Marvel – History of Sorts

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“The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” is a poem and song by Chicago born Gil Scott-Heron. Scott-Heron first recorded it for his 1970 album Small Talk at 125th and Lenox, on which he recited the lyrics, accompanied by congas and bongo drums. A re-recorded version, with a full band, was the B-side to Scott-Heron’s first single, “Home Is Where the Hatred Is”, from his album Pieces of a Man (1971).

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The song is a fusion of Jazz,Funk and early Hip Hop, it has been re-released for the movie Black Panther.

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Ironically a revolution of sorts was televised, a sort of ‘revolution’ by Gil Scott-Heron’s own father Gil Heron.

Gil Heron (9 April 1922 – 27 November 2008) was a Jamaican professional footballer. He was the first black player to play for Scottish club Celtic.

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Heron was born in Kingston, Jamaica. During the second world war he joined the Canadian air force, where his footballing talents began to make a wider impression. In 1946, he signed for Detroit Wolverines, who played in the short-lived North American Professional Soccer League, which they duly won in its inaugural season, with Heron as top scorer. He was then transferred to Detroit Corinthians, who played in the larger American Soccer League.

Celtic had a history of making lengthy American tours and doing some scouting at the same time. The goalkeeper Joe Kennaway was an earlier product of this strategy. Although they did not play Detroit Corinthians on their 1951 tour, a scout learned about Heron’s prowess and was sufficiently impressed to invite him to Glasgow for pre-season trials. He made an early impression, scoring twice at a public trial at Celtic Park and was soon dubbed “the Black Arrow”. He made his debut on 18 August 1951 in a League Cup tie against Morton at Celtic Park and scored in a 2-0 victory. However, he was competing for the centre-forward role with John McPhail, a Celtic hero of the era.

By the end of the season, Heron’s star had faded and he was transferred by the club to Third Lanark, subsequently moving again to become the first black player to sign for Kidderminster Harriers.

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However, the folklore surrounding Heron’s brief football career in the UK lived on. He was a skillful player, a natty dresser and a colourful personality in an era of cloth caps and physical football. He was capped by Jamaica at football and excelled at cricket, playing for leading Glasgow clubs while resident in the city.

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I am actually not a great fan of Comic books or Graphic Novels as they are called now, although I did read them as a kid but was never really fascinated by them.

However I do like the notion of Super Heroes and I do like them portrayed in the movies.

But in a time when you are not sure if there will be a tomorrow it is important to have something to cling to, albeit fictional and especially youngsters.

WWII was for most people a time of great uncertainty and it was important for many young men and women to be able to escape the daily realities every now and them.Comic books were a great tools to do just that. To dream away and to hope that all would be great again.

And of course the propaganda value was pricesless.

Here are some examples of ‘Comic Book heroes that helped some kids cope with the realities of WWII

Nick Fury

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Before the one-eyed cigar chomper became the director of S.H.I.E.L.D.(played ny Samuel L. Jackson), Nick Fury was waist deep in the trenches of World War II. Fighting alongside Captain America, Bucky, and the Howling Commandos, Sgt. Fury played an instrumental part in defeating the Nazis and their fictional brethren, HYDRA. It was in the war where Fury discovered his leadership skills and the true definition of a selfless hero. With the tools and experiences he gained abroad, Fury acquired the smarts needed to become the Marvel Universe’s top super sleuth.

Captain America

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The cover to Captain America Comics #1 says it all. When America needed a hero to confront the Nazi regime even before World War II began, creators Joe Simon and Jack Kirby gave the nation one of its boldest icons. As Captain America, Sgt. Steve Rogers saved the world time and time again from the tyranny of the Third Reich. But even after the war ended, Captain America did not. When the Avengers resuscitated Cap from suspended animation decades later, Rogers continued to fight for the morals and ideals that founded this nation. Sporting the country’s colors proudly across his uniform, Captain America is the true comic book embodiment American patriotism.

Comic Propaganda

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In modern times, comic book superheroes tend to view armed conflict with a healthy dose of skepticism regardless of which side they’re on. But that wasn’t the case during World War II, when costumed do-gooders from Superman all the way down to the lowliest nobody of a crime fighter eagerly signed up to wallop the Axis powers on behalf of Uncle Sam. And hey, if they had to break the law and do a few political incorcect things to get the job done, who were we to question that?

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