Comics in Culture: The Shaping of Diversity in DC Comics
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Comics in Culture: The Shaping of Diversity in DC Comics

A look inside the evolution of diversity in the oldest comic book company

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Comics in Culture: The Shaping of Diversity in DC Comics
Warner Brothers

Comic books have become an iconic form of American literature and popular culture during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Superheroes now serve a larger purpose than being entertainment. Comics are easily accessible; the form of American literature is producing political work and these characters are heroes going through real elements that many Americans are dealing with right now. Using the platform given, DC is providing readers with books that carry another way to talk about real-world issues by giving American readers a hero of their own. Discussing the act of diversity and the evolution of it is a necessity for writers that way they can produce innovative ideas and characters while establishing diversity inside the comics.

Scholars are discussing superheroes and how they are symbolic, Julianna Aucoin, author of The Superhero Diversity Problem, discusses the problems faced when superheroes only focus on one diverse group and since these heroes are symbolic they cannot simply recognize just one aspect of America but rather every aspect of America. Tim Beedle is discussing how DC is growing as a more diverse company in his article DC Grows More Diverse. With DC comics, there was a struggling beginning and over the years the diversity in the literature has evolved and has become a strong component inside the comics being produced.

The heroes represent characteristics and have an idealism to them and without diversity all we as readers would have is the typical white superhero that stands for just the American way, like Superman, Batman, and The Flash. Gaining a more diverse group of superheroes insures a more cultural experience when reading comics. Writers in the modern generation of comics are recognizing this and taking the term diverse to a new level. Grant Morrison and Scott Snyder are prime examples of this.

Grant Morrison is the writer and creator of the Batman: Incorporated series and Scott Snyder is the writer for Batman and numerous other titles in the New 52 line-up of books that recently ended. Along with those creators comes a company who more modernly believes that diversity has been lacked and by creating and writing stories that children, and adults alike can relate to and understand gives the company more growth in a corporate and creative sense. The writers are seeing that the heroes aren’t for one kind of American but the heroes are for every American and with these iconic characters tackling real world issues makes them more relatable.

The lack of diversity began with the start of comics in the late 1930’s. Superman was the beginning for this form of literature and he represented a symbol in America for all that is right. Julianna Aucoin describes the idea of Superman: “Superman was an American symbol that literally meant “Truth, Justice, and the American way” and he may be popular and iconic but he was not completely representing every corner of America.” (Aucoin) At the start he was mostly saving, and representing just one side of America. The “white” side of America. Every white child had the access to read or experience Superman and the character would tackle simple issues that white families faced: cat stuck in the tree, brother going to war, and occasionally the city being robbed.

These were simple themes and easy for writers to talk about, and left the hero identifying with what was going on around the world, Superman’s focus for the first 30 years of his press run was the white ethnic group. Fast forward to the 1970’s and the literature started to show and discuss the African American side of America. In “Superman’s Girlfriend: Lois Lane” by Cary Bates. The famous superheroes girlfriend was the first to step inside the diversity theme and decided to turn herself into a black woman to show her readers how this “color” is treated. This was ultimately an issue in the African-American community and the worst way to break into diversity. For DC, they had a slow and struggling start to diversity. With each diverse character, they would set them aside as a sidekick or support system. This essentially left the diverse heroes in the background and they were left with no symbolism which gives a hero its purpose and left the readers who looked to these diverse heroes with the feeling that they are not heroic but more of a support system for the main protagonist.

