Government comics

The United States government and affiliated bodies occasionally print and publish works using the comic medium. These works fulfill a wide variety of purposes often seen in government publications, primarily educating the public about government programs or lifestyle choices the government wants to encourage. A comprehensive database of government comics can be found at Government Comics Collection. Richard L. Graham examines and dissects these government comics in Government Issue: Comics for the People, 1940s-2000s.

History of implementation
In 1942, the Advertising Research Foundation conducted a study which found that “for adults, the most widely read non-advertising feature in newspapers was the comic strip.” In an effort to boost public support for ongoing foreign policies, the government looked to this study, and tried to persuade and suggest themes and ideas of soldiers and America as a whole, for artists to include in their weekly publications. Government officials understood that comics “have the capacity to simplify even the most crucial civic issues and shape public opinion." Not being satisfied with the images found in local papers and national magazines, the government went a step farther and began publishing their own comics. The intentions behind these publications were to “reinforce the government’s expectations about the preferred cultural identity of the country.". When examining government issued comics, it is important to realize that they give us an idea of the governments “idealized or assumed ‘American experience’.” The themes and ideas found within the comics written and distributed by the government “express the government’s attempts to recognize and address the nation’s attitudes and concerns.”

Artists
These comics were mainly printed by federal agencies, but the government also commissioned works printed by Marvel, Harvey, and DC Comics. Some of the more well known artists within the comic world were also an integral part of creating and popularizing government issued comics. Will Eisner, an army veteran, created the character “Joe Dope”, and contributed to the creation of PS, The Preventive Maintenance Monthly, which published illustrated pamphlets to complement other army publications. Before he was Dr. Seuss, Theodor Seuss Geisel also wrote and drew for the government. After becoming a captain in the army, Geisel worked in the animation branch, “where he wrote episodes of Private Snafu, a series of cartoon shorts for soldiers." Along with Munro Leaf, Geisel created an illustrated pamphlet for the army, which addressed the problems of malaria. Another famous artist commissioned by the government was Walt Disney. While Walt Disney Studios in California “became extensive ‘war plants’, housing mountains of munitions”, artists were also developing characters for the comic Winter Draws On, a manual of sorts, for the United States Army Air Forces.

Distribution and target audience
These comics were “distributed at schools, civic events, and recruiting offices; they were inserted in local newspapers and national magazines”, and can be found online on official government sites. The target audience for these comics included “women, children, workers, ethnic groups, and immigrants.” The Federal Civil Defense Administration “produced comics designed to teach children how to survive everything from natural disasters—such as fires or earthquakes—to an atomic holocaust." By addressing the children, they could then in turn “get the word out to their parents about what families could do to protect themselves: build home shelters, stockpile canned goods and bottled water, learn first aid, and drop to the ground if they happened to get caught outside during an atomic blast." One example of these targeting tactics is Bert the Turtle, “likely the most famous pop icon of the Atomic Age”, from the comic Duck and Cover. “The strategy behind Bert was to have a cartoon animal stand-in soften the blow when a topic was too scary to deal with directly.”

Coming Home
Coming Home is a graphic novel written by Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colón, published by the Ceridian Corporation in 2008. It is intended for educational purposes for military members, veterans, and family members.

The novel centers around three main characters (Jason, Mandy, Danny). Each of the characters has been an active member in the military and each deals with the transition of coming back home. The struggles of the transition from combat back to family life are shown through each of the character’s individual struggles.

In the novel, issues of family life are also addressed. By recognizing these potential problems, the messages and resources displayed in these pages speak to not only the soldiers, but their family members as well. Military Onesource includes information on dealing with the struggles of returning from deployment. This site also offers resources for those family members who may want or need additional help. The novel emphasizes that each person affected may face unique situations, and that the difficulty in transitioning back to civilian life is subject to the individual. By creating and distributing this novel, the government highlights that these battles are something that many soldiers and families experience, and that those who are or have gone through these struggles should not feel alone. The authors also address and negate the question of whether needing and accepting help will affect military status.

Preparedness 101: Zombie Pandemic
Preparedness 101: Zombie Pandemic depicts a zombie apocalypse from the perspective of two residents of an unnamed town in southeast America, with an interlude showing the Center for Disease Control's attempts to counter the pandemic.

In Part 1, a young man learns late at night of a rapidly spreading virus via an emergency news broadcast. The broadcast directs him to the CDC's website. There, he discovers a list of disaster preparedness materials, and assembles a kit from household supplies. Next, after seeing his dog growling at the door, the man opens it up to discover his elderly neighbor has become 'zombified'. He forces her out and locks the door, the sound of which causes his sleeping girlfriend to wake up. After she also learns of the situation via the emergency broadcasts, the two resolve to follow CDC directions and remain in their home.

In Part 2, the comic changes to the CDC, where doctors are working tirelessly to resolve the situation. Their research has led them to discover that the zombie virus is a mutated strain of the flu, and that they can start manufacturing vaccines soon. However, it will still take a week, so the CDC prepares to ship them in anticipation. Back at their home, and after a few days the two young residents hear via a radio broadcast that vaccines will be available at local shelters. They resolve to take their dog and move to the closest one. Following a rapid run to their car and a tense drive through the deserted city, they arrive at their local shelter, an elementary school. They are escorted inside by the military guards, tested and admitted to the shelter. They then learn via radio that vaccines are ready to be shipped. When the vaccines arrive at the shelter, the military guard attempts to bring them inside. However, at the same time a large hoard of zombies flood the guards, who will not shoot them, believing the zombies to still be fellow citizens. Just as the shelter is overrun with zombies, the young man wakes up, realizing the entire pandemic has been his dream, though there is a large storm outside. Reassured in the importance of disaster preparedness, he takes his girlfriend down to the basement, where he begins to assemble the same emergency kit he made in his dream. The comic ends with a statement reminding the reader of the importance of disaster preparedness, and a list of supplies the CDC recommends for a disaster kit.

The comic utilizes the zombie narrative's ability to "fulfill survivalist fantasies." In "Preparedness 101", the CDC frames a real survival lesson in the entertaining zombie narrative.