You Can’t Keep Politics Out Of Comics
Comics are often products of the time they’re created in. From the gradual increase in representation to the appearances of political figures in storylines — comics provide reflections, parallels and commentary on the political climate they are conceived in.
What started as blatant representation of perceived socially correct values from superhero figureheads such as Captain America and Superman have not only changed over time, but developed into more complex ideas and stories. Now more than ever, for better or worse, grey areas and social issues we muse and debate over have seeped into our comics. Sometimes the political climate is mirrored, analysed and explored really well (see: Civil War, 2006) and sometimes they turn Captain America into a Nazi as a knee-jerk reaction to the Trump election and the increase of white nationalist sentiment. Glad that’s over — as it was terrible.
So, if we take the first example of Civil War and take a closer look we’ll see a great story and an engaging commentary on power dynamics and responsibilities of the state versus the individual. We are also given two sides to a coin and then the ethical complexities are layered on with consideration until you…