DC comics has been very consistent when it comes to their “Super-Friends” line up (Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, etc.) those are the iconic characters that everyone knows and loves but more recently there has been a shift of creation and DC has entered a new age of diversity. Diversity is an importance and comes in many forms: gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, and disabilities. These contribute to an individual’s unique experience of the world. DC and its creators don’t want the typical white “Superman” anymore who was only identified with one aspect of America. The genre has seen characters emerge that are identifiable to readers that are diverse such as: Supergirl who faces gender inequality, Batgirl who is faced with being degraded sexually as a woman and is disabled, Blue Beetle who faces immigration issues, and Cyborg who is African-American and disabled, these characters are relatable to the readers reading. The four characters presented have elements that real people, living in real America are facing. Supergirl, the cousin of Superman is pretty much the exact same character but she is a woman. What makes her so great and diverse from other heroes is the fact that she is not proud of being a woman with her cousin’s powers, but she is a character that deals with inequality. Gender inequality is something that is an issue in today’s society and through the literature of Supergirl we see a familiar representation of women who want nothing but equality. The argument stated in The Superhero Diversity Problem is if DC is progressing when it comes to female superheroes.

DC is strong with their roster when it comes to female characters but more recently the women of DC are tackling issues that real women are facing. In the New-52 arc of Supergirl we see a change in style, character, and theme in her story. Her new writer is Kate Perkins and the author being one of the few women writers in comics decided it was time to change Supergirl for who she was and took everything from years past that was Supergirl and gave her a makeover. Supergirl was drawn with big breast, curvy body, she was essentially used as a sex symbol mainly so readers would buy her book. She was also a woman who had no right being a hero and she would be used to do task that Superman would usually not do since he had bigger threats that Supergirl could not handle. But this changed, Perkins ordered for her Supergirl to be shrunk down to a teenager with a teenage body and would give the hero problems and powers no one else could figure out.

In an interview, Perkins described her hero as “smart, tough, strong-willed, and curious, but is also deeply flawed (and often unapologetic about it)” (Perkins). Supergirl isn't defined by the characters or the relationships in her story; she drives her own narrative. She is not a supporting character, she is rather a character that identifies with her own symbol of hope. Being gifted with the same extraordinary powers that her cousin possesses she is stepping into a larger role.

The character has been labeled as a “feminist” leader according to Julianna Aucoin. Women have always appeared inside literature as a symbol of love or a damsel in distress but with Supergirl she stands for much more than that. The idea of a character being feminist in a male dominant comic universe is a risk the creators at DC had to take. With Supergirl being labeled a feminist it has made the character more relatable to women going through inequality in their lives. The hero serves as an icon that speaks not just for the “American way” like her cousin but speaks for the world when it comes to battling equality. Supergirl views herself as a woman and not as an alien and feels like each living being deserves equality. In Supergirl Volume 6: Crucible she takes that feminism and applies to not just Earth but applies it to the entire universe as she joins a full female lead team to patrol the universe.

Supergirl represents diversity for all women in DC comics and the world. The theme of independence and being her own hero is symbolic making her a hero for all women and serves as an example that every female superhero can serve a much larger purpose than just being labeled as a sex symbol or someone in need. The more modern age of comics involving women serves an importance and distributes criteria for future writers and pop culture in general to follow.

Another strong female character in the DC universe is Batgirl. Batgirl has three different identifies in her career as a hero. She is first Barbara Gordon, daughter of Commissioner Gordon. Batgirl, the female sidekick of Batman, and Oracle the paralyzed tech sidekick to Batman. Batgirl was a standout hero for women. Being of the first to do so granted her a key role in the DC universe. Batgirl has been faced with numerous challenges like sexual harassment, inequality, and had to try to live up to the idea of being like Batman which she could not do. Batgirl went through the worst kind of fate in The Killing Joke by Alan Moore.

This book is so disturbing it changed Batgirl not only as a character but as a symbol forever. Barbra Gordon was in her apartment after her day at work. She then hears a knock on the door thinking it is her friend but it is the villain, The Joker. The Joker then shoots her in the spine and with her body bleeding out and doing nothing on the ground he strips her down, rapes her, and then takes pictures of her to torture Commissioner Gordon. This book was established as one of the best books DC has come out with but with the female comic community this essentially became more of a “hated” book. Alan Moore killed a woman in so many ways in The Killing Joke that it ended up being a character no one knew what to do with. When asked what DC thought about paralyzing Batgirl, Alan Moore stated: "I asked DC if they had any problem with me crippling Barbara Gordon — who was Batgirl at the time — and if I remember, I spoke to Len Wein, who was our editor on the project ... [He] said, 'Yeah, okay, cripple the bitch.' It was probably one of the areas where they should've reined me in, but they didn't." (Moore). Moore has been considered one of the best comic writers to ever live but the endeavor Batgirl received is noted as the most ridiculous and disgusting things to ever touch the page of a comic book.

