We have talked about a few fictional heroes (with LOTS more on the way), in regards to my 1976 DC Comics calendar. But, today the makers of the calendar, decided to acknowledge the actual birthday of a real hero...Martin Luther King, Jr. The creation of Alberta King and Martin Luther King, Sr. (duh), he made his debut in 1929. Seriously, what makes this nod interesting, is that this calendar was published ten years before the first official Martin Luther King holiday. But, make no mistake, MLK has comic book cred.
In 1958, a comic called, Martin Luther King and The Montgomery Story, was printed. The Fellowship of Reconciliation worked with Al Capp (the creator of L'il Abner) and Benton Resnick to depict the "origin" of King, and his involvement in the Montgomery bus boycott. My favorite part however, is the end of the issue. Here, readers are given a heartfelt "how to", as King lays out his peaceful methods-
"First, remember that you can do something about the situation. Not just the government, or some big organization, but you. God says that you are important. He needs you to change things. The second is much harder. God loves your enemy too. You have to see him as a human being, like yourself. To see your enemy as a human being, you have to stop seeing him as your enemy. Hardest of all, you have to help your enemy see you as a human being. He has to see you as a person who wants the same kind of things he wants: Love, a family, a job, the respect of his neighbor."
It goes on to further explain how to attain these goals. This is a truly important work, unfortunately very few exist intact outside some museums. Many readers in the South destroyed their copies, afraid they would be caught possessing it. But, its impact carries on today. Recently it has been reprinted in Farsi and Arabic, and brought over to the Middle East to bring some small bit of insight to the troubled region.
This of course has little to do with DC, unless of course you count King's march on Washington D.C. Ugh! Pathetic puns aside, MLK has showed up in a couple of DC publications. Neal Adams (who else) drew him into the first issue of his classic Green Lantern/Green Arrow (#76) run, and the All Star Squadron's Amazing Man is credited with capturing King's assassin (James Earl Ray) in "comic book" reality.
Tomorrow, it's back to the land of make believe, as I give you the RUNdown on one of my favorite ex-sidekicks...
In 1958, a comic called, Martin Luther King and The Montgomery Story, was printed. The Fellowship of Reconciliation worked with Al Capp (the creator of L'il Abner) and Benton Resnick to depict the "origin" of King, and his involvement in the Montgomery bus boycott. My favorite part however, is the end of the issue. Here, readers are given a heartfelt "how to", as King lays out his peaceful methods-
"First, remember that you can do something about the situation. Not just the government, or some big organization, but you. God says that you are important. He needs you to change things. The second is much harder. God loves your enemy too. You have to see him as a human being, like yourself. To see your enemy as a human being, you have to stop seeing him as your enemy. Hardest of all, you have to help your enemy see you as a human being. He has to see you as a person who wants the same kind of things he wants: Love, a family, a job, the respect of his neighbor."
It goes on to further explain how to attain these goals. This is a truly important work, unfortunately very few exist intact outside some museums. Many readers in the South destroyed their copies, afraid they would be caught possessing it. But, its impact carries on today. Recently it has been reprinted in Farsi and Arabic, and brought over to the Middle East to bring some small bit of insight to the troubled region.
This of course has little to do with DC, unless of course you count King's march on Washington D.C. Ugh! Pathetic puns aside, MLK has showed up in a couple of DC publications. Neal Adams (who else) drew him into the first issue of his classic Green Lantern/Green Arrow (#76) run, and the All Star Squadron's Amazing Man is credited with capturing King's assassin (James Earl Ray) in "comic book" reality.
Tomorrow, it's back to the land of make believe, as I give you the RUNdown on one of my favorite ex-sidekicks...
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