ABSTRACT
Will Eisner was one of the most influential and prolific creators in the comic book industry, and played a significant part in the development of various genres within the medium. When drafted into the military in 1942, Eisner’s talent earned him a position as a cartoonist for the base newspaper The Flaming Bomb, a role which would come to inspire him as a comics creator, and eventually pave for a career in educational military comics. Whilst in service, Eisner developed military safety publications with the aim to improve military equipment maintenance among the GIs, and argued that comic book narratives could successfully communicate important safety information without the use of rigid and technical jargon. From developing humorous characters, such as Private Otis Dogtag and Joe Dope, with clear subtexts concerning safe equipment handling, to implementing comics-like visual aids that emphasise safe military practice into manuals, Eisner was able to establish the comic book medium as an educational tool suitable for military use.
Eisner’s army publication, Preventive Maintenance Monthly (PS Magazine), would come to serve as a guiding post on equipment maintenance for American troops from the 1950s onwards, but despite its general popularity among the GIs, the publication’s use of comics was not always well received or accepted by military officials. Eisner’s later work was influenced by his experiences in the army, but rarely took a positive stance towards military action and political intentions. Instead, Eisner obtained a significant creative role in the underground comic movement, generating an intriguing philosophical paradox between military patriotism and the peace movement. This chapter examines the use of educational comics in the US military, focussing specifically on Eisner’s contribution in army publications such as PS Magazine, and its consequential implications on Eisner’s career.