Through each book, it felt as if something was missing when it came to the Batman books but with the birth of Oracle came a diverse character that represented not only the community of female comic readers but also readers who are paralyzed. Batgirl was back and as Oracle who served as Batman’s sidekick through technology. The character was different from the beginning. Being bound to the wheelchair took away her identity as the athletic, strong, Batgirl everyone loved. Barbra as a woman survived rape, and being shot. She has this strength and will to live with this passion to stop crime. As a now paralyzed woman, she represents a symbol of hope for all disabled women. Even after she fights crime from her chair she is still a woman who has a love life, a career, and an academic life she lives day to day. It has a dual standard that even though she is paralyzed she be a hero that can assist Batman in fighting crime and preventing another woman being attacked like she as.

As the character has progressed through the years there has been no need to give back Batgirl’s legs. She has identified as this disabled heroine and for the comic community she has been a symbol for girls in wheelchairs and that they can be heroes despite their disabilities. In more recent years Gail Simone, writer for Batgirl, has taken away the disability and has made Oracle a brand-new Batgirl. “She's been removed from the action and danger for a long time. With this relaunch, she is still very much Barbara but she can reclaim part of her history and legacy with modern stories.” (Simone) The author took away the symbolic nature that Oracle had but for a good reason. She feels as if Batgirl can represent as an idol for young women going through young adulthood. Diversity is working in this character because she represents more than just one ideal to her. As a woman, she has represented as a hero, a victim, and a normal civilian. She is diverse with every form she has taken and has represented numerous symbols in the comic community. Much like the African-American and disabled hero, Cyborg.

Cyborg is one of DC Comics most valued characters. He is a character who is both African American and disabled. Cyborg faces something unique that most characters in comics do not have to deal with. As an African American, Cyborg has been set aside and used a supportive character in Teen Titans where he made his debut. The character was the shadow of the boy-wonder, Robin. As time, progressed Cyborg represents two diverse groups living in America. Readers can view Cyborg as a man with more technology than an actual body but he is his own individual that focuses on his human qualities rather than letting his disabilities take over his life. In Justice League: War, the character claims that the strongest part of him is his spirit that soars beyond mindless drones.

As an African American, Cyborg represents a “rising star” scenario, according to author John Semper. John semper is a screenwriter originally but when approached with Cyborg the writer took it upon himself to make Cyborg his own hero and gave the hero is very first solo book. In the DC event “Rebirth” Cyborg is approached as a founding member of the Justice League and a black man living in Detroit in such a sensitive time. Semper gives a great amount of detail in his interview with the comic culture outlet Newsarama. When asked about the setting for Cyborg semper stated: “He faces his greatest danger, which is being a black man living in Detroit. Justice League was once set in Detroit, he’s working out of S.T.A.R. Labs in Detroit, but no one has ever made the city a part of the saga. Detroit is a unique city; it’s got a wonderful history, it’s got music, it’s got all kind of great things. It’s got a large black population, and here we’re telling the story of a black man in Detroit. It’s also a city that’s in a great deal of distress, so there will be a lot of stories that will emanate from that. And in a way, Detroit will be a part of Cyborg’s identity, like Batman in Gotham, and Superman in Metropolis. We’re gonna make Cyborg a big part of Detroit.”

