“Fate has decreed it! These are the colors of my country on this shield-like suit, and a shield I’ll be against its enemies! The stars I’ve painted on will be symbols of my creed; Truth! Courage! Patriotism! and Justice! The Shield is born!” (1)
Throughout the history of visual media in the Western world, the symbology of a country’s flag is an immediate call for patriotism. Whether the image is of Uncle Sam’s red, white and blue suit, to the flag waving patriotism of America during major holidays or other national events, patriotism is often seen as the first step towards fanaticism of people easily influenced in time of crisis. Regardless of whether or not one sees the flag as a tangible object to rally around, or a symbol of what’s wrong, the imagery of the colors in comic books is telling. Is the concept of flag-themed (incorporating the flag of a country) superheroes a strictly American concept, or do these characters exist in comic books from other countries? For American comic book readers, characters that incorporate the red, white and blue (as well as American ideals) include the Shield (Archie publications), Captain America (Marvel), and to a lesser extent, characters like Uncle Sam, and the Superpatriot. There are also variants in other countries. From Canada, there are the Vindicator and the members of Alpha Flight, and most notably Captain Canuk. In England, there are Union Jack, Jack Staff, and Captain Britain.
Are there others elsewhere? Are they from the creative minds of the local artist and/or writers, or were they created from the American model by America creators? Most importantly, what do the characters tell us of the times and values in which they were created, or the artists’ ideals of the country. In other words, do the characters serve as a metaphor of what the artists see as right or wrong in a country?
Many of the characters presented in this analysis are important, but for the purposes of simplicity, not all characters are presented. There have also been more in-depth studies of nationalistic-themed heroes and their significance to cultural history, but this article serves as more of a general overview of some more well-known figures.
Part I – American Characters
Comic books are a media born from the Depression years of the 1930s; the first patriotically themed characters developed as the beginning stages of World War II erupted in Europe. As the continent of Europe slowly sank into the morass of war, American characters took on the role of fighting for American interests, even when many Americans opted to remain at least passively neutral. The various companies offered a selection of characters with the American flag, or at least its elements of red, white and blue, into the world of hero-dom. A brief selection included The Fighting American (later with his sidekick Speedy), the Eagle, Uncle Sam (based off of James Montgomery Flagg’s character of the same name), Minute Man and U.S.A. All were introduced into comic books as superheroes in the later months of 1940 through 1942. For Americans, the two patriotically themed characters that gained lasting power in the realm of comics were The Shield (featured in Pep Comics #1) and Timely’s (now Marvel Comics) Captain America. (1)
Not to be outdone, super-heroines in patriotic uniforms were also introduced. These characters which still retained the skimpy outfits to titillate pubescent readers included Miss Liberty, Liberty Belle, Miss Victory, Pat Patriot, and the like. Some could argue that Wonder Woman was a form of patriotically themed super-hero as her costume contained symbolic elements of America: A blue skirt with white stars, a red top with a golden eagle festooned on the front, and a tenacity to fight for American values even though she was not an American but an Amazon form a far away island. (2) In recent years, many of the older characters have been recreated for a wider appeal. When DC comics brought back the Justice League of America (JSA), they also brought back some of the older characters. One interesting team up is the duo of Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E., a father and daughter duo that fight for the betterment of American society. In one issue, the characters fight off an attack in the heartland of the US, in this case Kansas. The uniform is interesting as the female character’s uniform is not revealingly low cut or a variant of a cheerleader costume, nor is the armored S.T.R.I.P.E. festooned in garish stripes. It makes for a subtler, yet more convincing depiction of superheroes. (3)
Regardless of how these characters came to be in the realm of comics, their purpose early on was a simple one: to carry out the will of the US government. Many of the characters still act on behalf of various government agencies. In more recent years, the controllers have switched from the government to corporations (as in the case of Patriot/Flagg) or as a private citizen (such as Civilian Justice or American Annihilator). (4)
Briefly, the major characters all have certain aspects that set them apart from other superheroes in the area of control. Many traditional comic book heroes act for the betterment of humanity, and not a government, whereas many flag-themed characters work directly for their government or their goals. For example, Captain America represents triumph of science and morality, even when the way in which he was created is seen today as questionable. (6) Racism was prevalent in the early comics, but on the whole, Captain America represents a purity of vision akin to the stereotype of Boy Scouts. This ethos is a running gag of sorts in the more recent series, as Captain America seems to see the world in simpler less convoluted terms.
