“Ecological Aesthetic Education”: Lao Jiu and His Humorous Philatelic Cartoons

 “Ecological Aesthetic Education”: Lao Jiu and His Humorous Philatelic Cartoons

Xu Ying

International Journal of Comic Art Vol. 26, No. 2 Fall/Winter 2024 pp. 373-389

 

 

 

Editor’s Notes - International Journal of Comic Art Vol. 26, No. 2

back cover

Editor's Notes

John A. Lent

International Journal of Comic Art Vol. 26, No. 2 Fall/Winter 2024 pp. 1-5

 

In my half century in academia, my lecture schedule was often dotted with interludes devoted to critical topics of great magnitude that affect, or I thought will affect, humankind. Tops among them were conglomerate ownership, the dwindling of freedom of expression, an undue reverence of technology, increasingly invading the domain of the human brain, and the sleight-of-hand maneuvering of corporatism and mass media that distract customers and audiences from meaningful information in favor of booming, pseudo-ethical commercials and "happy talk" news.

These subjects were appropriate for courses that I taught, particularly, the huge "Introduction to Mass Communication" that was mandatory for beginning students in the school.

Much thinking is along the lines of, "There is nothing I can do about it. I'm just a small fry." The important action we can take is to inform others, remembering that knowledge and awareness are the first stages of social change. And, if we think we are too small to make a difference, maul over in your mind this Dalai Lama quote: "If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito in the room."

Conglomerate Ownership

My first major attempt to alert about the dangers of conglomerate ownership was in 1964, when I finished writing a book manuscript on media mogul, Samuel I. Newhouse. It was published in 1966 with much fallout: threats of legal suits against me; my abandonment of doctoral studies at Syracuse University, which had just received new facilities donated by Newhouse; the banning of my book in libraries of cities where Newhouse media had a presence, and nasty, misinformed reviews by at least two other deans who were friends with Syracuse's dean of mass communication.

Sorry for the distraction.

If conglomerate ownership is of little importance, think twice when you try to find a mom-and-pop store, or a newspaper that is not aligned with a "bottom line only matters" way of thinking, or when you realize your favorite political cartoon or comic strip was tossed out in the name of financial expediency, or when you wish to warn of a travesty that could kill or maim many people, but find there is no one at the local radio station to announce the warning, because all content, including station identifications, hails from a central location many miles away. These are not hypothetical statements; they have happened.

Freedom of Expression

This vaulted right has been removed, reshaped, or renamed in much of the world, by governments, religions, schools, other public entities, such as libraries, and individuals. In many countries of the Global South, media (including comics art) function in a "guided" manner, bending to the wishes of authorities and publishers/editors. Increasingly, journalists, cartoonists, and broadcasters are "disappeared," murdered, maimed, sued, and otherwise, harassed because of what they report or comment on. As a long-time board member of the Cartoonists Rights Network International, I have been made aware of many such cases.

Once thought of as the citadel of freedom of expression, the United States has suffered considerable damage to that accolade, with the large number of book bannings in schools and libraries; the passing of comments as news, particularly on television; the lowering of the esteem that the media and the concept of freedom of expression have faced under the Trump regime, the threats of Elon Musk, with Trump encouragement, to buy MSNBC and CBS, and the possible government defunding of PBS, and, of course, the suppression of views. In 2024, we saw The Washington Post and Los Angeles Times abandon presidential endorsements because of conglomerate ownership. [FYI: The Post is owned by Jeff Bezos, Amazon proprietor.] I don't recall a time when freedom of expression was in such peril, not even the early 1950s, when McCarthyism prevailed in some quarters.

Artificial Intelligence

This is a topic of rising concern.

To give a feel about what cartoonists in Jamaica, Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico think about artificial intelligence, an article in this issue, co-authored with Geisa Fernandes, gives their views elicited during our interviews with them in June 2024.

The subject has raised questions and concerns as it should. New York Times staff members Alan Burdick and Katrina Miller began their October 13, 2024 article with:

Technology observers have grown increasingly vocal in recent years about the threat that artificial intelligence poses to the human variety. A.I. models can write and talk like us, draw and paint like us. Crush us at chess and Go. They express an unnerving simulacrum of creativity, not least where the truth is concerned.

