Put up or Shut up! What is your best WWII comic or magazine cover?

[vaillant]

A few other very striking Boccasile paintings.

 

"Samurai" – famous postcard produced to exalt the Tripartite Pact (1942)

 

"Defend her!!" (from the RSI period as well, so 1943-45):

 

"Be silent! The enemy is listening you" (1942)

 

Good Friday. Passion of Christ, and of Treviso (refers to an April 1944 bombing):

 

[vaillant]

Poster diffused to inform the population about the dangers of explosive pens dropped by US bombers:

 

Two other pretty dramatic ones about the bombings:

 

 

[vaillant]

Luckily, Boccasile was able to alternate those with more optimistic illustrations.

 

This one was about fire prevention:

 

 

Talc powder:

 

 

Toothpaste:

 

[sfcityduck]

When it comes to WWII imagery, I'm with Vailant: The best stuff to display on your wall are the propaganda posters. I have a decent selection of these. My favorites are those put out by the Office of War Information ("OWI") in support of the "United Nations Fight For Freedom" theme:

 

 

 

 

 

[Inaflash]

When it comes to WWII imagery, I'm with Vailant: The best stuff to display on your wall are the propaganda posters. I have a decent selection of these. My favorites are those put out by the Office of War Information ("OWI") in support of the "United Nations Fight For Freedom" theme:

 

 

 

 

 

I have never seen these before. Beautiful artwork and very inspiring at the time I'm sure.

 

Ken

[sagii]

Impossible to choose just one. Here are 3 of my top 20... or 25.

 

 

 

I have always loved that Exciting Comics#39. The only other 'children in peril' cover that I think rivals it is 'Daredevil Comics #22(a non war cover though). Nice! I would post more pics but it's just too confusing for this site(sorry). I have followed everyone here's instructions and still only get 'links' that half the time, don't open when you all try to use it. Oh we'll, still love to take part in the discussions though.

[Twistty1]

Poster diffused to inform the population about the dangers of explosive pens dropped by US bombers:

 

 

This is an interesting bit of propaganda. I've read a little about this, discussing whether or not it actually happened.

[Twistty1]

Impossible to choose just one. Here are 3 of my top 20... or 25.

 

 

 

I have always loved that Exciting Comics#39. The only other 'children in peril' cover that I think rivals it is 'Daredevil Comics #22(a non war cover though). Nice! I would post more pics but it's just too confusing for this site(sorry). I have followed everyone here's instructions and still only get 'links' that half the time, don't open when you all try to use it. Oh we'll, still love to take part in the discussions though.

 

Thank you... It's a great cover and I knew from the minute I saw a copy that I would need to get one...I've always loved the Air Fighters 6 as well, from a propagandistic perspective.

[BB-Gun]

Poster diffused to inform the population about the dangers of explosive pens dropped by US bombers:

 

 

This is an interesting bit of propaganda. I've read a little about this, discussing whether or not it actually happened.

 

Compared to fire bombing and blockbusters, an exploding pen seems kind of silly. It must be symbolic.

[Twistty1]

Poster diffused to inform the population about the dangers of explosive pens dropped by US bombers:

 

 

This is an interesting bit of propaganda. I've read a little about this, discussing whether or not it actually happened.

 

Compared to fire bombing and blockbusters, an exploding pen seems kind of silly. It must be symbolic.

 

Pens and rag dolls apparently. Also, is there a date for this poster? Just wondering if it was post '43 or not.

[Inaflash]

Poster diffused to inform the population about the dangers of explosive pens dropped by US bombers:

 

 

This is an interesting bit of propaganda. I've read a little about this, discussing whether or not it actually happened.

 

We did drop them but each pen was clearly labeled "Adults Only".

[vaillant]

Pens and rag dolls apparently. Also, is there a date for this poster? Just wondering if it was post '43 or not.

 

I think most of the posters I have posted are from the RSI period.

 

I have not read detailed historical studies, but regardless of the form and the small size, there were for sure a good number of unexploded devices which caused serious injuries or death to both children and adults (children were probably more bound to be involved as they were very likely less cautious and circumspect when finding something which might have been explosive).

[Straw-Man]

how we won the war not having scientists smart enuff to come up with exploding chewing gum or jelly beans to drop on the kids is beyond me.

