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I think I was born in
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the best possible era
in American history.
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It was the era
of space travel,
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atomic energy,
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00:00:12,479 --> 00:00:14,720
discovering what science
could do for us to change
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and make our
society better.
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But at the same time,
there was this
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Cold War paranoia.
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Atomic warfare was going to
happen at any moment.
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But then you also have,
you know, the wonder
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00:00:32,165 --> 00:00:33,872
of getting into space,
so you had
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00:00:33,867 --> 00:00:36,473
good science
and bad science.
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It inspired a whole new
kind of superheroes,
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as if they were
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an atomic blast
themselves.
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They weren't, you know,
that strange visitor
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00:00:50,784 --> 00:00:52,320
from another planet,
Superman,
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they were real people
that you could relate to.
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Ripped & Corrected By mstoll
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Hello.
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I'm Liev Schrieber.
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During the Second World War,
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superheroes were
star-spangled morale boosters.
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As times changed in the 1950s,
many disappeared forever.
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00:01:21,248 --> 00:01:23,819
The few that remained
at DC Comics,
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00:01:23,817 --> 00:01:27,355
including Superman,
Batman, and Wonder Woman,
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00:01:27,354 --> 00:01:30,028
had to conform to
the strict rules
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00:01:30,023 --> 00:01:31,627
of the Comics Code Authority.
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00:01:31,625 --> 00:01:36,404
In the 1960s, as a cultural
revolution took hold,
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a new breed of
superheroes emerged.
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00:01:39,533 --> 00:01:42,878
These characters weren't simply
for little kids anymore.
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00:01:42,869 --> 00:01:46,476
Racial diversity came to comics
with the Black Panther,
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00:01:46,473 --> 00:01:50,649
Luke Cage, and a wave of
costumed vigilantes
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00:01:50,644 --> 00:01:53,488
fought their own version
of urban warfare.
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00:01:53,480 --> 00:01:57,360
Superheroes from Marvel comics
such as Spider-Man,
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00:01:57,351 --> 00:01:59,729
the Hulk,
and the Fantastic Four
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not only gained
amazing powers,
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but real-life problems, too.
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As America engaged
in the space race
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and grappled with civil rights
and the political crisis,
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00:02:10,731 --> 00:02:12,836
a new generation of
superheroes learned that
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00:02:12,833 --> 00:02:17,714
with great power
comes great responsibility.
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00:02:29,650 --> 00:02:32,426
These are your neighbors,
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00:02:32,419 --> 00:02:36,231
people like you,
with time for leisure,
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00:02:36,223 --> 00:02:38,931
time for modern living.
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00:02:44,031 --> 00:02:46,773
These people are
in tune with the times.
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They choose that which
best fits their needs.
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These are the choices
of convenience,
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00:02:58,645 --> 00:03:01,717
something the whole family
can enjoy.
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00:03:07,454 --> 00:03:12,199
You too can be in tune
with the times.
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00:03:18,131 --> 00:03:21,237
At the beginning
of the 1960s,
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00:03:21,234 --> 00:03:23,544
comics like Superman,
Batman,
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00:03:23,537 --> 00:03:25,949
Wonder Woman,
and Green Lantern
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00:03:25,939 --> 00:03:29,113
made DC Comics
the titan of the industry.
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Sally,
do your homework.
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00:03:30,977 --> 00:03:33,218
Marvel Comics
was struggling
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00:03:33,213 --> 00:03:36,558
just to stay in business,
pushing old humor comics
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00:03:36,550 --> 00:03:38,962
like Millie the Model
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00:03:38,952 --> 00:03:42,559
and Westerns like
Kid Colt -- Outlaw.
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00:03:42,556 --> 00:03:46,333
I had been doing these comics
for about 20 years or so,
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00:03:46,326 --> 00:03:48,363
and I really had
had it up to here.
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I felt, "I want to quit
and try something else."
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I told my wife,
so she said,
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00:03:54,501 --> 00:03:55,980
"You know, Stan,
before you quit,
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00:03:55,969 --> 00:03:58,779
why don't you do one book
the way you'd like to do it?
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Something for people,
hopefully, with a higher IQ."
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00:04:04,277 --> 00:04:08,248
I came up with
the Fantastic Four.
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00:04:11,685 --> 00:04:15,565
They were trying to be the first
people to reach the moon.
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00:04:16,389 --> 00:04:18,426
I had them
take a spaceship.
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00:04:18,425 --> 00:04:24,671
It was belted by cosmic rays
and they had to crash-land.
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And because of
the cosmic rays,
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each of them got
a different power.
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Incredible.
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00:04:35,108 --> 00:04:37,520
Oh, no, no!
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You're changing!
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00:04:38,278 --> 00:04:40,451
You've turned into monsters,
both of you!
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00:04:40,447 --> 00:04:43,951
Oh, Reed, Reed!
Not you, too!
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00:04:43,950 --> 00:04:48,296
I can fly!
Look, I can fly!
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Stan really didn't think
the stuff was going to succeed,
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00:04:52,292 --> 00:04:53,794
so his attitude
about much of it was,
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00:04:53,794 --> 00:04:55,501
"Let's try it.
What the heck's going to happen?
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The worst thing is we're doing
Westerns again next week."
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00:04:57,864 --> 00:05:01,004
He quickly realized
that there was a market.
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00:05:01,001 --> 00:05:04,244
The characters started
getting interesting,
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00:05:04,237 --> 00:05:07,775
people started following them
with regularity.
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00:05:07,774 --> 00:05:09,754
They succeeded far beyond,
I think,
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00:05:09,743 --> 00:05:13,384
Marvel's original intention
or expectations.
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00:05:28,395 --> 00:05:31,501
In tandem with
the great artist Jack Kirby,
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00:05:31,498 --> 00:05:35,241
Lee created a new universe
of heroes for Marvel...
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00:05:35,235 --> 00:05:39,411
Each character fueled by
the Cold War with the Communists
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00:05:39,406 --> 00:05:43,354
or some form of
crackpot radioactivity.
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00:05:43,343 --> 00:05:45,220
They were
the first superheroes
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00:05:45,212 --> 00:05:49,524
born out of the anxieties
of the atomic age.
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00:05:49,516 --> 00:05:51,086
Oh, yeah, Ben.
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00:05:51,084 --> 00:05:53,394
A few days in space.
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00:05:53,386 --> 00:05:54,797
It'll be great.
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00:05:54,788 --> 00:05:56,631
What's the worst
that could happen?
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00:05:56,623 --> 00:06:00,799
The whole superhero industry
is seized by space-age fever.
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00:06:00,794 --> 00:06:02,899
The sleekness
of the costumes,
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00:06:02,896 --> 00:06:06,776
the sleekness of the artwork,
and, more importantly,
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00:06:06,766 --> 00:06:09,474
the goals
and the boundaries
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00:06:09,469 --> 00:06:12,245
that we can break
as a society.
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00:06:12,239 --> 00:06:16,278
I am the least scientific person
you'll ever know,
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00:06:16,276 --> 00:06:20,349
so I tried to seem scientific
with out characters.
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00:06:20,347 --> 00:06:25,990
I had the Hulk, and he was
inundated by gamma rays.
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00:06:25,986 --> 00:06:29,433
That's how he
became the Hulk.
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00:06:29,422 --> 00:06:32,699
Now, I wouldn't know
a gamma ray if I saw it.
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00:06:32,692 --> 00:06:34,433
I don't what
a gamma ray is.
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00:06:34,427 --> 00:06:37,203
But if it sounds good,
I'll use it.
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§ Doc Bruce Banner §
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§ Belted by gamma rays §
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00:06:41,167 --> 00:06:43,408
§ Turned into the Hulk §
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00:06:43,403 --> 00:06:44,848
§ Ain't he unglamorous! §
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00:06:44,838 --> 00:06:46,749
§ As ever-lovin' Hulk! §
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00:06:46,740 --> 00:06:49,949
§ Hulk! Hulk! §
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00:06:49,943 --> 00:06:52,287
After a very bad time
in the early '60s
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00:06:52,279 --> 00:06:55,658
and in the '50s where
the comic book business
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00:06:55,649 --> 00:06:56,559
virtually collapsed,
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00:06:56,549 --> 00:06:59,996
Marvel had suddenly
emerged because
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00:06:59,986 --> 00:07:02,990
Stan Lee
created characters
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00:07:02,989 --> 00:07:05,833
with an additional
dimension to them.
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00:07:05,825 --> 00:07:08,931
That is superheroes
with problems.
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00:07:08,929 --> 00:07:11,500
Emboldened
by his success
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00:07:11,498 --> 00:07:14,069
with Fantastic Four
and The Hulk,
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00:07:14,067 --> 00:07:16,547
Lee turned to
a frequent collaborator,
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00:07:16,536 --> 00:07:20,678
artist Steve Ditko,
to weave another kind of tale.
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I really hate
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00:07:21,374 --> 00:07:25,083
teenage sidekicks,
but I thought it would be fun
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00:07:25,078 --> 00:07:27,524
to get a character
who's a teenager
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00:07:27,514 --> 00:07:31,257
who isn't a sidekick,
but a real hero himself.
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That would be a first.
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Okay, world,
better hang onto your hat.
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Here comes the Spider-Man.
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In order to make him believable,
I said,
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00:07:48,568 --> 00:07:51,515
"Well, what are real
teenagers like?
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00:07:51,504 --> 00:07:52,949
They have more problems" --
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00:07:52,939 --> 00:07:54,816
I mean, it's hell
being a teenager.
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00:07:54,808 --> 00:07:58,585
And so I wanted to get this guy,
he never had enough money,
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00:07:58,578 --> 00:08:02,526
he wasn't the most
popular kid in school.
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00:08:02,983 --> 00:08:04,963
He didn't always
do well with girls,
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00:08:04,951 --> 00:08:07,261
but he had to have
some qualities,
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00:08:07,253 --> 00:08:10,097
so he was a good
science student.
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00:08:11,891 --> 00:08:13,234
Ow!
