#comic essay

What is a hero? Is it a divine role predetermined at birth or rather a position any person can rise to if pushed the right way? The question of the root of heroism has been debated for millennia from today back to the first human who dared to oppose a mighty mammoth. It compels us to wonder, what does a hero stand for? Or better yet who do they stand for? The art of story telling through comics has been around for as long as people have been able to draw but comics became mainstream in the 1830’s through 1850’s. These comics had no mention of heroes, much less the modern superheroes of today. These comics were oftentimes political in nature. The gilded age of America, marked by political corruption and yellow journalism featured comic strips and political cartoons which would often mimic and humiliate issues and leaders covered in newspapers. The first credited comic book The Yellow Kid in McFadden’s Flats has been credited as a collection of reprints of the political cartoons newspaper strips. The modern superhero comic of today wouldn’t appear until the 1938 with Action Comic No #1 famously named, Action Comic #1. Superman, complimentarily named, is considered widely to be the first superhero. He made his debut on April 18, 1938. The character Superman, also known by his alias Clark Kent, is a first-generation immigrant whose parents sent him away from a dying planet as a baby. He has powers due to the Earth’s yellow sun and uses them to help people.  They covered issues such as gangs, mobsters, political corruption, and Nazis. These were conversational topics at the time, and led to the change in public perspective on them. These conversations led to a superhero comic boom. This would lead to the formation of the modern comic company: Detective Comics, more famously known as DC comics, who in 1947 made a solo run of the first female led superhero Wonder Women. This also would also inspire the creation of Marvel comics. Marvel comics features Spider-man, a highschool boy who gains great powers and even greater responsibility trusted upon him because of these powers, Captain America, a poor civilian who, after gaining powers uses them to fight against dictators and becomes the symbol of the United States, and The X-Men, a group who faces discrimination for their mere existence, and fight for a world they can be accepted in. From the 1800s, it was clear, comics are political in nature,and the existence of comic books is a political act in support of the oppressed. This is due to 3 very key reasons such as why comics were made and by who, then what comics make us feel and think about, and finally, what comics inspire us to do.

Who needs a man faster than a speeding bullet? Who needs a comic hero? Superman was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, two Jewish immigrants, long before Pearl Harbor which convinced the United States to finally join in the war, debates on whether the United States inaction was an action of compliance and whether the United States should fight for freedom beyond their state lines was becoming increasingly popular. Action comic No. 17 was published during those years and features a villain that is never specifically stated to be a Nazi though nearly identical to the Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. Soon after this comic, they would say in full transparency ,through the look magazine "How Superman Would End the War" and future Action Comics issues throughout the war time exactly what Superman thought of nazis, "I’d like to land a strictly Non-Aryan sock on your jaw, but there’s no time for that!". Superman was also used to prompt immigration tolerance he encouraged kids to keep their school "all American", while this phrases may seem hostile to immigrants at first, Superman explains further what it means to be an American, “…and remember, boys and girls, your school – like our country – is made up of Americans of many different races, religions and national origins, so … If YOU hear anybody talk against a schoolmate or anyone else because of his religion, race or national origin – don’t wait: tell him THAT KIND OF TALK IS UN-AMERICAN. HELP KEEP YOUR SCHOOL ALL-AMERICAN!”.  Speaking of America, the famous symbol of all things American, Captain America created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, first comic issue was seen punching Adolf Hitler in the face before the United States entered the war. Later when the United States did join the war Captain America followed them. Issues where he would fight overseas against enemies were also shipped overseas to allies to create an increase of morale. Captain America led to more money for the war by encouraging the buying of war bonds. Though Captain America has never stood as just a tool to the American government .In fact Captain America has replenished his position multiple times in protest of the government.  In issue #332-#350 he tells us what he really stands for, "I cannot represent the American government; the President does that. I must represent the American people... To become what you want me to be, I would have to compromise that dream... abandon what I have come to stand for.My commitment to the ideals of this country is greater than my commitment to a 40-year old document.”. 

