turismo storico

COMICS AND POLITICS
cold war and the propaganda in USA
di Renato Umberto Ruffino

After the Second World War, the political balance had changed radically. The Europe that until then had been central to world politics and economy is being ousted by the countries that with the end of the war had now become the undisputed powers of the world, we are talking about the United States and the USSR.

The USA and the USSR, which became allies, after the treason perpetrated by the Germans towards the Russians during the Second World War, collaborated but immediately a relationship based on suspicion was established between the two countries; it was obvious that the political, economic and social differences were too great for this alliance to prove lasting.

Relations escalated to the point of creating an irremediable rift, the culmination of which was the construction by the USSR of the Berlin Wall; which until the time of the killing in 1989 was considered the symbol of the Cold War.

Surely the character most linked to the Cold War period is Iron Man, in fact it is impossible not to mention Stan Lee who in the introduction of the Marvel Masterworks Iron Man volume 1° narrates the importance of current issues in Marvel comics: “In the stories you are about to read you will see emerge one of the factors that led Marvel Comics to universal success in the early sixties: the concrete link with current events. Tony Stark’s first adventure not only takes place during the Vietnam War, but is centered on that tragic conflict. At that time we all had a less analytical approach and in our eyes, things were either black or white. The Communists were the bad guys, we the good guys. Obviously, today we have a less simplistic view, but in the early 1960s it was much easier for us to invent ignoble groups of supervillains". Since Stan Lee’s introduction also talks about it, it seems a must to tell the character’s origins.

Tony Stark is one of the brightest minds in the world, and with his company, the Stark Enterprise produces smart weapons for the US government. During a business trip to Vietnam where he went to present a new type of weapon for the U.S. Army, he was ambushed by the Vietcong and kidnapped. Severely injured by a shrapnel planted near his heart, Tony Stark realizes that death is certain for him, and understands that the Viet Cong leader will exploit him to death. Fortunately for him, however, also imprisoned with him is the brilliant physicist Prof. Yinsen, who tries to save Tony Stark’s life.

The two begin to design what will later become Iron man’s armor, but which at the same time is also the only way to block the mine splinter in Stark’s chest via a powerful magnetic field. Meanwhile, the unsuspecting Vietcong guerrillas believe that Yisen and Stark are creating the weapon that will allow them to carry out the revolution. Obviously the opposite will happen, Tony Stark will be able to put Iron Man’s armor into operation and defeat the guerrillas, unfortunately the brilliant Yisen will fall victim to the firefight.

Since the Cold War was a “competition” in various fields between the two opposing blocs, the figure of Iron Man becomes an icon of US technological advancement. This aspect is also underlined by the appearances in the first numbers of “RED” enemies such as Crimson Dynamo and Titanium Man, or the Russian versions of Iron Man. Soviet Socialist Republics. Iron Man as a superhero is quite unique because it is the union between a brilliant man and a tactical support that determines Tony’s super powers. Iron Man for this can also be seen as a weapon. Even if the hero is Tony Stark, armor is the tool that makes him a hero. The armor is nothing more than a technologically advanced weapon (from the very first story of Iron Man to today it has changed at least 20 times, not counting the additional modules and variants). So it is more than normal that there is competition on the armor front (there is not a big difference with atomic competition). Another interesting character to analyze is the Mandarin. This character is the embodiment of another power: China.

Another character inextricably linked to the themes of the cold war is the Hulk. The first issue of Hulk came out in the United States of America in 1962, therefore in the midst of the Cold War. The protagonist of the series is Dr. Banner, a brilliant nuclear physicist who studies the applications of gamma rays in collaboration with the army. It is necessary to better understand the link between the adventures of the Hulk and the historical period in which they take place, to provide a brief summary of the origins of this sad character.

During the countdown for the launch of the G-Bomb a boy manages to enter the launch area, evading the guards, and to win a bet made with friends he starts playing the accordion in the military area; Dr. Banner notices the young man’s presence and orders the bomb to be stopped. The treacherous Igor (assistant to the doctor and Russian spy), however, does not carry out the order, with the aim of killing the doctor and stealing his plans for the bomb; luckily Banner manages to reach the boy and save him behind a security barricade, while the doctor is hit by gamma radiation.

