In terms of inspiring American imagery, few photographs rival Raising of the Flag on Iwo Jima by Joe Rosenthal. Taken on February 23rd, 1945 during the historic Battle of Iwo Jima, the shot is an iconic depiction of our nation’s resolve: five U.S. Marines atop Mount Suribachi as they cooperatively raise the American flag, having defeated the Japanese and secured the tiny Pacific island (it was actually the second flag placed on Suribachi that day; the first was apparently too small). Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Photography the year of its publication, Raising of the Flag on Iwo Jima has been reproduced hundreds of times and frequently migrated formats over the years, becoming a famous memorial outside the walls at Arlington National Cemetery (known as the Iwo Jima memorial), a U.S. stamp and even the template for similar photographs, such as Raising the Flag at Ground Zero. And for the first time this February, Rosenthal’s image has been reinterpreted using superheroes—and even includes the state flag of Idaho.
Hitting stores on February 20th, DC Comics’ newest release, Justice League of America (JLA), is the highly-anticipated creation of two comic legends, artist David Finch and writer Geoff Johns. To promote the series, which features a very different Justice League than the original Superman and Batman cast, DC decided to make issue #1 a true collector’s item. The cover, a nod to Raising of the Flag on Iwo Jima, depicts Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Catwoman and Vibe posing like conquerors, the American flag in mid-raise above a rubble-strewn landscape, with the rest of the group’s members—Katana, Martian Manhunter, Stargirl and Hawkman—standing ominously in the background. What truly makes issue #1 special, however, is that 52 variant covers were also released, each one incorporating a different state flag (plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico) in place of the stars and stripes.
"Given the title of the comic and the year in which we're announcing—an election year—we wanted to celebrate the country, as well as the various states,” said DC Comics co-publisher, Dan DiDio. State pride is a consumer quality that is often exploited, although state symbols generally wind up on kitschy items. Yet DC's rendering of the Rosenthal's photograph using various state flags is a skillful creation, a collector's item for any Idahoan with a streak for super-heroes.
As a means of fostering excitement for the reinvigorated Justice League of America, a group comprised of some more unexplored albeit intriguing characters within the DC universe, the variant covers are an intelligent play. Nearly everything about Raising of the Flag on Iwo Jima—the hard-fought victory, the tireless soldiers, the wind-whipped flag—connects to the identity of this great union, which will always be an equally fascinating and diverse combination of character states.
On the Idaho flag, within the Seal of the Territory of Idaho, are two words in Latin: “Esto perpetua,” meaning “Let it be perpetual.” When it comes to protecting freedom, whether it’s U.S. marines on an island in the Pacific or the Green Lantern and Katana in Gotham City, there can be no truer sentiment for a symbol being raised that will forever battle oppression.