The comics of yesterday didn't only fight political wars but also political misinformation. DC comics ran in 1993 the AIDS/HIV awareness ads. These include multiple dc characters confronting people who were spreading misinformation about aids. One comic went, "Here are some fast facts. You can’t catch AIDS from drinking after somebody -- or from any kind of casual physical contact.""It was just a joke, man...""Well -- “jokes” like that are never funny! They make people afraid of AIDS -- and prejudiced against those who have it!AIDS is a scary thing -- but the only way to overcome our fear is to learn the truth about it! Be careful -- but be informed!..." and followed the tagline, "You may think it's not your problem,think again." Marvel took the issues headfirst with the X-men. The X-man were already a group of outcasts whom society deemed as impure or a disease which reflected the hate that homosexuals were facing during the aid crisis but Marvel expanded on that idea. In X-Force #18 published in November 1992 the Legacy Virus. This virus would only target mutants and cause their powers to act uncontrollably until it ultimately kills them. This virus was used to cause a war between the two groups. This was so similar to what was going on in the AIDS epidemic that it was a clear metaphor for homosexuals suffering because of aids.  This is not the only marginalized group that the X-men represented, the creation of the X-men was centrally inspired by the civil rights movement. This was shown by the beliefs held by the characters in the face of oppression. Charles Xavier, head of the X-men was inspired by the beliefs of Martin Luther King in his creation while on the opposite side of the coin Magneto was inspired by Malcom X's beliefs. While Magneto is often framed as dangerous for these ideals, mutants and humans can't coexist, he does have real motives for this. Stan Lee spoke of this himself saying, "It’s totally irrational, patently insane to condemn an entire race—to despise an entire nation—to vilify an entire religion. Sooner or later, we must learn to judge each other on our own merits. Sooner or later, if a man is ever to be worthy of his destiny, we must fill our hearts with tolerance.” These comics help bring awareness to the everyday people who suffer from discrimination. 

The hero that covers the most human issues is Spiderman. Spiderman, known as Peter Parker is a normal teenage boy who gains the powers of a spider by being accidentally bitten by one. This simple superhero resented with readers as he covered issue of wealth and providing for people, “One of the central themes of Spider-Man stories produced during the Bush era is that corporations have so stacked the deck against financial upward mobility, and so decimated the American middle class, that Peter will never rise to a position of wealth and power unless he sacrifices all his ideals in the process, and becomes a de facto member of the Bush Administration” This average person perspective on issues shown through comics help not only bring awareness to issues but help people feel seen.  Mentioning comics that relate to an unseen group, Wonder Woman brought a whirlwind of change with her comics. Introduced in October 1941 through All Star comic #8 She was meant to be a symbol of feminism for women to attach to. She was created by psychologist William Moulton Marston and with help from a fellow psychologist Elizabeth Holloway Marston who was also his wife. She was inspired by 1910 women suffrage movements. Though this decision to make a female superhero didn't pass unnoticed in the larger misogynistic 1900's. The National Organization for Decent Literature blacklisted this comic because of Wonder Woman not being "sufficiently dressed" and was often criticized by women as well for the inappropriate way she was treated. Nonetheless she made a monumental move in headlining her own self-titled ongoing series, Wonder Woman #1, in Summer 1942. Her comics were a place of controversy and inspiration to young women and men and encouraged them to see each other as equals which was an unpopular concept at the time. In 1985 , George Pérez, Len Wein, and Greg Potter wrote the comic issues Wonder Women.  Her comics didn't stop there they covered issue of sexism, race, and even contrival topics like rape. They described the race of amazonians as women who in a past life faced oppression against men and died unfairly from their cruelty but have now risen and became warriors. This retelling of the amazons gives a beautiful reason for the existence of the race and makes the entirety of the Wonder women story increasingly more of a feminist tale. 

