Don’t Be a Dope includes training comics created for the United States Army, Navy, and Air Force. Many of these posters depicted characters putting themselves in deadly situations by doing the wrong thing. The illustrations in this exhibit are a sample of the ways military personnel could make light of dangerous situations. Most of these items were created by service personnel of the era.

Works in this exhibit were drawn by a variety of well-known artists including Will Eisner, Herblock, Dr. Seuss, Al Capp, Robert Osborn, and Arthur Szyk.

On Thursday, February 16 at 5:00 p.m., the Library will hold an opening reception for Don’t Be a Dope. The reception and lecture are free to members, $20 for member guests and non-members. Reservations are required by Friday, February 10.

Following the reception, Cord Scott will give a lecture at 6:30 p.m. entitled “Cartoon Command: The Animation of War”, illustrated with cartoons from Walt Disney on the Frontline.

The onset of World War II for the United States was one of uncertainty, followed by a rallying of people to the “American ideals” and a fight against tyranny. The use of illustrated drawings, be it through cartoons, comic strips or comic books sought to inform the American viewer through information, humor, and stereotypes. The films shown in this series were from the Disney studios, and convey the need of Americans to understand their enemy, and how the war would affect them. The films chosen were ones that were available to both the general public as well as military units.

Cord Scott has a Doctorate in American History from Loyola University, Chicago. He has written for several encyclopedias and academic journals including “Written in Red, White and Blue: A Comparison of Comic Book Propaganda from World War II and 9/11” in the Journal of Popular Culture. His academic interests center on military themes in comics as well as cartoons in military publications. He has also written an article for Captain America and the Struggle of the Superhero, edited by Robert Weiner. He teaches at several institutions in the Chicago area.