UN Joins Forces With Marvel Comics

Any comics collector might find this an interesting idea for modern times. In a move reminiscent of story-lines developed during the second world war, the UN is joining forces with Marvel Comics, creators of Spider-Man and the Incredible Hulk, to create a comic book showing the international body working with superheroes to solve bloody conflicts and rid the world of disease. The comic, initially to be distributed free to US schoolchildren, will be set in a war-torn fictional country and feature superheroes such as Spider-Man working with UN agencies such as Unicef and the “blue hats”, the UN peace-keepers. Camilla Schippa, chief of office at the UN Office for Partnerships, told the Financial Times the script was being written now and the final storyline was due to be approved in February. The cartoonists are working for free. After publication in the US, the UN hopes to translate the comics into French and other languages and distribute them elsewhere, Ms Schippa said. Although the UN did not come up with the initiative, the measure could help revive the body’s troubled image in the US, where relations have been strained.
The latest UN initiative is not the first time US comics have been used for political purposes. During the second world war, superheroes were shown taking on Germany’s Nazi regime. Marvel’s Captain America, together with other characters such as Superman, were shown beating up Adolf Hitler.
The UN’s goals are somewhat different: according to its website, it hopes the comics will teach children the value of international co-operation and sensitize them to the problems faced in other parts of the world. Click here to read the rest of the original article.