Editing Comic book (section)

==American comic books==
{{main|American comic book}}
Comics as a print medium have existed in the United States since the printing of ''[[Histoire de Mr. Vieux Bois|The Adventures of Mr. Obadiah Oldbuck]]'' in 1842 in [[hardcover]],<ref>[http://www.dartmouth.edu/~library/digital/collections/books/ocn259708589/ocn259708589.html ''The Adventures of M. Obadiah Oldbuck''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150211005542/http://www.dartmouth.edu/~library/digital/collections/books/ocn259708589/ocn259708589.html |date=11 February 2015 }} at the [[Dartmouth College]] library</ref> making it the first known American prototype comic book. Proto-comics periodicals began appearing early in the 20th century, with the first comic standard-sized comic being ''[[Funnies on Parade]]''. ''Funnies on Parades'' was the first book that established the size, duration, and format of the modern comic book. Following this was, [[Dell Publishing]]'s 36-page ''[[Famous Funnies: A Carnival of Comics]]'' as the first true newsstand American comic book; Goulart, for example, calls it "the cornerstone for one of the most lucrative branches of magazine publishing".<ref name="ron">{{cite book | author-link=Ron Goulart | last=Goulart | first=Ron | title=Comic Book Encyclopedia | publisher=[[HarperCollins|Harper Entertainment]] | location=New York | year=2004 | isbn=978-0060538163 |url=https://archive.org/details/comicbookencyclo00goul }}</ref> In 1905 G.W. Dillingham Company published 24 select strips by the cartoonist [[Gustave Verbeek]] in an anthology book called 'The Incredible Upside-Downs of Little Lady Lovekins and Old Man Muffaroo'.<ref>[https://www.muppetlabs.com/~breadbox/books/verbeek.html ''Gustave Verbeek, Little Lady Lovekins, and Old Man Muffaroo''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190118174707/https://www.muppetlabs.com/~breadbox/books/verbeek.html |date=18 January 2019 }}</ref> The introduction of [[Jerry Siegel]] and [[Joe Shuster]]'s [[Superman]] in 1938 turned comic books into a major industry<ref>{{cite book | last=Goulart | first=Ron | author-link=Ron Goulart | title=Comic Book Culture: An Illustrated History | date= 2000 | publisher=Collectors Press | page=43 | isbn=978-1-888054-38-5}}</ref> and ushered in the [[Golden Age of Comic Books]]. The Golden Age originated the [[archetype]] of the [[superhero]]. According to historian [[Michael A. Amundson]], appealing comic-book characters helped ease young readers' fear of nuclear war and neutralize anxiety about the questions posed by atomic power.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Zeman|first1=Scott C.|last2=Amundson|first2=Michael A.|title=Atomic Culture: How We Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb|url=https://archive.org/details/automiccultureho00scot|url-access=registration|date=2004|publisher=University Press of Colorado|location=Boulder, Colorado|isbn=9780870817632|page=[https://archive.org/details/automiccultureho00scot/page/11 11]}}</ref>

