Propaganda in Comics of the 1940s
by Jim Gianpetro
Fall 2004

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In the 1930's and 1940's superhero comics were extremely popular, and in 1942 when the U.S. joined the fight against Nazi Germany, many of these superheroes joined the fight as well. Because superhero comics were gaining popularity especially among young men, it was obvious that these comics could be used as a powerful medium for propaganda.
One of the first characters in a comic book to be used as a means to get young men to enlist in the army was Joe Palooka. Joe Palooka was a popular comic book hero of the time, and as a heavyweight boxing champion, was already a model of masculinity for young men. When America joined the war in 1941, Joe Palooka was the first character to "enlist" in the army. Not long after Joe Palooka joined the army, President Roosevelt thanked him and his creator Ham Fisher. After Joe Palooka set the example, many other comic book heroes began to do the same.

Another popular comic book character to join the fight in a rather different way was Little Orphan Annie. In 1942 Little Orphan Annie started the "Junior Commando" movement, which helped the war effort by collecting newspaper, metal, rubber and other recyclable materials. In about a year, there were 20,000 Junior Commandos in Boston alone.
Clearly, comics served as a very powerful way to convey the message of responsibility and solidarity to the youth of the country at the time. Who knows how many young men were persuaded to enlist as a result of the positive propaganda in comics. Not only were comics good for getting the right messages out, they also served as the perfect escape for servicemen and people at home during the trying times of World War II.

http://americanhistory.about.com/library/prm/blpalookawar1.htm
http://home.earthlink.net/~joesarno/tvcomics/joe.htm

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