Impressions

Popularity of comics leading up to World War II was largely dependent upon the interests of American children. The vivid imagery and colorful appeal of comics were met with dramatically powerful characters called 'superheroes' who are so admirable and easily obssessed over after reading just a single issue. As a genre that deals with the sensitive minds of young readers, superhero comics were subject to an immense flow of pressure from government censorship agents, editorial staff members, and especially the criticism of parents of youthful readers. These characters stimulate a desire for an ambitious young comic book reader to emulate the personality of the hero, in hopes of manifesting the power and respectability of the comics star on the page. The pressure to appeal to the sensitivity of children became amplified as World War II came around. As the government aimed to convince people to support the U.S. involvment in the war, it targetted the crime-fighting superheroes of comic books as well. With this additional element of propaganda in the sum of pressures against the purity of the superhero, transformation of these star-studded characters created an entirely new story.

The Batman is no exception to the effects of these pressures. Although he does not technically fall under the category of "Superhero" - due to his lack of supernatural powers - literary analysts have overwhelmingly agreed on the inclusion of Batman as a member of the superhero genre. Since most superhero figures of the late 1930s and early 1940s felt the same pressures from wartime and appeal to young readers, it is interesting to examine the distinction between publications in the way that they respond to such pressures. It was established in previous blog posts that Superman, who was arguably the first example of popular American superheroes from the 20th century, transformed so dramatically from his original publication to a completely changed hero in just a decade later. He originated as a savior for the downtrodden, who stopped corrupt leaders from taking advantage of lower social classes. He was the hero of the working class, and maybe even a socialist. By the time the saturation of editorial pressure had reached the way Superman was drawn, he became a patriotic and lawful citizen who dealt primarily with evil that did not correspond to any political label. He was diluted. The dilution of character as a result of external pressure varies across the superhero genre, but can always be traced to a certain extent.

Will Brooker asserts in "Batman Unmasked" that the Batman had been solicited by government officials to become a more "acceptable" figure for social approval. It was clear that a resistance against becoming "acceptable" was in action after receiving notice. Propaganda did make its way into the Batman comics during WWII, but was mostly present in the covers of these comics, and did not completely penetrate into the content of Batman's crime-fighting adventures. His stature was grounded, and the purity of his origin as intended by the creator did not observably decline in value. The dilution of character in images of the Batman occurred mostly in other forms of media. The pressure to become appropriate for children was relieved as the Batman debuted in motion pictures and radio shows as well as television series. He was no longer viewed as a lawless freak who scared criminals out of living in crime. He was a loveable, almost goofy-looking and harmless symbol of justice. With a distorted identity in alternative media as his mask, Batman retained his raw self in the comics.