Amazing Heroes Issue #108 Cover

Amazing Heroes Issue #108 Cover

Periodical
Comics Strips

The cover of Amazing Heroes Issue #108 contains an image of the comic books characters The Question and Captain Atom, both originally developed by Charlton Comics. The background is a kind of turquoise color and is very abstract, with subtle hints of varying shades of yellow, green, and blue. The Question, the hero with no face, is lurching back, as though he has seen something repulsive and/or dangerous. He is surrounded by white swirls, some of which form question marks behind him. The Atom, the character with the red gloves, is jumping into the air with his arms raised, possibly about to battle a foe. He is surrounded by a yellow aura, which extends itself into the title of the fanzine. The two characters are of a similar size, with The Question occupying the lower left corner of the page and Captain Atom on the center-right. The bottom right-hand corner reads “The Question and Captain Atom Reborn,” with a solid yellow background and bold letters.

DC Comics' revitalization of the Charlton Comics characters The Question and Captain Atom is reflective of the American attitude toward government during the 1980s. Both characters were created by Steve Ditko in the 1960s for a smaller publishing company called Charlton Comics, but were purchased by DC after financial struggles. DC comics reinvented the characters to align with different perspectives on law and government during the period. During the Reagan era in which these new comics were published, white middle-class Americans wanted more military and police protection due to increased anxiety about drugs and inner-city crime. They also found comfort in vigilante stories, in which brave heroes fought outside the law, taking over when the government failed to protect them. Captain Atom, an Air Force captain working with the American military, represented the first view of the government. In the comics, he only used force when the law gave him permission to do so and had a view of justice that aligned with that of the United States government. He fulfills the readers’ desire for military strength and protection. His alter ego, Allen Adam, was later replaced with Nathaniel Adam, a volunteer for a military experiment, thus complicating the idea of the American military as a source of law and order. The Question, on the other hand, represented the vigilante view of justice. He fought outside of the law, using his personal ideologies to determine who was a villain and when to use violence. The Question fought against corruption and government ineptitude in an increasingly dangerous urban setting, conforming with ideas about vigilantism in comic books and in the real world. He represented a darker side of America that did Captain Atom. The Question fulfilled comic book readers’ need for protection against the perceived dangers of the modern world without being restricted by government red tape. The differences between the two comic book characters reveal contrasting views of justice in the 1980s.

Editor: Mark Wald
Art Director: Dale Crain
Production Manager: Kim Thompson
News Correspondent: J. Collier
Production Assistant: Teresa Moore
Typesetting: L.M Gorell & Ariene Easter
Circulation: Rachel Enger

MSU Special Collection Comic Art, PN6725.A47

Fantagraphics Books Inc.

1986-12

Sarah M Geist

Rights Restrictions Apply

6 5/8 inches by 10 1/4 inches

English

Periodical

1981-1992