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DEBUT SHOWING August 6, 2005, 7:30 PM on People TV Atlanta Comcast channel 24 | |||||||||||
| Mindy Spritz, a teacher at the Art Institute of Atlanta, asked me to do a presentation to her class on how comic books (particularly superhero comic books) have portrayed various demographic groups over the years. This episode covers the Golden Age of Comics, the role the first superheroes played, and how much things have changed... and what hasn't. | ||||||||||||
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| When Mindy and I first met at Danny Fingeroth's presentation at the Breman Museum's exhibit on The Golden Age of Comics earlier in the year, she asked me if I could do a presentation on how superhero comic books reflected society's changes. I saw it as an exciting opportunity not only to cover a subject I knew quite a bit about, but also afforded me a chance to do additional research on the topic.
This episode largely covers the birth of the American comic book, from its start merely reprinting the popular comic strips of the day to the birth of the superhero. In addition, the influence of World War II, even before the United States entered the war, played a huge importance as many of the heroes draped themselves in variations of the American flag. Special attention was given to the somewhat clouded intentions behind the creation of Wonder Woman, the role comic books played in support of the War, and the birth and disappearance of the best-selling superhero of the era, Captain Marvel. |
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| Still shots of Chris Companik as he gives the backgrounds behind Wonder Woman ("a regular bondage festival"), the color theory of the printing industry at the time, and how millions of a single issue (done over a weekend!) were often the norm. | ||||||||||||
| Production credits for Episode 10: Chris Companik: Director, Producer; Todd Spainhour, Michael Tucker: Camera/Audio | ||||||||||||
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GIANT SIZE COMIC BOOK SHOW is © Chris Companik and airs on People TV Atlanta on Comcast Channel 24, 7:30 PM every 4th Saturday night. All comic book/strip characters shown on this site as well as the show are © their respective owners.