HOME-GROWN HEROES
THE COMIC-BOOK medium has roots in 18th-century Japan, where to this day a prominent form of comic books called manga is still published.
Meanwhile, in the West, comic books began to gain popularity in the 1930s, and were centred on conveying a humorous tone. In time, this evolved, and these days the medium explores all genres. But probably the most important development relevant to us today came in the form of Action Comics #1, published in 1938, which debuted the Man of Steel himself, Superman.
The popularity of Superman and other superhero characters such as Batman
