Superheroes remain a staple of most illustrated serial fiction in Western culture, frequently drawing both acclaim and controversy for their perceived influence on social and political issues addressed in their story-lines. In the twentieth century, superheroes and comic books were occasionally attacked as proponents of subversive political and social ideologies; on other occasions, they served to support and idealize the dominant values of the national culture. They have, historically, also been used for commentary on political, social, sexual, and philosophical controversies.