Atomic comics : cartoonists confront the nuclear world / Ferenc Morton Szasz.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

The advent of the Atomic Age challenged purveyors of popular culture to explain to the general public the complex scientific and social issues of atomic power. Atomic Comics examines how comic books, comic strips, and other cartoon media represented the Atomic Age from the early 1920s to the present. Through the exploits of superhero figures such as Atomic Man and Spiderman, as well as an array of nuclear adversaries and atomic-themed adventures, the public acquired a new scientific vocabulary and discovered the major controversies surrounding nuclear science. Ferenc Morton Szasz's thoughtful analysis of the themes, content, and imagery of scores of comics that appeared largely in the United States and Japan offers a fascinating perspective on the way popular culture shaped American comprehension of the fissioned atom for more than three generations.

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CHOICE Review

This volume proves that "small is beautiful" and can be significant. In only 136 pages, the late Szasz provides a fascinating account of the depiction of atomic warfare and energy in US and Japanese comics and cartoons. Szasz knew his subject, having interviewed many Manhattan Project veterans for his two previous books on atomic history, and having collected and carefully read every atomic-themed comic book he could find. He divides the book into three sections: "Before Hiroshma," discussing Buck Rogers comics and science fiction literature; "The Initial Reaction: 1945-Early 1960's," looking at bombing, relating the pro-nuclear and, sometimes, educational (about atomic energy) nature of comics; and "Atomic Comics Change Direction: The Mid-1950's to the Present Day," including the indoctrinating, often spy-based Cold War comics, and the anti-nuclear works that spewed from underground comix. Some of what Szasz reveals is downright scary: the extreme censorship of WW II and the devastating impacts of American nuclear testing and failures. An additional merit: the book treats not only comic books and manga but also comic strips and political and advertising cartoons, material that is usually shortchanged in such histories. The inclusion of small press comics such as Leonard Rifas's EduComics testifies to the comprehensive nature of this book Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers. J. A. Lent independent scholar