608 SUPERHEROES
transformative power of gamma rays; the limited authorities—General Th underbolt
Ross; a pal—Rick Jones; superteams—the Avengers and the Defenders; and so forth.
Th ese conventions keep the Hulk within the superhero genre.
Batman was originally designed as a superhero without superpowers. His mission
of vengeance against criminals is clear, and his identity—represented by his codename
and iconic costume—marks him as a superhero. While he has no distinctly “super”
powers, his physical strength and mental abilities allow him to fi ght crime alongside
his more powerful brethren. Batman operates in a world brimming with conventions
of the superhero genre: supervillains—the Joker, the Penguin; the helpful authority
fi gure—Police Commissioner Gordon; the sidekick—Robin; superteams—the Justice
League and the Outsiders; and so forth.
Arnold “Arn” Munro, Roy Th omas’s Superman fi gure in the World War II era
Young All Stars, has no superhero identity—no costume and no codename. He typi-
cally appears in street clothing, most often white pants and a black t-shirt, only once
wearing (then quickly abandoning) a costume in the Young All-Stars series. While he
has the nickname, “Iron,” based on the pronunciation of his fi rst name, he does not
use this name as an alternative identity. He has a clear mission—protecting America
from Nazi supervillains during World War II and serving the government as an agent.
He possesses superstrength and invulnerability. He fi ghts costumed, super powered
supervillains alongside other superheroes as part of the superteams the Young All-Stars
and the Freedom Fighters, and has a solid place in the DC universe as the husband of
the Phantom Lady.
Th ese three examples demonstrate how a character who lacks one of the primary
conventions of the superhero genre can still be considered a superhero because of the
use of a number of other supporting conventions. Characters from other genres who do
good and have enhanced abilities like Buff y the Vampire Slayer (horror), Th e Shadow
(pulp vigilante), Beowulf (epic), or Luke Skywalker (science fi ction) might best be
considered heroes who are super, or super heroes, rather than the protagonists of the
superhero genre. Generic distinction is a useful concept for understanding and defi ning
the boundaries of the superhero genre. It makes the superhero genre’s origins, evolution,
and social function easier to grasp, delineate, and trace.
Th e superhero genre proper began with the appearance of Superman in the fi rst issue
Action Comics, which already contains the major conventions of the superhero genre.
Th is story fully employs the primary conventions of mission, powers, and identity. Th e
very fi rst page presents the origin, the costume, the dual identity, and the urban setting.
Other conventions, such as the secret identity, the superhero code, the supporting cast,
the love interest, the limited authorities, and the super/mundane split emerge in the
story itself.
In the next year, a fl ood of superheroes appeared, fi rmly establishing the genre.
Between Action Comics #1 and Detective Comics #27 (cover date May 1939) only
the Crimson Avenger, the Arrow, and the Sandman appeared to be following the
superhero model, and they were more indebted to their pulp and radio predecessors.
