Comics Outside of Camp Library
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Library page of the comics made outside of the internment camps
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2023-04-11T18:11:25+00:00
During World War II, much of the popular cultural images focused on patriotism and nationalism, by reinforcing Yellow Peril imagery and stereotypes. This is evident in the images of Theodor Geisel’s Dr. Seuss propaganda images and other political cartoons. However, these sentiments are also reflected in the popular comics of the time such as Superman and the others you see below.
Captain Courageous
A figure of "oriental evil" tries to corrupt a Japanese American boy and recruit him to fight the Americans before being defeated by all-American Captain Courageous. The story pans to the boy, Niki, whose parents tell him that he must be a good American by remaining in their internment camp.
Captain Midnight
This comic follows Captain Midnight and his sidekick as they try to capture German-Japanese villain Von Togo. The internees are depicted with derogatory imagery and seen as freeloaders. A grand escape sets a precedent that the Japanese and Japanese Americans are disloyal and hateful. The rest of the comic is about the escape, betrayal, sabotage, and recapture of the escaped Japanese and Japanese American internees.