What does covering these topics do in the real world? In 1946 after the ending of the cold war there was an increase of KKK members. This was due to the red scare and rebellion against pro-immigration laws. Stetson Kennedy infiltrated the KKK as a way to expose them. He tried to tell the police about this information and they didn't press charges over their vicious actions. “The law offices, state, county, FBI, House Un-American Activities Committee, they were all sympathetic with the Klan,” Kennedy said later. “The lawmen were, ideologically at least, close with the Klansmen. The court of public opinion was all that was left.” So he turned to another kind of hero. The highly popular Adventures of Superman radio show aired a 16-part story in June and July of 1946, named ​‘Clan of the Fiery Cross’. It covered in detail the strategies and how the clan indoctrinates members. With the younger generation who now knew the clan to be the villains they are the members realized just how cruel they had become “I came home from work the other night and my kid and all these other kids had these towels tied around their necks like capes,​ Some of them had pillow cases over their heads and the ones with the capes were chasing the ones with pillow cases. When I asked them what they were doing,they said they were playing this new game of cops and robbers called ​‘Superman Against The Klan’. I never felt so ridiculous in all my life. Suppose my own kid finds my Klan robe?’” This superhero punch into reality helped change America for the better and was, “the greatest single contributor to the weakening of the Ku Klux Klan”.

Why do these stories matter? Why do we need a comic hero? We need stories of heroes for hope. Though we will never be able to lift a car without a single sweat or fly across mountains. Superheroes are an ideal of who we can be. Superman teaches us to welcome a better tomorrow and allow us to become a part of it, to choose the action of kindness rather than the compliance of cruelty,"And there will be peace. There will be peace when the people of the world, want it so badly, that their governments will have no choice but to give it to them" Wonder women teaches us to show compassion to every living thing and to live your life in truth and love,"...and don't raise your hand at all until you've first extended it.".Spider-man teaches us true kindness without a reward and how a person can choose it every time, "We always have a choice, and we can always choose to do what's right." Captain America teaches us the power of believing in something beyond just yourself, "You're doing what you believe in, and that's all any of us can do". The X-men teaches us the power of community and to fight to make a world we we are all equal, "The past is a burden we may never set down. And though each day adds a new stone to that pile -- perhaps that means we carry all we need... to build the road ahead" There are so many other examples of heroes teaching us about what it means to be human and how to be a better one. They inspire us to hope when it is difficult to love when the world has only shown us cruelty. They are the myths of old and the tales of tomorrow. They teach children and adults alike. They tell them to stand up for others, to stand up for themselves and to try. To fight back against the harshness, to hold each other in the calm. That hope, that kindness is what defeats villains in the real world. The weaponization of this kind of caring is what leads to a better tomorrow.

The average person may argue that comics are just for kids. That the colorful pictures of comically hilarious men or women in "super" suits punching the villain of the week has no deeper meaning, "...people tend to believe that comics are just for kids is the association of comics with childish things. Comics are often associated with toys, games, and other children's entertainment. This association creates a certain stigma around comics that makes people think of them as immature or childish." This argument is truthful in some aspects, comics are for kids but just as much as comics are for adults, The beginning era of comics targeted the young age demographic for good reason. The teenage years are the most susceptible years of your life."Teens are especially responsive to peer influence. That’s because their brains undergo changes that make them highly attuned to social situations. At the same time, the reward system in the teen brain becomes extra sensitive." The reason they chose this group was not only to sell their eye-catching toys but to instill morals into them. The teenage years are some of the most critical years when it comes to determining what belief system a person will follow as it is a time of growing independent thought, "Teens begin to reflect not just on what the rules are, but why they exist and whether they are fair. They start to consider who benefits from certain expectations and whether those expectations align with their growing sense of justice. This shift supports more thoughtful and independent moral reasoning, especially as they begin to understand that ethical questions often have more than one perspective." Comics wanted to take these years and to help them see new perspectives and what is right and wrong and how some things are more than those two labels. This is not to say that comics are only for kids and teenagers, these complex ideas of morals and belief are adult in tone. This conversation even when being told through colorful sketches are as compelling and important as things like ethical debates. Adults should read comic books as it helps them challenge what they believe in and allows them to consider that the world may not just be a bad place, that some kindness that would be called childlike is needed in the day to day of life to make it worth living. This argument that comics are just for kids takes away the value of the media. It isn't just a genre but a form of both artist and creative expression. A book isn't more of a book if a character is drawn to be seen or written to be heard. You can still tell us the same tale of love and life through the gaps between words in a novel and the space between panels of a comic.

