Pulp Empire: A Secret History of Comic Book Imperialism

In the 1940s and 50s, comic books were a popular form of entertainment in the US, but they were also used by the US government to promote official foreign policy and deflect global critiques of American racism. Paul S. Hirsch's book Pulp Empire explores how the government attacked and appropriated comic books to help wage World War II and the Cold War, promote official- and clandestine-foreign policy, and deflect global critiques of American racism.

\n Format: Hardback
\n Length: 344 pages
\n Publication date: 12 July 2021
\n Publisher: The University of Chicago Press
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Comic books were a prevalent and unregulated form of entertainment in the United States during the 1940s and 1950s, with publishers selling hundreds of millions of copies annually. However, a 1954 Senate investigation led to the implementation of a censorship code that nearly destroyed the industry. This was not the first time the US government had intervened in comics; it had been involved in various ways since their inception. In his book "Pulp Empire," Paul S. Hirsch explores the intricate relationship between the US government and comic books, revealing how they were both attacked and appropriated to serve various purposes.

During World War II, government agencies worked closely with comic book publishers to promote hatred for the Axis powers and dispel racial tensions at home. Comics were used to depict the enemy as evil and to reinforce the idea that Americans were fighting for freedom and democracy. At the same time, the government attempted to control the content of comics to avoid offending readers or damaging the war effort.

As the Cold War defense industry grew, the government again turned to comic books as a tool for propaganda. Cartoons were used to win hearts and minds in the decolonizing world and to promote American values and policies. The government worked with comic book publishers to create comics that were sympathetic to the anti-colonial movement and that portrayed the US as a benevolent force in the world.

Hirsch's research is based on a wealth of previously classified material, including secret wartime records, official legislative documents, and personal papers. He explores the uneasy contradiction of how comics were both vital expressions of American freedom and unsettling glimpses into the national id. Comics were scorned and repressed on the one hand, but they were also deployed as official propaganda on the other.

"Pulp Empire" provides a comprehensive history of the US government's relationship with comic books, from their inception to the present day. It sheds light on the ways in which the government has used comics to promote its agenda, both domestically and internationally. The book is a valuable contribution to the field of comic book studies and to the broader study of government and media relations.

\n Weight: 1058g\n
Dimension: 163 x 243 x 40 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9780226350554\n \n