Damjan Matković
Faculty of Philosophy
University of Belgrade
damjan.matkovic94@gmail.com
Original scientific paper
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.3235292
Abstract: The aim of this text is to illustrate the power of propaganda within comics. Many comic-book series are understandable to wider audience, which makes them a useful propaganda tool. During and after WWII comics were used to worship their nation and demonize the enemy. The text discusses how the Germans, mostly Nazis are portrayed in various comic-series and graphic novels. Comics are a unique blend of text and pictures, so both appearance and character traits of Nazis are analyzed. American wartime comics book authors portrayed the Germans as ugly and unattractive. Their physical appearance varied but remained grotesque. It was important not to portray the Germans as Übermensch and undermine Nazi propaganda. Later American comic creators preferred propaganda which was a little more subtle. Hence the ordinary look of Germans in most American series from the 60s to the present. Some authors drew nations as different animals and used this method to portray the Germans as merciless predators (wolves for example, which are one of the most feared and hated animal species in history). In the famous and respected graphic novel – Maus, Art Spiegelman describes the Holocaust. The Jews are drawn as mice whilst the Germans are predatory cats. Although physical appearance of the Germans in American comics changed their character traits remained mostly unchanged. They are a merciless, cowardly enemy who enjoys tormenting prisoners. They are also seen as monstrous in older French comics. Nazis are killers of civilians in American, French and British comics. It can be concluded that Germans are portrayed as a monstrous, merciless foe in most comics. Even though image of the Germans is very negative in comics about WWII, these images vary significantly. I would say that propaganda and demonization were at its strongest during the war and in the first years after war. American wartime comics as well as some works done by French creators after the war depict a black and white world, with extremely negative view of the Germans. On the other hand, British and Italian authors, which made comics much later, didn’t demonize the Germans so completely. Their main aim wasn’t war propaganda but creating interesting stories that will attract a wide audience. Furthermore, some graphic novels were inspired by real-life events and they aimed to much more historically accurate and objective than standard comic books. There are also newer series that see the war itself as a catastrophe and monstrosity. In such comic book series, the German soldiers are almost as brutal as in the old war-comics. However, it is underlined that they too are victims of war, which changed them and unleashed their darkest side. To sum up, comics are a powerful propaganda tool used to idealize their own nation or demonize a hated enemy such as Nazis in comics about WWII.
Keywords: Comic books, Nazis, Germans, Second World War, image of the enemy
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