Comic books as a whole from their creation as comic strips making fun of political issues to the superheroes of the future who fight for freedom and humanity is a political act. This political act is in support of the oppressed as it inspires them to hope and to care about others which is a deliberate act of rebellion against oppressors. They have shown this through addressing controversial topics and bringing awareness to real world issues. This has inspired people to change for the better. A hero with no short terms is a person who allows for change into the world through a constant effort of being kind. The superheroes of comics are not limited to just their pages as the second they allow you to be kind to a stranger or be gentle when you could have been aggressive you too become them. Being a hero isn’t about being chosen or radicalized but about being human. It is as much to be human as being a hero than it is that being a hero is to be human. Being able to see pain and misery and choosing to love and care. And if we keep hoping and if we keep fighting for love then the better tomorrow that is promised to us can be today and for our children yesterday

Batwoman (2011-2016) #3

While I am admittedly not an expert on combat outfits; Flamebird's second costume to me seems like it walks a good line between aesthetic and practicality. It has plenty of flair and style to it, but also appears quite flexible and overall not really too drastically different from Kate's Batwoman costume in this regard (rather hypocritical of Kate to say "you need a uniform" while she wears a long wig for no apparent reason apart from style).

If anything...

The "uniform" which Kate gives Bette kinda strikes me as being less practical for the situation compared to the Flamebird costume which she burned. Like Bette's mask seems to be just a piece of fabric tied around her face, which certainly feels like it should be looser and not be as sleek and flexible as the Flamebird costume.

Building off this, from what I've seen and looked over so far, the treatment of Bette kinda feels like it has a weird... juxtaposition at times between what's getting told and what's being shown, I guess.

Like on one hand...

It's shown by both Bette's comments here and the existence of her old Flamebird costumes that she has been experience vigilante for sometime. Longer than Kate I think, if I'm understanding the timeline all correctly.

There seems to be this odd case of both having Kate and the narrative treat Bette as an inexperienced rookie... while also having Bette and the narrative establish Bette as having been a Teen Titan, who has fought Deathstroke and presumably has years of experience.

Even Kate's codename for Bette indicates a rookie status...

However despite the references to Bette's past career and capabilities, and Bette's protests of being more capable than Kate gives her credit for, and Kate also immediately feeling quite shitty at how harsh she was when firing Bette...

The narrative still, from what I understand, kinda vindicates Kate entirely by having Bette get brutalised to the point of falling into a coma immediately after she defies Kate by heading out as Flamebird after getting fired... so I guess Kate was right? I don't know.

Like I said, I just find all of this quite of a weird portrayal. I've been curious about Bette lately on account of her being the original Batgirl (or rather, Bat-Girl), which is a very iconic mantle to the general "Bat-Mythos" even if Bette herself is far less remembered.

I guess one thing I find especially strange is how this is from the first issues of Batwoman 2011... meaning that this was right at the start of the whole New 52 Reboot stuff and so they could've presumably just retconned Bette's experience to make her an actual rookie sidekick instead of this weird half-measure where they both establish her past experience as canon while also otherwise ignoring it.