Historians generally divide the timeline of the American comic book into eras. The [[Golden Age of Comic Books]] began in 1938, with the debut of Superman in Action Comics #1, published by Detective Comics (predecessor of DC Comics), which is generally considered the beginning of the modern comic book as it is known today.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/feature/the-golden-age-of-comics/ | title = The Golden Age of Comics | work = History Detectives: Special Investigations | publisher = [[PBS]] | access-date = 18 February 2015 | quote = The precise era of the Golden Age is disputed, though most agree that it was born with the launch of Superman in 1938. | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170905025350/http://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/feature/the-golden-age-of-comics/ | archive-date = 5 September 2017 | url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Silver Age of Comic Books]] is generally considered to date from the first successful revival of the then-dormant superhero form, with the debut of the [[Flash (DC Comics character)|Flash]] in ''[[Showcase (comics)|Showcase]]'' #4 (Oct. 1956).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=10649 | title=DC Flashback: The Flash | access-date=27 June 2008 | last=CBR News Team | date=2 July 2007 | website=[[Comic Book Resources]] | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121007032240/http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=10649 | archive-date=7 October 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.silverbulletcomics.com/news/story.php?a=5706 | title=Breaking the Border – Rants and Ramblings | access-date=5 January 2010 | last=Zicari | first=Anthony | date=3 August 2007 | publisher=[[Comics Bulletin]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070826092448/http://www.silverbulletcomics.com/news/story.php?a=5706 |archive-date = 26 August 2007}}</ref> The Silver Age lasted through the late 1960s or early 1970s, during which time [[Marvel Comics]] revolutionized the medium with such [[naturalism (literature)|naturalistic]] superheroes as [[Stan Lee]] and [[Jack Kirby]]'s [[Fantastic Four]] and Lee and [[Steve Ditko]]'s [[Spider-Man]]. The demarcation between the Silver Age and the following era, the [[Bronze Age of Comic Books]], is less well-defined, with the Bronze Age running from the very early 1970s through the mid-1980s.<ref name=libraries>{{cite book |title=Comic Book Collections for Libraries |publisher=Libraries Unlimited |first1=Bryan D. |last1=Fagan |first2=Jody Condit |last2=Condit |isbn=978-1598845112 |year=2011 |page=38}}</ref> The [[Modern Age of Comic Books]] runs from the mid-1980s to the present day.<ref>{{cite book |title=Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide |year=2008 |volume=38 |page=1028 |chapter=Glossary |title-link=Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide}}</ref>

A significant event in the timeline of American comic books occurred when psychiatrist [[Fredric Wertham]] voiced his criticisms of the medium through his book ''Seduction of the Innocent'' (1954). This critique led to the involvement of the American [[Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency]], which launched an investigation into comic books. Wertham argued that comic books were accountable for a surge in juvenile delinquency and posed a potential impact on a child's sexuality and moral values.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Seduction of the Innocent|last=Wertham|first=Fredric|publisher=Rinehart and Company, Inc.|year=1954}}</ref> In response to attention from the government and from the media, the US comic book industry set up the Comics Magazine Association of America.<ref name="Reference A">{{cite journal|last1=Brown|first1=Jeffrey|title=Comic Book Fandom and Cultural Capital|journal=Journal of Popular Culture|date=1997|volume=30|issue=4|pages=13–31|doi=10.1111/j.0022-3840.1997.3004_13.x}}</ref> The CMAA instilled the [[Comics Code Authority]] in 1954 and drafted the self-censorship Comics Code that year, which required all comic books to go through a process of approval. It was not until the 1970s that comic books could be published without passing through the inspection of the CMAA.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=Comic book fandom and cultural capital |last=Brown |first=Jeffrey |date=1997 |journal=Journal of Popular Culture |doi=10.1111/j.0022-3840.1997.3004_13.x |issn=0022-3840 |volume=30 |issue=4 |pages=13–31}}</ref> The Code was made formally defunct in November 2011.

=== Underground comic books ===
{{Main|Underground comix}}

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, a surge of creativity emerged in what became known as [[underground comix]]. Published and distributed independently of the established comics industry, most of such comics reflected the youth [[counterculture]] and [[drug culture]] of the time. Underground comix "reflected and commented on the social divisions and tensions of American society".{{attribution needed|date=June 2019}}<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|title=Introducing Comics and Ideology|journal=Comics and Ideology}}</ref> Many had an uninhibited, often irreverent style; their frank depictions of nudity, sex, profanity, and politics had no parallel outside their precursors, the pornographic and even more obscure "[[Tijuana bibles]]". Underground comics were almost never sold at newsstands, but rather in such youth-oriented outlets as [[head shop]]s and record stores, as well as by [[mail order]]. The underground comics encouraged creators to publish their work independently so that they would have full ownership rights to their characters.<ref name=":0" />

