From Krakow to Krypton: Jews and Comic Books

Chapter 5: People of the (Comic) Book

Let’s backtrack Let’s backtrack 26 FROM KRAKOW TO KRYPTON: JEWS AND COMIC BOOKS a little bit. In 1939, when Superman’s success was still brand spanking new (and inspiring spanking new brands of licensed products), Max Gaines, the man credited with bringing the Man of Steel to DC, started his own comic-book company, All-American Comics. He named the publishing firm after his flagship title, AllAmerican Comics, whose various features included the adventures of the Green Lantern (the alias of the radio announcer Alan Scott, aided by a magic ring). But even though All-American (also known as the AA Group) was separate from DC, the two companies advertised their product as part of one huge line, and both displayed the DC logo on their comics. All-American thus functioned as a sister company, expanding the DC world of characters by publishing titles such as Flash Comics (featuring the exploits of Jay Garrick, aka the Flash, doused with a super-speed serum and now the fastest man alive). In the pages of 1941’s Sensation Comics #1, Wonder Woman, a sort of female Superman—she also dressed in a red, blue, and yellow costume and pretended to be a meek bespectacled wallflower in her secret identity—was created for AllAmerican by the famed psychologist Dr. William Moulton Marston, under the pen name Charles Moulton. The name was a nod to his friend Max Gaines, who was often called “Charlie.” The main difference in attitude between the AA line and the DC line was particularly in evidence during the early days of World War II, before America was involved. In the stories that referenced the growing tension in Europe, DC’s stance was liberal and humanitarian, pro-war from the point of view that we must help our allies. AA’s philosophy was conservative and isolationist. After the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, however, both companies were completely in favor of U.S. involvement in the war, and the legend “Keep ‘Em Flying” was patriotically emblazoned on both companies’ books. Eventually, Gaines was bought out by Harry Donenfeld and Jack Liebowitz, not that readers could tell the difference. The then-fledgling DC Universe wasn’t affected, and the characters went on their monthly adventures people of the (comic) book Chapter Five Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel also developed other characters like the Spectre that are still an important part of the DC Comics pantheon. Art by Bernard Baily. without a hitch. But here we see DC fully engulfing another company for the first time to expand its catalogue of characters (as it would later with companies such as Fawcett). The powerful company was growing into an empire, built on the Atlas-like back of the Man of Steel. Meanwhile, the rest of the comicbook business, whose future was on uncertain footing before Superman, was now a genuine growth industry. Publishers sprouted up almost overnight to challenge DC, and other companies like Timely Comics, Archie Comics, Fawcett Comics, and Quality Comics rushed like mad to create the next big Superman-style hit, hiring scores of young, talented writers, cartoonists, and editors. A disproportionate amount of the talent brought into this fledgling industry was Jewish. A list of the major accomplishments of Jewish comics professionals during the comics’ Golden Age reads like a list of the major accomplishments of the comics industry during this period. For example, in 1940, former Siegel and Shuster pen pal Julius Schwartz started editing the milestone title All-Star Comics. Why was it a milestone title? Because Winter 1940’s now-famous AllStar Comics #3 featured the debut of the Justice Society of America, the first superhero team, composed of the Flash, Green Lantern, the Spectre, the Hawkman, Dr. Fate, the Hour-man, the Sandman, the Atom, and Johnny Thunder. Jack Kirby and Joe Simon, the real-life Kavalier and Clay, were known as the troubleshooters of the industry, constantly called on by publishers like Timely and DC to come up with new and inventive comics and to bolster flagging sales. Their creations from this period include Captain America, the Newsboy Legion, the Guardian, and the Boy Commandos. In 1940, when Simon and Kirby were on staff at Timely Comics (later to be known as Marvel), they were the direct superiors of an ambitious young writer named Stan Lee, who would become the Walt Disney of comics during THE GOLDEN AGE: PEOPLE OF THE (COMIC) BOOK 27 The Justice Society of America, created in All Star...