US Army to produce comic books for Middle East Youth

[Ares]

http://www.newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=30680

THE ARMY GETS INTO COMIC BOOKS

And the newest comic book publisher on the block: the US Army.

 

Whaaaa?

 

According to a listing on the Federal Business Opportunities website, the Army is looking to develop a comic book that will be distributed to youths in the Middle East, or, as the posting puts it: “In order to achieve long-term peace and stability in the Middle East, the youth need to be reached. One effective means of influencing youth is through the use of comic books. A series of comic books provides the opportunity for youth to learn lessons, develop role models and improve their education.”

 

The army has already designed the characters and plots, so the work will be a collaborative effort with Uncle Sam. As for part of the plot and setting, again, back to the posting: “The series will be based on the security forces, military and police, in the near future in the Middle East in cooperation with the Ministries of Interior of some of those countries. The comic series will be subject to change based on initial focus group testing of a prototype comic. If the subject matter for a specific comic does not do well in its intended focus group then it may be dropped and/or a new basis for the comic will be selected. There may be opportunities for this series to continue and additional comic series to be developed next year based on feedback from the first series.”

 

In addition to being able to produce the work, the Army is looking for a creator well-versed in Arab languages and cultures, as well as law enforcement and small unit military operations. Again, the posting: The comic books will be produced in Arabic so the boxes will have to follow a sequence of right to left and top to bottom. Although knowledge of Arabic is not required, the contractor must have the capability to incorporate Arabic text into the final product and also provide a copy with blank bubbles and void of all printed text and sound effects.”

 

The contractor will not be required to have any special security clearance, and will be contracted for 12 issues at 16 pages each, with an option for another 12 issues.

 

As pointed out in a BBC report on the proposed comic series, the posting for work comes out of Fort Bragg, NC, the home of the Army’s 4th Psychological Operations Group, also known as the "psy-op warriors.” The division is tasked with the “minds” part of winning hearts and minds, most often through the use if radio transmissions, leaflets and loudspeakers. The unit’s slogans include: Win the Mind - Win the Day and Verbum Vincet (The Word Conquers).

 

As critics of Psy-Ops have pointed out, if it were someone else doing this instead of the US, it would be hastily labeled as propaganda.

 

The BBC story also raises the possibility that the new comic book series aimed at young Middle Easterners could see competition from the recently announced AK Comics, an Egyptian publishing company which plans to introduce the first Arab superheroes including: Zein aka the Last Pharaoh, Rakan, a hairy medieval warrior in Mesopotamia, Jalila, a brainy Levantine scientist and fighter for justice and Aya, a North African described as a "vixen who roams the region on her supercharged motorbike confronting crime wherever it rears its ugly head.”

 

AK has said that it is seeking "to fill the cultural gap created over the years by providing essentially Arab role models, in our case, Arab superheroes to become a source of pride to our young generations.”

[Wally's Comics]

Tin-Hut!

Pencils out!

In Cadance!....

 

Draw! Draw! Draw! Draw! Draw! Draw! Draw!

[jordanscott]

 

 

As critics of Psy-Ops have pointed out, if it were someone else doing this instead of the US, it would be hastily labeled as propaganda.

 

So instead it will be quietly whispered for fear of the brown shirts hearing you and visiting you in the night for an all expense paid trip to cuba.