[[Frank Stack]]'s ''The Adventures of Jesus'', published under the name Foolbert Sturgeon,<ref name="Shelton">{{Cite book | last1=Stack | first1=Frank | author-link1=Frank Stack | last2=Shelton | first2=Gilbert | author-link2=Gilbert Shelton | title=The New Adventures of Jesus | date=25 December 2006 | publisher=[[Fantagraphics Books]] | page=[https://archive.org/details/newadventuresofj00fran/page/9 9] | chapter=Introduction | isbn=978-1-56097-780-3 | chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/newadventuresofj00fran/page/9 }}</ref><ref name="Skinn-34"/> has been credited as the first underground comix;<ref name="Shelton"/><ref name="Skinn-34">{{Cite book | last=Skinn | first=Dez | author-link=Dez Skinn | title=Comix: The Underground Revolution | date=20 May 2004 | publisher=[[Thunder's Mouth Press]] | page=34 | chapter=Heroes of the Revolution | isbn=978-1-56025-572-7}}</ref> while [[R. Crumb]] and the crew of cartoonists who worked on ''[[Zap Comix]]'' popularized the form.

===Alternative comics===
{{main|Alternative comics}}

The rise of comic book [[specialty store]]s in the late 1970s created and paralleled a dedicated market for "independent" or "[[alternative comics]]" in the US. The first such comics included the anthology series ''[[Star Reach]]'', published by comic book writer [[Mike Friedrich]] from 1974 to 1979, and [[Harvey Pekar]]'s ''[[American Splendor]]'', which continued sporadic publication into the 21st century and which [[Shari Springer Berman]] and [[Robert Pulcini]] adapted into a [[American Splendor (film)|2003 film]]. Some independent comics continued in the tradition of underground comics. While their content generally remained less explicit, others resembled the output of mainstream publishers in format and genre but were published by smaller artist-owned companies or by single artists. A few (notably ''[[Raw (comics magazine)|RAW]]'') represented experimental attempts to bring comics closer to the status of [[fine art]].

During the 1970s the "[[small press]]" culture grew and diversified. By the 1980s, several independent publishers – such as [[Pacific Comics|Pacific]], [[Eclipse Comics|Eclipse]], [[First Comics|First]], [[Comico: The Comic Company|Comico]], and [[Fantagraphics]] – had started releasing a wide range of styles and formats—from color-superhero, [[detective]], and science-fiction comic books to black-and-white magazine-format stories of [[Latin American]] [[magical realism]].

A number of small publishers in the 1990s, changed the format and distribution of their comics to more closely resemble non-comics publishing. The "[[minicomic]]s" form, an extremely informal version of [[self-publishing]], arose in the 1980s and became increasingly popular among artists in the 1990s,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~sap/decal/americancomics|title=americancomics|website=www.ocf.berkeley.edu|access-date=2017-01-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202055024/https://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~sap/decal/americancomics|archive-date=2 February 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> despite reaching an even more limited audience than the small press.

Small publishers regularly releasing titles include [[Avatar Press]], [[Hyperwerks]], Raytoons, and [[Terminal Press]], buoyed by such advances in printing technology as digital [[print on demand|print-on-demand]].

===Graphic novels===
[[File:The_Junior_Disease_Detectives_-_Operation_Outbreak.pdf|thumb|The [[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]] published this instructional graphic novel in 2018 to teach youth to stop spreading infectious diseases.]]
{{Main|Graphic novel}}
In 1964, Richard Kyle coined the term "[[graphic novel]]".<ref>{{Cite web|title=In 1964, Richard Kyle Coined The Term Graphic Novel {{!}} Global Book Writers|url=https://globalbookwriters.co.uk/blog/graphic-novel|url-status=live|access-date=2021-07-07|website=@globalbookwriters|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210810223703/https://globalbookwriters.co.uk/blog/graphic-novel |archive-date=10 August 2021 }}</ref>

Precursors of the form existed by the 1920s, which saw a revival of the [[medieval]] [[woodcut]] tradition by Belgian [[Frans Masereel]],<ref>Sabin, Roger. ''Adult Comics: An Introduction''(Routledge New Accents Library Collection, 2005), p. 291 {{ISBN|978-0-415-29139-2}}, {{ISBN|978-0-415-29139-2}}</ref> American [[Lynd Ward]] and others, including Stan Lee.