Captain America’s key purpose from his inception was to dispatch enemies of the United States. His goal was readily apparent on the cover of Captain America #1 (1941), in which the valiant hero is shown punching out Adolf Hitler himself. (6) Over the years of the comic book, villains that Captain America has encountered have been agents of known entities (like the “Japanazis”) or super-national organizations bent on world domination. By 2001, Captain America had gone back to his original roots, so to speak, by fighting the enemies of the US. In the first story arc of the new Captain America (Captain America#1 What Price Glory by Reiber and Nay), Captain America dealt with the aftermath of 9/11, and later took on a Middle Eastern terrorist cell operating on US soil. While the moral issues of racism and stereotyping were directly addressed in the 2001 series, unlike the 1940s series, in which base stereotypes were employed, the use of Captain America as a symbol of America’s resilience is still apparent.
Another captain America mini-series that dealt with his moral fortitude was entitled Captain America and the Punisher: Blood and Glory, which was released in 1993. This series centered on the machinations of a corrupt Congressional official who was in league with both the mob and the CIA. While most of the major bloodshed was handled by Frank Castle (AKA the Punisher), Captain served as a moral guide and voice of reason of what was considered right and morally correct in the United States. In that regard, Captain America has continued to serve in a role model throughout the years. He appealed to youngsters (9-15, the same ages as Boy Scouts) while giving unintentional civics lessons. (7) Cap’s image as a throw back to older, more polite company is featured as an inside joke of sorts in the current Captain America and Ultimates series. He still has “gentlemanly traits such as holding doors open, fighting for a woman’s honor, and using violence without necessarily killing anyone.” Other characters in dialog often refer to him as either a throwback to another era, or the world’s oldest Boy Scout. The longing of the character’s return to the past (as well as popular theme of romanticizing the past) shows that many people wish for the return to a more stable time in American history when enemies seem to be more pronounced.
The venerable Captain has also gone through several permutations. His character has gone from the “original” Steve Rogers (weak child of the Depression) to the experiment that changed him into the super-soldier that helped to win World War II. But as World War II and then the Cold War took over events, and the original Captain America was lost (frozen, as it turned out), new variants took part in the act of providing a patriotic symbol to America. Several versions of Captain America have come from various points in comic book history, but were all woven into the story line. For example, William Naslund who served as the Patriot, a costumed figure dressed in Revolutionary War garb and later became Captain America II. There was USAgent, (Captain America V) who took on the appearance of a heavily armored riot cop in one version (2001 three-part mini-series), or a kind of retro Captain America in the New Invader series. In either creation the character, John Walker is seen as a far heavier handed person, willing to take on violence as a way of getting things done. The images of the USAgent with a full-face shield helmet stands in contrast to Captain America’s mask, where you can see his eyes (and presumably read his intentions as a sign of humanity). (8)
The Invader/New Invader series is interesting, as it also served as a visible reference of patriotism. Among the characters were Captain America (and later USAgent, who looks much scruffier as opposed to the clean-cut Captain), Miss Liberty (A female with superhuman powers in a red costume with White and Blue shield); Union Jack, a British Lord that fought in a costume/uniform festooned with a large British Flag across the center; and even nods to other characters such as the original Flaming ghost, Submariner/Prince Namor, and Spitfire. These characters have come back with many of the comic book publishers running “What if?” story lines (Marvel produced the “What If?” series of Captain America fighting the Civil War; the Fantastic Four wearing Soviet regalia, and so on), as well as D.C. comics’ Elseworld series. The latter came into heated discussion due to a story line entitled Red Son, which shall be discussed later in the paper.
Unlike Captain America’s current handlers (S.H.I.E.L.D. and Nick Fury, a nebulous government agency that is part CIA, part Army special operations, and part NSA), the role of the Shield was more interesting, as that character was controlled directly by a real government agency, specifically the FBI. Director J. Edgar Hoover was the only one who knew the Shield’s secret identity and could call the Shield as needed to fight battles on behalf of the government. The Shield’s establishment, if you will, was based on the triumph of science, and complete trust in the government. While the Shield was popular in his day, the character was only re-issued as a vintage collection of back issues. Perhaps when one considers that the Shield was published by Archie Comics, with their wholesome image of yesterday, the nostalgia is commendable.
For the characters that incorporate the flag in imagery, the facial expressions often say much about the psyche of the superhero’s soul. For the older characters, such as Uncle Sam, the open face shows a willingness to commit to convictions regardless of outcome. For others from this time such as Captain America, Shield, the Flag, and The American, the partial cowl covers the upper part of the face, but the eyes are still readily visible, and therefore the hero is still honest, and accessible, even approachable. For the later series patriotically themed superheroes, the disguises project an aura of concealed emotions, secret motives, and perhaps an inclination towards retribution without remorse.
