logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2023
38m 16s

The Superhero - An American Invention

iHeartPodcasts
About this episode

On this episode of Our American Stories, the comic book superhero is an American invention. Here to tell the story is WWII historian Jeffrey Johnson, the author of Super-History: Comic Book Superheroes and American Society.

Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Up next
Today
The 1983 Toy Riot That Changed Holiday Shopping
<p>On this episode of Our American Stories, when the Cabbage Patch Kids hit store shelves in 1983, parents felt a pull they hadn&rsquo;t sensed from a toy before. Crowds formed before sunrise, and the pressure inside those shops grew in a way that felt unfamiliar for the holiday ... Show More
20m 18s
Today
When One Iowa Family Welcomed Refugees to the Table
<p>On this episode of Our American Stories, when a group of refugees from Bosnia arrived at her Iowa church, Joy Neal Kidney watched them step carefully into a world that felt nothing like the one they had escaped. One family in particular carried the quiet weariness of people sh ... Show More
9m 59s
Today
Tom Landry: A Story from “America’s Coach”
<p>On this episode of Our American Stories, before he ever wore his trademark hat on the sidelines, Tom Landry was a young man trying to build a future during the hard years of the Depression. He joined the University of Texas football team, flew combat missions in World War Two, ... Show More
7m 59s
Recommended Episodes
Apr 2023
Amour, violence et censure chez les superhéros
Dans les années 1950, la bande dessinée de superhéros était au banc des accusés, responsable, selon certains psychiatres, du naufrage moral de la jeunesse américaine. La croisade contre les Batman, Superman et Wonder Woman a porté ses fruits et a abouti à une longue censure, sans ... Show More
23m 17s
Dec 2021
130. Superheroes
From their origins in the 1930's running parallel to the rise of fascism in Europe, to the Adam West camp of the 1960's, to the gritty modern reboots - what has made Superheroes a cultural phenomenon, and what mirror does it hold up to society? To sign up to the brand new Rest I ... Show More
1h 1m
Aug 2015
005: Tudi Marvels From DC
‏Today we host Abdulhameed Sabban (aka Tudi) a comic book aficionado and expert. We start discussing the DC superhero universe and explore the parallels between Superman and the story of the prophet Moses. We then analyze the Fox vs. Marvel war and the reasons behind the bad bloo ... Show More
1 h
Aug 2023
Ramzi Fawaz, "The New Mutants: Superheroes and the Radical Imagination of American Comics" (NYU Press, 2016)
Today’s guest is Ramzi Fawaz, the Romnes Professor of English at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Published by NYU Press in 2016, The New Mutants: Superheroes and the Radical Imagination of American Comics is his first book. In 2022, Ramzi published Queer Forms, for which he ... Show More
1h 23m
Apr 2024
Why Are There So Many Captain Marvels?
Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird. It's a plane. It's... "definitely not Superman." At least, that's what Fawcett Comics told the courts, beginning a multigenerational, multiversal saga of strangeness that continues in the modern day. In today's episode, the guys ask: Why are ther ... Show More
53m 11s
May 2024
Thomas Nast, Part One: The Cartoonist Who Shaped America
Tons of people have a soft spot for their favorite cartoon or comic strip -- yet few have attained the social status of the legendary artist Thomas Nast, the caricaturist often referred to as the "Father of the American Cartoon." In the first part of this two-part series, Ben, No ... Show More
32m 3s
Jul 2021
Marvel Cinematic Universe #3
<p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/158520/open_sms">Click here to send us a message!</a></p><p>For this episode we&apos;re taking another look at the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and this time we have a special guest. The Marvel comic-book s ... Show More
1h 11m
Jan 2023
American Dreamer
Ryan Hurst (Remember The Titans, Sons of Anarchy) stars in this episode, which follows the romance between a young couple that is split apart when war sends one of them across the world. You can hear more about this story by reading the novel it's based on, American Dreamer: A Lo ... Show More
29m 40s