“They asked for it and Uncle Sam is going to give it to them!” A pop culture infused with American superhero comic books didn’t exist before the late 1930s. By 1945, they dominated. While every type of character, in every genre, in every art or literary style, was published between 1938 and 1945, it was superheroes that made the greatest commercial impact. During the Great Depression, only a handful of new characters, now in the public domain, were introduced each year — in 1935, just six; in 1936, thirteen; and in 1937, thirty-one (according to the Eidolon Station database). In 1938, there were thirty-two new characters (excluding those still under copyright). Then two things happened: the success of Action Comics #1 (June 1938) spurred copycats and the European conflict intensified. In 1939, the number of new characters jumped to 127. This incredible surge continued with a whopping 408 new characters in 1940 and 430 in 1941. Comic book creators had realized that superheroes, especially those bedecked head-to-foot in patriotism like Quality’s Uncle Sam, could capitalize on the common impulse to fight evil, protect the innocent, and sock the Axis square on the jaw!
| Era World War II Era (1938 – 1945) |
| Alternative Names Late Modernism, Mass Modernism, Heroic Pop Culture |
| Total Entries 1538 |
| Articles World War II and Popular Culture – National WW2 Museum Golden Age of Comic Books – Wikipedia Up, Up, and Awa-a-ay!: The Rise of Superman, Inc – The Saturday Evening Post (June 21, 1941) |
| Description “They asked for it and Uncle Sam is going to give it to them!” A pop culture infused with American superhero comic books didn’t exist before the late 1930s. By 1945, they dominated. While every type of character, in every genre, in every art or literary style, was published between 1938 and 1945, it was superheroes that made the greatest commercial impact. During the Great Depression, only a handful of new characters, now in the public domain, were introduced each year — in 1935, just six; in 1936, thirteen; and in 1937, thirty-one (according to the Eidolon Station database). In 1938, there were thirty-two new characters (excluding those still under copyright). Then two things happened: the success of Action Comics #1 (June 1938) spurred copycats and the European conflict intensified. In 1939, the number of new characters jumped to 127. This incredible surge continued with a whopping 408 new characters in 1940 and 430 in 1941. Comic book creators had realized that superheroes, especially those bedecked head-to-foot in patriotism like Quality’s Uncle Sam, could capitalize on the common impulse to fight evil, protect the innocent, and sock the Axis square on the jaw!
World War II touched virtually every part of American life, even things so simple as the food people ate, the films they watched, and the music they listened to. The war, especially the effort of the Allies to win it, was the subject of songs, movies, comic books, novels, artwork, comedy routines—every conceivable form of entertainment and culture. Moreover, in many cases these works and their creators were actually part of the war effort. Writers, illustrators, cartoonists, filmmakers, and other artists used their skills to keep the public informed about the war and persuade people to cooperate with the government’s Home Front programs—like scrap drives and rationing. In short, World War II and the popular culture of that era are interconnected; the story of one cannot be fully told without the story of the other… After Pearl Harbor, war themes exploded into virtually every artistic medium and form of entertainment. Movies like Saboteur, Sahara, and Casablanca captured the wartime drama faced by servicemembers and civilians alike. Song lyrics often referred to the conflict, highlighting the ups and downs of both the battlefield and the Home Front. Some songs were upbeat, witty, and fun to dance to, like “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B” by the Andrews Sisters. Others, like Walter Kent and Nat Burton’s “The White Cliffs of Dover,” were slower and more solemn, touching on both the seriousness of the war and the hope that peace would soon return. Even newspaper comic strips picked up elements of the war in their plots. Longtime favorite characters like Superman, Dick Tracy, Little Orphan Annie, and Mickey Mouse all dealt with various aspects of the war effort, from raising victory gardens to dealing with rationing to fighting the Axis powers on the front. A few comics like Bill Mauldin’s Willie and Joe were created specifically because of the war and offered readers a unique glimpse into the daily lives of American GIs… ~ World War II and Popular Culture – National WW2 Museum
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