In the case of Civilian Justice (2001) the character was created to operate not as a “weapon” under the direct control of the US government, but as a will of the people, whose voices and opinions are not necessarily heard, especially in times of war. The use of red, white and blue in the uniform, as with the uniform of Captain America and the other patriotic superheroes, aimed to inspire hope in the people. Graig Weich also incorporated a variant of Osama bin Laden into the title, as Simon and Kirby did with Hitler. What was interesting in the interview with Mr. Weich is that the character was changed as his initial focus of fighting enemies to fighting for the voice of the common citizen (of the world) as the politicians have drowned those voices out. (9)
The common thread in these series is that for the most part, it is still the representation of men in patriotic roles. There have been some notable variations, however. First was Miss Liberty from the Invaders series, and to an extent Wonder Woman, although the latter represented not the US, but her native Paradise Island, and its political unit of Themyscira, and by extension the UN.(10)(1) Perhaps the most interesting take on the Captain America theme was Kyle Baker’s The Truth: Red, White and Black (2003) which took the eugenics experiments that created Captain America, and turned them sideways by infusing the reality of the Tuskegee experiments on African-Americans. The main character, Isaiah Thomas, eventually took the symbol of Captain America, went forth to battle the Nazis, only to be held in a military prison for 15 years afterward by the US government. While the premise was controversial and interesting, the overall sales slumped due to the artistic style, which was done in a hip-hop style of art in a comic book format.(11)
In both the design of the costume, as well as the actions of the character, the storyteller shows his or her thoughts and politics through the actions presented in the book. What is of more interest in recent years is the fact that the characters have come to represent the higher actions of the US but are almost an antithesis of American society. In many of the more recent creations, the characters serve as a type of over-bearing dominant figure that uses brute force over negotiation, much as many on the political Left see the present US. For the writers, it may be a backlash against forms of censorship within the comic book industry, or it may be the reaction to the Reagan years of the 1980s, when a dominant attitude towards the “evil Empire” (e.g. enemies of the US) prevailed. When does one see the rightness and clarity of a situation? The idea of what is right and wrong with what America has become was the focal point of Alex Ross and Steve Darnall’s 1997 two-part miniseries Uncle Sam. The theme of the Uncle Sam comic from 1997 was that while the country has broken or violated many of the promises on which it was founded, it cannot escape its past, nor should it necessarily do so. (12)
Artists, such as Alex Ross, let their political feelings towards President George W. Bush be known in artwork or scripts. Bush’s image has appeared in Rising Stars, in stand-alone artwork of Ross, and even in pro-Gay comics such as Marvel’s revival of the Rawhide Kid, who in the 2002 version is a stereotypical gay man in a Western setting. Bush is often seen in these comics as a man of lesser intelligence, with stronger people behind him, guiding the actions of the President and the American government.
The concept of patriotic superheroes came to an apex in 1987 with the three-issue series entitled Reagan’s Raiders (Solon Comics). In this series, the President is called upon to fight the World Terrorist Organization (the WTO, with the same initials as the dreaded World Trade Organization). The President subjects himself to the same sort of super-soldier project (in this case the Alpha Soldier generation effect), and it turns him, and his cabinet into superheroes. Why superheroes need guns to fight terrorists (or fly in antique WWII vintage bombers) is never explained. The writer and artist made plenty of satirical remarks as well as lots of Hollywood insider’s remarks, such as Reagan’s film career. The series did not last long. What was envisioned as a continuing series fell after only three issues. Perhaps the creators were hoped to deflect negative issues stemming form the Iran Contra affair, which was even alluded to in Issue #3. Like the real Reagan, however, the costume that Reagan’s Raiders took on was drenched in symbolism: Red White and Blue throughout, and entirely gung-ho for all things American. (13)
As the Cold War ended, and the era of unilateralism began, the comics also took on a Renaissance of sorts. Many of the older characters were brought back to protect the new, unstable world. Three comics of interest that were published in the early 1990s included the Legend of the Shield (DC comics), which worked off of the Pep Comics character developed in 1940; The Crusaders, which featured various government funded and controlled characters, and included the Shield as well; the third character was Agent Liberty. This character was the most intriguing as he developed out of the Superman series. More importantly, he was part of the “Sons of Liberty” a group of ex-military men who looked to “bring America back to its original values” as well as “seek the restoration of the spirit of the Constitution and the Bill of rights.” (14) The main character, who once again wore the traditional red, white and blue, but in a more muted form, was part of the advance team that scouted for activity during the Iran hostage rescue attempt (Operation Eagle Claw) in 1980, only to be left behind and officially forgotten in the aftermath. What comes through here as well is the villainy of enemies. Instead of fighting the axis (or even the Russians) the biggest threat now comes from mercenaries of all stripes. (16)
