Korean War Comic Books

Comic books have presented fictional and fact-based stories of the Korean War, as it was being fought and afterward. Comparing these comics with events that inspired them offers a deeper understanding of the comics industry, America's "forgotten war," and the anti-comics movement, championed by psychiatrist Fredric Wertham, who criticized their brutalization of the imagination. Comics--both newsstand offerings and government propaganda--used fictions to justify the unpopular war as necessary and moral. This book examines the dramatization of events and issues, including the war's origins, germ warfare, brainwashing, Cold War espionage, the nuclear threat, African Americans in the military, mistreatment of POWs, and atrocities.

List of contents

Table of Contents

Preface

Part One-Comic Books and the Korean War

¿1.¿Introduction

¿2.¿Realism, Harm and Responsibility

¿3.¿The Business

¿4.¿Strips

¿5.¿World War II Comic Books

¿6.¿Harvey Kurtzman

¿7.¿Critics

Illustrations

Part Two-The Korean War in Comic Books

¿8.¿Origins of the Korean War

¿9.¿Spies

10.¿African Americans

11.¿Germs

12.¿Brainwashing

13.¿POW!

14.¿Griping Against the War

15.¿Atrocities

16.¿Politics

17.¿The Bomb

18.¿Subversive Comics

19.¿The Korean War in Comics Since 1953

20.¿Conclusion

Chapter Notes

Bibliography

Index

About the author

Leonard Rifas has been a cartoonist, comic book editor, founding proprietor of the educational comic book company EduComics, and a pioneering comics scholar. He teaches at Seattle Central College.

Summary

Comics - both newsstand offerings and government propaganda - used fictions to justify the Korean war as necessary and moral. This book examines the dramatization of events and issues, including the war's origins, germ warfare, brainwashing, espionage, the nuclear threat, African Americans in the military, mistreatment of POWs, and atrocities.

Product details

• Authors: Leonard Rifas
• Publisher: Ingram Publishers Services
• Languages: English
• Age Recommendation: from age 18
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 31.12.2022
• EAN: 9780786443963
• ISBN: 978-0-7864-4396-3
• No. of pages: 345
• Dimensions: 178 mm x 254 mm x 18 mm
• Weight: 612 g
• Illustrations: Raster,schwarz-weiss
• Subjects: Fiction > Poetry, drama; Humanities, art, music > Linguistics and literary studies > General and comparative literary studies; Korea, LITERARY CRITICISM / Comics & Graphic Novels, Literary studies: from c 1900 -, Comic book & cartoon art, Anthologies (non-poetry), Literary studies: c 1900 to c 2000, Military history: post-WW2 conflicts, Comic book and cartoon artwork, C 1945 To C 1960, 1950–1953 (Korean War period), Korean War, HISTORY / Wars & Conflicts / Korean War, Anthologies