I consider myself well versed in the industry of comic books and comic book collecting. I am a long time collector, have read and studied on all the greats of the industry such as Jack Kirby, Carmine Infantino, George Perez, John Byrne, etc. and have interviewed many of today’s super mega stars of the comic book industry. But watching Superheroes: The Never-Ending Battle, I was taken aback by how much I didn’t know about the beginnings of the comic book industry. Superheroes: TNEB is a 3 part documentary hosted by Liev Shrieiber on the history of comic books airing October 15th on PBS. Superheroes: TNEB
takes you to the very infancy of the industry with the first part of the segment delving into several of the first creators of superheroes such as Superman creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. How the duo who created the worlds greatest superhero were turned down time and time again as they pitched their creation to every comic book publisher at the time. You also learn that an integral part of creating Superman by Jerry was the death of his own father. It is suggested in Part 1 of Superheroes that this is one of the reasons he had a strong affinity for crime fighting.
Many of the genres heavy hitters like Jerry Robinson, Carmine Infantino and Joe Kubert (who all have passed since the making of this documentary) are profiled talking about the birth of the industry. Superheroes: TNEB also explores the many creators who lost their ownership rights to the very characters they were creating. How artists like Neal Adams stepped up and worked diligently to get monies and royalties back to the proper creators who were now destitute and living in near poverty.
Every episode of Superheroes:TNEB deals with certain eras of the comic book industry starting with the rise of DC comics, the arrival of Marvel Comics, The rise of Image and the independent industry. The series culminates with the block buster films that we see today in movie houses around the world. We see the age of Vietnam and the 60’s, the rise of Feminism, the conservative political movement of the 80’s right through to the tragedy of 9/11 played out through the pages of comic books. One interesting segment shows the subliminal messages sent through out Wonder Woman comics as many images portrayed the Amazon Warrior in bondage, fetish like poses. Racism and stereotypes are also addressed as something that was prevalent in comic books from an early start, as was such in much of the nations media in the early 40’s and 50’s. All the major players in comic books are profiled…Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, The X-Men and many more. Superheroes: TNEB also has its lighter moments with focus centered on Cos Players dressed as their favorite costumed crime fighters and the effect comic books and the industry has had on children in America. Anti drug campaigns are featured spearheaded by the big two (Marvel and DC) and tribute issues on 9/11.
One interesting segment in Episode Three that caught my attention was when Todd McFarlane, talking about the wave of new digital technology says “that digital is just a delivery system…weather it’s on a computer or iPad or on paper, what do I care”. I wonder what Todd would be signing at a convention show when throngs of people show up for him to sign something…an iPad? I don’t think so. All in all, if you are a fan of comic books, or just getting into collecting comic books, or just like to watch the blockbuster movies when they’re released on the big screen, I highly recommend Superheroes: The Never Ending Battle.