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00:08:13,226 --> 00:08:17,436
Radioactive spider
bites Peter Parker,
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00:08:17,430 --> 00:08:19,774
and then,
as a result of it,
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00:08:19,766 --> 00:08:23,543
Peter Parker causes
or lets his uncle die.
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00:08:23,536 --> 00:08:25,641
And it's not until
his uncle dies
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00:08:25,638 --> 00:08:27,845
that he decides
to become Spider-Man.
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00:08:27,841 --> 00:08:32,722
That life-changing moment
where he has to learn the lesson
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00:08:32,712 --> 00:08:35,386
of the responsibility of
having his power.
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00:08:35,382 --> 00:08:38,124
Up to that point,
he's a jerk!
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00:08:39,519 --> 00:08:42,693
Only then does he change.
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00:08:48,161 --> 00:08:50,539
And a lean,
silent figure
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00:08:50,530 --> 00:08:54,876
slowly fades into
the gathering darkness,
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00:08:54,868 --> 00:08:58,907
aware at last that
in this world,
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00:08:58,905 --> 00:08:59,940
with great power,
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00:08:59,939 --> 00:09:04,115
there must also come
great responsibility.
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00:09:04,110 --> 00:09:05,453
There's a poignancy
of that idea,
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00:09:05,445 --> 00:09:07,391
that you can have
all these powers.
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00:09:07,380 --> 00:09:09,951
With great power
comes great responsibility,
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00:09:09,949 --> 00:09:13,453
but you know what doesn't
come with great power?
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A love life.
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00:09:15,622 --> 00:09:17,624
He's subject to fits of rage,
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00:09:17,624 --> 00:09:21,197
of despair
and uncontrollable longing.
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00:09:21,194 --> 00:09:22,605
He's a real teenager.
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00:09:22,595 --> 00:09:26,702
He's insecure,
he's self-doubting.
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00:09:28,668 --> 00:09:31,080
What makes Spider-Man
such an enduring character
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isn't Spider-Man.
It's Peter Parker.
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00:09:33,106 --> 00:09:37,077
Clark Kent was a disguise.
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00:09:37,077 --> 00:09:39,250
Peter Parker was a fact.
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00:09:39,245 --> 00:09:41,782
He was
a 98-pound weakling.
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00:09:41,781 --> 00:09:43,783
His life sucked.
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00:09:43,783 --> 00:09:47,230
Even if you have
the ability to, you know,
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00:09:47,220 --> 00:09:51,760
swing from skyscrapers
over the streets of New York,
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00:09:51,758 --> 00:09:52,293
it doesn't help.
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00:09:52,292 --> 00:09:57,298
That endures in the character
Spider-Man to this day.
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00:10:31,664 --> 00:10:34,144
Spider-Man
would go on to become
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00:10:34,134 --> 00:10:37,638
the most popular comic book
character since Superman.
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00:10:37,637 --> 00:10:38,707
Now, this is
the way --
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00:10:38,705 --> 00:10:43,415
Lee referred to spidey as
the superhero who could be you.
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00:10:43,409 --> 00:10:45,650
And so
a legend is born.
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00:10:45,645 --> 00:10:49,354
Welcome to
the Marvel Age of comics.
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We choose
to go to the moon.
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00:11:11,738 --> 00:11:13,240
We choose to go
to the moon,
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and do it first
before this decade is out.
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00:11:18,778 --> 00:11:21,156
As President
John F. Kennedy's administration
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00:11:21,147 --> 00:11:25,493
urged America to look out on
the horizon of the new frontier,
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00:11:25,485 --> 00:11:27,965
Marvel Comics
was still looking to
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00:11:27,954 --> 00:11:30,400
catch up to
the undisputed giant
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00:11:30,390 --> 00:11:33,269
in the field,
DC Comics.
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00:11:33,259 --> 00:11:36,832
Led by artist
Carmine Infantino,
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00:11:36,829 --> 00:11:39,867
DC retrofitted
a 1940s character,
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00:11:39,866 --> 00:11:41,641
the Flash,
with a new,
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00:11:41,634 --> 00:11:43,079
built-for-speed style
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00:11:43,069 --> 00:11:47,040
that mirrored the streamlined
look of the age.
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00:11:59,986 --> 00:12:03,126
Carmine Infantino,
even from
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00:12:03,122 --> 00:12:05,932
the very beginning,
was a stylist.
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00:12:05,925 --> 00:12:09,372
One of the things
he brought to his art
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00:12:09,362 --> 00:12:13,538
and to the comics form itself
was a fluidity.
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00:12:13,533 --> 00:12:17,037
His work always
seemed to be in motion.
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00:12:17,036 --> 00:12:20,449
That was particularly good
for his Flash work,
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00:12:20,440 --> 00:12:22,442
because that
was a character
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00:12:22,442 --> 00:12:25,685
that was predicated
on movement.
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00:12:26,479 --> 00:12:31,588
His panel arrangement,
the elements within his panels,
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00:12:31,584 --> 00:12:34,724
always seemed to be
moving forward.
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00:12:34,721 --> 00:12:38,999
The Flash joined
Batman and Superman
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00:12:38,992 --> 00:12:40,767
in the DC superhero roster,
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00:12:40,760 --> 00:12:43,366
but no matter how fast
these heroes could go,
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00:12:43,363 --> 00:12:48,437
they had difficulty
keeping up with the times.
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00:12:48,434 --> 00:12:51,972
You would never think of
having Superman be neurotic
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00:12:51,971 --> 00:12:55,441
or have doubts or anxieties
or anything like that.
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00:12:55,441 --> 00:12:59,548
That was true of all
the DC characters.
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00:12:59,545 --> 00:13:03,652
What was different about
Marvel compared to DC
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00:13:03,650 --> 00:13:05,186
was like in Greek drama,
215
00:13:05,184 --> 00:13:08,495
the gods were in their heavens,
unquestioned,
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00:13:08,488 --> 00:13:13,164
and then Euripides came along
and decided to analyze them and,
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00:13:13,159 --> 00:13:17,835
you know, make them more human
and bring them down to,
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00:13:17,830 --> 00:13:19,673
you know,
to a human level,
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00:13:19,666 --> 00:13:22,579
and I think that's
what Marvel did
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00:13:22,568 --> 00:13:25,105
with the superheroes.
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00:13:25,104 --> 00:13:26,014
And maybe it was time.
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00:13:26,005 --> 00:13:27,951
You know, you can't have
those characters
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00:13:27,940 --> 00:13:30,750
running around forever
without beginning to wonder
224
00:13:30,743 --> 00:13:33,121
what they did, you know,
in their off-hours.
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00:13:33,112 --> 00:13:35,183
What are you reading,
Johnny?
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00:13:35,181 --> 00:13:36,785
Great new comic mag,
Reed.
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00:13:36,783 --> 00:13:38,023
Say,
you know something?
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00:13:38,017 --> 00:13:42,557
I'll be doggoned if this monster
doesn't remind me of the thing.
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00:13:42,555 --> 00:13:43,363
Very funny.
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00:13:43,356 --> 00:13:48,738
I tried to say
if such characters existed,
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00:13:48,728 --> 00:13:50,571
how would they act
in the real world,
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00:13:50,563 --> 00:13:55,069
and that's where we tried to
inject a little bit of reality.
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00:13:55,068 --> 00:13:58,515
The dialogue that Stan created
was different.
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00:13:58,504 --> 00:14:01,542
It was very folksy
and it seemed to work.
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00:14:01,541 --> 00:14:05,421
§ You belong,
you belong, you belong §
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00:14:05,411 --> 00:14:10,087
§ You belong to the Merry
Marvel Marching Society §
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00:14:10,083 --> 00:14:13,553
§ March along, march along,
march along to the song §
238
00:14:13,553 --> 00:14:18,553
§ Of the Merry Marvel
Marching Society §
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00:14:32,205 --> 00:14:34,947
Reality
came crashing into
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00:14:34,941 --> 00:14:37,148
the world of
superhero comics
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00:14:37,143 --> 00:14:40,090
on November 22, 1963 --
242
00:14:40,079 --> 00:14:43,458
the assassination
of President Kennedy.
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00:14:45,284 --> 00:14:48,424
Four months later,
Jack Kirby and Stan Lee
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00:14:48,421 --> 00:14:50,924
were inspired to
resurrect a superhero
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00:14:50,923 --> 00:14:55,872
that had defined the greatest
ideals of the country --
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00:14:58,231 --> 00:15:00,643
Captain America.
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00:15:00,633 --> 00:15:03,705
He became the most
psychologically complex
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00:15:03,703 --> 00:15:05,842
of the Marvel characters.
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00:15:07,473 --> 00:15:10,147
He's a man out of time,
250
00:15:10,143 --> 00:15:13,955
a guy who survived an era
and survived a war
251
00:15:13,946 --> 00:15:16,859
and his peers didn't.
252
00:15:16,849 --> 00:15:18,795
Can you
bring back the years
253
00:15:18,785 --> 00:15:21,857
of my life that I lost,
that I could never recapture?
254
00:15:21,854 --> 00:15:25,028
It became
this great soap opera
255
00:15:25,024 --> 00:15:27,436
of the early '60s
256
00:15:27,427 --> 00:15:31,569
and of this very optimistic,
you know, age
257
00:15:31,564 --> 00:15:34,477
that was sort of
traumatized by
258
00:15:34,467 --> 00:15:38,813
the assassination of
John F. Kennedy.
259
00:15:40,940 --> 00:15:42,544
Let this
be our answer
260
00:15:42,542 --> 00:15:43,816
to the scoffers
and the doubters,
261
00:15:43,810 --> 00:15:47,121
to those who think democracy
has lost its resolve.
262
00:15:47,113 --> 00:15:49,684
Wherever the deadly specter
of tyranny looms,
263
00:15:49,682 --> 00:15:52,720
the spirt of free men,
proud and united,
264
00:15:52,718 --> 00:15:56,598
will drive it
from our shores.
265
00:15:57,490 --> 00:15:59,629
My father was a veteran
of the Korean War.
266
00:15:59,625 --> 00:16:02,538
He would see that character,
and Captain America
267
00:16:02,528 --> 00:16:03,905
represents one thing
for him.