Cyborg is essentially diverse. The character has been taken out of the Teen Titans environment and has shifted into a character facing real world issues that black communities are dealing with. He stands for so much more than a cybernetic man, he is a symbol for the African American community and gives a visual to readers to see what not only he goes through as a character but what that community goes through in this society. Cyborg teaches important lessons and morals that embolden individuals to defy setbacks and preoccupations of what other people think about them. This moral code Cyborg has is crucial and as diversity spreads through the DC universe, readers see how it is working and how diversity is being applied through each unique individual superhero. Much like Blue Beetle who stands as a diverse Latino superhero.

When looking back in the literature, comics have lacked when it comes to the Latino community. Latinos have had a minimal presence in the world of comics and the cultural aspect has not been included inside the books. Blue Beetle is a character that was originally white and was taken as a character that was simply not interesting. Due to the unpopularity of the character, DC scrapped the hero from their content and this left an opening that would be filled in the 21st century. Jaime Reyes is a Latino character that has been given the mantle of Blue Beetle. He has become this consistent figure for the Latino community in mainstream comics. In the DC event “Rebirth” the character has been developed as a character that embodies hope for the Latino community and gives a presence that comic books have not seen before. Jaime is presented towards a younger audience as a Hispanic teenager going through real teenage issues but he also faces racial situations.

In more current issues Jaime must deal with classmates harassing him about the “Wall” that our President elect has talked about. Jaime as a student and teenager looks at this situation differently. He is an American that has lived in the country his whole life and questions why since he is a different ethnicity that he should be treated this way. On the hero side of things, the character sees the environment as hazardous and he wants to purify the racial tension that the country is in. Jaime’s suit, the Scarab also serves as a character since it tries to take over Jaime’s body and mind to take over the world but the suit malfunctions and cannot fully take over Jaime’s self but the Scarab tries to persuade Jaime to get rid of racism from the earth but Jaime replies to him in issue 8 that racism is something taught and humans must teach themselves how to unlearn this trait and he is unable to stop the unnecessary evil.

Tony Bedard is the creator of Jaime Reyes. As you’ve probably gathered by now, Jaime’s going to define himself on his own terms, not live in the shadow of yesterday’s characters. According to Tony Bedard DC Comics suffered from an overabundance of “legacy characters” who were the third of fourth or fifth to take on the mantle of the Flash, or Robin, or whoever. “It got so you couldn’t tell a new reader who someone was without diagramming it on a family tree!” (Bedard) The creator and DC have also done something unique. Besides showing what that certain community is going through they wanted to also celebrate the Latino community by making Jaime bilingual. Since the approval Blue Beetle has been published and distributed in Spanish in America and serves as a diverse book for both non-speakers and speakers of Spanish.

DC comics has made their characters diverse and has impacted readers and their characters in a big way. DC has also successfully created a diverse atmosphere with their all-star heroes like Batman, and The Green Lantern Corps. DC in the 21st century has made sure that each character is represented in some form of diversity whether that diversity be culturally or significantly presented. As DC has grown with their books the range of audiences has expanded and this let's DC grow more as a business, and as a company that wants its readers to each have a hero they can all relate to.

Green Lantern Corps is a book that gives diversity a universal tone to it. The corps is a team that was originally started with Hal Jordan, a straight white male, Hal was not the first Green Lantern but as time progressed he became the poster boy of the corps. The corps has expanded and is made up of characters that represent every aspect of life living in America. Diversity is more of a theme in this series. Each Green Lantern represents a group (gay, straight, disabled, etc.) in our everyday world. This is a crucial point for comics and literature because it takes diversity and does not just focus on one certain group but it focuses on the individual and represents a growth in the diverse community which gives readers the theme that anyone no matter what they identify as is still a person and that person can be a hero.