The Fighting American (six issues mini-series in 1994-95 from DC comics) was another attempt to revive a classic patriotic character. Originated by the famous team of Jack Kirby and Joe Simon (who also created Captain America) the mini-series took the character and infused it with a cynical humor associated with the US in the mid-1990s. The main character, Johnny Flagg, is a war hero, former athlete, and current TV talk show host, similar to Jerry Springer. In 1985, so the story line goes, Flagg is gunned down by enemies of the US and is placed in another super soldier program. It was interesting to note that this program was specifically tied to Reagan’s increased defense budget, and that the super soldier project was created to fight the Communists. Unlike many of the other comics which used this premise, and saw immediate results of the serum, Fighting American’s transformation took ten years, during which the Soviet Union collapsed, and the remaining enemies of the US were internal. Modern enemies of the new Fighting American included Def Izzit, and ability to make people spend frivolously “like the Pentagon;” the media gang, which caused Americans to turn on each other; and various other villains that preyed upon America’s issues with itself. For example a typical nuclear family is asked of their opinion, and then they have the opinion manipulated to state the opposite. During all this, the Fighting American fights for what he feels is right in the world, as well as preserving the traditional American values. (17)
The concept of fighting for what is right comes forth with three current characters: Flagg/Patriot from J. Michael Straczynski’s Rising Stars; Superpatriot from the Savage Dragon series (and later of his own series); and finally Civilian Justice. For these characters, the actions of the hero in the guise of violence is demonstrative of how the heroes act: with overwhelming firepower (Superpatriot), violent retribution for those who wrong America (Civilian Justice), or as a visual icon of all that is ideal within “Corporate America/capitalism and its connection to American democracy (Flagg/Patriot). (17)
The Superpatriot character was not necessarily driven by sinister motives. When interviewed, Erik Larsen (the creator) noted a few things that one might not think of normally. When asked about how the character has his face completely obscured, Larsen noted that “it looked cool.” His political leanings did enter the creation of the character, however, as he noted that it ”would be a nice change of pace to have a leftwing liberal that wrapped himself in the flag for a change” since Larsen is also a “bleeding heart liberal.” (18) One of the aspects that readers seem to take from the Superpatriot (Image comics) is the aspect that genetics can go awry. Superpatriot actually has many of the problems that Steve Rogers/Captain America has: soldiers coming from a time that was much more defined (WWII) and they are suddenly dropped into the realities of the 21st century and its combat, where more firepower is used, but often exacerbates the problem of a person of older values not knowing the rules of now. It also seems to underline the fact that the government is a bit more openly heavy-handed and violent, as opposed to the 1950s when all government actions were veiled.
One of the interesting aspects of the superhero figure as an iconic symbol was noted in another semi-patriotically based character. In his new comic book Liberality (2004 ACC Press), Writer Mike Mackey uses a character based on conservative pundit and radio talk show host Sean Hannity to comment how a liberal based US government sells out the ideals of the US into a UN-dominated US. The premise of the series is that if Al Gore had won the 2000 election, Osama would have been seen as a “misguided person” with a legitimate reason to say and do what he has. In the comic, the US of 2021 has become part of the UN, and Afghani Ambassador Osama bin Laden has come to the US to defeat her once and for all with a nuclear weapon. One of the letters to the creators in the first issue talked about how comics had become too liberal. One letter writer went so far as to vehemently critique the changes of Superman’s costume in the DC Elseworld Series entitled Red Son (discussed in last section). (18) For most comic book writers however, their artwork has been an outlet for their politics, fears and even hopes.
Even in the DC Elseworld series, the patriotically themed characters first created during World War II (and comic’s golden age) were used again for their connection to the government. One interesting take on a character was Americommando, a WWII superhero that fought valiantly in the war, and later ran for Congress in the series The Golden Age (DC Comics, 1995). (20) The costume of Tex Thompson, the Americommando, was very similar to Howard Chaykin’s American Flagg character. The twist in this case was that the Americommando was a tool for the Red Hunters of the House Un-American Activities Committee, as well as a way for the Nazis to put Hitler’s brain into a superhero’s body (in this case a hero named Dynaman). The theme of Hitler’s persona/brain being placed into another entity was also used in the Superpatriot mini-series.
Surprisingly enough the characters, even when designed to make a political statement on the heavy-handed nature of US foreign policy, still revert to the base theme of patriotism and a personification of the rally around the flag syndrome.
Part II – The Canadian Characters
For Canadians, American pop culture dominates both countries. This lack of a cohesive national identity is problematic for most Canadians. The only thing that seems to dominate Canadian identity is that they are NOT American. Unsurprisingly, when the Americans started to slowly re-emerge from the self doubt of the Vietnam era 60s, the Canadians also started to branch out into forms of patriotism. While several earlier symbols existed (Johnny Canuk was often associated with Britannia, and Uncle Sam), none had particularly hit in the realm of comics. The idea of a national hero similar to Captain America came forth in 1975, with the creation of Captain Canuk, created by Richard Comely. Unlike Cap Am, who was created by a type of Eugenics program in the 1930s, Captain Canuk was spawned by more ethereal powers. His identity was entirely different in actions and characteristics: he prayed before going into battle, he ate healthy meals and engaged in acts of a healthy lifestyle. While Captain America may have done these as well, it was never openly stated.
