Saturday, September 1, 2018

RAR #32: THE BIRD MAN



Making four appearances in WEIRD COMICS #1-4 (1940), the Bird Man may be the first Native American superhero, preceding even the Bronze Terror. The only thing that makes him problematic, apart from the fact that his depiction varies between white and red skin, is that he has no origin as such.

Still, since the first story states that the Bird Man is "a descendent [sic] of an ancient Indian god," he fits my definition of a Real American, since even if he were white, he would still be steeped in Native American culture. His wings seem to be a real part of his body, and he patrols the deserts of the American West. His only weapons are a knife and a bow-and-arrow.

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