Alan Scott, the first Green Lantern has come out as a gay character, John Stewart is the first African American to put on the green ring, and since this is a book that uniquely sets itself in the universe (literally) the range of characters that obtain this Green Lantern persona is unlimited. All walks of life grounded on earth, or somewhere on another planet can be a Green Lantern. The point of this is showing the theme of diversity working. The ring that each Green Lantern wears for power chooses his owner based on who they are as a person, not what they are. The color of skin does not matter, racism is not found, and no disabilities will stop them from being a hero. The crucial part of this is stating that diversity is here but the only color that matters is green and with that power comes the honorable deeds each Lantern produces. Coming back down to Earth, DC has expanded their own poster boy hero by making him not just an American icon but a cultural icon.

Culturally the comic book powerhouse has expanded its most popular hero, Batman. The caped-crusader has stepped out of Gotham City and Bruce Wayne gives his iconic persona of Batman to the entire world. In the iconic and powerful story arc Batman: Incorporated, Bruce Wayne has established his alternate identity in every country and region of the Earth. The theme of this book is giving a Batman for everyone. The importance of this is to give each culture someone to protect them. Each Batman is unique in style with each country and region having thrown in some aspect of that culture. Batman in England has the look of a knight, Japan has a samurai Batman, and Native American culture has its own Batman. This Batman for “everyone” idea has created a unified diverse form of literature that gives Batman this identifiable aspect that is applied throughout the world. The creator of this series, Grant Morrison explained his inspiration for the story arc and gave vital information on how he made each Batman a unique cultural hero in an interview.

When asked how do you take an American icon and apply the character to every country the writer discussed how crucial and important it was to take what Batman represents here in America and apply him inside every country. “By taking his entire publishing history as the story of his life, I was able to approach Batman from a different angle and the multifaceted character that was revealed became the subject of my story. What would such a man be like, realistically? This was a man who had saved countless lives, faced innumerable perils, and even prevented the destruction of the world itself. This was a master of martial arts, meditation, deduction, yoga and big business. This was a man who had tamed and mastered his demons and turned personal tragedy into a relentless humanitarian crusade.” (Morrison) The humanitarian element is something readers seem to get the most of from Batman. Through the loss of his parents the power to do what is right lead him to rise and become the Batman, that humanitarian aspect seemed to be shown through just the eyes of a rich white American male living and fighting in Gotham City. “The idea of this book was to spread diversity with just one hero. The main theme of the series is to take this symbolic meaning Batman upholds and apply it on a global scale, we are literally taking the bat symbol from Gotham City and putting it in each country.” (Morrison) By taking that character’s symbol, Grant Morrison could apply that humanitarian trait and gave readers a pair of eyes to look through in each unique Batman throughout the world. The effect of this series has spread throughout the entire world and Morrison created a new type of Batman, a Batman for everyone.

As a writer, Grant Morrison takes his personal life and applies it to his Batman. “I’ve just come from an alternative background, I guess, and I wanted to represent that in the books.” says Morrison. “For me, people like this are my friends. I played in a band when I was younger and I spent a lot of time in clubs. I also liked to dance and I spent a lot of time in gay clubs. So, when I write stories I want reflect what my friends are like, as well as the people I’ve met by trying to reflect the world we live in suddenly the books were filled with characters that were slightly different from the norm.” (Morrison) Using his platform with DC, the writer took his own personal accounts with the real world and applied them in his work. He utilizes his everyday life and experience in his work so his readers can see their own life reflect in it. That personal ground that Morrison is stepping on is a step forward to breaking down the walls of diversity.

As Batman has spread internationally the hero has also come to face real political issues that are happening in America right now. In issue 44 of the New 52 arc, Scott Snyder has made a story that shows how Batman is faced with racism and the hero must figure out how to cope with knowing a police officer has shot an innocent African American teenager. This issue showed a great deal of controversy and has received negative reviews stating that distributing diversity in this negative way has put the light off what Grant Morrison has distributed with his diverse Batman. Each writer has their own take on Batman but with Snyder he defends his choice to write a story based around what African American society is dealing with in our country and how Batman can be used as a symbol for the police brutality to stop.

