National Superhero Day

Today is National Superhero Day!

National Superhero Day is a day that celebrates the superhero, the colorful characters that dedicate their skills and, in many cases, superhuman powers, to help protect the innocent and make the world a better place. 

This day came about in 1995, thanks to Marvel Comics, a major publisher of superhero comics. Employees of the company at the time would go out and ask kids what kind of superpowers they would want to have. They discovered that many of those kids would talk about the people they saw as heroes.

The superhero as we know it has a long history. While the word itself dates back to 1899, the concept of a heroic figure with abilities beyond those of mortal man predates it by centuries. Spiritual ancestors include mythical characters like Gilgamesh and Hercules (fun fact, in the Marvel Universe, both Gilgamesh and Hercules have been members of the Avengers). Figures of English folklore like Robin Hood and Spring-Heeled Jack would also inspire certain aspects of the superhero, like villains wearing black.

The Old West would also help inspire the superhero; the adventures of masked vigilantes and outlaws would inspire characters like Deadwood Dick. The novel character known as the Scarlet Pimpernel would inspire the concept of the masked vigilante having a secret identity, a big superhero trope. With the dawn of the 20th century, heroes of pulp fiction like Zorro, Tarzan, the Lone Ranger, and Buck Rogers would also be seen as early forerunners of the superhero. But it would not just be the United States playing around with the concept. In Japan, tales of a heroic ninja named Sarutobi Sasuke would be entertaining children there, and would start having superpowers by the 1910s. In 1909, France introduced L'Oiselle (The Bird), a superheroine who used a flying suit to fight crime.

Japan would introduce what was arguably the first modern superhero in 1931 with Ogon Bat, aka the Golden Bat. But he would be unknown outside the country. But in 1938, a certain comic hit newsstands, debuting a certain Kryptonian powerhouse. You may have heard of him.

Yeah, that guy. From there, superheroes exploded in what would be called the Golden Age of Comics. This era saw the debut of many superheroes that are still running around today: Captain America (Steve Rogers), Human Torch (Jim Hammond), Wonder Woman, Flash (Jay Garrick), Green Lantern (Alan Scott), Blue Beetle (Dan Garrett), Bucky Barnes, Batman, Captain Marvel (Billy Batson), the original Daredevil, etc. This era not only saw the first female superheroes like Fantomah, it also saw the first anti-heroic superheroes like Namor the Sub-Mariner and the original Black Widow. 

With the end of World War II, as well as Frederic Wertham's questionable findings regarding links between comic books and juvenile delinquency leading to the rise of the Comics Code Authority, superhero comics would seemingly fall by the wayside in the early 1950s. However, the introduction of the Barry Allen Flash in 1955 would help superhero comics rise to prominence, albeit in a more..."sanitized" form thanks to the aforementioned CCA. In the 1960s, Marvel Comics introduced the Fantastic Four, which portrayed the group as more realistic people. These events lead to the birth of the Silver Age of Comics. During this time, DC Comics also introduced new versions of Green Lantern, Hawkman, the Atom, etc. Marvel would also rise to prominence, introducing itself a whole new popular stable of characters: the X-Men, Daredevil, Ant-Man and the Wasp, the Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, and had a second and more successful revival of Captain America, as well as brought him into the Avengers. The Silver Age also saw the rise of underground comics, but non-superhero mainstream comics declined.

In the 1970s, the Silver Age transitioned into the Bronze Age. It's not generally agreed when this exactly happened, but the story "The Night Gwen Stacy Died" in The Amazing Spider-Man and Denny O'Neil and Neal Adams's work on Green Lantern's comic are credited as starting points. Superhero comics were becoming more sophisticated, going harder on tackling social issues. Superhero characters started becoming more diverse, with introducing more female and non-white superheroes like Carol Danvers, Vixen, Luke Cage, Black Lightning, Vibe, Danielle Moonstar, Mantis, Sunfire, etc. A new generation of writers and artists were rising, as veterans were retiring or becoming editors. Writers and artists were being given more credits on comics. Non-superhero comics like war, western, and fantasy were also regaining popularity thanks to reprints. This era was considered to have ended by DC Comics when they published Crisis on Infinite Earths in 1985-86. 

From there, we went to the Modern Age. Superheroes were being deconstructed thanks to the likes of Watchmen and Squadron Supreme. Adult-oriented comics were rising, and the distribution system of comics was hanging to the direct market. This era saw the rise of independent superheroes like Spawn and Savage Dragon. 

Superheroes have gone through a long evolution, far more complicated than my summary here. And they are loved all over the world. Many countries have their favorites. The Philippines have Darna, for example. India has Nagraj. Serbia has Cat Claw. Even Kuwait has superheroes, most famously, the 99. And of course, Japan has the likes of Kamen Rider and the various Super Sentai teams, who you may know more as the various incarnations of the Power Rangers. 

So yeah, superheroes are awesome. Enjoy a comic, a book, even a movie. You'll be glad you did! Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! If you like what I write and want to give this blog some additional support, please make a donation to my Ko-fi! See you next time!