286 HISTORY IN COMICS
Biography (2006) draws on a mix of biography and history to illustrate the many
facets of the eventual Black Power leader before and after his personal story became
a matter of public record. Unfl attering information about Malcolm X’s personal life
and demonstrations of his political inconsistencies are intended to communicate
the complexities of history, and history-making, often omitted in the conventional
memory of such infl uential and iconic fi gures. Individual complexity can be used to
revise popular impressions of prominent leaders who all come to be mythologized to
some extent.
Complementing these broader histories, familial and personal history is established
in many recent independent works of graphic narrative. Frequently these stories depict
their authors’ biographies as troubled in order to argue for an ethics of compassion
when interpreting history as a lesson in how to live. In David Beauchard’s Epileptic
(2005), for instance, a brother’s struggle to overcome a severe form of epilepsy takes his
family on a long journey through several possible treatment solutions. Alison Bechdel’s
Fun Home (2006) chronicles the author’s experiences growing up as a part of a dys-
functional family in which her father is more interested in remodeling their Victorian
house than in interacting with his children. Since the house is literally a funeral home,
the book’s title is both an aff ectionate nickname and a reference to the narrator’s many
personal struggles, including her eventual revelation that she is a lesbian and her father’s
suicide.
Alternate History
Some graphic narratives off er revisionist versions of popular histories. While these
comics often draw on real-life historical events, artists have also chosen to create alter-
native versions of superhero history, thus eff ectively revising the history of the genre
in the process. Real-life historical events frequently inform fantastical storylines. For
example, World War II remains one of the most frequently referenced time periods in
superhero comics. Superheroes like Superman and Captain America serve as meta-
phors for the United States’ intervention in the war and subsequent rise to superpower
status, while revisions of their characters have commented on the making of history
itself.
Captain America is especially interesting as a historical fi gure. Originally introduced
during World War II, he disappeared from publication due to low sales until the 1960s,
when he was revived from suspended animation to resume his role as an American hero.
Writers frequently depict Cap as a living, breathing anachronism of a simpler bygone
era, when American values like duty and patriotism seemed the bedrock of heroism.
Although most often attributed unquestionable loyalty to traditional government,
Captain America’s leadership in the resistance during Marvel’s Civil War (2006–7)
recalls yet another tradition from another period of American history. In the crossover
story arc, the superheroes from every universe face increased public censure when they
are forced to register their abilities and choose whether or not to cooperate with the
new controls that the government has imposed.