The issue is pointed to the African American community to show them that Batman is a hero for everyone and this teenage boy being shot represents the society that they are living in. As this story opens the first panel shows the teenage boy dying in a hoodie. According to Snyder this is a direct correlation to the Trayvon Martin case. Snyder addresses why DC decided to go with this theme for the issue. “If we were going to do an issue that dealt with potent problems that people face in cities that are reflected fictitiously in Gotham, then we want to really put our money where our mouth was and explore something that’s extremely resonant right now, and, I think, tricky, murky waters.” (Snyder) The idea is to take Batman and show that he is not picky when it comes to saving people. His symbol is to put fear inside the hearts of criminals but hope inside the heart of civilians. Batman is challenged with this task to catch and charge the police officer with manslaughter. Batman must realize that he does not know who the “good” guys are anymore. “Of course, you want Batman to beat this officer up, and be like, ‘How could you?’ But the point of the issue is that wouldn’t solve the problem. Batman throwing the officer off a roof, or throwing the officer in jail, it wouldn’t get to the heart of the matter at all. And that’s the thing I think is ultimately infuriating,” (Snyder) This issue leaves it open to the reader as to what Batman does. The closing panel is him looking out onto his city wondering why and how did it get to this point of violence. This challenges Batman but as DC grows more diverse the extension of Batman as a character starts to make a move within the continues development of the Character.

In Tim Beedle’s article DC Grows More Diverse the author informs readers what diversity is, “Diversity isn’t just adding characters of different races, cultures, genders and sexualities to the DC Universe, it’s also telling stories that will appeal to different kinds of people.” (Beedle) Diversity is crucial and representing each unique person on the planet seems to be impossible. For DC, it is more of a challenge to make diversity work for every individual. The company has made reinvented characters to have a symbolic characteristic to them so that character can be applied to that person. Much like Supergirl being for young girls, and Blue Beetle being for Latino teenagers.

With expanding their characters and ensuring that diversity be a major play inside titles like Batman and Green Lantern Corps the company has also taken a step towards you with diversity. Yes, you. DC has come out with a series that is focused on diversity that is best described by Tim Beedle as a chance to grow more as a company. DC You is a series that promises a story for every kind of DC fan. The fans are in control of these stories and that is where the “you” comes into play. How does a reader know what book to read? The beauty of these stories are no matter what or where you are the reader gets to see their hero in a more diverse light. For example, readers are given different and diverse identities of the DC roster. The roster consists of the “Super Friend” line up and a book titled “We Are Robin” which takes 75 years of Robin and replaces it with you. “You” represents the idea that each character does something and opens to their support of diversity.

DC You takes the We Are Robin title and puts American teens inside of the world of robin as the group becomes Robin. This group is consisted of a variety of different ethnic groups and essentially sets aside the problems of America. Wonder Woman is introduced to be accepting of the homosexual community and even marries a gay couple, Batman gives up his persona and allows a police officer take over, and Superman is seen giving up his identity to protect an Asian civilian. DC You is showing diversity grow through the roster and the mission is to make you feel comfortable about who you are because your heroes accept you as you are. DC recognizes all the differences America has when it comes to culture, sexual identity, racial issues, and political issues and establishes them inside their comics. This introduces a wider range of readers and produces a fan base that is as diverse as it gets.

As diversity is shaped in DC comics the fans are equally as excited as the company. Comic Conventions are booming with fans of DC comics and the range of diverse characters are displayed and represented a great amount at these conventions. On the comic book fan forum, Comic Book Resources fans come together to praise how DC has changed so much over the years. Being a company that was known to have a slow start with diversity, the books have outgrown the “white hero” stereotype. What matters most to DC is the fans and the people who buy these comic books. As DC begins to relaunch new titles the company has established a crowd of monthly comic book subscribers and has even lowered their comic prices so that everyone can be able to pick up the books and experience the stories. Even though sales go up, DC still goes after what the fans want and establish a price point for the fans.

