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Truth, Justice, and the Birth of the Superhero Comic Book
Excerpts from a radio interview with Bob Harvey, an historian of comic books and author.

Excerpts from a radio interview with Bob Harvey, an historian of comic books and author.

In this radio broadcast, Bob Harvey, author of The Art of the Comic Book: An Aesthetic History, discusses the history of the comic book and the rise of superheroes. Harvey discusses how the genre was written for adults in an era of uncertainty during the Great Depression and World War II.

Citation Information
Edge, Ryan, excerpt from “Comics and Comic Books,” Digital Public Library of America, https://dp.la/item/60d119a405dc893bf6b4c7abeea90df3.
Note: These citations are programmatically generated and may be incomplete.
Courtesy of WILL Illinois Public Media via American Archive of Public Broadcasting and Digital Commonwealth.

Tips for Students

For this source, consider:

  • the author's point of view
  • the author's purpose
  • historical context
  • audience

Item 4 of 11 in the Primary Source Set Truth, Justice, and the Birth of the Superhero Comic Book

Previous ItemNext Item
The cover of the January 1939 issue of Action Comics featuring Superman.
The first issue of Batman, published in the spring of 1940, created by Bob Kane.
The 1941 issue of America’s Greatest Comics featuring Captain Marvel.
Excerpts from a radio interview with Bob Harvey, an historian of comic books and author.
A photograph of a boy reading a Captain America comic book in 1942.
A 1943 cover of Batman featuring Batman, Robin, Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, and Hideki Tōjō.
An excerpt from an episode of Adventures of Superman (1954) entitled “Stamp Day for Superman.”
An excerpt from a “preliminary study” that discusses efforts to restrict comic books because they lead to delinquency in young people.
The cover of a Negro Heroes comic book from 1948 featuring Jackie Robinson.
The cover of Jungle Comics No. 57 (1940).
The cover of All Star Comics No. 19 (1943), featuring several characters gathered around Wonder Woman as she plays the piano.

These sets were created and reviewed by teachers. Explore resources and ideas for Using DPLA's Primary Source Sets in your classroom.

To give feedback, contact us at info@dp.la. You can also view resources for National History Day.

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