Comics and Conflict: Arw and Patriotically Themed Comics in American Cultural History from World War Ii Through the Iraq War
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Loyola University Chicago Loyola eCommons Dissertations Theses and Dissertations 2011 Comics and Conflict: arW and Patriotically Themed Comics in American Cultural History From World War Ii Through the Iraq War Cord A. Scott Loyola University Chicago Follow this and additional works at: https://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_diss Part of the United States History Commons Recommended Citation Scott, Cord A., "Comics and Conflict: arW and Patriotically Themed Comics in American Cultural History From World War Ii Through the Iraq War" (2011). Dissertations. 74. https://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_diss/74 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses and Dissertations at Loyola eCommons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Loyola eCommons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License. Copyright © 2011 Cord A. Scott LOYOLA UNIVERSITY CHICAGO COMICS AND CONFLICT: WAR AND PATRIOTICALLY THEMED COMICS IN AMERICAN CULTURAL HISTORY FROM WORLD WAR II THROUGH THE IRAQ WAR A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL IN CANDIDACY FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY PROGRAM IN HISTORY BY CORD A. SCOTT CHICAGO, ILLINOIS AUGUST 2011 Copyright by Cord A. Scott, 2011 All rights reserved. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This dissertation is not the product of a single person, but also reflects the contributions of many who helped in its creation and refinement. While the final result (and mistakes) are mine alone, I was assisted by many people whose help and input must be acknowledged. I would like to thank Darlene Ulmer, Ron Wade, and Mark Holroyd from IADT- Chicago for their encouragement to write and teach the two classes (History of Propaganda, and History of Comic books) that led to this project. They were great bosses at a crucial time in my academic career. I also wish to thank my research committee for their assistance. Dr. Lewis Erenberg (my advisor), Dr. Susan Hirsch, Dr. Ted Karamanski, and Dr. Tim Gilfoyle, all played important roles in the completion of this dissertation. Lillian Hardison and Tricia Clemente deserve special thanks for making the system hum along with efficiency, as does Kurt Klein for editing the text to its proper style and format. Sections of this dissertation were previously published in the Journal of Popular Culture (Spring 2007), the International Journal of Comic Art (Fall 2008), Captain America and the Struggles of the Superhero: Critical Essays, edited by Robert Weiner (Spring 2009), and the Greenwood Encyclopedia of Comics and Graphic Novels (Spring 2010). iii My colleagues have served a critical role in developing my thoughts and concepts. In particular, Kevin Kaufman, Pat Mallory, Stella Ress, Dejan Kralj, and Jay Ward have all prodded me along when I needed it. Lee and Cindy Windsor gave me an entirely new perspective on how look at comic books while on a battlefield tour of Italy. To them and many others I again say thanks. My family served as a source of strength, especially during the many times when I felt like chucking the entire process and walking away. Jerry and Renee Scott offered encouragement and suggestions. Micah Scott has never ceased to amaze me with his keen observations of my work (his intelligence and talent always confound me). Paul Mache offered great comments and the great break for other topics when needed. However, my greatest thanks must go to the corps of ―Wonder Women‖ who got me through this. Lauren Mache gave me positive thoughts and observations as she went through the dissertation process twice. My daughters Zia and Jayna pointed out all sorts of ―odd things,‖ yet let dad work when needed. Peggy Smetana and Linda Scott read and re-read so many versions of this project that they almost deserve co-author credit. Finally, Rachel Mache served as my muse, inspiration, and drive when I was incredibly bogged down in the writing. I cannot express my gratitude to these pillars of strength. I only hope that I have done them proud. iv This dissertation is dedicated to my loved ones who could not live to see it completed, and to those who can. TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii ABSTRACT viii INTRODUCTION 1 Patriotism 5 Propaganda 6 CHAPTER 1: ENTERTAINING AND INFORMING THE MASSES 13 The History of the Medium 14 World War I and Cartoon Illustrations 19 The Interwar Period 21 The Need for Entertainment in the Depression 24 The Comics Expand 33 Comic Books and the Fascist Threat 34 Equity and Comic Book Work 38 The Shift to War 42 CHAPTER 2: FIGHTING FOR FREEDOM (1939-1945) 44 Calls for United States Entry into the War 45 Comic Books after United States Entry into the War 47 Comic Books During World War II 51 Conversion Themes in Comic Book Characters 54 Female Superheroes 68 The Use of