Propaganda in Graphic Novels

Definition

Propaganda is a form of communication that aims to influence a specific group to think in a certain way. Through techniques such as omitting certain facts, putting a deliberate spin on a message, and aiming for an emotional rather than a rational response, propaganda is expected to change an audience’s attitudes or amplify ideas with which it already agrees.

Introduction

Though perhaps unexpected, the combination of propaganda and graphic novels is a rather common amalgam. Propaganda was once a neutral term until the Nazis and leaders of the Russian Soviet state used propaganda during World War II to “sell” the ideas of fascism and communism, respectively, imbuing the word with a negative connotation.

Comics are naturally fit for propaganda because they catch the eye and keep readers enthralled. Speech balloons, captions, and onomatopoetic words give life and meaning to still images. Also, two or more images form a sequence, leading readers’ eyes across the paper. Furthermore, the iconographic way in which many comics display images is inherent in how one views the world and, thus, speaks directly to the readers.

Propaganda is abundant in graphic novels, especially if the scope is not limited to the negative interpretation of the term. Many graphic novels try to transmit ideas to readers, good or bad, and this includes comics used to promote more “wholesome” ideas and not just easily condemned comics that try to persuade readers to do or think things that most people would deem unacceptable.

Religious Propaganda in Graphic Novels

There are many examples of outright religious propaganda in comics, and throughout the years, several comics have been created to spread the “good word.” These comics have been made to convince people of the “right” way of thinking and who are prepared to utilize the accessibility, direct appeal, and impact that comics have.

Most of these comics deem communicating the message more important than how it is communicated. Graphic novels that focus on biblical stories include Picture Stories from the Bible (1942-1946), The Picture Bible (1979), The Lion Graphic Bible: The Whole Story from Genesis to Revelation (2004), and The Manga Bible: From Genesis to Revelation (2008). Underground comics legend Robert Crumb produced The Book of Genesis (2009), the first in the genre to actually include all the words from the first book of the Bible and not just make an opportunistic selection.

Some comics try to communicate negative ideas about religion. One of the earliest was Justin Green’s Binky Brown Meets the Holy Virgin Mary (1972), later collected in Binky Brown Sampler (1995). In this story, Green experiences neurosis, which he blames on his Catholic upbringing, even though he later finds that his condition is attributable to obsessive-compulsive disorder.

There has been no shortage of graphic novels with religious themes in the twenty-first century. The Kingstone Bible series (2013-2016) is an illustrated adaptation of the Bible. The Chosen: Volume 1: Called by Name (2023) is a religious graphic novel based on the popular television series. The Illustrated Pirkei Avot: A Graphic Novel of Jewish Ethics (2017) by Jessica Tamar Deutsch makes Jewish theology accessible to younger readers. The Action Bible: Heroes and Villains (2022) is a religious graphic novel that appeals to younger readers through comic-book action-style stories. 

Political Propaganda in Graphic Novels

Comics have been used extensively as a political tool as well. The ways comics have treated the issues varies, though. Some graphic novels deal with political issues but try to give the impression of impartiality. In The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation (2006), Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colón turn the report issued by the 9/11 Committee into an interesting comic book. Another example of a political comic book is the European Union’s “infotainment” album Troubled Waters (2003).

Some graphic novelists are more open about their intentions, as in the case of the collective of Swedish artists who thought that the history books used in school were too biased toward a right-wing interpretation and created a Marxist history book—aptly titled The History Book (1974). Other graphic novels that explore political topics include The Adventures of Tintin: Breaking Free (1988), an anarchist take on the classic Belgian character; Brought to Light: A Graphic Docudrama (1989), in which Alan Moore and others try to make sense of CIA activities in South America; and In the Shadow of No Towers (2004), in which Art Spiegelman discusses American politics before and after 9/11.

Some graphic novels intend to entertain but carry political messages just the same. For example, cartoonists have often used parody to discuss politics in the French-Belgian tradition. Astérix (1961-1979; Asterix, 1969-1975) is a good example of this technique; the scriptwriter René Goscinny wrote serious contemporary political satire into what was otherwise a humorous adventure comics set in the distant past. In the United States, the superhero genre is most popular and is rife with political messages. Civil War (2006-2007), a major crossover written by Mark Millar, clearly comments on American post-9/11 politics in general and the much-debated Patriot Act in particular. In 2024, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency produced the comics Real Fake and Bug Bytes to combat election disinformation and conspiracy theories.

War Comics

The basic premise of war, with two antagonists who naturally have opposing views, lends itself to stories filled with emotions, opinions, and propaganda. Comics dealing with war are often produced by cartoonists who frame stories from their subjective points of view.

There are many ways in which war can be featured in comics: It can be part of another genre (superheroes, fantasy, or historical fiction), used as the setting for dramatic storylines about the fate of people in dreadful times, or used to make a political point. Also, there is the genre of war comics that often depicts the heroism of war, making obvious pro-war statements.

However, antiwar graphic novels that make statements against war are not hard to find. One of the subtler examples is When the Wind Blows (1982), by British creator Raymond Briggs, which depicts an elderly couple experiencing the effects of an atomic war. Another effective antiwar comic book is Barefoot Gen (1973–1974, 1975–1987), by Keiji Nakazawa, a ten-volume story about the horrors of the Hiroshima bombing. The most blatantly propagandistic antiwar graphic novel is probably Addicted to War: Why the U.S. Can’t Kick Militarism (2004) by Joel Andreas.

