Tag Archives: Adrian Dingle

“Propagandizing the Wartime Canadian – A Study of Wartime Media in Triumph Comics No. 19”

2017 Canadian Whites, ENG 810 Fall2017 Section 011 - Monique Tschofen, Triumph Comics, , ,

© Copyright 2017 Dylan Gibbons, Ryerson University

Introduction

During WWII, after having print materials such as comic books and magazines restricted from other countries, Canada in turn experienced the “First Age of Canadian Comics” from Bell Features and lead artists such as Adrian Dingle (Kocmarek 148). Predicated on the need to bolster the Canadian dollar during the war, the early years of comic books in Canada are particularly interesting, being that art and story telling were never at the core of the media, as they might have been in other countries. As this paper will show, this implicitly entails an agenda. The comics were designed not only with economic prosperity in mind, but also with the explicit agenda of adding to patriotic, nationalist attitudes, the promotion of traditional British niceties and politeness, and to instill in the reader the necessity of supporting the war effort (Kocmarek 150). These tropes and underlying motivations behind the creation of this media are blatant in most comics of this time, including the primary source material of this exhibit, Triumph Comics: No.19.

Perhaps what is most significant is what the comic signifies within the broader context of the war effort: a shift from simply believing that the Allies’ enemies in WWII are bad to a collectivised message with focus on patriotism and doing one’s civil duty in supporting the war effort. This exhibit will analyze Triumph Comics: No. 19, created in 1944, with reference to other contextual sources, to show how this comic was used, similarly to other media released at the time, to propagandize the Canadian people into adhering to certain normative attitudes and into making certain economic decisions, and show how this was not at all random, but implemented by government institutions.

Manufacturing Normativity

Perhaps the most explicit implementation of propaganda the comic gives us is found in Ted Steele’s ‘Speed Savage’ story (38-46). The story follows the superhero the ‘White Mask’ and his attempt to administer justice in wartime (WWII) Canada. In the comic, the main villain is one who is trying to sabotage the war effort by shooting factory workers out of a cannon (Steele 42-45), wherein they plummet to their death, subsequently frightening the citizens and preventing them from working (Steele 39). However, what is more interesting is that the White Mask’s heroism involves, not only defeating the villain, but assaulting a frightened factory worker who no longer wants to support the war effort through the creation of missile shells (Steele 39-41).

“Speed Savage”, Pg. 40-41. 1944. Triumph Comics, No. 19.

Upon closer examination, this tells us that in wartime Canada the highest form of villainy is someone derailing the war effort and the highest form of heroism is the patriotic perpetuation of the war effort, by any means necessary. That the citizen who has lost faith in the war effort becomes criminal in the eyes of the hero suggests a propagandistic element behind the making of this comic and the attempt to manufacture a new normativity of radical nationalism. Here we find a double-sided message on the part of the comic’s creators. We see a desire to instill supreme, unwavering support of the nation by glorifying patriotism and, conversely, the threat of being removed from the group and becoming enemy if you fail to comply. The comic shows us, quite crudely, the repercussions for not engaging with the community and subscribing to the war effort narrative: beaten up by a masked ‘superhero’, while all your friends cheer your beating on. This makes explicit the agenda the government and emerging comic book industry were sending to the audience, in this case, children: assimilate, be patriotic, or face ostracization.

Upon further investigation, this turns] out to be exactly what was intended. During WWII, the Canadian Government enacted an institutional campaign to create propaganda over multiple media, including this comic, utilizing fearmongering and patriotism with the hopes that these two incentives would suffice in promoting the purchase of war time bonds (Brownell 67-74). Citizens were even recommended to rent out their spare rooms to workers so there would be more space to create armaments, as shown in an animation titled Empty Rooms Mean Idle Machines (National Film Board of Canada). In this way, even the privacy of one’s home was meant to be infiltrated and politicized. Overall, each and every media, from film to poster to comic book, was coopted, to a greater or lesser extent, in the pursuit of propagandizing the Canadian populace for various reasons, mostly economic.