Captain Canuk’s costume was literally the Canadian Flag. Unlike the stylized uniform of any of the American characters, captain Canuk wore an outfit that had the national colors (Red and White) with a very large Maple Leaf on the side. Other variations came forth as well, but Captain Canuk seemed to hit a collective nerve with Canadian youth. The biggest problem encountered by the creative team that published Captain Canuk once again had to do with American domination. While Captain Canuk may have touched a reader on the symbolic level, they took a hit with the higher prices imposed by the Canadian publishers. Captain America has gone through several re-incarnations and has remained viable in sales. For Captain Canuk however, the original ideas of his origin were placed to the wayside in favor of the more formulaic American style. (21)
In both the case of Captain Canuk, and the later series of Alpha Flight, governmental control of the superhero or group was still paramount. For Captain Canuk, the issues of secret conspiracies by shadowy, unknown agencies tied in with Comely’s personal beliefs. By the time that Captain Canuk: Reborn finished its abbreviated run in 1994, the bottom line of Canadian nationalism versus profitability was established to the detriment of the comic book, and the lack of profits ended the run. However, the symbolism of Captain Canuk lives on in iconographic forms. The Canadian government issued Captain Canuk stamps, along with other Canadian superheroes throughout the timeline of Canadian comics. (22)
One version that was relatively successful for Canadians was the use of Canadian characters in an American based comic book. For comic book readers, the most known Canadian (yet rarely stated) character is the talon-wielding Wolverine from the popular Marvel Comics X-Men series. To widen readership while drawing in more Canadian readers, characters were introduced in X-Men that eventually were spun off into their own series. Entitled Alpha Flight, the comic was the brainchild of John Byrne, a British expat who relocated to Canada, and Chris Claremont, and appeared in 1983. The characters once again tried to appeal to Canadian symbols and patriotism, with somewhat mixed results for nationalism, and profitability.
Leading the team was James MacDonald Hudson, who changed into his costume to become Guardian. The Guardian costume was very similar to the Captain Canuk costume, thereby hooking those readers who liked the symbolism of Captain Canuk, but wanted to pay American prices for comic books. Also included in the team were characters who worked off Canadian symbols. There was Dr. Walter Langkowski, who was both a great sports star (ironically enough: American football with the Green Bay Packers!), as well as a college physics professor. His physical stature and his experiments with gamma radiation near the North Pole caused him to transform a la the Incredible Hulk. In Langkowski’s case, he became Sasquatch, the mythical Bigfoot of Canada. There was Puck, a diminutive man who possessed speed and strength (Canadian Tenacity and the connection to the unofficial national sport of Canada, hockey). There were the twins Aurora and Northstar, and finally there was Snowbird, an Inuit demi-goddess who could communicate with animals. Later, other characters were introduced, such as Marrina (an amphibious woman from New Foundland), and Shaman (a native Canadian medicine man from Calgary). When James M. Hudson (the original Guardian) was killed, his wife Heather took over the suit and became Vindicator.
In 1994 the original series was terminated, but the “all new Alpha Flight” has returned with more characters. Once again, some took on the stereotypes of nationals. One such example was Major Mapleleaf. A cross between Dudley Do-right of cartoon fame and a Boy Scout, Mapleleaf acted in such a way as to exemplify the aspects of what a “Mountie” should be. As with many other characters introduced in superhero comics, Major Mapleleaf was two people: Louis Sadler (the first Major Mapleleaf, who appeared in Alpha Flight vol.1, #106, and Major Mapleleaf II, who is the youngest son Lou (introduced in the Alpha Flight mini-series of 2004). (23) The Alpha Flight series gained interest not necessarily for its costumed characters and their symbolism, but for its handling of the first openly gay character. (24) One of the more disconcerting issues of the modern Alpha Flight series of 2004 is that the characters and storylines are not taken seriously enough. In fact, one comic book dealer noted that if the series was presented in a serious, rather than semi-satirical mode, the series might have many more followers. (25)
Part III – British Figures
As with the American characters, the British themed characters were meant to inspire a sense of pride in readers, but for English readers, the characters never seemed to do well in sales. There were several attempts to capture the American ideal with a British uniformed superhero. As was mentioned, Union Jack was introduced in the Invaders series to represent the good of the British Empire. In his history, it is mentioned that Lord James Montgomery Falsworth (the first Union Jack) and his son Brian (the second incarnation of Union Jack) are in fact members of the English gentry, and part of the upper class of British society, and therefore immune from the minutiae of fighting for the common man that Americans seem to champion. Union Jack fights for the greater good theory, especially when it concerns the Nazis.
