Five Non-PSA Comics About Real Life Issues

The other day I went over PSA comics. which are usually sponsored by a company for the express intent of educating on something. However, it doesn't have to be a corporate sponsored PSA to get a relevant story. There are plenty of issues of normal comics out there where the hero stopped fighting aliens or evil villains to tackles a real-world problem. 

Here are five examples:

SUPERMAN #72

While this is clearly a filler issue, as the death of Superman arc was looming, that doesn't take away from the message of the story. Superman discovers a woman is the subject of domestic violence. But he's powerless tro do a thing about it, even when the victim ends up killed! 

GREEN LANTERN 76

Yeah I know, you knew this would be on here. This issue, and the issues after it, have become legendary. Dennis O'Neil tried to make Green Lantern more rlevant by pairing him with Green Arrow and tackling real life issues. This issue it was racism, afer that it was everything from overpopulation to drug addiction when it was revealed Speedy had become a Heroin addict. 

TEEN TITANS #27

These issues may seem similar to the ant drug psa's, and there's a reason for that. They were the inspiration for those after people saw how good the subject of runaways and subsequently the drug problem were handled. This comic is a little grittier, with kids getting killed, since there were no corporate sponsors to complain. Of course Titans would tackle many other things over the years, even Apartheid in a memorable issue of Teen Titans Spotlight. 

Blue Beetle #7

It was in Blue Beetle's book we got a three part arc aboiut the gang problem that seemed to be a big problem in most cities. The issues even guest starred The Question but a silly villain and melodramatic ending kind of hurt the story. 

Batman Shadow of the Bat #57

In this three part story Batman encounters the evil of marijuana. It's a frankly ludicrous plan involving The Floronic Man using super marijuana or something, because even the creators realized that regular marijuana wasn't bad enough to devote a three part story to. The thid issue includes and entire lecture given by Tim Drake on the evils of marijuana use. 

Plenty more out there, from more recent examples to Heroes in Crisis on mental health (badly) to issues devoted the 9/11 terrorist attacks.