[Flex Mentallo]

how we won the war not having scientists smart enuff to come up with exploding chewing gum or jelly beans to drop on the kids is beyond me.

 

Thermonucular gum, that's the ticket, by gumbo!

[vaillant]

how we won the war not having scientists smart enuff to come up with exploding chewing gum or jelly beans to drop on the kids is beyond me.

 

Well, the smartness of others compensated for that.

[BB-Gun]

Poster diffused to inform the population about the dangers of explosive pens dropped by US bombers:

 

 

This is an interesting bit of propaganda. I've read a little about this, discussing whether or not it actually happened.

 

Compared to fire bombing and blockbusters, an exploding pen seems kind of silly. It must be symbolic.

 

Pens and rag dolls apparently. Also, is there a date for this poster? Just wondering if it was post '43 or not.

 

I think this is like an urban myth. It is more likely the posters were created to keep children from scavenging the bombed-out buildings and debris. Unexploded bombs and dangerous structural damage to buildings could be a substantial hazard to civilians. WWII was a horrible tragedy with abuses on both sides. Firebombing of Dresden and Tokyo are good examples of excessive abuse of the civilian population...and we shouldn't need to mention the atomic bombs dropped on two Japanese cities. Chemical weapons used by the Japanese in China and concentration camps developed to murder Jews and political prisoners were just the part of the horror.

 

Comic books in the US were part of the propaganda machine used to generate support for the war effort.

[Straw-Man]

Poster diffused to inform the population about the dangers of explosive pens dropped by US bombers:

 

 

This is an interesting bit of propaganda. I've read a little about this, discussing whether or not it actually happened.

 

Compared to fire bombing and blockbusters, an exploding pen seems kind of silly. It must be symbolic.

 

Pens and rag dolls apparently. Also, is there a date for this poster? Just wondering if it was post '43 or not.

 

I think this is like an urban myth. It is more likely the posters were created to keep children from scavenging the bombed-out buildings and debris. Unexploded bombs and dangerous structural damage to buildings could be a substantial hazard to civilians. WWII was a horrible tragedy with abuses on both sides. Firebombing of Dresden and Tokyo are good examples of excessive abuse of the civilian population...and we shouldn't need to mention the atomic bombs dropped on two Japanese cities. Chemical weapons used by the Japanese in China and concentration camps developed to murder Jews and political prisoners were just the part of the horror.

 

Comic books in the US were part of the propaganda machine used to generate support for the war effort.

 

bombs started it. bombs finished it.

[vaillant]

Pens and rag dolls apparently. Also, is there a date for this poster? Just wondering if it was post '43 or not.

I think this is like an urban myth. It is more likely the posters were created to keep children from scavenging the bombed-out buildings and debris. Unexploded bombs and dangerous structural damage to buildings could be a substantial hazard to civilians. […]

Yes, it appears quite obvious that the propagandistic motives within all the contemporary means are often difficult to isolate and evaluate, especially from such a time distance, and far from the war climate as it must have been experienced by the population back then.

 

My parents were about 9-10 years old at the time, and the worry of parents and adults to keep them from possible inexploded or dangerous objects was a consistent element in their everyday lives.

The poster (I have checked and it should be from 1943), being from the RSI has obviously a propagandistic overtone which has the risk to make people forget, historically wise, that children – while obviously often more optimistic than adults – were dead scared by bombings or other war events which touched their everyday reality in a direct way.

 

I have found on Scribd a well researched and informative article on these topics from 2006, titled "Special weapons for psychologic war: the explosive pens between propaganda and reality", but unfortunately it’s in italian only. However, it’s short so if someone is interested I could attempt a quick translation:

http://it.scribd.com/doc/12399432/Penne-Esplosive-Seconda-Guerra-Modiale-Carlo-Clerici

[vaillant]

Chemical weapons used by the Japanese in China and concentration camps developed to murder Jews and political prisoners were just the part of the horror.

 

Not to forget the Okinawa mass omicides/suicides.

This is a very interesting article about what’s been called a japanese "textbook case of revisionist history":

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/07/world/asia/07okinawa.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

[vaillant]

A beautiful cover for Spirou, Special Christmas issue, 1944: