| dc.description.abstract | Comic books have been an aspect of culture in the United States since the late 1930s, since their inception, they have constantly reflected the attitudes, troubles and trends of the time. Because comic books follow historical trends so closely, they serve as a literary device that reflects the attitudes of the general population. This thesis explores the super hero narrative through comic books, in an effort to draw historical inclinations about perceived cultural enemies of United States societies from the 1940s to 2015. Since the super hero narrative gained momentum in 1938 with the debut issue of Superman, in Action Comics number one, superheroes have interpreted features of everyday life on a regular weekly schedule. Since comic books often mirror society, one can use comic books to create a vivid interpretation of past key events with the combination of literature and artistic illustrations that comic books and graphic novels offer. Although the use of comic books being an avenue for historical interpretation is not new, what is new is the concept of using comic books to interpret and understand the cultural enemies of American society from the 1940s to 2015. In regards to this body of work, cultural enemies are defined as any group of people or negative traits of society that any large group of United States citizens believed had the potential to threaten the ability to pursue or maintain the unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Such cultural threats include the Nazi Party, and Islamic State threat to the general population, the crime wave of the 1970s for populations living in cities and instances of racial injustice as seen in the 1990s that effected the African American population. Since World War II, and the dropping of the atomic bombs, the United States has been a hegemon to countries around the world. In acting as a world leader, the United States has had its share of cultural enemies both foreign and domestic. This thesis offers an in-depth perspective into the comic book industry and extracts examples of perceived cultural threats to various United States societies throughout the 1940s, 1950s, 1960s-1990s, and into the modern era of 2012-2016. The hope of this academic work is to shed light on the underutilization of comic books as historical resources. Comic books and graphic novels in conjunction with standard textbooks and knowledgeable instructors have the potential to create a more holistic and engaging learning environment for young students and adults. This thesis analyses various characters and series from a range of comic book publishers, in order to connect real world trends and events with specific comic book issues reflecting the attitudes of multiple populations regarding enemies threatening the United States cultural principles of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all. | |
