NAZIS 437
censored by the government to ensure that the right kinds of messages were commu-
nicated, the comics industry was far less regulated and therefore provided some of the
most extreme examples of caricature and rhetorical exaggeration found in propaganda
and popular culture of the period. In superhero comics, Nazis became supervillains,
and World War II, as represented in comics, became a thrilling adventure against the
forces of evil and oppression.
Superhero comics helped to fi ght the isolationism of the American people in the run
up to war. Even before the attack on Pearl Harbor and American intervention in late
1941, superheroes routinely fought against war profi teers, spies, and saboteurs. One of
the reasons for this eagerness to attack the Nazis was that many comic artists, writers
and publishers were Jewish and used their comics to highlight the dangers of the Nazi
state. As early as December 1939, Th e Sub-Mariner was shown on the cover of Marvel
Mystery Comics #4 attacking a U-boat. Th e cover of Action Comics #54 (1942) showed
Superman tying a periscope in a knot, although Pep Comics #2 (February 1940) was
more violent, showing Th e Shield shooting the crew. Th e German U-boat menace was
a very topical theme, as the main threat to American interests in 1940 came from the
U-boats prowling the Atlantic. U.S. President Roosevelt attempted to use this threat
to encourage Americans to support intervention, and comics like this followed his lead.
Soon comics indulged in extreme fantasies, showing armies of spies, sympathizers, and
saboteurs undermining American industry and morale. Th e most famous example is
Captain America from Timely Comics (which would later become Marvel ). On the
cover of fi rst issue (March 1941) Captain America bursts into a Nazi bunker full of
invasion plans and fi lm footage detailing an ongoing sabotage campaign, thereby justify-
ing Captain America’s pre-emptive strike. Captain America is identifi ed as “Th e Sentinel
of our Shores” and does what most Americans longed to, punching Hitler fi rmly on
the jaw. Interestingly, this occurred at a time when many superhero comics, notably
those produced by National (later DC Comics ) only made oblique references to the
enemy—perhaps because they felt Superman’s powers would allow him easily to defeat
the Nazis, thus diminishing the importance of real-world fi ghting men. Following the
example of Charlie Chaplin’s fi lm Th e Great Dictator (1940), an imaginary enemy was
often substituted for the real one, although it was always clear who the intended target
was. Th is was emblematic of the restraint of National as opposed to the brash streetwise
nature of Timely’s comics. However, one of the most overt attacks on the Nazis came
in the form of MLJ’s Daredevil Battles Hitler (1941), which, despite being rather crude
in terms of its artwork, story, and politics, certainly made its message clear—the Nazis
were a menace that must be stamped out. At this time most of the major publishers
were featuring stories, or at least covers, that dealt with the war in some way. Th ere
was no lack of inspiration from Hollywood fi lms, advertisements, propaganda posters,
and political cartoons, all of which employed similar rhetorical strategies and compa-
rable imagery in representing the Nazis. However, while few Americans had anything
but contempt for the Nazis, most Americans did not want to get involved in another
European war.
