March 1941... it's when Captain America first premiered, so let's look at what DC (or rather the publishers that would become DC) were putting out, patriotism-wise:
From Uncle Sam: "The Steelville Story" by Will Eisner and Mort Leav, National Comics #11 (May 1941)
The purest of the patriotic heroes, and preceding Captain America by a year, is Uncle Sam, and Uncle Sam doesn't take kindly to workers being badly treated by the employers and their enforcers!
From USA, The Spirit of Old Glory: "The Draftsman's Treason" by Maurice Gutwirth, Feature Comics #44 (May 1941)
For her part, USA () has more traditional aspirations. Respect the flag! And this month's story is about protecting U.S. defense plans from spies. So it seems that at Quality Comics, they showed the two sides of the patriot coin - those who were for the people, and those who were for the State.
From Minute-Man: "Illyria Strikes Again" by Charles Sultan, Master Comics #13 (April 1941)
While Minute-Man is, to me, rather less interesting than the two "Spirits of America", he would soon go on to headline his own series at Fawcett. One has to wonder if it was to ride to coattails of Captain America's immediate popularity, or if something was in the air.
The purest of the patriotic heroes, and preceding Captain America by a year, is Uncle Sam, and Uncle Sam doesn't take kindly to workers being badly treated by the employers and their enforcers!
For her part, USA () has more traditional aspirations. Respect the flag! And this month's story is about protecting U.S. defense plans from spies. So it seems that at Quality Comics, they showed the two sides of the patriot coin - those who were for the people, and those who were for the State.
While Minute-Man is, to me, rather less interesting than the two "Spirits of America", he would soon go on to headline his own series at Fawcett. One has to wonder if it was to ride to coattails of Captain America's immediate popularity, or if something was in the air.
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