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Jeffrey K. Johnson, a World War II historian for the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command in Honolulu, Hawaii, is the author of several books and articles.

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In Superheroes in Crisis: Adjusting to Social Change in the 1960s and 1970s, Jeffrey K. Johnson uses Superman and Batman comics to track the changes and transformations to American society through the 1960s and 1970s. Discussing the cultural significance of a supposedly disposable medium, Johnson writes, “These narratives are extremely significant because they were often simplistic contemporary understandings that contained little or no pretense, and generally claim to have virtually no artistic, political, or social agendas. This lack of a perceived agenda provides an interesting outlet for investigating social and cultural constructs in places in which few were originally intended. Paradoxically, comic book narratives reveal so much about social and cultural changes because they were designed never to address such weighty issues” (pg. xvi). Johnson links DC’s portrayal of Batman as an increasingly neo-noir character in a broken city and the company’s search for relevance with Superman as representing the challenges of the 1960s and 1970s.

Discussing the immediate postwar years and the creation of the Comics Code Authority, Johnson writes, “In reality, the code did not cause many changes at DC Comics because the publishers had self-censored the brand’s comic books since the 1940s. What the CCA did was codify American social changes in comic book stories. No longer could superheroes be vigilantes or free spirits; a strict 1950s America would not allow it” (pg. 16). He writes of Superman and Batman that their “main task was to protect society from both internal and external threats, which included any changes that would upset the nation’s delicate social equilibrium. According to these narratives, criminals wanted to change America but Batman (and Superman) understood that change would only cause unnecessary problems” (pg. 20). Discussing changes in the early 1960s comic book market, Johnson writes, “DC had long cornered the market on safe and respectable superheroes, whose good manners and white-bread ways appealed to parents and other authority figures alike. In contrast, Marvel’s titles, beginning with The Fantastic Four, embraced a new, more youthful narrative which seemingly rebelled against established norms and welcomed a new, less restrictive culture” (pg. 32-33). While Julius Schwartz’s editorial control helped introduce shades of grey to the Batman books, “the Man of Steel served as a stalwart traditional icon that would not sway or waver, even during the cultural upheaval which would redefine the nation during the 1960s. Buoyed by strong comic book sales, Superman became a symbol of either classic American wholesomeness and nostalgia, or an oppressive outdated Cold War philosophy that had become archaistic, depending on one’s point of view” (pg. 39). ABC’s Batman television series, though short-lived, further shaped the public’s perception of comic books as low art.

Turning to the early 1970s, Johnson writes, “By 1975 the country that only a decade before had appeared prosperous, peaceful, and safe was seemingly descending into turmoil and apathy. Superman and Batman walked a fine line of trying to encourage Americans while also mirroring the bad times troubling the nation. The dark days were here for both normal and superpowered Americans alike” (pg. 55). While Denny O’Neil and Neal Adams were adding gothic sensibilities to the Dark Knight, “by 1970, Superman was not only the last son of his dead planet Krypton, but also the final 1950s-style superhero who refused to accept new social conventions and realities” (pg. 59). Johnson continues, “As society began to fear political, business, and social leaders more and more, Superman was hamstrung by the powerful connections that had once proven to be extremely beneficial. During the early part of the 1970s, Superman was unable to change because, by his very nature, he was a guardian of peace and normality, two of the biggest opponents of transformation. Comic book creators tried to alter Superman, but always failed, because the Man of Steel was a caretaker of the state and those in power, and there was little that could be done to break these ties” (pg. 72). On the other hand, Batman’s confrontation with Man-Bat, a twisted mirror version of himself, reflected Americans’ grappling with the changes to their national character.

Discussing the late 1970s, Johnson writes, “While Superman stood above the fray almost casually and omnipotently, the non-superpowered Batman descended monthly into filth and madness in order to wage his personal war against lawlessness. Crime had become front-page news in many places in the United States, as Americans worried that criminals were controlling the streets and the country was no longer safe for average citizens…An America awash in post-Vietnam and post-Watergate grief turned its hardened gaze to its seemingly unsafe streets and its apparently grotesque and out of control cities. A society in mourning for the placid and secure 1950s metamorphosed its crime-ridden cities into the symbol of the nation’s decay” (pg. 82-83). While Superman continued to struggle, “Batman embraced the basic conservative comic book ideas of romance, action, and adventure, but did so in a complex and innovative way. This is a harbinger of the changes that would be coming in the 1980s, as the neotraditional movement transformed the nation by using traditional ideas and narratives viewed and structured in a new way. As the 1970s ended, Batman was not only following cultural and social trends, but was leading the way” (pg. 99).
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