<< Comics Workshop RECOMMENDED READING
Resources for mid-20th century comics…
ALSO SEE: Comics Censorship >>
Relevant Comics & Online Archives:
War Comics: Comics with a Military Theme
A single-page lo-res cover archive from Australia.
Propaganda Extravaganza! [⛓️💥OLD LINK]
A wartime cover archive on SuperDickery.com … You won’t BELIEVE what US publishers actually printed during the war!
“Norakuro” by by Suiho Tagawa (wartime manga about Japan’s fight with China):
“Norakuro” on Lambiek.net
“Norakuro” on Wikipedia
More Norakuro page samples
Barefoot Gen
One boy’s Hiroshima story
“U.S. Petroleum Administration for War” educational comics(1943):
AMERICAN PROPAGANDA COMICS:
“Comin’ in on a Wing and a Prayer”
Undercover War
Dutch Comics During WWII
“How to Spot a Jap”
US Army/Navy “educational” comic (1943) employing some seriously racist propaganda techniques!
POLITICAL CARTOONS (Single-panels & Illustrations):
- Nazi Cartoons and Caricatures: 1933-1945
- Cartoons from Das Schwarze Korps (1943-1944) (Nazi SS weekly newspaper) (1943-1944)
- Editorial cartoons from Das Reich (1940-1941) (Nazi weekly magazine)
- Editorial cartoons from Das Reich (1944-1945)
Bill Mauldin: sample cartoonsSUPERMAN
Action Comics #1 (1938)
(June, 1938 – The first episode of Superman.)
WONDER WOMAN
SENSATION COMICS (1942) [@wikipedia]
WONDER WOMAN (1942) [@wikipedia]
William Moulton Marston (creator)
[@wikipedia] [“Wonder Woman: 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Her Creator” (CBR) >>]
H.G. Peter (artist)
[@wikipedia] [@lambiek.net] [@Inkslingers.ink]
“The Man Behind Wonder Woman Was Inspired By Both Suffragists And Centerfolds” (NPR / 2014)
“The man behind the most popular female comic book hero of all time, Wonder Woman, had a secret past…“
The Secret History of Wonder Woman by Jill Lepore
MAUS
Check out this amazing 1944 cover of THE NEW YORKER –>
It depicts D-Day in the style of the Bayeux Tapestry (and for more on that, see CW’s Europe page) …
“MONTY ET IKE MARE NAVIGAVIT” indeed!
(Also, note the mice & other items scampering around in the marginal ornamentation…)
Articles, Analysis, &c.:
- Types of War Comics
- US-European Theater:
- “Golden Age of Comic Books” on Wikipedia (1930s-1940s)
- “Kryptonomics: Why Superman’s Creators Got a Raw Deal” (The New Yorker, 24 June 2013)
- Classic Comicson Suite101.com:
- Education & Propaganda:
- Manga (Japanese Comics) (See also: Japanese Culture & History in Manga):
- About.com: Manga in WWII
- POSTWAR CENSORSHIP:
Chris and Reggie’s Cosmic Treadmill: “Weird Comics History: The Comics Code”
(5 episode series, March 2017)
These are very interesting. The comics are explicit in telling about the evils of jealousy and its wrath on the world. I especially appreciate the Norman Rockwell comic. Art played a special role in historic events and words do not do justice, its the art. I hope that I will have an opportunity to attend one of these events on time.
Thanks Allison! Glad you like the NEW YORKER cover ~ An amazing “quote” of old artwork in a new context! I was very impressed by the Norman Rockwell Museum (Stockbridge, MA) when I had the chance to visit there a few years ago… Hope to see you at an event soon. ~ M