“Victory Bonds Flier”, 1944. Collections Canada.

Gives Us Your Money and Do Your Patriotic Duty!

In an article titled “Building Citizenship: English Canada and Propaganda during the Second War”, William R. Young illustrates the process of Canadian propagandas shift from promoting unified hatred of an enemy to the promotion of collectivism, or ‘Canadianism’ (123) and having shared goals to promote support for the war effort during WWII. Simple hatred of an outgroup, such as what is seen in Ross Saakel’s ‘Ace Barton’ and the hostile portrayal of the Japanese, was found to be a limiting approach that failed in selling Victory Bonds (Canadian war bonds) during WWI. Simply propagandizing a nation into hating another was not sufficient in creating unity within Canada, nor did it help in the efforts to convince Canadians to invest in these bonds, thus new methodologies were conceived. The idea of shared goals was much more effective in collectivising otherwise disjointed groups, such as Indigenous Canadians, Francophones, and Anglophones (Young 124-125). Thus, the Wartime Information Board (the institute in charge for the creation of propaganda) undertook the task of convincing Canadians to make evermore sacrifices to support the war effort (Young 125-130); Prime Minister Mackenzie King signed off on all of this (Young 125). This is not to say that hatred for the enemy was discouraged in subsequent media, which nearly every story in Triumph Comics: No.19 shows to be the case. However, this is always coupled with sentiments of doing one’s duty, protectionism, ingroup preference, etc., which is very much explicit in the aforementioned ‘Speed Savage’ story.

The comic’s title story, Rene Kulbach’s ‘Tang’, also has this tactic imbedded; though, it fails dreadfully. The story is clearly a parody of the popular American television show The Lone Ranger, with a one-dimensional Indigenous sidekick and all. The story displays a meager attempt to amend race relations, despite the story, on the surface, supposedly being uninvolved with the war effort. This attempt is made through the conceptualization of ingroups and outgroups. While the protagonist’s Indigenous sidekick, Hank Steel (of course possessing a highly Westernized name), is made and dressed to appear as part of the ingroup, in the third through sixth panels Buddy Brackenbridge (the protagonist) slaughters a group of Indigenous raiders, Buddy remarking as he fires his gun, “One Redskin less…” (11). This, and that Hank Steel is only given the capacity to make observational one-liners, leads to the conclusion that Hank is being made out to be ‘one of the good ones’. This shows the incapacity of the artists to understand outgroups, unless members of those outgroups assimilate into the ingroup and take up the role of flatterer, sidekick, and tag along, incapable of expressing complex thought or emotion. Fundamentally, despite being an attempt to create a unity between races, it misses the mark of genuineness by several leagues. However, it is an attempt nonetheless, and one that likely would not have been made without the previously mentioned government initiative to create unification between Canadians. Certainly, the protagonist’s, and, potentially, the artist’s, attitudes towards Indigenous people more generally suggests this.

A Change in Gender Roles (Sort of… For now)

Another major part of government propagandizing was changing the role of women in the absence of a large male workforce; this is reflected in the conflicting consistency of presenting women in the comic. Most of the female characters are presented in their stereotypically helpless gender role; however, there is also the emergence of something quite new: a female superhero, Nelvana of the Northern Lights (Dingle 1-9). Even in this case, the female protagonist is given little action or dialogue, but it is still noteworthy in that she is portrayed as being dignified and maintaining the aspect of self-sufficiency – something that would have been reflective of a primarily female population needed for factory work. It is important to note this dualism: women are expected to play their assigned roles as perpetual ‘damsels in distress’, as seen in Ross Saakel’s ‘Captain Wonder’ (20-26), but are now having their identities affirmed so as to be dignified in the archetype of the heroine, the polar opposite of the damsel.