In 1947, [[Fawcett Publications]] published "Comics Novel No. 1", as the first in an intended series of these "comics novels". The story in the first issue was "Anarcho, Dictator of Death", a five chapter spy genre tale written by [[Otto Binder]] and drawn by Al Carreno. It is readable online in the [[Digital Comic Museum]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Digital Comic Museum - Comics Novel 001 (1 fiche)-c2c |url=https://digitalcomicmuseum.com/index.php?dlid=8272 |website=Digital Comic Museum - Free Public Domain Books |language=en}}</ref> The magazine never reached a second issue.

In 1950, [[St. John Publications]] produced the [[digest-sized]], adult-oriented "picture novel" ''[[It Rhymes with Lust]]'', a 128-page digest by [[pseudonym]]ous writer "Drake Waller" ([[Arnold Drake]] and [[Leslie Waller]]), penciler [[Matt Baker (artist)|Matt Baker]] and inker [[Ray Osrin]], touted as "an original full-length novel" on its cover. "It Rhymes with Lust" is also available to read online in the Digital Comic Museum.<ref>{{cite web |title=Digital Comic Museum - It Rhymes With Lust GN [original](Matt Baker) |url=https://digitalcomicmuseum.com/index.php?dlid=27911 |website=Digital Comic Museum - Free Public Domain Books |language=en}}</ref>

In 1971, writer-artist [[Gil Kane]] and collaborators applied a paperback format to their "comics novel" ''[[Blackmark]]''. [[Will Eisner]] popularized the term "graphic novel" when he used it on the cover of the paperback edition of his work ''[[A Contract with God|A Contract with God, and Other Tenement Stories]]'' in 1978 and, subsequently, the usage of the term began to increase.

===Digital comics===
{{See also|Digital comic}}

===Market size===
In 2017, the comic book market size for North America was just over $1&nbsp;billion with digital sales being flat, book stores having a 1% decline, and comic book stores having a 10% decline over 2016.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.comichron.com/yearlycomicssales/industrywide/2017-industrywide.html |title=Comics and graphic novel sales down 6.5% in 2017 |work=Comichron |date=2018-07-13 |access-date=2018-07-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180716223818/http://www.comichron.com/yearlycomicssales/industrywide/2017-industrywide.html |archive-date=16 July 2018 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The global comic book market saw a substantial 12% growth in 2020, reaching a total worth of US$8.49&nbsp;billion. This positive trajectory continued in 2021, with the market's annual valuation surging to US$9.21&nbsp;billion. The rising popularity of comic books can be attributed to heightened global interest, driven significantly by collaborative efforts among diverse brands. These collaborations are geared towards producing more engaging and appealing comic content, contributing to the industry's continued growth.<ref>{{Cite press release |author=<!-- not stated --> |date=2022-01-27 |title=Comic Book Market Expected to Reach USD 12.81 billion by 2028 {{!}} Comic Book Industry Share, Business Statistics, Latest Trends, and Analysis by Fortune Business Insights™ |url=https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2022/01/27/2374079/0/en/Comic-Book-Market-Expected-to-Reach-USD-12-81-billion-by-2028-Comic-Book-Industry-Share-Business-Statistics-Latest-Trends-and-Analysis-by-Fortune-Business-Insights.html |access-date=2022-03-03 |publisher=Fortune Business Insights |via=GlobeNewswire News Room |language=en}}</ref>

===Comic book collecting===
{{Main|Comic book collecting}}

The 1970s saw the advent of specialty [[comic book store]]s. Initially, comic books were marketed by publishers to children because comic books were perceived as children's entertainment. However, with increasing recognition of comics as an art form and the growing pop culture presence of [[comic book convention]]s, they are now embraced by many adults.<ref name="Reference A" />

Comic book collectors often exhibit a lifelong passion for the stories within comics, often focusing on specific superheroes and striving to gather a complete collection of a particular series. Comics are assigned sequential numbers, and the initial issue of a long-lasting comic book series tends to be both the scarcest and the most coveted among collectors. The introduction of a new character might occur within an existing title. For instance, the first appearance of [[Spider-Man]] took place in ''[[Amazing Fantasy]]'' #15. New characters were frequently introduced in this manner, waiting for an established audience before launching their own titles. Consequently, comics featuring the debut appearance of a significant character can sometimes be even more challenging to locate than the inaugural issue of that character's standalone series.

