COMICS AND CONFLICT PATRIOTISM AND PROPAGANDA FROM WWII
THROUGH OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM By CORD A. SCOTT
Advance Praise
Cord Scott's Comics and Conflict demonstrates the powerful role
that comic books have played in American wars from World War II
through Iraqi Freedom and the central place that wars have played
in American society and culture in the twentieth century. LEWIS A.
ERENBERG, professor emeritus, Loyola University Chicago
Comics and Conflict is a superb chronological survey of American
comic book depictions of both real and imagined war and quasi-war
campaigns, amazing in scope and detail. Scotts insights into the
relationship between the comics and their audience in different
eras are impressive, reflecting the publics increasing
apprehensions about how and why the nations military was being
deployed. The work indicates an author very much at home with his
subject matter. PETER KARSTEN, editor in chief of Encyclopedia of
War and American Society Wars are won by both the hard power of the
state and the soft power of its culture. In this fascinating study
of the role of American militarythemed comic books Cord Scott
explores the way popular illustrated stories have simultaneously
buttressed and critiqued the nations military conflicts. This
unique and accessible study will appeal to the layman and
professional alike and is well suited for classroom adoption for
survey and specialized classes. THEODORE J. KARAMANSKI, professor
of history, Loyola University Chicago By combining cultural history
and military history, Cord Scott provides us with fresh insights
into both. Readers interested in how the American public used
cultural media to interpret war will learn much from this book.
MICHAEL S. NEIBERG, author of The Blood of Free Men: The Liberation
of Paris, 1944
A BOOK FOR REVIEW
NAVAL INSTITUTE PRESS BOOK NEWS
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 had 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. Very quickly, however, it became
something more than a mere form of entertainment.
As World War II began, comic books became a propagandistic
platform, providing information and education for both children and
adults. This book looks at how specific comic books of the war
genre have been used to display patriotism and adventure through
war stories, and eventually to tell of the horrors of combatfrom
World War II through the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan
in the first decade of the twenty-first century.
This book 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. Such works generally
reflected patriotic fervor while advancing a specific cause. Comic
books were also used as a means of political protest against war,
or what the writers felt were wider examples of governmental abuse.
In the post 9/11 era comic books have returned to their
propagandistic/patriotic roots. At the same time, the grim
realities of combat are depicted more realistically than ever
before.
The focus of this work is not only on the development of the
comic book medium, but also as a bellwether of society at the same
time. How did comics and their writers approach the news of the
war? Were people for or against the fighting? Did the writers of
comics promote a perception of combat or did they try to convey the
horrors of war? Scott explores these questions and fills a gap in a
growing literature that looks beneath the surface of the actions of
our comic book heroes. CORD SCOTT has a doctorate in American
history from Loyola University Chicago. He has written for several
encyclopedias and academic journals and has collaborated previously
with Robert Weiner on the book Captain America and the Struggle of
the Superhero. He has taught at several institutions in the Chicago
area. COMICS AND CONFLICT: Patriotism and Propaganda from WWII
Through Operation Iraqi Freedom by Cord A. Scott Publication date:
15 September 2014 224 pp., 8 illustrations. Price: $49.95 / 35.50
Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-61251-477-2 History WWII eBook edition also
available.
AT BOOKSTORES, MEDIA INQUIRES & REVIEW IN ENGLAND AND
ONLINE, OR DIRECT: COPIES, CONTACT: EUROPE, CONTACT:
Customer Service Judy Heise, Publicist EUROSPAN GROUP U.S. Naval
Institute NAVAL INSTITUTE PRESS 3 Henrietta Street 291 Wood Road
291 Wood Road London WC2E 8LU Annapolis, MD 21402 Annapolis, MD
21402 United Kingdom 800-233-8764/410-268-6110 410-295-1028 / Fax:
410-295-1084 Tele: 1767 604972 www.usni.org [email protected]
www.eurospanbookstore.com
The Worlds Leading Naval and Mili tary Publisher s ince 1898.
Online at www.nip.org.
Become a fan on Facebook or Follow us on
AT BOOKSTORES, MEDIA INQUIRES & REVIEW IN ENGLAND AND