268
00:16:03,896 --> 00:16:06,934
You know, me not being
a veteran of the war
269
00:16:06,933 --> 00:16:09,777
but being the first-born,
you know, child of
270
00:16:09,769 --> 00:16:13,239
an immigrant family here,
I see Captain America
271
00:16:13,239 --> 00:16:16,083
and I see something
completely different.
272
00:16:16,075 --> 00:16:18,612
And I think that's
what's beautiful
273
00:16:18,611 --> 00:16:21,956
and amazing about
the character.
274
00:16:22,482 --> 00:16:25,520
And this is before Vietnam
really hits the fan
275
00:16:25,518 --> 00:16:29,261
and before we question
the very idea of what it means
276
00:16:29,255 --> 00:16:32,259
to be a patriot and means
to be American.
277
00:16:32,258 --> 00:16:35,796
Jack Kirby reinvented
the visual language of comics
278
00:16:35,795 --> 00:16:38,207
at least a couple times
over his career.
279
00:16:38,197 --> 00:16:41,269
And by the middle '60s,
he had reached
280
00:16:41,267 --> 00:16:43,804
a new flowering, and he was
doing superhero comics
281
00:16:43,803 --> 00:16:46,613
like really nobody
had done before.
282
00:16:46,606 --> 00:16:48,176
And so from that point on,
283
00:16:48,174 --> 00:16:50,245
I see Jack as
a watershed artist.
284
00:16:50,243 --> 00:16:55,625
You had pre-Jack Kirby artists
and post-Jack Kirby artists.
285
00:16:58,718 --> 00:17:01,358
Lee and Kirby
weren't the only ones
286
00:17:01,354 --> 00:17:04,062
bringing superhero icons
back into the limelight.
287
00:17:04,056 --> 00:17:08,869
In the early '60s, artist
Andy Warhol started making
288
00:17:08,861 --> 00:17:12,365
silk screen designs based on
Superman and Batman,
289
00:17:12,365 --> 00:17:14,845
characters he loved
while growing up
290
00:17:14,834 --> 00:17:18,680
as an isolated adolescent
in Pittsburgh.
291
00:17:18,671 --> 00:17:21,743
He used Superman for
his first window display
292
00:17:21,741 --> 00:17:25,416
at the elegant Bonwit Teller
department store
293
00:17:25,411 --> 00:17:26,981
on Fifth Avenue.
294
00:17:26,979 --> 00:17:29,516
You and Rosenquist
and Lichtenstein
295
00:17:29,515 --> 00:17:31,552
all were working
very independently.
296
00:17:31,551 --> 00:17:34,691
Does that seem odd to you,
that they all began to
297
00:17:34,687 --> 00:17:36,462
look at the world
in the same way?
298
00:17:36,455 --> 00:17:42,428
Um... I think we just read
a lot of comic books.
299
00:17:43,462 --> 00:17:46,602
The abstractions
of superhero images
300
00:17:46,599 --> 00:17:48,545
that Warhol
and artists like
301
00:17:48,534 --> 00:17:52,004
Roy Lichtenstein created
were part of a movement
302
00:17:52,004 --> 00:17:53,540
called pop art.
303
00:17:53,539 --> 00:17:54,643
With its bold,
304
00:17:54,640 --> 00:17:56,313
colorful images,
the comic book
305
00:17:56,309 --> 00:17:59,882
was a great source
of inspiration.
306
00:18:01,480 --> 00:18:03,517
For many years,
the Parkhurst Galleries
307
00:18:03,516 --> 00:18:05,120
have been noted
for their exhibitions
308
00:18:05,117 --> 00:18:08,098
and auctions of art that have
stood the test of time.
309
00:18:08,087 --> 00:18:09,122
But now,
Mr. Benson Parkhurst,
310
00:18:09,121 --> 00:18:13,069
the owner of the galleries,
has bowed to the inevitable.
311
00:18:13,059 --> 00:18:16,666
And the galleries are having
their first exhibit
312
00:18:16,662 --> 00:18:18,767
of pop art.
313
00:18:18,764 --> 00:18:20,903
Enh.
314
00:18:22,735 --> 00:18:23,179
Inferior.
315
00:18:23,169 --> 00:18:27,640
Holy masquerade!
It's Clock King!
316
00:18:29,642 --> 00:18:32,248
Pop art
and comic book superheroes
317
00:18:32,244 --> 00:18:34,986
made a leap into living rooms
across America
318
00:18:34,981 --> 00:18:38,690
when Batman came
to television in 1966.
319
00:18:38,684 --> 00:18:42,188
The show was heralded
by a TV Guide cover
320
00:18:42,188 --> 00:18:46,398
specially designed by
Roy Lichtenstein.
321
00:18:49,895 --> 00:18:51,772
You can only fool
some of the people
322
00:18:51,764 --> 00:18:54,176
some of the time,
Clock King.
323
00:18:58,971 --> 00:19:00,279
When you
look at Batman,
324
00:19:00,272 --> 00:19:02,878
you see all those
primary colors
325
00:19:02,875 --> 00:19:07,324
that were kind of borrowed from
the earlier comic books.
326
00:19:15,221 --> 00:19:17,428
It's Batman!
327
00:19:17,423 --> 00:19:19,596
You see references
to pop culture.
328
00:19:19,592 --> 00:19:21,128
Anything I can
do for you, sir?
329
00:19:21,127 --> 00:19:21,662
Check your cape?
330
00:19:21,661 --> 00:19:27,577
And we rode that crest and what
was happening out there.
331
00:19:36,809 --> 00:19:38,413
I love the TV show,
332
00:19:38,411 --> 00:19:39,822
with the "pows"
and the "bangs"
333
00:19:39,812 --> 00:19:42,486
and the lettering
and all the rest of it.
334
00:19:42,481 --> 00:19:45,121
Terrible,
terrible humor,
335
00:19:45,117 --> 00:19:46,926
terrible, insane,
funny, stupid stuff.
336
00:19:46,919 --> 00:19:48,956
Climbing up the side
of the building
337
00:19:48,954 --> 00:19:50,126
by walking across the stage
338
00:19:50,122 --> 00:19:52,068
and turning the camera
to the side.
339
00:19:52,058 --> 00:19:54,129
Robin. Sometimes I think people
340
00:19:54,126 --> 00:19:55,605
expect too much of us,
Batman.
341
00:19:55,594 --> 00:19:57,767
They have a right
to expect it.
342
00:19:57,763 --> 00:20:00,004
But we're only human.
All too true.
343
00:19:59,999 --> 00:20:04,243
In the late '60s,
there were the three bs --
344
00:20:04,236 --> 00:20:09,709
the Beatles,
Bond, and Batman.
345
00:20:09,709 --> 00:20:11,313
It was a tribute
346
00:20:11,310 --> 00:20:12,789
to the comic book,
347
00:20:12,778 --> 00:20:18,228
and the comic book sales
increased exponentially
348
00:20:18,217 --> 00:20:20,094
when we came out.
349
00:20:20,086 --> 00:20:22,157
To the Batmobile.
350
00:20:27,593 --> 00:20:30,096
Oh. Better put
five cents in the meter.
351
00:20:30,096 --> 00:20:33,737
No policeman's going to give
the Batmobile a ticket.
352
00:20:33,733 --> 00:20:34,370
No matter, Robin.
353
00:20:34,366 --> 00:20:37,438
This money goes toward
building better roads.
354
00:20:37,436 --> 00:20:38,847
We all must
do our part.
355
00:20:38,838 --> 00:20:40,909
Good citizenship,
you know?
356
00:20:40,906 --> 00:20:41,646
Holy taxation!
357
00:20:41,640 --> 00:20:44,587
You're right again,
Batman.
358
00:20:44,577 --> 00:20:46,682
Batman became camp.
359
00:20:47,847 --> 00:20:50,123
Molly, don't panic.
360
00:20:50,116 --> 00:20:51,390
In those days,
361
00:20:51,383 --> 00:20:52,862
camp was
a fairly serious
362
00:20:52,852 --> 00:20:54,832
intellectual enterprise.
363
00:20:54,820 --> 00:20:58,563
I'm slipping!
Oh, Batman!
364
00:20:58,557 --> 00:21:00,332
But when kids see it,
365
00:21:00,326 --> 00:21:01,703
they take it literally.
366
00:21:01,694 --> 00:21:05,938
When adults see it,
they realize it's comedic.
367
00:21:05,931 --> 00:21:09,674
What a terrible way
to go-go.
368
00:21:09,668 --> 00:21:12,046
The Batman TV show
of the '60s
369
00:21:12,037 --> 00:21:15,348
was the type of game-changer
that brainwashed
370
00:21:15,341 --> 00:21:19,847
an entire generation of kids,
myself included.
371
00:21:20,746 --> 00:21:22,817
They're trying to get
the Bat Computer.
372
00:21:22,815 --> 00:21:23,691
Can Batman and Robin stop them?
373
00:21:23,682 --> 00:21:27,027
Use your Bat Signal!
Send Robin down the Batpole
374
00:21:27,019 --> 00:21:28,521
and put the dynamic duo
into action!
375
00:21:28,521 --> 00:21:31,832
It had this crazy vibe
that no one
376
00:21:31,824 --> 00:21:33,167
had seen before.
377
00:21:33,159 --> 00:21:36,368
Batman has many tools
and toys and gadgets
378
00:21:36,362 --> 00:21:37,340
and friends and villains,
379
00:21:37,329 --> 00:21:41,835
and all those things are just
ripe for licensing.
380
00:21:41,834 --> 00:21:44,906
Little boys,
by that Christmas of '67,
381
00:21:44,904 --> 00:21:47,976
got Batmobiles under
the Christmas tree
382
00:21:47,973 --> 00:21:51,921
and Batman figures
and Batcapes and Batarangs.
383
00:21:51,911 --> 00:21:53,720
It was a fad,
like hula hoops
384
00:21:53,712 --> 00:21:57,182
and coonskin caps,
and when it's over, it's over.
385
00:21:57,183 --> 00:21:59,288
I knew it was
going to be trouble
386
00:21:59,285 --> 00:22:00,958
when it ended,
and it was.