Some rare comic books include copies of the unreleased ''[[Motion Picture Funnies Weekly]]'' #1 from 1939. Eight copies, plus one without a cover, emerged in the estate of the deceased publisher in 1974. The "Pay Copy" of this book sold for $43,125 in a 2005 [[Heritage Auctions|Heritage]] auction.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://comics.ha.com/common/view_item.php?Sale_No=818&Lot_No=2020&type=prte-pr091305a |title=Motion Picture Funnies Weekly #1 Pay Copy (First Funnies, Inc., 1939) CGC VF/NM 9.0 Cream to off-white pages. This is one of... Golden Age (1938–1955)Superhero |publisher=Comics.ha.com |date=14 October 2005 |access-date=18 July 2011 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120709051700/http://comics.ha.com/common/view_item.php?Sale_No=818&Lot_No=2020&type=prte-pr091305a |archive-date=9 July 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

The most valuable American comics have combined rarity and quality with the first appearances of popular and enduring characters. Four comic books have sold for over US$1&nbsp;million {{as of|2010|December|lc=y}}, including two examples of ''[[Action Comics]]'' #1, the first appearance of [[Superman]],<ref name="CNN">[https://money.cnn.com/2010/02/26/news/economy/batman_comic/ Batman comic book beats Superman at auction, sets record] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100303223514/https://money.cnn.com/2010/02/26/news/economy/batman_comic/ |date=3 March 2010 }} CNN Money 2-26-10</ref><ref>[https://money.cnn.com/2014/08/25/news/companies/comic-record/index.html Superman comic sells for record $3.2 million] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181027021655/https://money.cnn.com/2014/08/25/news/companies/comic-record/index.html |date=27 October 2018 }} (CNN Money) – 25 August 2014</ref> both sold privately through online dealer ComicConnect.com in 2010, and ''[[Detective Comics]]'' #27, the first appearance of [[Batman]], via public auction.

Updating the above price obtained for ''[[Action Comics]]'' #1, the first appearance of [[Superman]], the highest sale on record for this book is $3.2&nbsp;million, for a 9.0 copy.<ref>{{cite web|last=Whitney|first=Lance|title=Superman's Action Comics No. 1 sells for record $3.2 million on eBay|url=http://www.cnet.com/news/supermans-action-comics-no-1-sells-for-record-3-2-million-on-ebay|access-date=31 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140827190350/http://www.cnet.com/news/supermans-action-comics-no-1-sells-for-record-3-2-million-on-ebay/|archive-date=27 August 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> <!-- Sentence fragment: Before [[Fawcett Comics]] introduced [[Captain Marvel (DC Comics)|Captain Marvel]] -->

Misprints, promotional comic-dealer incentive printings, and issues with exceptionally low distribution tend to possess scarcity value in the comic book market. The rarest modern comic books include the [[The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen#Issue 5 recall|original press run]] of ''[[The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen]]'' #5, which DC executive [[Paul Levitz]] recalled and pulped due to the appearance of a vintage [[Victorian era]] advertisement for "Marvel [[Douche]]", which the publisher considered offensive;<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.comicbookresources.com/columns/index.cgi?article=2153 | publisher=Comic Book Resources | date=23 May 2005 | title=Alan's Previous Problems With DC (sidebar) | work=Lying in the Gutters | last=Johnston | first=Rich | author-link=Rich Johnston | access-date=18 November 2006 | archive-date=20 January 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100120042700/http://www.comicbookresources.com/columns/index.cgi?article=2153 | url-status=dead }}</ref> only 100 copies exist, most of which have been [[Comics Guaranty LLC|CGC]] graded. (See [[Recalled comics]] for more pulped, recalled, and erroneous comics.)

