In the wake of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic shutting down so many facets of American society, there are still heroes risking their lives to treat the infected and provide supplies. DC, recognizing this “essential worker†heroism, has released an art photo honoring their actions.The image, posted to Twitter by Dan Jurgens and Norm Rapmund, shows Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman posing heroically amongst a number of essential workers. These include hospital nurses, postal workers, paramedics and grocery store employees, all people still at their jobs despite the risks posed by COVID-19. The tagline above the image reads ‘The world is filled with heroes. #ConnectedTogether.’
With businesses across the United States shutting down until further notice due to the coronavirus outbreak, the comic book industry hasn't escaped unscathed. Not only have comic store owners been forced to close down their shops, but DC and Marvel have canceled print copies of regular issues and event storylines planned for the spring and summer. Things got even worse after Diamond Comic Distributors, which owns exclusive rights for distributing print issues from DC, Marvel, Image and Dark Horse, amongst other industry names, announced that they would be halting shipment on all products starting April 1.
To compensate for this setback, DC recently released a statement saying that the company is “exploring a multi-distributor model to provide us with the flexibility needed during this crisis to get new content to our readers on an ongoing basis.†All book releases between March 18 and June 24 will be fully returnable and the company will cover shipping costs. When the company will allow issues to go back into retail distribution, however, remains unknown.
Still, the act of portraying average workers standing alongside the iconic DC Trinity is a powerful image in these dark times. The iconography shows that real heroes don’t always wear a cape.