Politically Correct Crime Fighters

[Drusilla1S]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/5030518.stm

I love this story because I can imagine the outrage provoked in some circles at the 'political correctness' of it all.

On a slightly more serious note, who was the first super hero crime fighter?

[WaldoMcFroog]

Rather boringly, the first one to actually get called a 'superhero' was Superman in the 1930s.

[jno]

nonetheless, comic book heroes with more-than-natural powers preceded Superman: Lee Falk's Mandrake the Magician and the Phantom, for instance. The Phantom's fancy outfit looks as if it influenced Superman's. A bit about him here: http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Lair/9423/

[Drusilla1S]

The phantom looks like something from an S&M club, jno. I'm surprised he wasn't called The Gimp.

[jno]

well, you wouldn't want to call him that to his face Drusilla. And since his face is so totally hidden by that mask, you'd never know when you were talking to him, would you? Probably the only giveaway would be if he was still wearing nipple clamps. So in normal situations you would just address him as 'O Ghost Who Walks'.

[maxximus]

looks like the shadow was fighting crime just a few years earlier than the phantom. http://www.spaceports.com/~deshadow/

[jno]

true. He was on radio and in magazines initially; he didn't make the comics until 1938 (but then Drusilla's Q doesn't specify comics, I now see). The_Shadow

[Drusilla1S]

I've never really been interested in fantasy figures like the Shadow and Phantom before? Does anyone know why the interest in such characters developed at any particular time in history? Were they a metaphor for political change, fear of crime, or was the interest merely a development that made use of new printing techniques?

[johnlambert]

Wasnt the Phantom a flan flinger on tiswas?

[jno]

oh bum... my long post vanished. In brief, it said: Depression... escapism (like Astaire & Rogers or Shirley Temple movies)... post Prohibition crime wave... so maybe notion of fantasy crimebusters caught the spirit of the age

[Drusilla1S]

I'm glad I'm not the only one having trouble posting anything over two sentences, jno.

[Drusilla1S]

Gosh, John Lambert! You've taken me back to my childhood. I'd forgotten all about the Phantom Flan Flinger. Happy memories!! Tee Hee!

[sp1814]

Hang on - aren't all superheroes gay? I mean, look at Batman. He lives with a young male friend, drives a fantastic car, lives in a beautifully appointed mansion and only ever goes out at night...in tight rubber.

Actually, I have a nasty feeling I might've met Batman and Robin last weekend.

[johnlambert]

I cant remember meeting you last weekend sp1814, can you remember himWard- Minter old boy?

[stevie21]

I hope they're not having Asian superheroes etc. just for the sake of it - so that they're not accused of racism.

"We're bringing out a new hero. Mmmm, we'll have to make sure he/she isn't white though! Don't want the PC mob onto us"

If they're just trying to increase sales and appeal to another market then fair enough.

mini-rant over.