Superheroes During Difficult Days

America faces an economic calamity. Trouble brews in faraway lands. Sound familiar?

During the Great Depression and early years of World War II, the very first superheroes debuted. Superman, the Bat-Man, Wonder Woman and Captain America have all become household names, born out of dire times in our countries past.

A new exhibit at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles celebrates these icons from the Golden Age of Comic Books. "In the 1930s, the American Dream had become a nightmare, and I think comic books and superheroes in particular provided an escapist form of entertainment that allowed the American public to go into a fantasy world where all the ills of the world were righted by these larger-than-life heroes," says Erin Clancy, a curator at the Skirball.

Guest curator Jerry Robinson not only organized the exhibit, he's a part of it. The comic book pioneer created Batman's arch-enemy, The Joker, and named the caped crusader's sidekick Robin. (Although Bob Kane, credited with creating Batman, has long disputed elements of Robinson's creation stories.)

"We were just emerging from the Depression," Robinson recalls. "Superman started in 1938. Batman started in 1939. So, we were just recovering."

In modern times, the public is turning to costumed heroes again in record numbers. Movies based on comic books are box office leaders; comic books themselves remain a strong and growing industry.

"I think the comic book superhero came out of a context in which the political, social and economic realties were a little tough," Clancy says, "and we can certainly relate to those realities now in our own day. I think the resurgence of popularity of superheroes can be attributed to that."

Last year, audiences made "The Dark Knight" the second-highest grossing film of all time. The late Heath Ledger, who won a best supporting actor Oscar for his performance as The Joker in that film, spoke with Robinson before he died.

"I was flattered to hear from him that he based the whole concept of The Joker's persona and rationale on our first concept of The Joker," Robinson says.

With the box office success of "The Dark Knight" and "Iron Man" -- plus comic book-inspired films like "The First Avenger: Captain America," "The Avengers" and "Thor" in development -- it looks like superheroes will continue to inspire.
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"I think heroes are back," Robinson says. "I think you can almost chart it. The times are not so good -- we're looking for heroes."