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Pearl Harbor changed the national mood

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war became the culture of America

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war united the population

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super heroes mirrored this culture

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fought the foe

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endorsed readers to

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support the Red Cross

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buy war bonds

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super heroes had to have super villains

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villains changed after Pearl Harbor took place

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Germans and Japanese were portrayed as sub-human, very negative

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Look Magazine commissioned Siegel and Shuster

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creators of Superman

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what if Superman got into World War II

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within a few pages he not only picked up Hitler but Stalin also

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and brought them to justice in Geneva, Switzerland

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comic books and heroes in WWII

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there were strong racial stereotypes and racial prejudices incorporated into comic books

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for better or worse reflecting the mood the public

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many comic books were filled with wartime propaganda

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and exaggerated, untrue, and unfair stereotyped perceptions of people

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DC Comics: America At War

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heroes that had adventures based in and around World War II

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Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, creators of Captain America

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Boy Commandos

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boys that successfully fought the Nazis

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1943: Special Invasion Issue

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Blackhawk

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a Polish resistance fighter

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Hop Harrigan

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premiered in All-American comics

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superhero of the air

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Superman story from daily newspaper

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if Superman went into the army, he would simply mop up the Germans and take care of Imperial Japan in the wink of an eye

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they didn't want to detract from our real superheroes: the U.S. service men

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but readers wanted to know why Superman was not on the front

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Clark Kent can't wait to get into the U.S. Army

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he goes to his physical and has to read the eye chart

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uses his x-ray vision and ends up reading the chart in the next room

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he fails his eye exam and is out of the service, fated to spend the rest of the days of World War II as Clark Kent the reporter and as Superman fighting saboteurs and fifth columnist spies who are imperiling America on its own shores

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some covers showed that he was trying to be active in WWII

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more in the position to cheer on the military than shown fighting

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superman products

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1942 hard back book

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capturing in midair an artillery shell

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Batman parachuting into enemy territory

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from Fawcett Comics

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Spy Smasher

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Minute Man

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Bullet Man

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Mr. Scarlett

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getting ready to he

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comic book companies were working in cooperation with the government

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label: "be an American"

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putting on ads which encouraged citizens to buy war bonds

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special editions for the U.S. Navy

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congratulating service men

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Superman, Robin, Batman shown selling bonds and stamps with a banner, "Sink the Japanazis with Bonds and Stamps"

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World's Finest Comics

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showed superheros attacking Hitler, Tojo, and Mussolini directly

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More Fun Comics

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"attack the Japs"

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Pep comics

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The Shield

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the first patriotic super hero

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March 1941

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Captain America

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months before Pearl Harbor

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slugging Adolf Hitler

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one of the biggest successes of all comic book war heroes

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All-Star Comics Number 8

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Wonder Woman

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1945 VE Day and VJ Day marked the end of the war for America