133:"have the capacity to simplify even the most crucial civic issues and shape public opinion." Not being satisfied with the images found in local papers and national magazines, the government went a step farther and began publishing their own comics. The intentions behind these publications were to "reinforce the government's expectations about the preferred cultural identity of the country." When examining government issued comics, it is important to realize that they give us an idea of the government's "idealized or assumed 'American experience'." The themes and ideas found within the comics written and distributed by the government "express the government's attempts to recognize and address the nation's attitudes and concerns."
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immigrants." The
Federal Civil Defense Administration "produced comics designed to teach children how to survive everything from natural disasters—such as fires or earthquakes—to an atomic holocaust." By addressing the children, they could then in turn "get the word out to their parents about what families could do to protect themselves: build home shelters, stockpile canned goods and bottled water, learn first aid, and drop to the ground if they happened to get caught outside during an atomic blast." One example of these targeting tactics is Bert the Turtle, "likely the most famous pop icon of the Atomic Age", from the comic
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in 2008. It is intended for educational purposes for military members, veterans, and family members. The novel centers around three main characters, each previously active-duty members in the military dealing with the transition of coming back home. The struggles of the transition from combat back to
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These comics were "distributed at schools, civic events, and recruiting offices; they were inserted in local newspapers and national magazines", and can be found online on official government sites. The target audience for these comics included "women, children, workers, ethnic groups, and
129:." In an effort to boost public support for ongoing foreign policies, the government looked to this study, and tried to persuade and suggest themes and ideas of soldiers and America as a whole, for artists to include in their weekly publications. Government officials understood that
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in 1943. A large number of these US government comics were developed, illustrated and published with the intention of educating citizens and military personnel.
173:, Geisel created an illustrated pamphlet for the army, which addressed the problems of malaria. Another famous artist commissioned by the government was
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also wrote and drew for the government. After becoming a captain in the army, Geisel worked in the animation branch, "where he wrote episodes of
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conducted a study which found that "for adults, the most widely read non-advertising feature in newspapers was the
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These comics were mainly printed by federal agencies, but the government also commissioned works printed by
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American Zombie Gothic: The Rise and Fall (And Rise) of the
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Government Issue: Comics for the People, 1940s-2000s
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Government Issue: Comics for the People, 1940s-2000s
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