The first “true” British superhero was introduced in 1976. Called Captain Britain, the man Brian Braddock gained his powers not from a super soldier program, but from another figure of British lore: Merlin the magician, as well as the Goddess of the Northern Skies. The story lines were weak initially, and the series faltered early on. It was re-introduced in 1982, with better results. In fact, Captain Britain was made part of the Captain Britain Corps, utilized to guard the realities from harm (from aliens, perhaps?). This changed the role of the patriotically themed character from hunting the real enemies of the state, to one in which they guard against the unknown. Captain Britain (as well as Excalibur, and Captain Britannia) have all appeared from time to time within the context of the Marvel universe. (26) Once again the issues surrounding their appearances are less dramatic than before. One interesting aspect was when captain Britain, Captain Italy, and so forth were brought into service to fight off Thor in the Ultimates series (Ultimates 2 #4).
Part IV – Other Figures
For German villains, the most common symbol associate with characters is the Nazi Swastika. It was prominent in many of Captain America’s main nemeses (Red Skull, Baron Zemo, and any of the German characters used in the Invaders). The concept of a German bad guy was re-established in the Superpatriot mini-series that Larsen penned. Often the new Nazis are exactly that: futuristic looking soldiers with menacing guns, and either swastikas or SS lightning bolts down the side. For Aryan Man, the symbolism is also the same. Germans are portrayed as the Aryan ideal: blonde hair, blue eyes, and of tall stature. Over the years Asian characters have changed slightly.
Superman was “corrupted” in the words of one disgruntled reader, with his re-creation as Red Son in the Elseworlds series of 2003. This three-part series dealt with the possibility that Kal-el (Superman’s Kryptonian identity) landed in the Ukraine in the 1930s during the Great Purge. Superman’s costume was changed to grey tights, a Red Cape, and taking the place of the “S” on his chest, a hammer and sickle of Communism. The series was interesting as it reminded the author of an older (1970s) Superman issue in which the Soviets and the US Navy fight for retrieval of an alien spacecraft.
Even the symbolism of religion is being brought back into the comics realm. Alan Oirich recently introduced his comic book Jewish Hero Corps to re-acquaint readers with the symbolism of the Jewish Faith. The characters in this team exercise include the Kipa Kid, Menorah Man, Minyan Man, Shabbas Queen, Matza Woman, Magen David, and Dreidl Maidel. While none of the characters represents the Israeli flag exactly, it is interesting to note that the characters draw their powers from items associated with Judaism. (27) While Mr. Oirich was familiar with Sabraman and Sabra as well as many of the themed characters, he stated that the character most representative of Jewish nationhood in his comic book was Magen David, whose costume contains some elements of Captain America (A Star of David shield) with a blue uniform. However, the uniform dos does not emulate the Israeli flag, like Sabraman or Sabra’s costumes. (28)
While the character depicted in Jewish Hero Corps do not have the Israeli flag as part of their uniform, the characters, like those in Alpha Flight, represent the elements of a people. Perhaps the most directly related symbol that ties the Israeli flag to the character is Sabraman, created by Uri Fink in 1978. While his run in the comics was short, his use of symbols in the characters development was a notable part of comics. In fact, the concept of national superheroes carried over to the Marvel mini-series Contest of Champions (1982) which featured many national themed characters like Shamrock, Sabra, Blitzkrieg, as well as others.
If one goes to the website internationalhero.co.uk, he or she can access the myriads of characters that don the uniforms of particular characters. Brazil is well represented, as are other countries from around the world. In fact, Brazil has no less than eight costumed superheroes that are in the national colors. These characters include Captain Brazil, Capitao Brazil, and Major Brazil. As one looks at the various superheroes on the website, the American influence is readily (and not surprisingly) apparent. The concept of a national “Captain” motif is displayed in many countries, as all of the characters have been created in the last 25 years, well after the first appearance of Captain America. Even for those characters that do not use the military rank in their name, the description of the characters still exudes the appearance of a superhero: chiseled (or steroid induced) muscles, and a conviction to do what the character feels is right.
For creators of the national themed characters, Captain America still is the benchmark by which most national superheroes are measured. The good Captain serves as both a symbol for others to emulate, as well as an extension of American culture. Interestingly, as more foreign writers work for American comic book companies, the characters become a kind of surrogate mouthpiece for what the writer may think about American foreign policy. This has been noted by those who critique current writer of the Ultimate Avengers Mark Millar, who originally is from Scotland. (29)
Regardless of how the characters came to be, they represent what their creators see as the strengths or weaknesses of American society. Given that the comic book is an American invention, it is not surprising that most patriotically themed characters are American. What is of interest is how the creators see America, and how America should use its imaginary forces, for good or evil.
