544 SATIRE
with the comic art form since the inception of comics. Th e most prevalent exam-
ple of satiric cartooning in the popular consciousness is the political cartoon, which
had its gestation in the grotesques of Leonardo da Vinci and the work of pamphle-
teers advocating the positions of Martin Luther. In early American newspapers, Ben
Franklin used symbolism in cartoons to show the unyielding attitudes of American
Revolutionary forces. Th is evolved into caricatures of political fi gures in the Civil
War, and grotesques inspired by photographic representation in the same era. Th e
contemporary political cartoon is an evolution of these works.
Bill Mauldin’s body of work during World War II is one eff ort that must be noted
in this area. Popularly known as the “Willie and Joe” cartoons, these single-panel gags
showed the war from the viewpoint of the foot soldier. Th ese cartoons included pro-
fanity and scathing attacks on the pompousness of ranking offi cers, made all the more
biting by the cartoons being run in an offi cial Army publication, Stars and Stripes.
Many of these cartoons were later anthologized with added text as the very popular
book Up Front.
As the comic art form evolved, its satiric elements followed suit. Social commen-
tary on class issues appears in Hogan’s Alley and Bringing Up Father. Even McCay’s
Little Nemo in Slumberland can be inferred to have a satiric element in its “Shantytown”
storyline. Th e Tijuana Bible is one of the most neglected forms of satire in the comics.
Within the framework of these 8 to 16-page pornographic comic books lurked scath-
ing commentary on actors, politicians, and comic characters. Sexual performance and
inhibition proved viable vehicles for taking the mighty down to size. In one early Bible,
Al Capone is shown as impotent, while another portrays Cary Grant as gay. Tijuana
Bibles were produced in the United States from the early 1930s until the early 1960s
and satirized everything from Charlie Chaplin to the burgeoning feminist movement.
Th e advent of the comic book as an independent industry and as a burgeoning art
form did not lack satiric content and intent. Th ough driven by the superhero model,
comic books included parodic elements in the art (such as the grotesques of Batman
villains, echoing those in the Dick Tracy strip) and the writing. Th e latter is evident
in small moments in early Superman stories, in which Clark Kent slips sardonic
one- liners in at the expense of cheap hoods, a minor recurring event throughout the
fi rst 10 appearances of the character.
In 1941, Jack Cole created Plastic Man. Cole’s work on this series, which ran until
1956, was the best of all worlds in terms of satire. Th e central character, portrayed as
the only sane man in an insane world, has the most ludicrous appearance, and serves as
a foil for his own observations. Similarly, the early 1960s ACG Comics character “Her-
bie” used the perceptions of its central character and supporting cast as a satiric trope.
Herbie Popnecker, an obese grade-schooler who eats lollipops and sleeps too much, is
known to all the world as a superhero of the highest order—all except Herbie’s parents.
Herbie’s incredible strength, abilities to fl y, travel through time and the supernatural
realms, talk to animals, and hypnotize anyone, all serve as devices for topical humor.
Herbie interacts with world leaders and major fi gures, including Muhammad Ali, John
