Editing Sidekick (section)

==In comic books==
Comic book sidekicks have a long and popular history, dating back to the beginnings of the form. Examples include the [[Crimson Avenger]]'s sidekick [[Wing (DC Comics)|Wing]], and [[Mister America (Tex Thompson)|Mister America]]'s sidekick [[Tex Thompson|Fatman]], both of whom debuted in the late 1930s. Other notable comics sidekicks include [[Ebony White]],{{efn|Ebony White, sidekick to [[Denny Colt]] (a.k.a. The Spirit), is considered to be comics' first [[Black people|Black]] sidekick;<ref>[[Mike W. Barr|Barr, Mike W.]] "The Spirit's Dead Letters," ''The Spirit'' #6 ([[Warren Publishing]], Feb. 1975).</ref> a distinction somewhat overshadowed by the character's racially [[stereotyped]] appearance/characterization as portrayed by creator [[Will Eisner]].}} [[Jughead Jones|Jughead]], [[Etta Candy]], [[Captain Haddock]], and [[Obelix]].

In 1940 [[DC Comics]] introduced comics' first teenage sidekick, [[Robin (character)|Robin]], created to soften the dark tone of the [[Batman]] comics and make the Dark Knight more attractive to younger readers.<ref name="Snuff">Jones, Geppetto. [http://jobseekersofamerica.com/2009/08/01/snuff-sidekicks-and-the-apocalypse-suite/ "Snuff, Sidekicks, and the Apocalypse Suite,"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100316094401/http://jobseekersofamerica.com/2009/08/01/snuff-sidekicks-and-the-apocalypse-suite/ |date=March 16, 2010 }} Job Seekers of America (August 1, 2009).</ref> Robin's instant popularity spawned a host of imitations, including such iconic characters as [[Bucky (Marvel Comics)|Bucky]], [[Toro (comics)|Toro]], [[Sandy Hawkins|Sandy the Golden Boy]], and [[Roy Harper (character)|Speedy]]. [[Pat Dugan|Stripesy]] was the exception to the rule: an adult sidekick to a teen hero, the [[Star-Spangled Kid]]. Another unusual sidekick pairing was the Blonde Bomber (Honey Blake), a newsreel camerawoman, chemist, and crime-fighter with a male sidekick named Jimmy Slapso.<ref name=cbldf>Williams, Maren. [http://cbldf.org/2016/03/she-changed-comics-pre-code-golden-age/ "She Changed Comics: Pre-Code & Golden Age: Barbara Hall,"] Comic Book Legal Defense Fund website (March 4, 2016).</ref>

The prevalence of adult superheroes and their teenage "wards" caused some observers to look askance at the trend. Psychologist [[Fredric Wertham]] decided that the phenomenon was a landmine of hidden [[Freudian]] issues, and that a sidekick's participation in violent encounters alongside his hero masked a sexual subtext.<ref name="Snuff" /> In 1954, Wertham's book ''[[Seduction of the Innocent]]'' coincided with [[United States Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency|congressional hearings]] on the negative influence of comic books, among other topics. For a time, superhero comics lost their popularity, and many teenage sidekicks faded into obscurity. [[Rick Veitch]]'s graphic novel ''[[Bratpack (comics)|Brat Pack]]'', and issues of [[Alan Moore]]'s ''[[Top 10 (comics)|Top 10]]'', address the seamy, exploitative, and potentially [[pedophilia]]-related aspects of the adult hero-teen sidekick relationship.

In the early 1960s, at the advent of the [[Silver Age of Comic Books|Silver Age]], a new round of superhero sidekicks made their debuts, including [[Rick Jones (character)|Rick Jones]], [[Garth (comics)|Aqualad]], [[Snapper Carr]], [[Wally West|Kid Flash]], and [[Donna Troy|Wonder Girl]]. [[Marvel Comics]] mostly got around the teen sidekick quandary by creating a selection of super-powered teenagers — heroes in their own right, such as [[Spider-Man]], the [[Human Torch]], and the [[X-Men]].<ref name="Snuff" />

Most of the [[Golden Age of comic books|Golden Age]] and Silver Age sidekicks have evolved into independent heroes or been killed off. Certain heroes seem to attract serial sidekicks, notably [[Batman]], [[Captain America]], and [[The Flash]]. There have been at least five iterations of Robin; while Captain America has had a diverse array of sidekick successors to Bucky, including the [[Falcon (comics)|Falcon]], [[Demolition Man (character)|Demolition Man]], Free Spirit, and [[Jack Flag]].