387
00:22:00,953 --> 00:22:03,263
The books died immediately.
388
00:22:31,584 --> 00:22:33,655
For the first
quarter century
389
00:22:33,652 --> 00:22:36,531
of the comic book business,
publishers tried to
390
00:22:36,522 --> 00:22:38,433
capture an audience
of children.
391
00:22:38,424 --> 00:22:40,267
Marvel Comics,
on the other hand,
392
00:22:40,259 --> 00:22:44,264
captured the zeitgeist
of its own times,
393
00:22:44,263 --> 00:22:50,270
and with it, a new generation
of more mature readers.
394
00:22:50,269 --> 00:22:53,216
I used modern music,
I used modern design.
395
00:22:53,205 --> 00:22:55,242
I used psychedelic art.
396
00:22:57,009 --> 00:23:00,889
I brought surrealism
into the mix.
397
00:23:00,880 --> 00:23:03,827
I brought expressionism.
398
00:23:03,816 --> 00:23:07,389
I brought pop art,
optical art.
399
00:23:07,386 --> 00:23:10,799
I used everything I could
to update comics
400
00:23:10,789 --> 00:23:13,395
and bring them into today.
401
00:23:18,631 --> 00:23:20,372
So what
started happening,
402
00:23:20,366 --> 00:23:21,902
because of guys
like Steranko,
403
00:23:21,901 --> 00:23:24,108
is the letters
that would come in
404
00:23:24,103 --> 00:23:26,481
would come in
from college students
405
00:23:26,472 --> 00:23:28,884
or young people
who were studying art.
406
00:23:28,874 --> 00:23:32,822
And they would go,
"Wow, this is really great."
407
00:23:32,811 --> 00:23:36,953
So an awful lot of young artists
were inspired to
408
00:23:36,949 --> 00:23:40,590
think of comic books
as a form.
409
00:23:42,421 --> 00:23:46,198
Jim Steranko had
grown up on comic books,
410
00:23:46,191 --> 00:23:49,070
paid the bills
doing graphic design
411
00:23:49,061 --> 00:23:50,506
for an advertising firm
412
00:23:50,496 --> 00:23:54,137
and performing as
an escape artist.
413
00:24:03,709 --> 00:24:06,713
In 1966, Steranko
arrived unannounced
414
00:24:06,712 --> 00:24:07,782
at the Marvel offices
415
00:24:07,780 --> 00:24:12,160
and convinced Stan Lee
to look at his portfolio.
416
00:24:12,151 --> 00:24:13,755
He said,
417
00:24:13,752 --> 00:24:16,255
"I really don't have
anything for you,
418
00:24:16,255 --> 00:24:18,701
but you're too damn good
to let get away."
419
00:24:18,691 --> 00:24:22,867
And then he pointed to
a rack that was on the wall
420
00:24:22,861 --> 00:24:25,535
that held all
the Marvel titles,
421
00:24:25,531 --> 00:24:30,037
and he said two words
that changed my career.
422
00:24:30,035 --> 00:24:32,982
"Pick one."
423
00:24:32,972 --> 00:24:37,284
So I pointed to the worst book
that they had.
424
00:24:37,276 --> 00:24:39,813
“Was Nick Fury,
Agent of SHIELD.
425
00:24:39,812 --> 00:24:43,555
They simply don't know how to
handle a James Bond,
426
00:24:43,549 --> 00:24:46,462
Man From UNCLE
kind of character.
427
00:24:46,452 --> 00:24:48,363
So I said,
"I’ll take that guy,"
428
00:24:48,354 --> 00:24:50,857
and Stan said,
"It's yours."
429
00:25:02,234 --> 00:25:06,876
To me, SHIELD was an open,
empty, high canvas
430
00:25:06,872 --> 00:25:10,684
that I could do
virtually anything in,
431
00:25:10,676 --> 00:25:12,815
especially experimentation.
432
00:25:12,811 --> 00:25:16,816
I did this three-page
silent sequence.
433
00:25:17,950 --> 00:25:23,798
It began with Nick Fury
penetrating an enemy fortress.
434
00:25:26,125 --> 00:25:29,732
There wasn't even
a thought balloon.
435
00:25:29,728 --> 00:25:31,799
There wasn't even
a caption.
436
00:25:31,797 --> 00:25:33,674
There were
no words anywhere.
437
00:25:33,665 --> 00:25:38,273
Three pages of silence,
the first time in comics.
438
00:25:39,571 --> 00:25:44,452
And then he gets killed
at the end.
439
00:25:45,944 --> 00:25:49,016
I took the pages
into production,
440
00:25:49,014 --> 00:25:53,019
where Sol Brodsky held court,
and he said,
441
00:25:53,018 --> 00:25:55,726
"I can't pay you for writing
these first three pages.
442
00:25:55,721 --> 00:25:58,998
There's nothing here,
so I can only pay you for 17."
443
00:25:58,991 --> 00:26:02,063
But the writing was there.
444
00:26:02,061 --> 00:26:04,564
It's all done visually.
445
00:26:04,563 --> 00:26:06,668
I grabbed this guy
by his shirt,
446
00:26:06,665 --> 00:26:09,737
and I said, "I'm going to
throw you out this...
447
00:26:09,735 --> 00:26:13,706
window if you don't pay me
for those three pages."
448
00:26:13,705 --> 00:26:15,582
Well,
in his infinite wisdom,
449
00:26:15,574 --> 00:26:18,612
he decided to pay me
for the three pages,
450
00:26:18,610 --> 00:26:20,988
and we were cool about it.
451
00:26:23,549 --> 00:26:24,550
Jim Steranko
452
00:26:24,550 --> 00:26:27,224
many people consider
the Jimi Hendrix
453
00:26:27,219 --> 00:26:29,392
of comic book art
in the late '60s,
454
00:26:29,388 --> 00:26:33,268
because just like Hendrix,
he came on like a comet,
455
00:26:33,258 --> 00:26:34,328
an overnight sensation,
456
00:26:34,326 --> 00:26:38,797
and, just like Hendrix,
creates a body of work
457
00:26:38,797 --> 00:26:44,270
that its influence and impact
is in converse proportion
458
00:26:44,269 --> 00:26:49,912
to the actual quantity
of comics he turned out.
459
00:26:49,908 --> 00:26:52,616
This is one of
the first of the --
460
00:26:52,611 --> 00:26:55,057
of my interactive
page experiments.
461
00:26:55,047 --> 00:26:59,189
Fury has penetrated
some enemy fortress
462
00:26:59,184 --> 00:27:03,030
and he has to go
through a labyrinth,
463
00:27:03,021 --> 00:27:06,969
and to get from panel one
to panel two,
464
00:27:06,959 --> 00:27:11,066
the reader had to actually
transverse the maze.
465
00:27:11,063 --> 00:27:14,374
At the bottom of the page,
he's got to turn it,
466
00:27:14,366 --> 00:27:15,401
because the balloons are now
467
00:27:15,400 --> 00:27:19,507
in a vertical configuration,
and to go to the final panel,
468
00:27:19,505 --> 00:27:24,648
he has to turn the page
completely upside down.
469
00:27:24,643 --> 00:27:26,645
While the 1960s
470
00:27:26,645 --> 00:27:29,922
brought new artistic
and storytelling techniques
471
00:27:29,915 --> 00:27:32,896
to superhero comic books,
the restrictions of
472
00:27:32,885 --> 00:27:37,356
the Comics Code Authority
still remained in effect.
473
00:27:45,063 --> 00:27:48,408
I created a character
for Fury to
474
00:27:48,400 --> 00:27:50,107
develop a romance with.
475
00:27:50,102 --> 00:27:52,309
I called her the Countess.
476
00:27:52,304 --> 00:27:54,147
Valentina.
477
00:27:55,841 --> 00:28:02,656
And in one of my books,
I had another wordless page.
478
00:28:04,950 --> 00:28:07,658
But every comic book
had to pass
479
00:28:07,653 --> 00:28:13,126
these certain stringent rules
of the Comics Code.
480
00:28:14,726 --> 00:28:19,505
A phone being off
the hook was too suggestive.
481
00:28:19,498 --> 00:28:21,910
Couples couldn't
fully embrace.
482
00:28:21,900 --> 00:28:26,542
But a gun in a holster
was perfectly acceptable.
483
00:28:31,877 --> 00:28:34,653
By the time the Summer of Love
arrived in 1867,
484
00:28:34,646 --> 00:28:39,652
American culture was being
radically transformed.
485
00:28:39,651 --> 00:28:43,098
Sidney Poitier was the top
box office star that year,
486
00:28:43,088 --> 00:28:47,002
and the civil rights movement
was taking America
487
00:28:46,992 --> 00:28:49,199
by storm.
488
00:28:52,264 --> 00:28:55,302
We're going to
lop out some militant,
489
00:28:55,300 --> 00:28:58,247
and I do mean militant,
demonstrations,
490
00:28:58,237 --> 00:28:59,545
for March Mississippi.
491
00:29:00,672 --> 00:29:02,379
It made sense that
the trend towards
492
00:29:02,374 --> 00:29:04,786
greater racial,
ethnic diversity in superheroes
493
00:29:04,776 --> 00:29:07,848
would begin with Marvel Comics,
since the Marvel comics
494
00:29:07,846 --> 00:29:10,452
of the 1960s had really
made their reputation
495
00:29:10,449 --> 00:29:14,022
by casting outsiders
as superheroes.
496
00:29:14,019 --> 00:29:19,765
So as early as 1964, 1965,
you at least started to see
497
00:29:19,758 --> 00:29:21,328
street scenes where
not everybody was white.
498
00:29:21,326 --> 00:29:24,535
You would see a black policeman
or a black doctor,
499
00:29:24,529 --> 00:29:26,668
just little things
like that to highlight
500
00:29:26,665 --> 00:29:29,407
some of the diversity
in American culture.
501
00:29:29,401 --> 00:29:30,038
My mind was blown.
502
00:29:30,035 --> 00:29:32,140
At the high school
where Peter Parker went to,
503
00:29:32,137 --> 00:29:34,014
there were
black students going.
504
00:29:34,006 --> 00:29:35,007
And he spoke to one of them!