Appendixes
Primary sources
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Baker, Kyle and Robert Morales. 2003. Truth: Red, White and Black. New York: Marvel Comics.
Bill Black, ed. 1991. Miss Victory Golden Anniversary Issue. Longwood, FL: AC Comics.
Cassaday, John and John Ney Rieber. 2001-2003. Captain America Issues 1-10. New York: Marvel Publications.
Comely, Richard. 1978. Captain Canuk
Castiglia, Paul. 2002, 1940. The Shield. Mamaroneck, NY: Archie Comic Publications. (WWII Reprints)
Chaykin, Howard. 1986. American Flagg: Hard times. New York: First Comics.
Diana, Fred, Dave Baggley and Ron Kasman. 1995. American Annihilator#0 (Islington, ONT: Night Realm comics).
Jansen, Klaus, D.G. Chichester, Margaret Clark, and John Wellington. 1992. Captain America/Punisher: Blood and Glory mini-series. New York: Marvel.
Johns, Geoff, Dale Eaglesham, and Art Thibert. February 2006. JSA #81. New York: DC Comics.
Jurgens, Dan, Dusty Abell, Jackson Guice, Steve Mitchell and Brad Vancata. Agent Liberty #1. New York: DC Comics, 1991.
Larsen, Erik. Superpatriot Mini-series: Superpatriot (1993); Superpatriot: Liberty and Justice (1995); Superpatriot: America’s Fighting force (2002); and Superpatriot: War on Terrorism (2003-present) Image Comics
Lobdell, Scott, Clayton Henry, and Mark Morales. 2004. Alpha Flight: You gotta be kidding me. New York: Marvel Comics 2004.
Lee, Stan publisher, and John Byrne, creator. 1992. Alpha Flight #106. New York: Marvel Comics.
Grant Meihm and Mark Waid. 1991. Cover of Legend of the Shield #4. New York: Impact/DC Comics.
Pat McGreal, Dave Rawson, Greg LaRocque, and Richard Space. 1994. The Fighting American, issues #1-6. New York: DC comics.
Millar, Mark. Red Son #1-3. New York: DC Comics.
Millar, Mark, Bran Hitch, and Andrew Currie. 2005. The Ultimates, Volume #2. New York: Marvel Comics.
Oirich, Alan and Ron Randall. 2004. Jewish Hero Corps #1. New York: Judaica Press.
Ordway, Jerry, and Karl Kesel. 2001. USAgent #1-3 mini-series. New York: Marvel comics.
James Robinson, Paul Smith, and Richard Ory. Elseworlds: The Golden Age NY: DC comics.
Ross, Alex and Steve Darnall. 2000. Uncle Sam. New York: DC Comics.
Simon, Joe, and Jack Kirby. 1998, 1941. Captain America The Classic Years Vols. 1-2 New York: Marvel Publications. (World War II Reprints)
Straczynski, J. Michael. 2003. Rising Stars (vol. 1-3), Top Cow comics.
The New Invaders (issues 0-8), Marvel Comics
Weich, Graig. 2002. Civilian Justice. New York: Beyond Comics.
Secondary Sources
Bell, John. Guardians of the North: The National Superhero in Canadian Comic Book art. 1992. Ottawa, Ontario: The National Archives of Canada.
Benton, Mike. The Comic Book in America. 1993. Dallas: Taylor Publications.
Conroy, Mike. 2002. 500 Great Comic Book Action Heroes. Hauppauge, NY: Barron’s Educational Services, Inc.
Craig, Matthew. “Special Relationship.” The Ninth Art website, 26 July 2004.
Feiffer, Jules. The Great Comic Book Heroes. 2003. Seattle: Fantagraphic Books.
George, Milo, editor. The Comics Journal Library: Jack Kirby. 2002. Seattle: Fantagraphics Books.
Greil, Marcus. 2004. “The Man on the Street.” In Give Our Regards to the Atom Smashers. New York: Pantheon Books.
Savage, William. Commies, Cowboys, and Jungle Queens. 1990. Hanover, NH: Wesleyan University Press.
Sabin, Roger. Comics, Comix, and Graphic Novels. 1997. London: Phaidon Press.
Various. Captain America: Red, White, and Blue. 2002. New York: Marvel Comics.
Wright, Bradford. Comic Book Nation. 2001. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.
Wright, Nicky. Classic American Comics. 2000. Chicago, IL: Contemporary Books.
Cotton, Mike. We Will Never Forget. In Wizard #133 (October 2002): 51-54.
Various. Cartoonists on Patriotism. Comics Journal Vol. 3 Special edition. Winter 2003, 104-177.
Interviews
Alan Oirich
Erik Larsen
Graig Weich
Augie Robles
Footnotes
(1) Mike Conroy. 2002. 500 Great Comic Book Action Heroes. (Hauppauge, NY: Barron’s Educational Services, Inc), 154-157.
