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 SpiderMan. 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 Superheroes

Superheroes 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 II
As 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. Superman
1938. Batman1939. Namor the Submariner1939. Captain America
1940. 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 TRACY
The good cop. The master investigator. The definition of square-jawed, straightlaced 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 VILLAINS

Another 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 Gallery
Here 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