505
00:29:35,007 --> 00:29:36,953
The guy said,
"How's it going today?"
506
00:29:36,942 --> 00:29:38,853
"Fine."
That was enough for me.
507
00:29:38,844 --> 00:29:39,686
You can stop talking now.
508
00:29:39,678 --> 00:29:41,783
Um... I just --
I like that idea that
509
00:29:41,780 --> 00:29:43,191
it wasn't like
a special thing.
510
00:29:43,181 --> 00:29:45,627
"Oh, we're going to go
to a black school today."
511
00:29:45,617 --> 00:29:48,029
He had -- he was part of
an integrated school,
512
00:29:48,020 --> 00:29:50,466
and you can't imagine
what that was like
513
00:29:50,455 --> 00:29:51,399
in the early 1960s to see.
514
00:29:51,390 --> 00:29:54,530
We should be representative of
the whole world.
515
00:29:54,526 --> 00:29:56,938
I mean, actually
every type of person
516
00:29:56,928 --> 00:30:00,466
should be represented
in these stories.
517
00:30:03,702 --> 00:30:04,806
In 1966,
518
00:30:04,803 --> 00:30:06,043
Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
519
00:30:06,038 --> 00:30:10,646
introduced the first
black superhero -- T'Challa,
520
00:30:10,642 --> 00:30:13,316
the Black Panther.
521
00:30:13,312 --> 00:30:16,088
He's a king
of an African nation.
522
00:30:16,081 --> 00:30:18,721
They are
a super-scientific nation
523
00:30:18,717 --> 00:30:20,321
that has never
been conquered
524
00:30:20,319 --> 00:30:22,390
and never had slaves
taken from them,
525
00:30:22,387 --> 00:30:26,335
which, to me,
was just amazing.
526
00:30:27,359 --> 00:30:28,895
Right after
the Black Panther,
527
00:30:28,894 --> 00:30:32,000
for Marvel, at least,
comes Luke Cage,
528
00:30:31,997 --> 00:30:34,944
and he is
a bad mammajamma.
529
00:30:38,603 --> 00:30:41,209
Cage,
a former street criminal,
530
00:30:41,206 --> 00:30:44,744
gains superpowers from
an experiment in prison
531
00:30:44,743 --> 00:30:47,417
and becomes the first
mercenary in comic books,
532
00:30:47,412 --> 00:30:50,450
complete with business cards.
533
00:30:50,449 --> 00:30:52,793
His name is Luke Cage,
534
00:30:52,784 --> 00:30:57,426
and being a hero for hire
is his thing.
535
00:30:57,422 --> 00:30:59,993
We've put it all
together for you
536
00:30:59,991 --> 00:31:01,527
in the first sensational ish
537
00:31:01,526 --> 00:31:06,805
of our newest superhero mag,
on sale right about now.
538
00:31:06,798 --> 00:31:11,076
It was Marvel's answer
to blaxploitation films
539
00:31:11,069 --> 00:31:13,447
that were popular
in 1972.
540
00:31:13,438 --> 00:31:15,679
Mmmmm.
541
00:31:15,674 --> 00:31:17,620
He's like Shaft,
542
00:31:17,609 --> 00:31:19,816
he's like Superfly
all rolled into one,
543
00:31:19,811 --> 00:31:20,755
and who wouldn't
love that?
544
00:31:20,746 --> 00:31:24,057
Except he's not a pimp,
thank you very much.
545
00:31:27,552 --> 00:31:32,228
Yeah, outfit's
kinda hokey, but so what?
546
00:31:32,224 --> 00:31:35,694
All part of
the superhero scene.
547
00:31:35,694 --> 00:31:40,507
Don't dare miss
Luke Cage -- Hero for Hire.
548
00:31:40,499 --> 00:31:43,070
He's really something else.
549
00:31:43,068 --> 00:31:44,843
Excelsior!
550
00:31:50,409 --> 00:31:51,615
Marvel superheroes
551
00:31:51,610 --> 00:31:54,989
had revitalized the field,
but there were those
552
00:31:54,980 --> 00:31:58,689
at DC Comics who
wanted change as well.
553
00:32:00,652 --> 00:32:03,861
In 1970, DC contributes
one of the most
554
00:32:03,855 --> 00:32:06,734
seminal superhero comics
of all time.
555
00:32:06,725 --> 00:32:09,228
It began when editor
Jule Schwartz
556
00:32:09,227 --> 00:32:13,573
lumped two characters together
in a seemingly random way.
557
00:32:13,565 --> 00:32:17,536
Jule decided to put
Green Arrow with Green Lantern.
558
00:32:17,536 --> 00:32:19,106
And he said, "Okay,
559
00:32:19,104 --> 00:32:21,812
we're going to do the book,
it's going to be
560
00:32:21,807 --> 00:32:24,378
combined Green Lantern
and Green Arrow."
561
00:32:24,376 --> 00:32:26,117
I said, "You mean
it's going to say
562
00:32:26,111 --> 00:32:28,853
Green Lantern/Green Arrow
on the cover?“
563
00:32:28,847 --> 00:32:29,382
He said, "Yeah."
564
00:32:29,381 --> 00:32:34,421
I mean, it's just too green.
It's ridiculous.
565
00:32:34,419 --> 00:32:35,921
But we did it.
566
00:32:35,921 --> 00:32:40,165
We decided to go into
an evolution for Green Lantern,
567
00:32:40,158 --> 00:32:42,900
and actually, isn't it curious
that Green Lantern has
568
00:32:42,894 --> 00:32:46,103
helped people of all colors
and never touched a black man?
569
00:32:46,097 --> 00:32:48,634
And that's his next-door
neighbor, so to speak.
570
00:32:48,633 --> 00:32:50,704
And we said, "By God,
that is the story."
571
00:32:50,702 --> 00:32:53,410
And now read the copy --
I think it's important
572
00:32:53,405 --> 00:32:56,147
to read that copy, Jule,
because that's the key to it.
573
00:32:56,141 --> 00:32:59,315
And the black man says,
"I've been reading about you,
574
00:32:59,311 --> 00:33:01,188
how you worked for
the blue-skins,
575
00:33:01,179 --> 00:33:03,022
and how on a planet
some place
576
00:33:03,014 --> 00:33:04,857
you helped out
the orange-skins."
577
00:33:04,850 --> 00:33:06,887
And you've
done considerable
578
00:33:06,885 --> 00:33:07,590
for the purple-skins.
579
00:33:07,586 --> 00:33:10,829
Only there's skins
you never bothered with --
580
00:33:10,822 --> 00:33:12,165
the black skins.
581
00:33:12,157 --> 00:33:14,603
I want to know,
how come?
582
00:33:14,593 --> 00:33:18,234
Answer me that,
Mr. Green Lantern!
583
00:33:18,230 --> 00:33:21,439
GREEN LANTERN; I can't.
584
00:33:23,368 --> 00:33:27,942
Danny O'Neil wrote
a classic script,
585
00:33:27,939 --> 00:33:28,940
for a comic book.
586
00:33:28,940 --> 00:33:30,510
Maybe for any medium.
587
00:33:30,509 --> 00:33:31,112
A classic script.
588
00:33:31,109 --> 00:33:34,215
He put the two characters
against one another.
589
00:33:34,212 --> 00:33:37,989
Made one represent
the establishment,
590
00:33:37,983 --> 00:33:42,227
made one represent
the downtrodden.
591
00:33:42,220 --> 00:33:44,257
And so Green Lantern
and Green Arrow
592
00:33:44,256 --> 00:33:45,291
conflicted with
one another.
593
00:33:45,290 --> 00:33:49,329
Easy.
You've no cause to yell at me!
594
00:33:49,327 --> 00:33:50,829
I have a job.
I do it!
595
00:33:50,829 --> 00:33:53,105
Seems I've heard
that line before,
596
00:33:53,098 --> 00:33:56,443
at the Nazi war trials!
597
00:33:56,434 --> 00:34:00,177
They decided in the end,
because of their conflict,
598
00:34:00,171 --> 00:34:03,015
that they would take
a trip across America
599
00:34:03,008 --> 00:34:08,356
so they and we
would discover America.
600
00:34:12,450 --> 00:34:14,760
On the streets of Memphis,
601
00:34:14,753 --> 00:34:17,757
a good black man died,
and in Los Angeles,
602
00:34:17,756 --> 00:34:20,134
a good white man fell.
603
00:34:20,125 --> 00:34:21,468
Something is wrong.
604
00:34:21,459 --> 00:34:23,268
Something is
killing us all.
605
00:34:23,261 --> 00:34:29,177
Some hideous moral cancer
is rotting our very souls!
606
00:34:30,035 --> 00:34:32,641
I thought,
what if We
607
00:34:32,637 --> 00:34:35,743
plotted the stories
from the headlines?
608
00:34:35,740 --> 00:34:38,050
What if we did
the stuff that
609
00:34:38,043 --> 00:34:41,115
we were really
concerned about?
610
00:34:41,112 --> 00:34:44,685
I did hope that
we would wake kids up.
611
00:34:44,683 --> 00:34:48,130
If I had been thinking
about this stuff
612
00:34:48,119 --> 00:34:49,359
from age eight onward
613
00:34:49,354 --> 00:34:52,426
and I was aware that
these problems existed,
614
00:34:52,424 --> 00:34:56,804
maybe my mind would have
come up with something.
615
00:34:57,562 --> 00:35:00,771
Those were
revolutionary comic books.
616
00:35:00,765 --> 00:35:03,541
They changed comic books
since that day.
617
00:35:03,535 --> 00:35:07,039
We said in
those comic books,
618
00:35:07,038 --> 00:35:09,678
"We can talk about things.
619
00:35:09,674 --> 00:35:12,780
Anything we want,
we can talk about in comics.
620
00:35:12,777 --> 00:35:15,849
All those things that
we haven't talked about,
621
00:35:15,847 --> 00:35:17,793
we can talk about."
622
00:35:17,782 --> 00:35:20,422
Except for drugs.
