[MUSIC PLAYING]
MICHAEL USLAN: This is amazing.
This is so cool.
We are going into the Smithsonian's collection room.
Get ready.
The adventure begins.
Here I am, in the deep dark recesses
of the Smithsonian Institution's collection room,
and it's like being in the last scene of the movie,
Raiders Of The Lost Ark.
All around here you see these cabinets.
And everything's climate controlled.
And everything secure.
And behind these cabinets, are the history
of American pop culture.
It's the story of my life, and your life,
and our parents' lives, and our grandparents lives.
Going all the way back.
I just picked out a smattering of a few of the comic books
in this vast collection here.
Just to show you how comic books and our superheroes
are linked to the ancient gods and the ancient heroes
of mythology and history.
The Greeks called him Hermes, the Romans called him Mercury.
And you and I, well we just call him Flash.
The Greeks called him Poseidon, the Romans called him Neptune,
but you and I, we call him Aquaman.
It is linked.
Directly from today's superheroes
to the basic tenants of mythology and folklore.
For example, now here's a real issue
of all-star comics featuring the Justice Society of America
from the 1940s.
Here is an issue reprinted in the 1970s,
of the very first meeting of the Justice Society of America.
And if you take a look at it-- and realize
this is the first time in comic books
there's been a meeting, a group, of superheroes coming together
to battle as a team-- then you can
appreciate what you see here.
This is King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.
It's all taken from mythology.
The only difference is instead of Sir Lancelot,
you've got Hawkman.
Instead of Sir Gawain, you've got the Flash.
But really, truly, that's what this is all about.
And if we look at the great gods and heroes and creatures
of mythology and history, you will find a direct link.
Here's what Stan Lee has to say on the subject.
STAN LEE: People have always loved
to read stories where they can see
the character drawn with dialogue
balloons over their heads.
And whether it's 1930, or 2070, or 1010,
it doesn't seem to matter.
I think people have always loved stories
that are told in the comic book format, you might say.
Caveman were doing their own version of comics, absolutely.
MICHAEL USLAN: The ancient gods of Greece, Rome, and Egypt
all still exist today.
Only now they wear spandex and capes.
No more skins and heavy armor.
But it's the same thing.
And what are they doing?
Well really, look at the superheroes.
They're fighting the demons and dragons of their day.
So it doesn't matter if we're talking
about the great biblical heroes.
It doesn't matter if we're talking
about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.
Or Odysseus from The Iliad and The Odyssey--
which as you know, were captured in Classics Comics, later
Classics Illustrated Comics.
Even Beowulf, the great epic poem.
I had the privilege to write Beowulf comics for DC Comics.
And what a time I had back then writing the adventures
of Beowulf and Grendel.
It was great stuff, and allowed me
to take my history major, and my literature minor,
and do something fun and creative with it.
Continuing the tradition of comic book superheroes being
based on or inspired by the greatest legendary figures
and stories of our time.
![](https://t1.daumcdn.net/cfile/cafe/233A81395911541716)
The Rise of Superheroes and Their Impact On Pop Culture
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![](https://t1.daumcdn.net/cfile/cafe/27168E3659114A7F27)
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