Oddly, Dr. Banner does not appear to have reported any negative consequences. Only after a while will he discover that his organism has changed. The one who was the mild-mannered nuclear scientist named Bruce Banner before the explosion is now also the angry monster named Hulk. The link in the stories of the Hulk and the current issues inherent to the cold war are many, first of all the terror of nuclear power, represented here with the dramatic mutation of Dr. Banner, another recurring theme is the classic rivalry between the U.S.A. and the U.S.S.R. Naturally, even in these stories the character of the treacherous corrupt in the service of the enemy power par excellence returns

Also in this comic the country’s security is undermined by the action of a spy, who manages to infiltrate the protected rooms of the American research. As in the case of Iron Man who clashes with the Crimson Dynamo and the Mandarin also in this comic our hero will face a Russian-born supervillain, the deformed Gargoyle. However, what seems a foregone contrast over the course of the episodes reveals an even more interesting new trend, Dr. Banner, taken prisoner by Gargoyle, will fight his enemy with a very effective weapon. Bruce Banner as a great scientist and gamma ray expert will bring Gargoyle back to the human aspect; and will transform his old enemy into a precious ally that will allow him to escape.

The writers in these stories have thought of overcoming the simple contrast between opposing nations by reinforcing another stereotype typical of comics, namely the absolute goodness of the American hero. Even Dr. Banner “scarred by Gamma rays” in a devastating way and totally distorted in character, has an ethics so deep and strong that he is capable of saving his enemy. This extremely altruistic gesture makes it clear to the scientist, who was previously the monstrous Gargoyle, that the cause he was serving was totally wrong and therefore decides to rebel with an extreme gesture that will lead to his death.

Of great impact on the reader is the scene in which the newly human Gargoyle inveighs against the image of Russian President Khrushchev saying: “It is your fault that I have become what I was! You have your nuclear tests for working, but it took an American to cure me! And now ... now that I’m no longer Gargoyle I can challenge you, and what you stand for as a man! “

The character of Ant-man takes up the “technological vein” already beaten by Iron Man. In fact, even Ant-Man is a scientist; Henry Pym (aka Ant-Man) discovers a serum capable of changing the size of the body (from as small as an ant to a giant). This discovery leads him to interact with the world of insects (hence the name of Ant-man), so the brilliant scientist creates an helmet that allows him to communicate with the ants and use them as allies in battle.

Obviously the discoveries of the brilliant Ant-Man will appeal to the Russian spies present in the U.S.A., who will try in every way to steal them. The peculiarity of the Ant-Man series is the continuous presence of references to the opposition of the two world blocks. In two stories we can see the precise references linked to the period of the cold war. In the first we see the Hungarian Maria Trovaya, first wife of Pym, a political dissident, finding death at the hands of Russian agents on her return to Budapest. The second story tells the adventure of Ant-man who goes to Berlin to thwart a plan to invade the West by an army of apes trained by the Russians to fight for them. Also in these episodes we can detect that the enemies of the U.S.A. they are represented as monstrously grotesque beings.

So far we have highlighted how propaganda in American comics is a constant presence. It should be emphasized how the message given to the reader has changed from the message present in the comics of the Second World War; for example, the various references to military service and to the youth associations of patriots sponsored by Captain America are missing. In this “second phase” of the pro-American propaganda comic the message is always present, but it is proposed to the public in a different way; with current references but also with the birth of fictional characters who must represent all the defects and contradictions of a society (obviously that of the Soviet bloc) diametrically opposed to the American one. Later we will highlight the evolution of comics as a political medium; the monstrous representations of Russians and Chinese will disappear, and we will see how also the internal politics of the U.S.A. it will become a recurring topic of discussion.

In the early day of comics book industry the propaganda between USA and Russia became less exasperated. One of the most influencing title is Superman: Red Son. Red Son is a story about an alternative reality where the alien from krypton land in the territory of Russia. It’s clear that that story is going to show us the difference between the “classic” character and this alternatine version. The classic Superman follow the: liberty, justice, american way mantra. The Red Son Superman follow the: work for the people, stalinism, and the socialism.

The main difference between Superman and Red Son is the nature of the character. They love both Earth, but the approach is quite different. Superman will help the humankind, protect it. Red son is like a brutal father, he bend the will of the humankind to his will. He used to lobotomize the dissidents. Red Son show us an alternative reality. But the main topisc is: the Russian SUPERMAN is a good one or a evil character? He’s not evil. It’s simply a severe character that show the idea that foreigner have about russians.

Unfortunaly the USA comics industy isn’t plurality, in particular towards the “evil Russia”. In addition there are few russian authors of comic books in USA. This mean that the vision of this country isn’t changed much from the cold war era. Comic books and propaganda are bound in the USA. Things have changed a lot from the post WW2 but as the proverb say: “Bad habits die hard”.