623
00:35:20,418 --> 00:35:22,159
Cover art was submitted for
624
00:35:22,153 --> 00:35:24,531
a cautionary tale
about drug use,
625
00:35:24,522 --> 00:35:27,969
but the publishers
at DC Comics had to heed
626
00:35:27,959 --> 00:35:29,336
the Comics Code Authority,
627
00:35:29,327 --> 00:35:34,276
which, since 1955,
had forbidden any depiction
628
00:35:34,265 --> 00:35:36,973
of illegal narcotics.
629
00:35:39,571 --> 00:35:40,242
In 1970,
630
00:35:40,238 --> 00:35:44,744
when President Nixon declared
drugs public enemy number one,
631
00:35:44,743 --> 00:35:47,690
superheroes were still
prohibited from fighting
632
00:35:47,679 --> 00:35:49,625
this menace to society.
633
00:35:51,616 --> 00:35:52,686
One day I got
634
00:35:52,684 --> 00:35:54,755
a letter from
the Office of Health,
635
00:35:54,753 --> 00:35:57,029
Education, and Welfare
in Washington.
636
00:35:57,022 --> 00:35:59,263
I don't remember
the exact wording,
637
00:35:59,257 --> 00:36:00,235
but it's something like this.
638
00:36:00,225 --> 00:36:05,106
"Recognizing the influence
that your character Spider-Man
639
00:36:05,096 --> 00:36:08,669
has on young people,
we think it would be
640
00:36:08,667 --> 00:36:11,341
very beneficial if
you would do
641
00:36:11,336 --> 00:36:14,249
an anti-drug story
in Spider-Man."
642
00:36:14,239 --> 00:36:16,583
Well, no kids want to
be lectured to,
643
00:36:16,574 --> 00:36:18,383
so I wasn't about
to do a story
644
00:36:18,376 --> 00:36:20,322
that he said,
"Don't take drugs."
645
00:36:20,311 --> 00:36:24,851
But I made that
a part of the story.
646
00:36:24,849 --> 00:36:28,319
A boy who had
overdosed on something,
647
00:36:28,319 --> 00:36:29,730
thought he could fly.
648
00:36:29,721 --> 00:36:32,133
He stood at
the edge of a roof.
649
00:36:32,123 --> 00:36:35,866
They gotta see,
see how I walk on the air...
650
00:36:35,860 --> 00:36:39,330
Spider-Man had to
go up there and save him.
651
00:36:39,330 --> 00:36:40,172
Gotcha!
652
00:36:40,165 --> 00:36:42,645
I went over
to Marvel Comics,
653
00:36:42,634 --> 00:36:45,274
because I would go
and hang out,
654
00:36:45,270 --> 00:36:46,078
and I find out
655
00:36:46,071 --> 00:36:48,915
they did a Spider-Man book,
656
00:36:48,907 --> 00:36:52,320
a character pops pills
and walks off a roof.
657
00:36:52,310 --> 00:36:53,414
Really?
658
00:36:53,411 --> 00:36:58,622
Any drug strong enough to
give you that kind of trip
659
00:36:58,616 --> 00:37:01,187
can damage your brain --
but bad!
660
00:37:01,186 --> 00:37:06,761
But how do you warn the kids?
How do you reach them?
661
00:37:06,758 --> 00:37:09,238
That's cool.
662
00:37:09,227 --> 00:37:11,070
Stan's being cool.
663
00:37:11,062 --> 00:37:12,405
That's, like, great!
664
00:37:12,397 --> 00:37:15,173
We sent that book to
the Comic Code office,
665
00:37:15,166 --> 00:37:17,271
as were sending
all the books,
666
00:37:17,268 --> 00:37:19,009
and they rejected
the book.
667
00:37:19,003 --> 00:37:20,175
I said, "Why?"
They said,
668
00:37:20,171 --> 00:37:23,175
"You're not allowed to
mention drugs in the comics."
669
00:37:23,174 --> 00:37:26,678
I said, "But we're not telling
the kids to take drugs.
670
00:37:26,678 --> 00:37:29,056
It's an anti-drug message."
"Sorry."
671
00:37:29,047 --> 00:37:31,220
So I was so proud
of my publisher.
672
00:37:31,216 --> 00:37:34,823
I told him about it and I said,
"Martin, I think we
673
00:37:34,819 --> 00:37:39,325
ought to put the book out
without the seal of approval."
674
00:37:39,324 --> 00:37:40,496
He said, "Do it, Stan."
675
00:37:40,492 --> 00:37:44,634
It went out,
it had no Comics Code seal.
676
00:37:44,629 --> 00:37:46,404
Nobody mentioned it.
677
00:37:46,397 --> 00:37:48,308
Really.
678
00:37:48,299 --> 00:37:50,506
That is definitely cool.
679
00:37:50,502 --> 00:37:54,882
We got more mail from teachers
and parents and doctors
680
00:37:54,873 --> 00:37:57,615
and everybody
all over the country
681
00:37:57,609 --> 00:38:00,715
saying how much they
loved that book
682
00:38:00,712 --> 00:38:02,658
and how delighted they were.
683
00:38:02,647 --> 00:38:04,718
Within a week they had
a new meeting of
684
00:38:04,716 --> 00:38:08,630
the Comics Code Authority,
which was all the publishers,
685
00:38:08,620 --> 00:38:10,156
the self-regulating agency,
686
00:38:10,155 --> 00:38:12,066
and they re-wrote
the Comics Code.
687
00:38:12,056 --> 00:38:16,163
They re-wrote it to such
an extent that it's gone!
688
00:38:18,863 --> 00:38:20,604
The relaxed
Comics Code
689
00:38:20,598 --> 00:38:25,741
enabled DC to put out
its own landmark issue.
690
00:38:27,438 --> 00:38:31,477
This new trend of comics for
grownups was big news.
691
00:38:31,476 --> 00:38:33,456
As the New York Times
put it,
692
00:38:33,444 --> 00:38:38,189
"Today's superhero is about
as much like his predecessors
693
00:38:38,183 --> 00:38:42,222
as today's child
is like his parents."
694
00:38:42,854 --> 00:38:46,358
Even Superman confronted
the issue of race relations
695
00:38:46,357 --> 00:38:49,770
when intrepid reporter
Lois Lane turned black
696
00:38:49,761 --> 00:38:51,866
in order to
cover a story in
697
00:38:51,863 --> 00:38:55,675
a ghetto of Metropolis
called Little Africa.
698
00:38:55,667 --> 00:38:57,374
I Am Curious!
699
00:38:57,368 --> 00:38:59,370
Issue of Lois Lane,
700
00:38:59,370 --> 00:39:05,013
where Lois Lane turns
black for 24 hours.
701
00:39:05,009 --> 00:39:05,453
Uh...
702
00:39:05,443 --> 00:39:08,583
I thought it was
a really brave attempt
703
00:39:08,580 --> 00:39:09,820
on the part of DC Comics.
704
00:39:09,814 --> 00:39:12,556
You always have to
go through different phases
705
00:39:12,550 --> 00:39:14,791
when you're
reaching out to somebody,
706
00:39:14,786 --> 00:39:16,390
particularly with
race in America.
707
00:39:16,387 --> 00:39:17,923
There's tokenism,
there's patronism,
708
00:39:17,922 --> 00:39:20,869
you know, and there are
different stages we go through.
709
00:39:20,859 --> 00:39:23,203
I thought that they made
a valiant attempt.
710
00:39:23,194 --> 00:39:25,868
There's
Benny the Beret!
711
00:39:25,864 --> 00:39:28,936
He'll taxi me
to Little Africa.
712
00:39:28,933 --> 00:39:32,346
Why, he zoomed past me,
as if --
713
00:39:32,337 --> 00:39:34,044
as if I don't exist!
714
00:39:34,038 --> 00:39:36,917
So this is
the way it is!
715
00:39:36,908 --> 00:39:40,321
My first lesson in
the meaning of "black."
716
00:39:40,311 --> 00:39:42,655
The fact that
you could kind of predict
717
00:39:42,647 --> 00:39:44,251
where the story
was going to end,
718
00:39:44,249 --> 00:39:45,057
with the blood transfusion,
719
00:39:45,049 --> 00:39:48,292
and then they begin to
appreciate that we're all one,
720
00:39:48,286 --> 00:39:51,267
you know, and they don't
sing "Kumbayah" quite,
721
00:39:51,256 --> 00:39:53,065
but the idea's --
I get that.
722
00:39:53,057 --> 00:39:56,561
And they took a little chance
inside the book.
723
00:39:56,561 --> 00:39:59,007
They asked --
Lois asked Superman,
724
00:39:58,997 --> 00:40:03,275
"Would you marry me
even though I'm black now?"
725
00:40:03,268 --> 00:40:04,747
Whoa!
726
00:40:04,736 --> 00:40:07,046
So Superman answers by saying,
"Well, Lois,
727
00:40:07,038 --> 00:40:08,881
I'm not even
from this planet.
728
00:40:08,873 --> 00:40:09,442
I'm an alien.
729
00:40:09,440 --> 00:40:11,818
I don't even know if
I can answer that."
730
00:40:11,809 --> 00:40:14,312
But your skin
is the right color.
731
00:40:14,312 --> 00:40:17,555
Though DC Comics'
superhero stories
732
00:40:17,548 --> 00:40:20,722
were earnestly grappling
with topical issues,
733
00:40:20,718 --> 00:40:23,631
the all-male writing staff
was ill-prepared
734
00:40:23,621 --> 00:40:27,000
to handle the rise of
a popular new movement
735
00:40:26,991 --> 00:40:27,560
in the 1970s.
736
00:40:27,558 --> 00:40:31,404
We talk about equal
opportunities and employment,
737
00:40:31,396 --> 00:40:33,535
we mean to have it now!
738
00:40:33,531 --> 00:40:35,238
We just want
739
00:40:35,233 --> 00:40:36,712
what men have had
all these years.
740
00:40:36,701 --> 00:40:38,408
But we don't want
the bad things
741
00:40:38,403 --> 00:40:41,941
they took with them,
like male chauvinism.