Perhaps one might postulate that this is not evidence of propaganda, rather evidence of the natural progression of women’s improved agency in society. However, in hindsight, nothing about this societal shift was natural, rather an explicit symptom of government campaigns to manipulate women into occupying the factory assembly lines to support the war effort. By 1944, nearly half of adult women had joined the work force (Harttman 16), which was aided by government changes in policy to allow women to serve their country in the production of military equipment and armaments. During this time, numerous government campaigns were implemented to achieve this, and women’s participation was won primarily through the amalgamation of femininity with the idea and setting of factory work to promote female friendly environments where women could see themselves working (Hartmann 17). This was evident not only within the factory, where monthly beauty competitions were held as an appeal to women’s desire not to come off as too masculine, but can be viewed in several wartime propaganda posters, particularly posters aimed at selling victory bonds. These posters were explicitly created with the intent of coercing the female populace into joining the factories, again, by appealing to a sense of patriotic duty (Halbesleben 77-78). The assault was, then, twofold: feminize the workplace to hoodwink women into desiring the monotony of factory life, and, in case this was not sufficient, guilt them into supporting the war effort with persistent talk of duty.

“War Time Propaganda Poster”, 1940-1945. Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum.

This was only to be flipped on women post-war, however, with reverse campaigns promoting the return to ‘the kitchen’, along with significant drops in the wages of women who wanted to continue factory work (Hartmann 17-18). What these factors suggest is that women’s labour was not only expendable to the Canadian government, but was actively exploited. What was, later, perhaps, falsely interpreted as societal recognition and acknowledgement of women’s capacity to fill traditionally male occupied positions was more realistically active manipulation. Furthermore, if government institutions had truly felt that women were equal to men, that they too could be superheroes and not just damsels, then they would not have been so apt to discourage female workers from factory work upon the return of the male populace. This, in part, may explain why the character of Nelvana, despite being a superheroine, still embodies stereotypes of female passivity. What this shows is the disingenuousness of the comic’s attempt to create a female protagonist that is empowering, but rather that the comic only followed trends of the Canadian wartime, helping to create the façade of recognition to facilitate women’s propagandizing.

Conclusion

Having comprehensively analyzed Triumph Comics: No. 19 and affectively contextualized the media, it is evident that the collection of comics is nested in and is an example of wartime propaganda for expressly economic purposes. What may cause the greatest disdain from this exhibit’s findings is the span of such propaganda, targeting women, children, men, and even reaching towards racialized groups. One may make certain allowances given the context, WWII, and make the case that all was a matter of necessity. However, regardless if such allowances are valid, the comic still serves as a prime example of a nations attempt to create a collectivist culture using fearmongering and nationalism. Subsequently, and rather unfortunately, this leaves the origin of Canada’s comic book industry muddied from the start, having less to do with art, and more to do with politics and propagandizing the citizenry.

