{"id":404,"date":"2017-05-16T09:14:48","date_gmt":"2017-05-16T15:14:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/untdocsblog\/?p=404"},"modified":"2018-07-08T13:28:33","modified_gmt":"2018-07-08T19:28:33","slug":"government-comics-educate-and-entertain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/untdocsblog\/2017\/05\/16\/government-comics-educate-and-entertain\/","title":{"rendered":"Government Comics Educate and Entertain"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>In 1918 the Bureau of Cartoons was established by the Committee on Public Information<\/a> as a method for recruiting the nation\u2019s cartoonists to promote various campaigns during World War I. The following year, after the war ended, the CPI and its Bureau of Cartoons were abolished, but over the next hundred years the federal government has continued to use cartoons and comics to add visual interest, drama, and fun to the presentation of various types of government information; and to simplify complex concepts for a public diverse in age, learning styles, educational levels, and cultural backgrounds.<\/p>\r\n

Categories<\/h2>\r\n

\"\"<\/a>A variety of cartoon formats and genres<\/strong> have been used to illustrate government publications over the decades, ranging from simple illustrations<\/a>, single-panel or single-page cartoons<\/a>,\u00a0or comic strips<\/a>, to more elaborate storyboards<\/a>, comic books<\/a>, fotonovelas<\/a>, and in more recent years even some edgy, adult-oriented, high-quality graphic novels<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n

Government comics are available on virtually every topic<\/strong> under the sun. Some of the most popular include military and civil defense; civic engagement and the workings of the government; environmental issues; employment and social security; health and safety;\u00a0and consumer awareness.<\/p>\r\n

Many government comics are directed toward specific audiences<\/strong>, and in some cases the audience will determine the nature of the nature of the presentation. For instance, in order to raise awareness about\u00a0scams being reported among\u00a0the Latino community<\/a>, the Federal Trade Commission developed a series of informational pamphlets in Spanish and English presented in the format of the fotonovela<\/a><\/em>, a genre popular among Spanish-speaking audiences. The fotonovela<\/em> format has also been used to present information and advice on health issues<\/a> of concern to Spanish-speaking immigrants. Some other specialized audiences for government comics include military personnel<\/a>, parents<\/a>,\u00a0Native Americans<\/a>, and, of course, children and teenagers<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n\"\"<\/a>\r\n

Cartoonists<\/h2>\r\n\"This<\/a>\r\n

Some of the most famous artists and writers have produced cartoons for government publications, in some cases before becoming a household name. Famous cartoonists who produced government comics while serving in the Armed Forces include George Baker<\/a>, Will Eisner<\/a>, Dr. Seuss<\/a>, Robert Chesley Osborn<\/a>, Al Hirschfeld<\/a>, and many others. Milton Caniff<\/a> was found unfit for military service, but still contributed cartoons and illustrations<\/a>\u00a0to the war effort.\u00a0Kurt Schaffenberger<\/a> served in the U.S. Army during World War II and worked as a translator for the Office of Special Services, but it was later, in the 1960s when he created The “Hidden Crew”<\/em><\/a> for the U.S. Air Force.<\/p>\r\n

\"\"<\/a>Commercially-successful cartoonists who created works for other departments include Charles Schultz<\/a>, Al Capp<\/a>, Charles Biro<\/a>, and\u00a0Morrie Turner<\/a>. In some cases, an already commercially published (and copyrighted) cartoon, such as Scott Adams’\u00a0Dilbert<\/a>, will be incorporated into a new government document.<\/p>\r\n

Other government cartoons have been produced anonymously, sometimes by professional agencies<\/a>; sometimes by amateur cartoonists who have more enthusiasm than skill (see for example, the Freddie Food Stamp<\/a> cartoon below, or the even more primitive Fantastic Tidal Datums<\/em><\/a>).<\/p>\r\n

In 2010 the U.S. Government Printing Office released Squeaks Discovers Type!<\/em><\/a>, their first comic book to be produced entirely in-house by GPO employees<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n

Characters<\/h2>\r\n

\"\"<\/a>Charlie Brown<\/a>, Pogo<\/a>, Lil’ Abner<\/a>, Rex Morgan, M.D.<\/a>, Captain America (and the Campbell Kids!)<\/a>,\u00a0Mark Trail<\/a>, Dilbert<\/a>, and many other characters already familiar to the public from the newsstands and daily newspapers have made special appearances in government comics.<\/p>\r\n

In other cases unique characters such as Smokey Bear<\/a>,\u00a0McGruff the Crime Dog<\/a>, and Connie Rodd<\/a>\u00a0have been created as official mascots to promote specific agencies or agendas.<\/p>\r\n

Many stories in government comics are one-offs, in which a unique character appears only once to explain a specific idea and then is never heard from again. A few of these government\u00a0characters whose careers never quite took off are Komrad Ivan<\/a>;\u00a0El Gato, the Cat<\/a>; Pip, the Magic Safety Elephant<\/a>; Sprocket Man<\/a>; the Garbage Gremlin<\/a>, Bert the Turtle<\/a>;\u00a0and Freddy Food Stamp<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n\"\"<\/a>\r\n

Controversies<\/h2>\r\n

Occasionally there have been controversies over using comics to impart government information. These are a few of the objections that have been raised to various government comics over the years:<\/p>\r\n