Criminal Minds

The compilation of literature from the early comic superhero genre between 1936-1941 in "Supermen!" depicts the true level of diversity in superhero characters that existed within this timeframe. While superheroes like Dr. Occult uses voodoo-like supernatural powers to defeat his enemies, for example, Michael Blake's "The Face" disguises himself under a gruesome countenance as a way of disarming criminal foes. The range of powers and methods of heroism in these comics demonstrates the dynamic nature of the comics industry that represents the origin of the superhero genre as it blossomed in the mid 1900's.

As noted in an exerpt from "Historical Considerations" of The Superhero Reader, the superhero genre exhibits characters in all publications with established missions, powers, and identities. It is through these facets of the genre that the protagonists signify the flexibility of human nature, in which a stubborn aspect of a part or whole of society undergoes a transformation that ultimately directs mankind in a positive direction. In most of the examples derived in the "Supermen!" publications, social corruption is exemplified in the actions of urban criminals who intend to harm an innocent faction of society, whether that faction be a single helpless individual or the entire planet. Regardless of the degree of harm intended by the criminal to the world of innocence, the superhero's mission always aims to incapacitate those criminals. Although the agendas of these criminals seem to harness the tendencies of individuals disconnected from any authoritative entity, it is commonly implied through these comics that the authors target public leaders as the true villains.

In Basil Barold's "The Flame", a criminal thug solicits the service of a freak tribe of humans from a foreign continent whose country's environment is so harsh that they possess superhuman strength and sub-human mental capacities. After the Flame is overpowered by these "Kikoo" as captured by the thug, a mystery woman approaches him to save him and inform him that her government hid them from the world on a hidden reservation because of their inferiority to society. The Kikoos are symbolic of the marginalized members of society who suffer from physical and psychological decay as a result of negligence and mistreatment from the government. As decay accumulates in these masses, they become dangerous and violent toward the rest of society, which neglected them in the first place. This shows the author's indirect jab at the public powers that leaned toward movements like Eugenics, in which the marginalized population was viewed parallel to the Kikoos. Barold expressed a message in his comic that any attempt to hide or cleanse any part of society would backfire as a long term result.