Children in Combat 69 Government Involvement in Comics and Cartoons 72 Depictions of the Enemy 78 CHAPTER 3: THE COLD WAR ERUPTS, AND COMICS— MOSTLY—TOE THE LINE (1945-1962) 83 The Post–World War II Years 84 Historical Comics of the Cold War and Korea 90 Dr. Wertham and the Comics Code 102 War and Patriotic Comics Under the Code 105 Dell‘s Influence on War Comics 111 Comics Produced for the United States Military 116 Social Issues in War Comics 117 CHAPTER 4: WAR COMICS IN A TIME OF UPHEAVAL (1962-1991) 122 Pro-War Comics 123 Anti-War Comics 129 Mainstream Comic Books Respond to Vietnam 137 Post-Vietnam and the Role of Minorities in War Comics 140 vi Vietnam War Comics and Analysis, Twenty Years Later 142 War Comics in the Reagan Era 148 The Bastardization of the Patriotic Hero 154 Anti-War Comics and Realism 156 CHAPTER 5: THE RESURGENCE OF SUPERHEROES AFTER THE FALL OF COMMUNISM (1991-2001) 158 Changes to the ‘Nam 165 Punisher vs. Captain America 168 The Mid-1990s and the New World Order in Comic Books 182 Violence in War Comics 187 War Comics as ―News‖ 195 CHAPTER 6: THE ROLE OF COMICS AFTER 9/11 (2001-2003) 200 Depictions of the Attack 204 Captain America and His Iconic Roots 213 Traditional Roles within War Comics, Revisited or Corrected 217 Anti-War Comic Books Just Before the Iraq Invasion 227 CHAPTER 7: COMICS AND THE SOUL OF COMBAT (2003-2010) 231 The World War II Comic, Revisited 238 Patriotic Themes and the Death of Captain America 252 Comics for the Troops 260 Conflict and Comics in Recent Years 263 Children in Recent War Comics 265 CONCLUSIONS: CONCEPTS OF WAR THROUGH COMICS 269 APPENDIX A: THE COMICS CODE 274 APPENDIX B: COMIC BOOK CREATOR BIOGRAPHIES 279 BIBLIOGRAPHY 284 VITA 317 vii ABSTRACT Illustration has been an integral part of human history. Particularly before the advent of media such as photography, film, television, and now the Internet, illustrations in all their variety have been the primary visual way to convey history. The comic book, which emerged in its modern form in the 1930s, was another form of visual entertainment that gave readers, especially children, a form of escape. As World War II began, however, comic books became an integral part of war propaganda as well providing information and education for both children and adults. This dissertation looks at how specific comic books of the war genre have been used to display patriotism, adventure through war stories, and eventually to tell of the horrors of combat—from World War II through the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan in the first decade of the twenty-first century. This dissertation also examines how war- and patriotically-themed comics evolved from soldier-drawn reflections of society, eventually developing along with the broader comic book medium into a mirror of American society during times of conflict. These comic books generally reflected patriotic fervor, but sometimes they advanced a specific cause. As war comic books evolved along with American society, many also served as a form of protest against United States foreign and military policy. During the viii country‘s most recent wars, however, patriotism has made a comeback, at the same time that the grim realities of combat are depicted more realistically than ever before. ix INTRODUCTION Popular culture is a curious subject for history as customarily defined. Until the widespread availability of inexpensive reproductions and printed texts, beginning in the sixteenth century in the West, relatively few artifacts of popular culture survived for later historical analysis. Traditional history was largely based on what past elites believed was worth saving, and for earlier periods it still is. Even supplemented by random survivals, and often hard-to-interpret archaeological remains, such histories necessarily reflect the ideologies of those at the apex of power. Scholars working centuries later, and with quite different ideologies, remain restricted by the extant sources. By contrast, popular cultural history draws on a broader base of materials and a more complete record, especially for the past two centuries (a period roughly coterminous with the existence of the United States of America). Thus, as historical subjects get closer to the present and the depth and breadth of evidence expands, it is increasingly possible to write history that reconstructs the mental universe in which ordinary people lived. A major part of this record consists of popular narrative forms, which reflect—in a less self-conscious way than elite writing and art—the beliefs, hopes, aspirations, and fears that shaped humanity‘s past. In short, the materials of cultural history are exactly those that had previously been unavailable or underappreciated by conventional methods of historiography. What might seem to be simple, ephemeral stories, originally intended 1 2 for rapid disposal after their particular historical moment had passed, may instead offer today‘s historians unique insight into the mindset of their readers.