742
00:40:44,042 --> 00:40:46,215
I was a blue-collar,
743
00:40:46,210 --> 00:40:52,092
lower-middle-class Irish kid
from north St. Louis,
744
00:40:52,083 --> 00:40:57,863
and I believed in pacifism,
in racial equality,
745
00:40:57,855 --> 00:41:00,893
and along came feminism,
and I thought,
746
00:41:00,892 --> 00:41:03,202
"I ought to
believe in this."
747
00:41:03,194 --> 00:41:06,835
But emotionally,
I was five years away
748
00:41:06,831 --> 00:41:12,042
from accepting
and understanding feminism.
749
00:41:18,242 --> 00:41:19,186
Danny O'Neil took over
750
00:41:19,177 --> 00:41:20,656
the writing reigns
of Wonder Woman
751
00:41:20,645 --> 00:41:24,559
and stripped the Princess Diana
of all her powers
752
00:41:24,549 --> 00:41:25,892
and turned her into
753
00:41:25,883 --> 00:41:27,089
a street-level woman,
754
00:41:27,085 --> 00:41:29,122
basically someone
who dressed in
755
00:41:29,120 --> 00:41:31,930
really hot catsuits,
went around the world
756
00:41:31,923 --> 00:41:36,838
fighting international crime,
drug cartels.
757
00:41:39,263 --> 00:41:40,640
Folks like Gloria Steinem
758
00:41:40,631 --> 00:41:43,009
and other feminists
believed that
759
00:41:43,001 --> 00:41:45,003
by stripping Wonder Woman
of her power,
760
00:41:45,003 --> 00:41:47,347
you literally stripped her
of her ability
761
00:41:47,338 --> 00:41:50,217
to be a physical peer
to Superman.
762
00:41:55,680 --> 00:41:58,286
Almost exclusively until
the past couple of years,
763
00:41:58,282 --> 00:42:00,159
Wonder Woman has been
written by
764
00:42:00,151 --> 00:42:02,153
and drawn by men,
and Wonder Woman
765
00:42:02,153 --> 00:42:04,497
is a classic exercise,
I think,
766
00:42:04,489 --> 00:42:05,297
in watching how men
767
00:42:05,289 --> 00:42:08,498
through the decades
are trying to handle
768
00:42:08,493 --> 00:42:09,335
the ideas of women
769
00:42:09,327 --> 00:42:13,298
and equality
through this character.
770
00:42:18,102 --> 00:42:19,012
I Wish that
771
00:42:19,003 --> 00:42:20,676
I could say
that superheroines
772
00:42:20,671 --> 00:42:24,676
have changed in a way that
reflects the women's movement,
773
00:42:24,675 --> 00:42:27,019
but I don't think
they really have.
774
00:42:27,011 --> 00:42:29,116
I think there's
been lip service,
775
00:42:29,113 --> 00:42:32,424
a lot of lip service
given to "strong women,"
776
00:42:32,417 --> 00:42:33,361
but -- but they're not.
777
00:42:33,351 --> 00:42:36,992
I mean, they're still
sex objects for the most part.
778
00:42:36,988 --> 00:42:40,299
I certainly
never played sexy.
779
00:42:40,291 --> 00:42:44,330
I never even
thought about it.
780
00:42:46,064 --> 00:42:48,772
I think that's
one of the reasons
781
00:42:48,766 --> 00:42:49,642
women embrace her.
782
00:42:49,634 --> 00:42:54,014
§ Wonder Woman,
Wonder Woman §
783
00:42:54,005 --> 00:42:58,886
§ All the world
is waiting for you §
784
00:42:58,876 --> 00:42:59,684
Gosh.
785
00:42:59,677 --> 00:43:01,679
In the '70s,
when Lynda Carter
786
00:43:01,679 --> 00:43:05,923
was Wonder Woman,
me and all my feminist friends
787
00:43:05,917 --> 00:43:06,452
loved it.
788
00:43:06,451 --> 00:43:08,795
We watched it
and we loved it.
789
00:43:11,022 --> 00:43:12,968
The Wonder Woman
TV show,
790
00:43:12,957 --> 00:43:14,527
particularly
its first season,
791
00:43:14,525 --> 00:43:17,597
captured the essence of
Wonder Woman perfectly,
792
00:43:17,595 --> 00:43:18,903
and what I mean by that
793
00:43:18,896 --> 00:43:20,136
is that Lynda Carter,
794
00:43:20,131 --> 00:43:22,441
the lead who played
Wonder Woman,
795
00:43:22,433 --> 00:43:26,040
understood very clearly
what that character was
796
00:43:26,037 --> 00:43:29,382
and what she was about,
which was peace,
797
00:43:29,373 --> 00:43:30,784
which was about equality,
798
00:43:30,775 --> 00:43:33,483
which was about
challenging gender norms,
799
00:43:33,478 --> 00:43:36,425
which was about power
through strength,
800
00:43:36,414 --> 00:43:37,484
but strength of will.
801
00:43:37,482 --> 00:43:38,620
What makes you
so strong?
802
00:43:38,616 --> 00:43:41,722
On Paradise Island,
there are only women.
803
00:43:41,719 --> 00:43:43,858
Because of this
pure environment,
804
00:43:43,855 --> 00:43:47,894
we are able to develop our minds
and our physical skills,
805
00:43:47,892 --> 00:43:51,271
unhampered by masculine
destructiveness.
806
00:43:51,262 --> 00:43:51,831
Stop.
807
00:43:51,829 --> 00:43:53,433
Such information
is utter rubbish!
808
00:43:53,431 --> 00:43:57,937
Can't you see she's trying to
make fools out of us?
809
00:43:57,935 --> 00:43:58,913
Perhaps not.
810
00:43:58,903 --> 00:44:03,511
It is an interesting
theory she advances.
811
00:44:03,508 --> 00:44:06,421
After the first
episode aired,
812
00:44:06,410 --> 00:44:12,053
I can recall having some
feminists be up in arms a bit
813
00:44:12,049 --> 00:44:14,962
that it was, um,
exploitive.
814
00:44:14,952 --> 00:44:18,729
And it kind of
stunned me at first,
815
00:44:18,723 --> 00:44:21,966
until I realized
that they just --
816
00:44:21,959 --> 00:44:27,170
they weren't understanding
the whole piece of this.
817
00:44:27,165 --> 00:44:29,975
Women are the wave
of the future,
818
00:44:29,967 --> 00:44:33,744
and sisterhood is
stronger than anything.
819
00:44:33,738 --> 00:44:37,413
No one can
stop this mission,
820
00:44:37,408 --> 00:44:39,615
least of all...
a woman.
821
00:44:39,610 --> 00:44:44,081
You obviously have
little regard for womanhood.
822
00:44:44,081 --> 00:44:46,425
You must learn respect.
823
00:44:46,417 --> 00:44:48,658
Oof!
824
00:44:53,090 --> 00:44:56,128
For three seasons,
Wonder Woman found
825
00:44:56,127 --> 00:44:58,801
a comfortable home
on the small screen,
826
00:44:58,796 --> 00:44:59,740
joined on another network
827
00:44:59,730 --> 00:45:02,768
by Marvel Comics' first
real media success
828
00:45:02,767 --> 00:45:06,909
up to that time --
the Incredible Hulk.
829
00:45:13,744 --> 00:45:16,691
Kids were transported by
these television escapades
830
00:45:16,681 --> 00:45:20,891
and parents were happy that
their children were distracted
831
00:45:20,885 --> 00:45:22,489
from some of
the real violence
832
00:45:22,486 --> 00:45:25,695
encroaching on
the streets of America.
833
00:45:26,424 --> 00:45:29,428
But by the mid-1970s,
as the crime rate
834
00:45:29,427 --> 00:45:32,306
in New York City
reached alarming levels,
835
00:45:32,296 --> 00:45:36,267
the world of superheroes
changed dramatically.
836
00:45:39,971 --> 00:45:42,076
New York was
falling apart.
837
00:45:42,073 --> 00:45:44,246
The infrastructure
was collapsing.
838
00:45:44,242 --> 00:45:45,084
It was crime central.
839
00:45:45,076 --> 00:45:47,682
You go there,
you get mugged.
840
00:45:47,678 --> 00:45:48,554
And all of these
841
00:45:48,546 --> 00:45:50,025
young writers --
Gerry Conway
842
00:45:50,014 --> 00:45:51,118
and Walt Wolfman
and Len Wein
843
00:45:51,115 --> 00:45:52,992
and those guys --
were living in New York.
844
00:45:52,984 --> 00:45:55,225
And not only were they
living in New York,
845
00:45:55,219 --> 00:45:56,425
they were working
for slave wages,
846
00:45:56,420 --> 00:46:00,095
so they were not living in
the nice parts of New York.
847
00:46:01,626 --> 00:46:03,367
Writing Spider-Man,
I was writing
848
00:46:03,361 --> 00:46:07,173
about my own life,
and my own life was
849
00:46:07,164 --> 00:46:09,405
living in New York
and being afraid
850
00:46:09,400 --> 00:46:12,745
to take the subway
and knowing that at any moment,
851
00:46:12,737 --> 00:46:17,846
you know, a guy could walk
down the street and shoot me.
852
00:46:19,677 --> 00:46:20,655
There was a sense,
853
00:46:20,645 --> 00:46:22,647
you know,
that the world was not
854
00:46:22,647 --> 00:46:25,753
a safe and nice place.
855
00:46:25,750 --> 00:46:28,993
And comics hadn't really
reflected that.
856
00:46:31,756 --> 00:46:35,260
The Green Goblin captures
Peter Parker's girlfriend,
857
00:46:35,259 --> 00:46:37,296
Gwen Stacy,
takes her up to
858
00:46:37,295 --> 00:46:39,673
the top of a bridge
in New York,
859
00:46:39,664 --> 00:46:42,543
and threatens to
throw her off the bridge
860
00:46:42,533 --> 00:46:45,844
if Spider-Man
doesn't surrender.
861
00:46:53,110 --> 00:46:55,454
Now, in the traditional
superhero story,
862
00:46:55,446 --> 00:46:58,154
the hero rescues
the damsel in distress.
863
00:46:58,149 --> 00:46:59,787
That's what happens.
