary takes us through the entire history of comics from the Great Depression in the United States, up until modern day.
This mini-series, narrated by Live Schreiber, covers the history of comics in a wonderful way. While it embraces the historical, cultural, social, political and economic circumstances, it falls short in its Western (mainly U.S.) focus. What it lacks in breadth however, it makes up for in depth.
The audience gets a brief introduction on how comic books evolved from comic strips, and a small look at the companies that existed before as contemporaries of Action Comics and Timely Comics.
This documentary will be a fascinating study for fans of comics, fans of history, fans of pop culture as well as fans of literature and countless others. What was particularly interesting was the way in which the audience sees the creators of comics (a group largely comprised of white men, ), struggle with writing and drawing diverse characters. It seemed that diversity in comics has been a response to a growing diversity in audience.
Comics arguably started in earnest, the documentary shows, with the creation and popularity of Superman, who is an immigrant who has a desire and an ability to assimilate. The documentary suggests that this is symbolic of his Jewish creators and all superheroes.
While Superman was a Great Depression and World War II hero, giving to his audience a sense of hope, and desire to persevere, World War II saw the rise of racism and ethnocentrism in comics. What was particularly telling, as the documentary shows, was the representation of the Japanese in the comics post- Pearl Harbor. The way in which African-Americans were depicted was equally as stereotypical, prejudiced and racist.
The audience learns that the McCarthy Era hit comics particularly hard, with the creation of the Comics Code Authority. Whereas crime and horror comics were popular before, after World War II, comics were regulated to teenage adventures and romance. It all fit into the 1950’s, quaint, “Leave It to Beaver” narrative.
While the first episode purported to depict the ways in which the first era of comics exemplified ‘truth, justice and the American way,’ comics eventually had to deal with the 1960’s and ’70s. Although social and political upheaval was important source material for comic book writers, the three things that mattered more to them were: The age of atomic energy, space travel, and the assassination of John F. Kennedy. With this age of scientific revolution came a new wave of science-enhanced (or at least science-affected) superheroes, including one of the most popular characters, and the first teenager not to be a sidekick – Spiderman.
As the audience moves into the final third of the documentary, a full maturation of comic books, and comic book writers is seen. From the introduction of Frank Miller’s “The Dark Knight Returns” to Alan Moore’s “The Watchmen” to Marvel’s “Civil War” modern comic book, readers find themselves in a darker, more pessimistic and arguably more realistic comic landscape than their parents and grandparents.
The mini-series wraps up with a note of positivity. The world of comic book creators have a lot to be positive about. Comic books have evolved beyond the book, into movies, television series, video games and have adapted to different moods of publication – mostly unhindered by the decrease in print sales.
“Superheroes: A Never-Ending Battle” is a documentary for the whole family (or as it may be, for the whole apartment of roommates.)