Works Cited

  • Brownell, Kathryn Cramer. “‘It Is Entertainment, and It Will Sell Bonds!’: 16mm Film and the World War II War Bond Campaign.” The Moving Image, vol. 10, no. 2, Feb. 2011, pp. 60–82. Project MUSE, muse.jhu.edu/article/415434.
  • Canada, National Film Board of. Empty Rooms Mean Idle Machines, 1942. www.nfb.ca, https://www.nfb.ca/film/empty_rooms_mean_idle_machines/.
  • Dingle, Adrian, et al., editors. Triumph Comics: No. 19. Bell Features and Publishing Company Limited, 1944, pp. 38-46. RULA Archives and Special Collections, Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada.
  • Halbesleben, Jonathon R. B., et al. “‘We Can Do It!’ Recruitment and Socialization Through WWII War Effort Posters in the United States.” Journal of Applied Management and Entrepreneurship; Sheffield, vol. 8, no. 4, Oct. 2003, pp. 68–85. Business Premium Collection, http://ezproxy.lib.ryerson.ca/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.lib.ryerson.ca/docview/203912716?accountid=13631.
  • Hartmann, Susan M. “Women, War, and the Limits of Change.” National Forum; Baton Rouge, vol. 75, no. 4, Fall 1995, pp. 15-19. Periodicals Archive Online, http://ezproxy.lib.ryerson.ca/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.lib.ryerson.ca/docview/1297782757?accountid=13631.
  • Kocmarek, Ivan. “Truth, Justice, and the Canadian Way: The War-Time Comics of Bell Features Publications.” Canadian Review of Comparative Literature / Revue Canadienne de Littérature Comparée, vol. 43, no. 1, Mar. 2016, pp. 148–65. Project MUSE, doi:10.1353/crc.2016.0008.
  • Victory Bonds Flier. 1944, http://collectionscanada.gc.ca/pam_archives/index.php?fuseaction=genitem.displayEcopies&lang=eng&rec_nbr=2847132&rec_nbr_list=3635777,3635761,2847102,3635772,3665095,2846950,2847132,2846866,2847027,2847157&title=Enlist+Your+Dollars+in+Bonds+for+Victory+%3A++seventh+victory+loan+drive.&ecopy=e010695630-v8. Library and Archives Canada, MIILKAN no. 2847132.
  • Wartime Propaganda Poster. http://www.airmuseum.ca/postscan.html. Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum.
  • Young, William R. “Building Citizenship: English Canada and Propaganda during the Second War.” Journal of Canadian Studies/Revue d’Études Canadiennes; Peterborough, Ont., vol. 16, no. 3, Fall 1981, pp. 121–132. Periodicals Archive Online, http://ezproxy.lib.ryerson.ca/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.lib.ryerson.ca/docview/1300019791?accountid=13631.

Images in this online exhibit are either in the public domain or being used under fair dealing for the purpose of research and are provided solely for the purposes of research, private study, or educatio

Women’s Codependence and Objectification in Triumph Comics No. 20

2017 Canadian Whites, ENG 810 Fall2017 Section 011 - Monique Tschofen, Triumph Comics, , , , , ,

© Copyright 2017 Michelle Moreira, Ryerson University

Introduction

The several decades of comic book readership mostly comprising of males from ages twelve to thirty-five, has led to a monopolization over the type of content created, along with the reinforcement of misogynistic ideals made through this said content (Lavin 93). As the created content continued to prioritize the interests of young men over that of females within the same age range, “the comparatively low numbers of… female readers reflect the scarcity of products designed specifically for them” (Lavin 93). With no female voice or influence on the ways in which women are depicted, the male perception in which artwork and illustrations are created from, reflect on the broader social values of an early twentieth century Canadian society. As a result, inaccurate and objectifying depictions of women are created through the use of patronizing dialogue, and visuals relating to sexuality and domestication. In looking to the entire issue of Triumph Comics No. 20 as the primary source of study, issues pertaining to the portrayal of women are exemplified through the lack of titles given to female characters, and displays of female domestication. Using these examples, the following essay will argue that the way in which women are depicted through comics, serves to further perpetuate the idea that the former—as codependent beings on the male sex— merely exist as an object to benefit or serve the male sex.