864
00:46:59,784 --> 00:47:02,230
Superman catches
Lois Lane.
865
00:47:02,219 --> 00:47:04,722
It's no big surprise.
866
00:47:18,569 --> 00:47:21,448
There's a little
tiny sound effect
867
00:47:21,439 --> 00:47:25,182
right down near her neck,
Snap!
868
00:47:30,214 --> 00:47:32,785
Peter Parker,
Spider-Man,
869
00:47:32,783 --> 00:47:36,492
trying to save
the woman he loves,
870
00:47:36,487 --> 00:47:39,058
ends up killing her.
871
00:47:41,058 --> 00:47:42,537
Well,
872
00:47:42,526 --> 00:47:45,234
readers went ballistic.
873
00:47:45,229 --> 00:47:47,607
It ruined my life.
You know what?
874
00:47:47,598 --> 00:47:50,272
That was the darkest day
of my life.
875
00:47:50,267 --> 00:47:51,610
When I was ten years old,
876
00:47:51,602 --> 00:47:53,673
Gwen Stacy
was my girlfriend.
877
00:47:53,671 --> 00:47:55,412
I just --
I adored Gwen Stacy
878
00:47:55,406 --> 00:47:58,615
and I will tell you
to this day that that was
879
00:47:58,609 --> 00:48:00,611
my Kennedy assassination moment.
880
00:48:00,611 --> 00:48:03,421
When Gwen Stacy died,
881
00:48:03,414 --> 00:48:06,054
I remember where I was,
I remember what I was wearing,
882
00:48:06,050 --> 00:48:08,189
I remember where I was
reading that comic,
883
00:48:08,185 --> 00:48:10,392
and I remember
walking around in a daze
884
00:48:10,388 --> 00:48:11,059
for the rest of the day,
885
00:48:11,055 --> 00:48:14,867
because in comics,
characters didn't die.
886
00:48:18,729 --> 00:48:20,265
CONWAY; I don't think We
887
00:48:20,264 --> 00:48:22,039
really thought it through.
888
00:48:22,032 --> 00:48:22,772
I can guarantee you
889
00:48:22,767 --> 00:48:25,179
we did not really
think this through.
890
00:48:25,169 --> 00:48:27,809
But many people have
later decided that
891
00:48:27,805 --> 00:48:30,752
this is the moment
in the history of comics
892
00:48:30,741 --> 00:48:33,779
when comics literally
turned the corner
893
00:48:33,778 --> 00:48:37,021
from being about fantasy
894
00:48:37,014 --> 00:48:39,460
to being about
real life.
895
00:48:52,329 --> 00:48:54,366
We have the police
on the way, ma'am.
896
00:48:54,365 --> 00:48:56,606
Please,
I've got a baby in here. Please!
897
00:48:56,600 --> 00:48:59,604
Madam, they're coming,
they're coming.
898
00:48:59,603 --> 00:49:00,707
In the 1970s,
899
00:49:00,704 --> 00:49:04,277
there was a growing backlash
against crime waves,
900
00:49:04,275 --> 00:49:07,381
against what some considered
the permissiveness
901
00:49:07,378 --> 00:49:10,018
that had crept into
American society
902
00:49:10,014 --> 00:49:11,015
in the '60s and '70s,
903
00:49:11,015 --> 00:49:13,552
and this backlash
found reflection in
904
00:49:13,551 --> 00:49:16,122
some popular
vigilante anti-heroes.
905
00:49:16,120 --> 00:49:17,724
In Hollywood,
for example,
906
00:49:17,721 --> 00:49:20,133
you had
the Dirty Harry films.
907
00:49:20,124 --> 00:49:21,398
Uh-uh.
908
00:49:21,392 --> 00:49:24,566
You've got to ask
yourself a question.
909
00:49:24,562 --> 00:49:27,668
"Do I feel lucky?"
910
00:49:27,665 --> 00:49:30,009
Well, do ya, punk?
911
00:49:30,000 --> 00:49:31,980
What else you got?
912
00:49:32,870 --> 00:49:34,645
And there was
Death Wish.
913
00:49:34,638 --> 00:49:36,447
Let's see
the money, man.
914
00:49:36,440 --> 00:49:39,353
You'll have to take it.
915
00:49:45,449 --> 00:49:46,189
In comic books,
916
00:49:46,183 --> 00:49:48,561
you had a character
like the Punisher.
917
00:49:48,552 --> 00:49:49,530
The Punisher was
918
00:49:49,520 --> 00:49:51,693
a Vietnam veteran
who returned home
919
00:49:51,689 --> 00:49:55,227
to find his family murdered
in a gangland killing.
920
00:49:55,226 --> 00:49:58,435
He undertook a one-man
war against crime,
921
00:49:58,429 --> 00:50:02,172
saying justice had failed
to punish the guilty.
922
00:50:02,166 --> 00:50:06,637
So he was going to
exact justice himself.
923
00:50:08,272 --> 00:50:09,307
In comic books,
of course,
924
00:50:09,306 --> 00:50:13,186
superheroes were supposed to
apprehend the bad guys,
925
00:50:13,177 --> 00:50:14,019
not kill them.
926
00:50:14,011 --> 00:50:17,584
Even when the Green Goblin
killed Gwen Stacy,
927
00:50:17,581 --> 00:50:21,358
there's a scene where Spider-Man
flies into a rage
928
00:50:21,352 --> 00:50:24,060
and comes very close
to killing the Green Goblin
929
00:50:24,054 --> 00:50:25,727
before he backs off
and says, "No.
930
00:50:25,723 --> 00:50:28,636
If I kill you, I'm going to be
just as bad as you are."
931
00:50:28,626 --> 00:50:33,336
If you think about it,
Spider-Man as the good superhero
932
00:50:33,330 --> 00:50:36,209
fails to save
the innocent girl,
933
00:50:36,200 --> 00:50:39,943
so in effect,
heroes failed.
934
00:50:39,937 --> 00:50:44,443
Well, the Punisher comes along,
he's the anti-hero.
935
00:50:44,441 --> 00:50:48,912
Americans always
talk about the love of --
936
00:50:48,913 --> 00:50:54,022
of justice in that very,
you know, abstract form,
937
00:50:54,018 --> 00:50:56,123
but what the person
on the street
938
00:50:56,120 --> 00:50:58,191
really wants
is street justice.
939
00:50:58,188 --> 00:51:03,069
The bad guy gets
his comeuppance.
940
00:51:03,961 --> 00:51:07,602
The Punisher doesn't
just punish them,
941
00:51:07,598 --> 00:51:08,906
he punishes them.
942
00:51:08,899 --> 00:51:11,846
He's got a skull
on his chest.
943
00:51:11,835 --> 00:51:15,715
The biggest
White House scandal
944
00:51:15,706 --> 00:51:18,016
in a century,
the Watergate scandal,
945
00:51:18,008 --> 00:51:19,248
broke wide open today.
946
00:51:19,243 --> 00:51:20,017
I have no comment.
947
00:51:20,010 --> 00:51:22,957
The White House is in
a state of shock.
948
00:51:22,947 --> 00:51:24,517
How many more heads
are going to roll?
949
00:51:24,515 --> 00:51:26,085
I intend to cooperate,
as I said,
950
00:51:26,083 --> 00:51:27,653
fully, with all of
the appropriate --
951
00:51:27,651 --> 00:51:29,756
We were in
the middle of Watergate
952
00:51:29,753 --> 00:51:33,667
and the incredible craziness
of the Nixonian years.
953
00:51:33,657 --> 00:51:37,730
What did the president know
and when did he know it?
954
00:51:37,728 --> 00:51:40,538
Here you have
the highest power in the land
955
00:51:40,531 --> 00:51:41,236
committing criminal acts,
956
00:51:41,231 --> 00:51:45,543
or if not committing them,
condoning them.
957
00:51:45,536 --> 00:51:48,312
Here you have
a social breakdown
958
00:51:48,305 --> 00:51:49,978
of all the rules
and regulations
959
00:51:49,974 --> 00:51:52,113
that we had all thought
we were living by.
960
00:51:52,109 --> 00:51:57,115
The Punisher comes along and he
has a simple answer to that.
961
00:51:57,114 --> 00:51:59,219
His answer is,
"I’ll take care of it."
962
00:51:59,216 --> 00:52:03,494
The Caped Crusader
and the Something Avenger and,
963
00:52:03,487 --> 00:52:06,991
you know, there is
all about vengeance
964
00:52:06,991 --> 00:52:09,597
and things like that,
you know?
965
00:52:09,593 --> 00:52:14,508
We don't have a hero
named Jurisprudence Man.
966
00:52:17,468 --> 00:52:19,675
The abuse of power
in the White House
967
00:52:19,670 --> 00:52:23,618
even disarmed the stalwart
Captain America.
968
00:52:23,607 --> 00:52:25,848
Cap abandoned
his identity
969
00:52:25,843 --> 00:52:29,154
and became a vigilante
named Nomad,
970
00:52:29,146 --> 00:52:32,719
a hero without a country.
971
00:52:33,083 --> 00:52:37,293
The superhero industry
was at a crossroads.
972
00:52:37,287 --> 00:52:41,326
Comic books had matured,
but sales were plummeting.
973
00:52:41,325 --> 00:52:44,966
Kids were still excited
by the characters,
974
00:52:44,962 --> 00:52:46,964
but in the coming years,
975
00:52:46,964 --> 00:52:49,945
new technologies
would emerge to unleash
976
00:52:49,933 --> 00:52:54,211
the power of superheroes
like never before.
977
00:53:03,414 --> 00:53:05,690
Peter?
978
00:53:05,683 --> 00:53:06,627
Yeah?
979
00:53:06,617 --> 00:53:07,755
Are you all right?
980
00:53:07,751 --> 00:53:08,752
Uh...
981
00:53:08,752 --> 00:53:09,662
I'm fine.
982
00:53:09,653 --> 00:53:12,361
Better this morning,
any change?
983
00:53:12,356 --> 00:53:14,734
Change?
984
00:53:14,725 --> 00:53:17,296
Yep. Big change.
985
00:53:20,000 --> 00:53:25,000
Ripped & Corrected By mstoll