The 10 Cent War: Comic Books, Propaganda, and World War II

During the lead up to World War II, comic books were a growing phenomenon. In the United States, many comic book artists considered their mission not just to entertain, but also to influence the public and later to support the war effort. In The 10 Cent War, Goodnow and Kimble bring together a number of essays that dive into the variety of intersections between comic books and propaganda during WWII.The opening essay considers how women were portrayed in the military and elsewhere in the war effort. The next essay looks at comics portraying the Flying Tigers and Chinese allies. The Boy Commandos and various super-hero sidekicks such as Bucky are examined in separate essays. Superman is considered as an allegory for isolationist/interventionist United States with Lois Lane as Europe. Captain America and Wonder Woman each merit their own essay. Then there is True Comic - using non-fiction as counter propaganda! Finally there are a quartet of essays looking at ordinary kids doing their bit for the war.Propaganda during World War II and comic books is an interesting combination. The 10 Cent War provides a diverse and decent set of essays that explore numerous facets of this topic.

Interesting compilation of articles. Well researched. Doesn't let itself get bogged down in Academic-eze. Sometimes the writing style gets too simplistic leading one to wonder if this is a collection of articles by undergrads. But that style certainly ensures that it is readable.

The 10 Cent War: Comic Books, Propaganda, and World War II by Trischa Goodnow, et. al. is a free NetGalley ebook that I read in late November.This book is compiled of essayed chapters from a multitude of authors. They range in topic from an inquiry into gender roles, portrayal of races, comics as propaganda, reader encouragement, lighthearted and vengeful plotlines, confoundedness between stereotypes/artistic license/the reality of the military, keeping one's emotions in check, traditional villains likened to the Axis powers, and human versus superhuman heroes and/or sidekicks.