Titles and Identity

Upon comic books’ first introduction to the public, the role of the female character has continuously shown to be something of ambiguity (Lavin 94). One of the examples discussed by Michael R. Lavin is that of Louis Lane; a tough and intelligent woman who is in constant need of Superman’s rescue (94). Despite women taking on various roles such as; the superhero, the superhero’s love interest, a self-sufficient career woman, the maid, or the damsel in distress, a common theme of codependence can be seen in all. The one dimensional standard in which these characters are set, begs the question of what exactly are women’s purpose in text. Their association with various archetypes becomes ineffective and ultimately misleading, forcing them into an uncategorized in-between place. As a result, the meaning of a true female role is nonexistent. In the same manner, the lack of titles or names given to these characters reflect on their lack of significant influence. In the story of “Nelvana of the Northern Lights and the Ice-beam”, though the protagonist introduces herself as Nelvana she is never addressed by this name. Instead, she is referred to as “lass”, “poor dear child”, “dear”, “young lady” “lidy” and so on (Dingle 2-4). The issue of generalized titles also applies to other types of characters, such as the maid in “Nelvana” whom is referred to as “bessie” and “the good natured woman” (3-4). Other similar examples found in Goofy Tales and Snaps are the titles of “his wife”, “te[a]cher”, and “mighty good brides” when referring to female characters (27-39). Using words such as “his wife” and “mighty good brides” both hint towards a male ownership over the former, and women’s inability to exist without the inclusion of the latter. A similar comparison would be that of Mary Marvel who was introduced as Captain Marvel’s sister and Supergirl introduced as Superman’s cousin (Lavin 94). The article of Women in Comics outlines that even amongst super-powered females, they are still defined through their relationships with men and still seen to need rescuing or protection (94). “Te[a]cher” as opposed to “Mrs” refers to a title that is impersonal to the subject, and can be used interchangeably with the male sex. By having an unassigned title, the position associated with women is of ambiguous nature once again, and shows to be one that is easily replaced and re-assigned.

An important aspect to take note of, are the characteristics often associated with the subject whilst being introduced. For example, while the maid in “Nelvana” is given the formal title of “Mrs. Gooch”, she is also identified as being “none too brilliant” (Dingle 2). Though she is properly established to the reader, the state of her intelligence is inappropriately mentioned and insulted. This specific tactic seems to demonstrate that when women are appropriately recognized in a text, there are other factors that add to the unreliability or insignificance of their character. If the comic does not insult the integrity of the character, women are subject to other identifiers that are irrelevant to the comic’s plot. A scene from Charge of the Cossacks exemplifies this when a woman is being grabbed by a male officer, to which he says “come old woman, you’ll do” (Lazare 30). The mere comment on the woman’s age acts as an invitation for judgement on the basis of viewing them as an object rather than a person. Kathleen Woodward in Figuring Age comments on this type of physical evaluation by stating, “I’m often stuck when people say, ‘you’re so youthful!’—as if they saw me as an image, not a human being” (6). Just like the previous titles of “te[a]cher”, “brides”, and “his wife”, identifying female characters in this way aims to reduce them to that of an object and implies the lack of need for a female influence. Through the previous examples and analysis, the ambiguous role of female characters can also be viewed as one that has been redefined by the male perspective, further perpetuating the prioritization of the male audience and desire.

Women and Domestic Confinement

To further expand on issues of identity, the exposure given to women within comics is also very minimal and conditional. Adding to previous mentions of ownership over women and the overall restrictions of their identity, recurring images of domestication also become a defining influence on these ideas. Besides Nelvana in “Nelvana of the Northern Lights and the Ice-Beam”, the only two other female characters within the text are maids (Dingle 2-4). Considering maids or house-keepers only exist within the boundaries of the home and are generally occupied by women, such images act as a personification for the idea of domestication. Though not just limited to the comic of “Nelvana”, other images of women merely existing within the home are also seen in “Duds”, and “Goofy Tales”. The image from “Duds” below depicts a woman sitting around a dinner table while two men have their own conversation, leaving her without dialogue (Fig. 1). 

Fig. 1. Frank Keith. Frame from “Duds.” Triumph Comics, no. 20, June 1944, p. 18. Bell Features Collection, Ryerson University Library & Archives.

The consistent images of women being confined to the home, motion to their lack of social presence and influence. In this case, the home acts as a gendered entrapment in limiting interaction with the outside world, and determining where they are allowed to exist and where they are not. Exposure to the social world become smaller as a result, and reinforce the idea of “a man’s world”.

