Topic A: Real world trend.
To understand the history of American comic book, we should go back to see the first comic book. Proto-comic appearing in 20th century, the most well-known one is Dell Publishing’ 36 page Famous Funnies: A Carnival of Comics, which known as the first American comic book. However, comic book becomes a type of industry and swept the country which start at 1938. The author Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster's create Superman. Rather than typically “American dream”, people already have another dream which we can be saved by a single superhero. Followed the historical time line, we can see superman just created after The Great Depression. This recession continues about four years, through 1929 to 1933. It is the biggest depression in human history. Wall Street become the powder keg of the world stock market. U.S. didn’t have a break from the economic disaster, the world war II come after the economic shadow.
Since 1939 to 1945, the six years war immediately reformed the world order. If we combined the World War I and World War II, we can see there two parts from one war. The big mess happened in European War Zone, until 1941 American joined in to the allied nations, and against axis. The attack on Pearl Harbor is a nightmare for every American citizen.
Compare to the sadness reality, the golden age of comic book is looks like reasonable. We people have so much pain and tragedy memories. And only arts can express the strong emotion. The superhero character shows that deeply hope in American people’s heart. People want to be saved, they just want back to the normal life. So American people created a human being with special ability, who can win by justice and help people escape from fear.
To understand why Superhero have such huge influence in that specific period, even more than religions. Historically, every fear effect will bring a gloominess of religion spread. But in 1920s, Religion in American had a difficult period. President Calvin Coolidge(1923-1929) really encourage urbanize and industrialize turning. The abundant means of production offers a higher standard of living. And the rich of agriculture products makes people has less believe to the god.
Combine both religions reason and politics reason, we can see the main point and the root is the technical revolution in industrial revolution. Because of industrial revolution brings the second radical globalization, which cause collision and fusion between industrialized countries. American comic book is kind of a secondary product of the radical globalization, and it is shows a glory of individualism.
As Robert Marks says that History is a type of conjunction, which are so much events and trends combine together and create an accident. If we have to say a closest reason, I would like to pick the great depression which set the first spark, then we have American comic book cross the whole Continent.