Jaki kraj, taki Superman

No hero similar to Superman could have appeared in communist Poland, as he represented the power of individualism and followed his own feelings of justice. Meanwhile, the communists expected one to act in a collectivity fully subordinate to the official government. This deficiency was compensated by superhero parodies. One should firstly enumerate the TV film Hydrozagadka, about a hero, who had no drawn equivalent, though he was a mockery of the comic book poetics and of the simplifications it conveys. After the communist system fell, other superhero parodies appeared, such as Ratman, Strain, Milkyman and Wilq. Also, Likwidator by Ryszard Dąbrowski constituted irreverent and mischievous comment to political events in Poland. Only later did serious superhero stories essays appear: Bler by Rafał Szłapa, Biały Orzeł by Adam Kmiołek and Jan Hardy by Jakub Kijuc. These authors take their heroes very seriously but readers can find much irony in the stories.