Last updated on March 11th, 2024 at 01:13 am
In the pages of the first issue of Action Comics, 1938, we were introduced to Superman. Hot on his heels came a plethora of superheroes that have become so engrained and loved by the masses they have stayed with us to this day. Part of the accoutrements of the superhero was the ‘supervehicle’, a means of transport that could serve as a base or a store for equipment. Superman and Batman had the Supermobile and Batmobile; Wonder Woman had her invisible plane. All very handy – but if all else failed I suppose they could have made use of some handy van hire.
But it was the heroes we were mainly interested in reading about and how their alter egos coped with the troubles of everyday life. For the disenfranchised and lonely teens they were characters to identify with and whose morals we aspired to. The imaginative wondered just how the world would have turned out if superheroes really existed. Would political situations really been allowed to escalate to the point of war? And if so how would World War 2 have played out? After all, characters from both the DC and Marvel range during that period regularly fought with Nazis in glorious jingoism (very much of its time).
Thanks to skilled individuals who have put their Photoshop skills to good, artistic use we can view some monochrome pictures taken at the time with superheroes sprinkled in for good measure.
Officer Spiderman just before his tour of duty.
It’s anachronistic of course, Spiderman’s first appearance was 1962 in Amazing Fantasy #15.
Indonesian Artist Agan Harahap has produced these great composite images.
Cherbourg-Normandy, 1944
American soldiers fighting in the streets, Avenue de Paris aided by Spidey.
Afghanistan, 1986
The Incredible Hulk is saddened by the sight of an Afghan resistance fighters’ village destroyed by Soviet troops.
Neuschwanstein, 1945
Superman helps soldiers from the 7th US army liberate priceless artworks from Neuschwanstein Castle that had been stolen by the Nazis.
MATS Terminal Washington, 1959
Fidel Castro (looking suspiciously like Liam Neeson) is watched over by the Dark Knight.
Captivity of German Soldiers, 1945
The German Army, the Wehrmacht, offered unconditional surrender on the 25th April. The Flash helped take control of the soldiers.
Greenham Common Airfield, 1944
Batman gives the order: ‘Full victory – nothing else!’, to English paratroopers as they depart for the first assault on the continent.
Taret de Ravenoville, 1944
The Quality Comics superhero, V, joins in as well (although his character is even more anachronistic; his origin is set in 1997 following a nuclear war in Britain). Here we see V ensuring the German soldiers come quietly.
A Camp near Minsk, 1941
Debate rages over whether Captain America has gone native as he talks with Heinrich Himmler during an inspection of a POW camp in Russia. No chance! The Cap has a cunning plan, that’s all.
And finally…
If I was getting slightly perturbed about anachronistic photos then this clever reworking by FlashDaz of a painting into Wonder Woman should push me over the edge!
Guest Blogger, Greg Coltman, spent his science days looking for a way to make himself invisible. Standing behind a door saying, ‘Can you see me?’ just didn’t cut it.
