The Artist in American History
Race, Classic Comics Books, and Why WWII is No Excuse
In this discussion, I consider the argument which dismisses racism in classic comics. Â Racism in the Golden Age of comic books was rooted in ideas which predated the Civil War which de-humanised both African-Americans and Asian-Americans. Â The Golden Age of comic books may have started in the context of World War II, but the racial caricatures present in the genre linked to much older traditions. Â We should also remember that public art could be a means to challenge broad stereotypes and the presence of such obvious racial coding in early comics demonstrates something about the character of that particular medium.