In 2000, a company named [[Comics Guaranty]] (CGC) initiated the practice of "slabbing" comics, which involves encasing them within thick plastic cases and assigning them a numerical grade. This approach inspired the emergence of [[Beckett Media|Comic Book Certification Service]]. Given the significance of condition in determining the value of rare comics, the concept of [[comic book grading|grading]] by an impartial company, one that does not engage in buying or selling comics, seemed promising. Nevertheless, there is an ongoing debate regarding whether the relatively high cost of this grading service is justified and whether it serves the interests of collectors or mainly caters to speculators seeking rapid profits, akin to trading in stocks or fine art. Comic grading has played a role in establishing standards for valuation, which online price guides such as GoCollect and GPAnalysis utilize to provide real-time market value information.

Collectors also seek out the original artwork pages from comic books, which are perhaps the most rarefied items in the realm of comic book collecting. These pages hold unparalleled scarcity due to the fact that there exists only one unique page of artwork for every page that was printed and published.

The creation of these original artwork pages involves a collaborative effort: a writer crafts the story, a pencil artist designs the sequential panels on the page, an ink artist goes over the pencil with pen and ink, a letterer provides the dialogue and narration through hand-lettering, and finally, a colorist adds color as the final touch before the pages are sent to the printer.

When the printer returns the original artwork pages, they are typically returned to the artists themselves. These artists sometimes opt to sell these pages at comic book conventions, in galleries, and at art shows centered around comic book art. The original pages from DC and Marvel, featuring the debut appearances of iconic characters such as Superman, Batman, [[Wonder Woman]], [[Flash (DC Comics character)|the Flash]], [[Captain Marvel (DC Comics)|Captain Marvel]], Spider-Man, [[Hulk|the Incredible Hulk]], [[Iron Man]], [[Captain America]] and [[Thor (Marvel Comics)|the Mighty Thor]] are regarded as priceless treasures within the comic book world.

===History of race in American comic books===
{{Cleanup section|reason=re-write to make less reliant on quotes, better fit WP's style|date=July 2019}}
Many early iterations of black characters in comics "became variations on the 'single stereotypical image of Sambo'."<ref name=":02">{{Cite thesis|last=Woodall|first=Lowery Anderson|date=2010|title=The Secret Identity of Race: Exploring Ethnic and Racial Portrayals in Superhero Comic Books |type=PhD dissertation |publisher=University of Southern Mississippi |url=http://aquila.usm.edu/dissertations/478}}</ref> Sambo was closely related to the coon stereotype but had some subtle differences. They are both a derogatory way of portraying black characters. "The name itself, an abbreviation of raccoon, is dehumanizing. As with Sambo, the coon was portrayed as a lazy, easily frightened, chronically idle, inarticulate, buffoon."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ferris.edu/jimcrow/coon/|title=The Coon Caricature - Anti-black Imagery - Jim Crow Museum - Ferris State University|website=www.ferris.edu|access-date=2019-06-30}}</ref> This portrayal "was of course another attempt to solidify the intellectual inferiority of the black race through popular culture."<ref name=":02" /> However, in the 1940s there was a change in portrayal of black characters. "A cursory glance...might give the impression that situations had improved for African Americans in comics."<ref name=":02" /> In many comics being produced in this time there was a major push for tolerance between races. "These equality minded heroes began to spring to action just as African Americans were being asked to participate in the war effort."<ref name=":02" />

During this time, a government ran program, the Writers' War Board, became heavily involved in what would be published in comics. "The Writers' War Board used comic books to shape popular perceptions of race and ethnicity..."<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal|last=Hirsch|first=Paul|date=2014|title="This Is Our Enemy": The Writers' War Board and Representations of Race in Comic Books, 1942–1945|journal=Pacific Historical Review|volume=83|issue=3|pages=448–486|doi=10.1525/phr.2014.83.3.448|issn=0030-8684|jstor=10.1525/phr.2014.83.3.448}}</ref> Not only were they using comic books as a means of recruiting all Americans, they were also using it as propaganda to "[construct] a justification for race-based hatred of America's foreign enemies."<ref name=":1" /> The Writers' War Board created comics books that were meant to "[promote] domestic racial harmony".<ref name=":1" /> However, "these pro-tolerance narratives struggled to overcome the popular and widely understood negative tropes used for decades in American mass culture...".<ref name=":1" /> However, they were not accomplishing this agenda within all of their comics.