Sales for DC increased dramatically when the company launched Rebirth a new line of books that has given heroes a new ground for stories and essentially give more diversity for the readers. The books establish political and diverse tones and with the price point of $2.99 it gives readers a chance to afford each story of their favorite hero. According to Abraham Reisam, a writer for Vulture, the relaunch Rebirth has established a satisfying amount of sales for the company. “It sold like crazy, becoming the most-ordered comic in the month of its release — it moved an estimated 235,791 copies, while Marvel’s top comic only racked up 177,283. From July to September, DC beat Marvel in market share. What’s more, reviews were near-unanimous in their tone of surprised admiration.” (Reisam) As the sales grow DC can produce more books giving more jobs to a younger age of writers and give a diverse writing staff to ensure that DC stays diverse and gives the fans what they want.

As the shaping of diversity has been more efficient than years past, the company still has other sources besides comic books to maintain. Diversity in other forms of the comics are just as important as the forms of it inside the books. Movies and Television are crucial for the representation for the heroes of DC to keep going. It is another form of literature and the theme of diversity need to be kept up with inside the media forms of these superheroes. With the release of the first female lead blockbuster Wonder Woman in June 2017 shows the issue with diversity in Hollywood with superheroes. The Superhero Diversity Problem sheds light on what Wonder Woman means to the feminist community of comic book lovers, “While this news is exciting for feminists, comic book fans, and moviegoers, this movie announcement should illuminate the broader problem of diversity representation in superhero movies” (Aucoin)

Comic books as a movie going experience should implement the same characteristics and quality that the writers and creators of the books have created for the fans. The media side of superheroes struggles diverse wise because the creativity and development isn’t as long as it is on a page. Having Wonder Woman in a blockbuster film is a positive step towards the right direction for diversity in Hollywood hero films but it is shown that the film side of comics is far behind compared to the pages of the books. Within this concept of film the problem of diversity is still present. We need the representations that comics have shown to appear on the big screen because the film industry produces more viewership than readership of comics. Demonstrating diversity with heroes on the big screen establishes more awareness and shows the viewers of comic book films the attributes that the heroes possess from the books.

Comic Books influence individuals. It is a form of American literature that has spread beyond borders, and has impacted millions of people in numerous ways. Going through a comic convention and seeing people smile in their favorite superhero costume, or seeing a kid in the hospital reading a comic, these comics represent a symbolic nature that impacts individuals to new heights. These heroes represent hope, individuality, and love to the readers. As time goes forward and society is in this constant state of change the heroes of DC comics are in a continuous evolution and they can change the way they represent individuals.

Superheroes matter in literature. They can be seen, they can reflect the political environment that America goes through. By setting these characters in real world America gives the hero a unique characteristic. The characteristics of a hero are found to be more real even though the character is shown as fiction. But they are real, each hero can be found in a comic book reader. DC has established a business that is for the fans and the company finds itself in a growing state where they are reaching more than one ethnic group. As Julianna Aucoin stated that diversity was an issue for comics but with this new diversity inspired company, DC has done more than enough in creating diversity in their books and they continue to do this with each comic.

A cultural form of creativity that brings people from all walks of life has brought a creative nature unique to the comic community. DC comics has established this form of diversity that is relevant and important in literature. It separates itself from other forms of literature because of the characters it possesses and the issues those characters face. These heroes have gained an importance and over time have established this constant support for all of humanity. DC has made their heroes for everyone. This shaping of diversity has created an environment that has given individuals something to read and a hero to look up to.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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man in black long sleeve shirt and black pants walking on white concrete pathway

I was asked so many times why I wanted to go to a small school when a big university is so much better. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure a big university is great but I absolutely love going to a small school. I know that I miss out on big sporting events and having people actually know where it is. I can't even count how many times I've been asked where it is and I know they won't know so I just say "somewhere in the middle of Wisconsin." But, I get to know most people at my school and I know my professors very well. Not to mention, being able to walk to the other side of campus in 5 minutes at a casual walking pace. I am so happy I made the decision to go to school where I did. I love my school and these are just a few reasons why.

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