Heroes Against Hunger -- How Comic Books Have Helped Fight Famine

At the end of January, DC Comics released a new campaign that pledged to support the ongoing efforts to fight the famine in Africa. Since July 2011 the Horn of Africa, and Somalia in particular, has been stuck by the worst famine in over sixty years that has affected hundreds of thousands of people, forcing them into refugee camps. Charities are battling to provide enough food and water for people who are on the edge of starvation.

The We Can Be Heroes campaign uses the globally recognised figures of DC characters such as Wonder Woman, Superman, Batman, Green Lantern and others to bring it to wide audiences. The message is that, like these individuals who come together to form the Justice League of America, so too can people come together to be a stronger whole. It is a two-year multimillion dollar campaign, as well as DC promising to match, 100%, all donations given through their site. They will also be pledging 50% purchase price from specially branded merchandise.

This is not the first time that comics have stepped in to help in times of crisis – and what better role models than the superheroes who constantly strive to do so. One of the worst famines in recent times was the Ethiopian disaster, 1983-1985, that led to the charity single “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” by Band Aid. This ensemble idea was picked up by Marvel, who recruited some top names in the comic industry to work on a story that saw the X-Men featured in a Heroes for Hope storyline. It was an adventure that brought them to Africa to defeat a god-like villain that fed on misery and despair. The full creative team included the likes of Stan Lee, Harlan Ellison, Frank Miller, Alan Moore and Stephen King.

In 1986, DC brought out a similar book, the proceeds of which would also be donated straight to relieving hunger in Africa. The book, entitled ‘Heroes Against Hunger’ featured Batman and Superman teaming up with Lex Luthor to fight against a new villain, The Master. As in Marvel’s effort, The Master fed on the misery of people. The front cover depicted The Master taunting Superman, who is surrounded by the starving African people, telling the hero “they’re dying Superman – and not all your power can save them!” This book also featured a dream list of comic creators and artists and in the forty-eight page issue, every two pages were produced by different teams.

There has been no official announcement concerning a special book tie-in to the campaign, but as mentioned, DC has set up a number of ways to raise money for the cause. The official poster, featuring the silhouettes of the iconic figures, with their respective symbols shining brightly, will certainly appeal to all audiences, whether they are ardent comic book fans or have just a fleeting knowledge of the characters. If one thing is for certain, it is that there are few people who would not recognise the likes of the famous trinity of Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman, spreading the message of this worthy cause across all ages.