In the comic series ''Captain Marvel Adventures'', there was a character named Steamboat who embodied a collection of highly negative stereotypes prevalent during that period. The Writers' War Board did not request any alterations to this character despite the problematic portrayal. The removal of Steamboat from the series only came about due to the persistent advocacy of a black youth group based in New York City."<ref name=":1" /> Originally their request was refused by individuals working on the comic stating, "''Captain Marvel Adventures'' included many kinds of caricatures 'for the sake of humor'."<ref name=":1" /> The black youth group responded with "this is not the Negro race, but your one-and-a-half millions readers will think it so."<ref name=":1" /> Afterwards, Steamboat disappeared from the comics all together. There was a comic created about the 99th Squadron, also known as the [[Tuskegee Airmen]], an all-black air force unit. Instead of making the comic about their story, the comic was about Hop Harrigan. A white pilot who captures a Nazi, shows him videos of the 99th Squadron defeating his men and then reveals to the Nazi that his men were defeated by African Americans which infuriated him as he sees them as a less superior race and cannot believe they bested his men."The Tuskegee Airmen, and images of black aviators appear in just three of the fifty three panels... the pilots of the 99th Squadron have no dialogue and interact with neither Hop Harrigan nor his Nazi captive."<ref name=":1" /> During this time, they also used black characters in comic books as a means to invalidate the militant black groups that were fighting for equality within the U.S. "Spider-Man 'made it clear that militant black power was not the remedy for racial injustice'."<ref name=":02" /> "The Falcon openly criticized black behavior stating' maybe it's important {{sic|fo}} us to cool things down-so we can protect the rights we been fightin' for'."<ref name=":02" /> This portrayal and character development of black characters can be partially blamed on the fact that, during this time, "there had rarely been a black artist or writer allowed in a major comics company."<ref name=":02" />

Asian characters within comic books encountered similar prejudiced treatment as black characters did. They were subjected to dehumanizing depictions, with narratives often portraying them as "incompetent and subhuman."<ref name=":1" /> In a 1944 edition of the publication ''United States Marines'', there was a story titled ''The Smell of the Monkeymen''. This narrative portrayed Japanese soldiers as brutish simians, and it depicted their concealed positions being betrayed by their repugnant body odor.<ref name=":1" /> Chinese characters received the same treatment. "By the time the United States entered WWII, negative perceptions of Chinese were an established part of mass culture...."<ref name=":1" /> However, concerned that the Japanese could use America's anti-Chinese material as propaganda they began "to present a more positive image of America's Chinese allies..."<ref name=":1" /> Just as they tried to show better representation for Black people in comics they did the same for Asian people. However, "Japanese and Filipino characters were visually indistinguishable. Both groups have grotesque buckteeth, tattered clothing, and bright yellow skin."<ref name=":1" /> "Publishers depicted America's Asian allies through derogatory images and language honed over the preceding decades."<ref name=":1" /> Asian characters were previously portrayed as, "ghastly yellow demons".<ref name=":02" /> During WWII, "[every] major superhero worth his spandex devoted himself to the eradication of Asian invaders."<ref name=":02" /> There was "a constant relay race in which one Asian culture merely handed off the baton of hatred to another with no perceptible changes in the manner in which the characters would be portrayed."<ref name=":02" />

"The only specific depiction of a Hispanic superhero{{dubious|date=October 2020|reason=Living Lighting was a Hispanic Avenger from 1990...}} did not end well. In 1975, Marvel gave us Hector Ayala (a.k.a. The White Tiger)."<ref name=":02" /> "Although he fought for several years alongside the likes of much more popular heroes such as Spider-Man and Daredevil, he only lasted six years before sales of comics featuring him got so bad that Marvel had him retire.<ref name=":02" /> The most famous Hispanic character is Bane, a villain from Batman."<ref name=":02" />

The Native American representation in comic books "can be summed up in the noble savage stereotype"<ref name=":02" /> " a recurring theme...urged American indians to abandon their traditional hostility towards the United States. They were the ones painted as intolerant and disrespectful of the dominant concerns of white America".<ref name=":02" />