Racism in Comics

Problematic ideas of race appear in numerous graphic novels and are often used for propagandist purposes. The genre of comics is essentially a narrative art form. To get a readable flow, images are often reduced to iconic simplicity, but in doing so, artists often resort to using stereotypical characteristics of groups of people, many of which are construed as racist.

The most blatant and unsettling racist images can be found in early graphic novels. In early volumes of Les Aventures de Tintin (1929-1976; The Adventures of Tintin, 1930-1976)—such as Tintin in the Land of the Soviets (1930), Tintin in the Congo (1931), Tintin in America (1932), and Cigars of the Pharaoh (1934)—Hergé did scant research about the countries to which he sent his protagonist, and thus, he transmitted many ideas about “the other” from a Belgian perspective to readers all over the world.

Graphic novels have also been used to counter racist images with more positive depictions. One of the best-known examples of this is Spiegelman’sMaus (1986), in which he tells the story of his father’s experience during the Holocaust, transmitting ideas about what actually happened during this time in history as well as of Jews and Jewish culture.

Another important cartoonist who worked to dispel stereotypes was Will Eisner, who made a number of graphic novels showcasing Jewish characters, themes, and culture. Eisner’s most propagandist effort, though, was the graphic novel The Plot: The Secret Story of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion (2005), in which he set out to disprove a fraudulent anti-Semitic text. Other graphic novels with similar themes or subject matters are American Born Chinese (2006) by Gene Luen Yang, Arab in America (2008) by Toufic El Rassi, and Judenhass (2008) by Dave Sim. Jerry Craft’s New Kid (2019) challenges stereotypes and racism faced by Black students in a predominantly White private school setting.

Sex as Propaganda

Examples of how graphic novels are used to reinforce the heterosexual, male-dominated social order abound, existing in almost every graphic novel, at least when read from a gender perspective. However, some comics seek to punctuate the normative model and show alternatives and often try to convey important messages about sexuality in stories meant to entertain. The Tale of One Bad Rat (1995), by British artist Bryan Talbot, tells the story of a young girl’s plight to convey a message about incest and the need for resilience and self-assertion. Lost Girls (2006), by Alan Moore and Melinda Gebbie, uses female characters from classic British and American children’s novels to show that human sexuality can be depicted explicitly but in a nonpornographic way.

Graphic novels have also been used to convey experiences with same-sex relationships. Stuck Rubber Baby (1995) by Howard Cruse is set in the American South during the 1960s and tells the story of a man grappling with his sexual orientation against a backdrop of the Civil Rights movement. Other examples with the theme of sexual orientation include Alison Bechdel’s The Essential Dykes to Watch Out For (2008), a soap-opera-like story with almost only same-sex characters, and Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic (2006), an autobiographical story of reckoning with her own sexual orientation and that of her father.

Impact

The urge to convey ideas, thoughts, and opinions to audiences is as old as humanity itself and can, in varying degrees, be found in all forms of communication. Finding examples of propaganda in comics is not hard because of the visual nature of the art form. Many creators, organizations, and institutions have been aware of and have tried to exploit comics' inherent aestheticism.

In modern graphic novels, propaganda has been used in numerous ways. The most common is a subtle communication of ideas through the way characters are depicted and how the stories are told, using both visual and textual elements to convey ideas of how the world is to be interpreted. Proving a deliberate propagandist intent can be hard in many comics, but because of this, their effects can be farther reaching than comics with obvious didactic purposes.

Looking at graphic novels from a historical perspective, stories that have propagandist purposes have become more common as the art form has matured. More artists have embraced the technique, realizing the potential for using it to persuade audiences of their points of view. As the twenty-first century progressed, graphic novelists have increasingly included propaganda intentionally and unintentionally in their works. The increasingly visual nature of twenty-first-century society has promoted this trend. Propaganda in twenty-first-century graphic novels has tackled political and social issues. It has attempted to address historical controversies and encourage diversity and inclusion. 

Bibliography

Cecco, Leyland. “'One Hell of a Storm is Coming:' Canadian Graphic Novel about Indigenous Identity sparks Outrage.” The Guardian, 19 May 2024, www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/may/19/graphic-novel-canada-indigenous-identity-. Accessed 2 Aug. 2024.

Conroy, Mike. War Comics: A Graphic History. Lewes, England: Ilex Press, 2009.

Klippenstein, Ken. “Government-Made Comic Books Try to Fight Election Disinformation.” The Intercept, 25 Mar. 2024, theintercept.com/2024/03/25/government-comic-books-election-disinformation. Accessed 2 Aug. 2024.

Riches, Adam, Tim Parker, and Robert Frankland. When the Comics Went to War: Comic Book War Heroes. Edinburgh, Scotland: Mainstream, 2009.

Strömberg, Fredrik. Black Images in the Comics: A Visual History. Seattle: Fantagraphics Books, 2012.

Strömberg, Fredrik and Peter Kuper. Comic Art Propaganda: A Graphic History. New York: St. Martin’s Griffin, 2010.