Politics in Comic Books

[Ace Corona]

In issue three of the Superman comic book from August of 1938, Siegel and Shuster deal with a corrupt mine owner and have Superman take some socialites down into a mine and force them to endure the horrible conditions of the mine, in an effort to coax the mine owner to improve conditions for the workers.

To me, this seems like Siegel and Shuster had a political axe to grind in this issue, and it begs the question: do politics belong in comic books?

What is your opinion on comic writers with an axe to grind? I have some views that I would like to express in my comic books about corruption I’ve personally encountered in the mental health system and the judicial system.

What is your opinion on politics in comics?

[battlewraith]

Comics are a medium for expression. If what you're trying to express is political, then so be it. It's like asking if politics belong in any sort of book.

Some caveats:

1. Comics are a visual medium. Having some profound political message doesn't get you off the hook for making a quality comic. If you can't do the medium justice, write an essay.
2. I think you need to keep in mind what your comic is about. If political messages are derailing the basic gist of the story or characters, then it isn't appropriate. Realistically, Bruce Wayne could probably use his vast wealth in a way that benefits the people of Gotham more than policing the streets as Batman. But there's only so much of that before it ceases to be a "Batman" storyline.
3. If you're going to include overt political content in your comic, you should be prepared for people to react/criticize it based on their own political biases. Even things that are not overtly political can draw a lot of scrutiny based on current social and political trends.

[Ace Corona]

Thanks Battlewraith!