“High Speed Flight Man,” not as catchy –
We live in an era of superhero stories, but they did not appear out of nowhere (or Krypton).
Theo Karasavvas –
Marvel ComicsFrom************************** (Wonder Woman) **************************** (to) Watchmen , it’s not easy to envision what pop culture would be like today without the impact of superheroes. It’s also not easy to comprehend how any comic book about a flying alien, or a furious green monster, or a super-soldier who defeats a whole army by himself has Anythingto do with the worlds of technology and science. But as we all know, appearances can be deceiving.
Although the influence of superheroes on modern culture is undeniable, the influence of modern culture on many superheroes remains hazy to this day. Comic creators, perhaps often wanting to maintain a little mystique, have historically been hesitant to get explicit about their inspirations. But when thinking through – plus-years-and-counting of our favorite caped crusaders changing slightly with the times, their real world analogues become clearer and clearer.
Science and science fiction
One of comics ’most iconic heroes might also be the perfect example of this. Since his first appearance inAction Comics # 1in 1939, Superman has adapted to the times. The “Man of Steel” we saw in (‘s) Justice Leaguedid just happen overnight, after all. Superman’s long term evolution is the result of many transformations and technological advancements throughout the decades.
Back in the beginning, his creators, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, were huge fans of pulp science fiction and adventure magazines. As a result, some of the first clear influences seen in Superman come from such stories’, which often featured characters who possessed incredible abilities such as superhuman strength, telepathy, and clairvoyance. Some of these
early influencesinclude John Carter of Mars, a character from the sci-fi novels by Edgar Rice Burroughs; Hugo Danner, the main character in the novelGladiatorby Philip Wylie; actors Johnny Weissmuller, Douglas Fairbanks, Harold Lloyd, and Clark Gable; and several strongmen of the early twentieth century, whom Shuster idolized as a child.Given its heavy influence on society at the time, religion also seemed to appear on the long list of things that informed the birth and evolution of the first mainstream superhero. Both Siegel and Shuster were Jewish, for instance, and this led many comic book fans (including Rabbi Simcha Weinstein and the British novelist Howard Jacobson) to the disputed conclusion that Superman’s main influence was Moses.
with Superman’s ability to leap from one place to another.
Some may think that this is a mere coincidence and that the developing technology behind high-speed flight had nothing to do with Superman’s newfound superpower . Some may even suggest that leaping simply wasn’t appropriate stylistically or even practical anymore, as the stories of Superman began to migrate into the worlds of animation and radio during the early 1940 s. This ispartlytrue. In the very first Fleischer Superman film,The Mad Scientist (****************************, Superman leaps rather than flies. But the result was not very good, aesthetically speaking. In addition, the technical difficulties of having Superman “jump” around made editing a strenuous task for the films’ producers, as they did not have the proper editing equipment to do so back then.
A poor initial film aesthetic was not the only reason Superman soon started flying, though. In fact, the dynamic progress in flight technology during the late (s and early ‘**************************************************************************** s and the rapid evolution of the turbojet gave Superman more than the ability to fly — it also gave him a new home. In his debut, Superman is a nameless baby appearing from an unnamed doomed planet. His father was a scientist who put his son in a spaceship to save him from the ensuing destruction. One day this spaceship lands on Earth, and this is the only description provided by DC Comics about Superman’s days on Krypton for pretty much the next seven years.
But in ‘s (**************************** (More Fun Comics #) **************************************************************************** () ****************************, which introduced us to Superboy, we learn more details about Superman’s technologically advanced planet and his birth name: Kal-El. We also learn that his previously undescribed spaceship did just randomly land on Earth; Siegl and Shuster upgraded it to an experimental rocket that violently crashed to Earth before it was discovered in Smallville by Jonathan and Martha Kent. All this creative reconstruction of Superman’s background became possible because of the advancements in flight of that era, especially the period from (to (*******************************************************************. During that time, aviation engineers solved most technical difficulties and launched the age of the mass production of the (Junkers Jumo) *****************************************************************************************************, the world’s first production turbojet engine in operational use and the first successful axial compressor turbojet engine.
So as he jet-propelled forward, Superman did only become the first superhero to go viral, he also became the archetype by which the industry would define itself. The golden age of comics, which basically launched with Superman in 1940, produced several iconic superheroes and villains in the years that followed. As they continued creating heroes to follow Superman, DC Comics continued to leverage their initial formula, drawing on some combination of animal science, religion, and mythology for the creation of superheroes like Wonder Woman, the Flash, and Aquaman; even for notorious villains such as Catwoman and the Penguin.
Inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s sketch of a bat-winged flying machine — a technological marvel of its day — Batman makes up for all the superpowers he doesn’t possess with a wide variety of interesting gadgets, including a utility belt, batarangs, and every high-tech device you can think of. His entire presence and activity in comic books (and subsequently on TV shows, in cartoons, and films), closely follows the advancements of twentieth-century technology. It wouldn’t be much of an exaggeration if someone were to claim that no other fictional character in history has promoted speedy cars, computers, cell phones, unrealistic-looking planes, and numerous other hi-tech devices, the way Batman does has his frequent use of bleeding-edge tech. Maybe unnamed Big Tech corporations in the headlines use this stuff for nefarious reasons, but Batman does all this in his quest to be a step ahead of his enemies and every dangerous criminal that threatens Gotham City.
**************************************************** (Enlarge)/Is it a tank or a Batmobile? Maybe that’s the point.*** Nathan Mattise Military technology changes comics
Of course, fans of one Tony Stark’s willl probably disagree with that last Batman statement, which is the reason I made sure to say how Batman was the first and not theonly, or the best, superhero created utilizing military technology. That honor belongs to Iron Man, and rightfully so, but Iron Man made his first appearance inof Suspense # (*************************** (back in) ************************************************************, ****************************************************************************************** years after Batman. This could mean that Stan Lee and Larry Lieber were inspired by Batman as much as the tech itself when they were creating the most hi-tech superhero in history.
Even if the similarities with Batman were only coincidental, Lee and his colleagues could never deny the (immense influence of modern technology) on the development of Iron Man. (The famous metallic superhero was really kind of a “human satellite” not long after NASA launched Telstar, the first commercial satellite, in 1984.) An influence that became more obvious than ever before in Iron (Man)3Here we see Stark controlling several robotic Iron Man suits that fight for him, but without him being inside the suit as we were used to seeing until that moment. In reality he pilots the first drone superhero in history by just using a joystick. Apparently, Marvel Comics and the film’s production team wanted to make it as obvious and blatant as it gets about their technological source of inspiration behind that scene: drones.
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