宣導漫畫面面觀

Fredrik Stromberg Comic Art Propaganda: A Graphic History

As one of the most effective and powerful forms of communication, it comes as no surprise that comic art has been misappropriated by governments, self-interest groups, do-gooders, and sinister organizations to spread their message. World War II comic book propaganda-with Superman, Batman, and Captain America raising war bonds, and bashing cartoon Japanese and Germans-was so ubiquitous that there was barely a US comic untainted by the war effort. The sub-textual sequential art continued well into the Ciold War, with both sides producing comics extolling themselves and defaming the enemy. This book is a fascinating visual history of some of the most outrageous, and unbelievable and politically charged comics ever published.

這不是一部宣導漫畫（propaganda comics）的編年史。作者挑選了下面七個主題，為讀者提供圖為主文為輔的面面觀式介紹：

- 我者與他者
- 戰！
- 共匪
- 宣導羊群
- 信我者昌
- 色，性也
- 不離政治

作者旁徵博引，娓娓道來。我作為讀者，既讀得過癮，也長了知識。大推！

- 摘錄：'Hansi The Girl Who Loved the Swastika'
- 摘錄：Comic Art Propaganda: Book for Ilex publisher

不過，這書也不是沒有可商議之處：

- 何謂propaganda（宣導）？作者用的是廣義，因此凡是漫畫，幾乎都可以說成有點宣導成分，這對宣導定義得比較狹的讀者來說很不是味兒。此外，有些漫畫內容今天看來很有宣導味（例如對女性或其他種族帶歧視性的描述），究竟是有意如此，還是只反映了當時普遍的看法？

- 既是graphic history，作者用了大量漫畫作例，讓讀者自己領會。可惜，這些圖像多是缩印，圖還算勉強看得清，要讀對白或文字描述就非拿放大鏡不可了。

- 作者對東方兩大漫畫王國—日本，中國—了解不深，引例不夠多。