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Comic Books Make a Point
| Article
# : |
15870 |
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Section : |
LIFE
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| Issue
Date : |
1 / 1989 |
2,042 Words |
| Author
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Evans Johnson
Evans Johnson was a foreign correspondent based in several
Middle Eastern countries from 1975 to 1982, and is now an
associate editor with the New York City Tribune. |
One of the most potent and graphic political weapons wielded by opponents of Democrat Michael Dukakis in the U.S. presidential race was an "attack" comic book. The appearance of a comic book in a political campaign served to highlight the increasing interest among educated adults in what was once seen as a medium aimed primarily at adolescents.
The illustrated barb was indicative of a trend--funny books are no longer just simple entertainment, penned to elicit laughter and offer an escape into fantasy. Increasingly, they are used in attempts to educate and provoke.
Called Magical Mike, the comic book mocking Dukakis was created by Dick Hafer, who bills himself as the "Comics Commando." Hafer has built a reputation within conservative American political circles for his feature-length editorial cartoon satires about liberal causes. The comic was produced by AKA, Inc., of Garrisonville, Virginia.
Magical Mike was distributed outside the Democratic National Convention site in Atlanta last summer. Quoting heavily from U.S. newspapers--many of them conservative standard-bearers such as Human Events and the Washington Times--Hafer ridiculed Dukakis' public record.
On the back cover, he urged readers to "make this book a collector's item," by "getting Mike to autograph your copy when he comes to your area to perform his quick-change act. Just ask him…He'll be happy to oblige."
Critics of the Reagan administration quickly struck back. They drew upon the talents of artists and editors from Eclipse Comics, the third-largest producer of fantasy comic books in the United States. During the campaign, a comic book distributor described the planned publication Brought to Light as focusing on "the incredible record of the Reagan Administration's involvement in the Central American drug trade and the CIA-contra war against Nicaragua." Specifically, the distributor said, "It would target the alleged relationship between Vice President George Bush and Panamanian strongman General Noriega," who has been indicated by a Florida court on charges of drug trafficking.
Superman--Still Strong at 50
In 1988, Superman fans celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of his "birth" as the first comic book superhero. (He is still around and as strong as ever, as
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