(2) Ibid, 157; Bill Black, ed. 1991. Miss Victory Golden Anniversary Issue (Longwood, FL: AC Comics).
(3) Geoff Johns, Dale Eaglesham, and Art Thibert. February 2006. JSA #81. (New York: DC Comics).
(4) Graig Weich. 2001. Civilian Justice (New York: Beyond Comics); and Fred Diana, Dave Baggley and Ron Kasman. 1995. American Annihilator#0 (Islington, ONT: Night Realm comics).
(5) Captain America was part of “super-soldier” program in which a serum was injected into the body. That idea of breeding a better human was capitalized upon by Hitler, but the idea of eugenics came from the US. The series Truth (2003 from Marvel) also worked upon this theme, except twisting it into the aspect of the Tuskegee experiments on African-Americans. See Captain America #1 (1941) and Truth #1-6 (2003).
(6) Jack Kirby and Joe Simon. 1941. Captain America #1 (New York: Timely/Marvel comics).
(7) Klaus Jansen, D.G. Chichester, Margaret Clark, and John Wellington. 1992. Captain America/Punisher: Blood and Glory mini-series (New York: Marvel)
(8) Jerry Ordway and Karl Kesel. 2001. USAgent #1-3 mini-series (New York: Marvel comics).
(9) Interview with Graig Weich, March 19, 2006.
(10) Alex Ross and Paul Dini. 2001. Wonder Woman: Spirit of Humanity (NY: DC Comics), 8.
(11) By this, the characters are drawn in a more stylized form and give off a different “feel”. While the style may have been indicative of the artist’s desire to mist art and politics, the impact of the series was seemingly lost for many readers.
(12) Greil Marcus. 2004. “The Man on the Street.” In Give Our Regards to the Atom Smashers (New York: Pantheon Books), 190-191.
(13) Monroe Arnold and Rich Buckler. 1987. Reagan’s Raiders #3 (Brooklyn, NY: Solson Comics), 3.
(14) Dan Jurgens, Dusty Abell, Jackson Guice, Steve Mitchell and Brad Vancata. Agent Liberty #1 (New York: DC Comics, 1991), 14.
(15) Grant Meihm and Mark Waid. 1991. Cover of Legend of the Shield #4 (New York: Impact/DC Comics).
(16) Pat McGreal, Dave Rawson, Greg LaRocque, and Richard Space. 1994. The Fighting American, issues #1-6 (New York: DC comics).
(17) The name change is an interesting one, as Straczynski was sued for copyright infringement by Howard Chaykin for the use of the name “Flagg”, which was first created by Chaykin in 1983. Straczynski worked the real court case into the story line, and had the character change his name after a lawsuit from a rival to Patriot’s corporate sponsor, the NexusCorp.
(18) Interview with Erik Larsen via email, October 18th, 2005. Please see end of papers for questions.
(19) The Elseworld series has taken famous DC characters and placed them in alternate realities. In the Red Son mini-series, the scenario of Kal-el (Superman) landing in the Ukraine in 1938 spawned a superman that had a Red Cape, a grey uniform with a large Hammer and Sickle that replaced the original “S”. This particular writer in the Liberality book was very upset that an icon was defaced in such a manner.
(20) James Robinson, Paul Smith, and Richard Ory. Elseworlds: The Golden Age (NY: DC comics), 20, 24.
(21) John Bell. 1992. Guardians of the North: the National Superhero in Canadian Comic Book Art (Ottawa, ONT: The National Archives of Canada), 25-26.
(22) Bell, 49-50; also Ryan Edwardson. “The Many Lives of Captain Canuk: Nationalsm, Culture and the Creation of a Canadian Comic Book Superhero”. In The Journal of Popular Culture, Vol. 37, No. 2, 2003, 198-199.
(23) Scott Lobdell, Clayton Henry, and Mark Morales. 2004. Alpha Flight: You gotta be kidding me. (New York: Marvel Comics 2004), 66-68.
(24) Stan Lee, publisher. 1992. Alpha Flight #106 (New York: Marvel Comics), 32.
(25) Interview with Augie Robles, owner and proprietor of windy City Comics, Northlake, IL; January 14th, 2006.
(26) Mike Conroy, 70-71.
(27) Alan Oirich and Ron Randall. 2004. Jewish Hero Corps #1 (New York: Judaica Press), 1-4.
(28) Interview via email with Alan Oirich, July, 19, 2005.
(29) Matthew Craig. “Special Relationship.” The Ninth Art website, 26 July 2004. (www.ninthart.com/printdisplay.php?article=890).
(Featured Image: “Smack a Fascists” by frankieleon is licensed under CC BY 2.0. Cropped by Propaganda In Focus)