In the article “Fangirls in Refrigerators: The Politics of (In)visibility in Comic Book Culture” by Suzanne Scott, the dialogue of comic books’ gendered domestication pays special attention to one specific use of refrigerators. The article speaks on the overall treatment of female characters in comics, referring to a particular scene in Green Lantern where he finds his girlfriend dismembered in the fridge. Ironically associated with a household item, the death of Green Lantern’s girlfriend is significant in displaying the uses of women’s role in the plot. As it was previously stated that women are commonly seen to live by agents of domestication, the example of Green Lantern also demonstrates them to die by it as well. The shift between a woman’s existence and nonexistence in a text does not occur at all. Once again, this begs the question of what exactly do women offer to a text. If there is no movement or difference in position, then it is safe to assume that from a comic book’s perspective, women do not provide any substantial voice to a story. However, what seems to be more effective is their death in creating movement within a plot which no longer involves them. For example, the villain Major Force killing Green Lantern’s girlfriend, simply to motivate him to take action (Scott 1).

Logically, a way to cause friction within the ideas of women’s domestication would be to simply remove them from the confinement of a the gendered confinement: the home. By changing the environment in which they are found expands these character’s mobility, allowing them to involve themselves in other aspects of the plot. However, as demonstrated in “Snaps” within Triumph Comics, altering the female role is not as easy as removing them from gendered environments. A panel taken from “Snaps” comic makes a mockery of this attempt by presenting women in an outside environment, while still completing household chores (Fig. 2).

Fig. 2. Harry Brunt. Frame from “Snaps.” Triumph Comics, no. 20, June 1944, p. 38. Bell Features Collection, Library and Archives Canada.

The illustration  also utilizes the idea of an altered education to add a satirical tone to the piece. Considering education is often used as an agent of empowerment through knowledge, the mere mockery of this portrays an image in which women lack these two characteristics, to which the right of formal education does not apply. If empowering agents do not apply to the former, their role in the text remains the same: to benefit the status and desires of their male counterpart. Just as the example in Green Lantern shows that the murder of his girlfriend was to merely motivate the male lead in taking action, the image above serves women’s existence to serve for the benefit of men—in this case to be “mighty good brides”

(Brunt 39).

As a result, by portraying women through a way in which most of their exposure is in a household, their existence is seen as conditional and ultimately dependent on the male role. The home acts as a structure to contain and limit any potential of women creating their own unique impact in the world, and in turn lessens the threat of equally distributing power between the two sexes within the male’s world.

Concluding Thoughts

Using the 1940s Canadian Wartime comic Triumph Comics no. 20, the essay’s particular focus on titles and domestication, serve to highlight women’s overall invisibility and ambiguity as characters in the comic. The association of titles with women’s identity is significant in their attachment of gender roles and social expectations from a patriarchal Canadian society. The confining nature of titles as well as symbols of domestication play an equally important role in reducing the female voice and image. By providing analysis through the use of these two examples, the essay utilizes two different perspectives towards the overall argument. As titles aid in maintaining the ambiguity of women’s purpose in a text while creating an identity that is simultaneously nonexistent, readers can conclude that the interchangeability of their role results in a lack of significant importance. On the other hand, the images of domestication hint towards the attempt to restrict the overall appearance of women in comics, in turn eventually make them nonexistent in society. From the historical context of the piece, the use of these two tools can be seen as the patriarchal urge to control and dominate within the overall society. Though demonstrated through fictional roles and characters, the ways in which women are depicted in the comic suggests a societal attitude that has become vital in dictating the human rights, opportunities, and overall treatment of women.

Works Cited

  • Lavin, Michael R. “Women in Comic Books.” Serials Review, vol. 24, no. 2, 1998, pp. 93–100.
  • Scott, Suzanne. “Fangirls in Refrigerators: The Politics of (In)visibility in Comic Book      Culture.” Transformative Works and Cultures, vol. 13, 2013.
  • Triumph Comics, No. 20, Bell Features Publishing, Canadian Whites Comic Book    Collection, 1941-1946, RULA Archives & Special Collections, Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada. 

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