The short version of a powerpoint that talked about the way that communism was present in American pop culture for many years.

1. COMMUNISM IN AMERICAN
MEDIA: COMIC BOOKS AND CULT
CLASSICS
POP CULTURE VERSUS PROPAGANDA
By Zina Hutton
(3008354)

2. INTRODUCTION
 Comic strips and cartoons have been used as propaganda since as
early as the time of the French Revolution
 During the French Revolution, cartoons were used to paint a
picture of Marie Antoinette as the source of all evils
 The use of propaganda really has not lessened in recent years and
has spread from gaudy cartoons to comic books that are given to
children

3. COMIC BOOKS

4. EARLY HISTORY
 One of the earliest comics in American newsstands was 1933’s
Funnies on Parade which sold for ten cents
 The first instance of a modern action comic book was created in
1936 with New Comics
 It focused on FBI agents and was a nod to how fascinated
Americans were with their government. Two years later, the first issue
of Action Comics was released and comics were never the same.

6. WAR AND COMICS

9. SUPERMAN: RED SON
 An Elseworld’s tale written in 2003 by
Mark Millar, Superman: Red Son explores the
idea of Kyrpton’s last son growing up in the
heart of the Soviet Union rather than in the
American heartland along with the idea of a
predestination paradox.
 Lasting three issues, Superman: Red Son
serves as an example of how the Cold War
and communism continue to influence
modern media

10.  Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s Superman!
Superman: strange visitor from another world! Who can change the
course of the mighty rivers, bend steel in his bare hands… And who,
as the champion of the common worker, fights a never-ending battle
for Stalin, Socialism, and the international expansion of the Warsaw
Pact.
 Superman: Red Son #1 page 5

12. CULT CLASSICS

13.  Many films and television shows during the time of the Cold War
period were subtle (or not-so-subtle) pieces of propaganda for
American citizens. Just as comic books were getting children and
young adults to think a certain way and look up to a certain kind of
ideal, films and cartoons of the era were set up to guide viewers in
specific directions.

14. CHILDREN
 GI Joe
• Much like the role that Captain America played in getting children in
the forties interested in war and patriotism, GI Joe served to pull the
children of the Eighties into a kind of pro-America mentality using a
diverse animated cast and the old standby of stereotyped villains and
“reformed” Communist characters

15. TEENAGERS
 Red Dawn
• A group of teenagers go head to head with Communist invaders
during this film that is directly marketed towards teenagers.

16. ADULTS
 Rambo III (1988)  Rocky IV

17.  Sylvester Stallone had two of the most famous anti-Communist/Soviet films in
his career and serves as the model for the “All-American” hero in the Eighties with
his portrayals of the rugged fighter Rambo and the determined boxer, Rocky.
 Both films were obvious in their anti-Communist message with Rambo III taking
place in Vietnam and having a high death toll of Communists while Rocky Balboa
goes toe to toe with a brutish Russian boxer who has no regard for human life

18. CONCLUSION
 In 2011, X-Men: First Class was released and had a significant part of the plot
revolving around Communist Russia and the Cuban Missile Crisis
 In addition to that, there are rumors of a planned remake of Red Dawn that
is set to start filming next year.
 Modern media shows us that no matter how long Soviet Russia has been
broken up and communism, kept to places like China and Cuba, American
media will find a way to introduce little red scares of their own. Americans will
never get tired of walking the tenuous line between pop culture and propaganda.