There's other stuff which I could go over; such as Bette's coma, her stint as Hawkfire, her enrolling in West Point... all of which probably has room for more detailed specific analysis by someone more familiar with both Bette and also the Batwoman comics (I've only fairly recently started looking into this stuff out of curiosity as I work my way through learning more comic history).

So I'll skip to a more recent appearance by Bette in 2017...

Detective Comics (1937—Present) #967

This whole exchange feels once again like Kate ignoring Bette's history, experience and capabilities. Especially the whole "pass second year in the top 99th percentile of your class and maybe I'll put in a good word with you to Batman" thing. No one else needed be top of their class at West Point, or attend West Point at all, to be a superhero. And it just seems strange to have Bette getting forced down that specific road.

Like; going by publication history, Bette was considered part of the original Teen Titans team due to debuting in the 1960s-1970s period. In fact she joined the team before the likes of Beast Boy, Raven, Starfire and Cyborg (at least in terms of publication anyway).

While I'm not entirely certain how her current age placement in the roster, they did still at least establish her as being a Teen Titan who fought Deathstroke and so presumably in the same generation as Nightwing (even if possibly a bit younger) and other core members. The from what I understand the Titans are currently considered senior and experienced enough to be the current "top team" of the hero scene in canon.

So all together this adds up to, as I keep saying, a strange contrast between Bette's stated/implied history and how she gets treated by the narrative.

DC's Legion of Bloom (2023) #1

Last year Bette did make a return as Flamebird (not Hawkfire). Which could mean one of two things...

Kate finally acknowledged Bette as ready/worthy/experienced enough to go out on her own

Bette went screw it and decided she didn't need Bette's permission

Honestly kinda hopping the later cause it brings to mind a bit of the Beast Boy comic which I quite liked...

Beast Boy (2000) #3

Better gets a very stern reprimand from Nightwing (some she admires), and is told she's not cut out for this world and quits. This comes after she's spent most of her appearance in this run being kinda a comedic relief in the form of her repeated failures to bail Beast Boy outta jail (since she's never posted bail before and didn't know how)

But after this..?

Beast Boy (2000) #4

She comes back, with a new (more practical-looking, as I discussed before) costume and beats up several bad guys to help out Gar (who in turn really appreciates her arrival and assistance).

Batwoman (2011) #3

Making this post I've noticed an interesting similarity and contrast between Beast Boy and Batwoman comics in regards to Bette. Both times, Bette gets very sternly reprimanded and told she's not cut out to be a hero and ordered not to be one by someone she admires/values the opinion of.

Both times she defies them and goes out anyway, putting on the same costume both times in fact.

But while the Beast Boy comic portrays her as competent and capable, even having her involvement appreciated by Gar...

Meanwhile in Batwoman?

Batwoman (2011-2016) #4

Bette's defiance almost immediately ends with her horribly injured, and in turn accidentally helps the DEO work out Batwoman's identity.

Two events regarding the same character which that character reacts to in a similar manner but one ends with her vindicated and the other... very much not.

DC's Legion of Bloom (2023) #1

Moving back to Bette's recent appearance in DC's Legion of Bloom. West Point is 4-years in total, and when we last saw Bette she was on her second year at the latest. So with the nature of comic book time, I find it unlikely she'd already graduated.

Her return to Flamebird could also have something to do with Infinite Frontier (I don't fully understand how it works, but apparently everything's canon now again sort of?) re-canonising Bette's competence? That sounds like kinda an amusing thought tbh; multiverse shenanigans happen and Bette wakes up one morning feeling suddenly competent again. Good for her.

Anyway I hope this is a good sign for Bette's character. Even if she's unlikely to be a major player, would still be nice for her appearance to at least depict her as capable. Plus as I said, comic book time means if she does actually stick to West Point, then she'd unlikely to be graduating (and get allowed to be a vigilante) anytime soon. So at that point you might as well just let her go be rich and play tennis since its not like that's a route to her actually doing anything.