Their concern related to the Nobel Prizes awarded in 2024 in chemistry and physics, the one in chemistry going to three researchers for using A.I. to invent new proteins and reveal the structure of existing ones–a problem that stumped biologists for decades, yet could be solved by A.I. in minutes," and that in physics to two scientists who helped "computers 'learn' closer to the human brain does." Burdick and Miller's comment: "This was computer science, not physics or chemistry!" They went on to say,

But the Nobel recognition underscored a chilling prospect: Henceforth, perhaps scientists will merely craft the tools that make the breakthroughs, rather than do the revolutionary work themselves or even understand how it came about. Artificial intelligence designs hundreds of molecular Notre Dames and Hagia Sophias, and a researcher gets a pat for inventing the shovel.

They questioned whether the prizes as set up in the nineteenth century can include the world's current problems, such as climate change and threat of extinction; pointed out that, "Rare is the pure biologist or chemist; increasingly common is the geochemist, paleogenomicist, the computational evolutionary  theorist, the astrobiologist," and lamented that the strict rules set down by the Nobels allowed no more than three people to share an award, when thousands sometimes make up a team.

IJOCA editor for Malaysia, Muliyadi Mahamood, reported that artificial intelligence was the butt of a controversy among some Malaysian cartoonists when the July 2024 Gila-Gila humor magazine used an A.I.-generated illustration as its front cover. Also, in 2024, scholarly publishers were approached by some tech companies to "license books for training large language models (LLM), a technology in the so-called 'A.I.' field." McFarland Vice President Karl-Heinz Roseman posted a form letter to a number of book authors, on October 17, 2024, stating that McFarland will explore strategies to obtain "fair compensation and credit" for their work.

More on Peer Review

On at least four occasions, I have used this space to take to task the peer review system for its breach of ethics through its conflicts of interests, rushed and poorly-organized evaluations, and oppressive control over what libraries deem worthy to purchase.

Peer review made the news again in September 2024, when a neuroscientist filed an antitrust suit on behalf of a group of academic authors, calling the peer review process a "'scheme' agreed to by publishers to bolster their profits." The suit contends that the publishers have formed a "cartel" through which they fixed the price of peer review labor at zero, while the publishers have kept profit margins far exceeding most successful corporations. Topping the list of publishers is Elsevier, the main target in my IJOCA analyses. In 2023, Elsevier made $3.8 billion in revenue from its peer-reviewed journals, with an operating profit margin of 38 percent. Others named in the suit were Wolters Kluwer, Wiley, Sage, Taylor & Francis, and Springer Nature.

A Cry for Financial Help

Rarely, if ever, have I cried "poor mouth" on behalf of IJOCA. However, at this moment, the journal is facing hard times with the ever-increasing cost of postage and printing, the dwindling number of subscribers as we face competition from a number of periodicals started in this century, and the plight of financially-strapped libraries.

Perhaps, help can be found by ensuring that your university's library be convinced to subscribe, soliciting advertisements from book publishers and other groups tied to comics art, making sure that subscriptions are paid on time, asking subscribers to chip in a few extra bucks when renewing (which three or four already do), and convincing more of the comics studies community to subscribe. Over the years, there were requests that IJOCA also be put online. Mike Rhode took the time to format and digitize all issues, and we offered online subscriptions at $40.00 for individuals and $100.00 for institutions per year. That was two or three years ago, and only three new subscriptions have been received. A possibility that I would use only as a last resort is to raise subscription rates.

For a number of years, I have used my personal funds to pay an assistant's wages, purchase office supplies, and pay for other incidentals associated with IJOCA. I am willing to continue doing this, but the coffers of the journal need to be replenished. Thank you for any help that you are able to give.

 

 

IJOCA subscription information

International Journal of Comic Art (ISSN 1531-6793)

2 numbers (issues per year)

Print edition prices

Institutions, domestic: US$ 100
Institutions, foreign: US$ 120
Individuals, domestic: US$ 50
Individuals, foreign: US$ 75
Payment can be made by Paypal to "John A. Lent" jlent@temple.edu, personal check (for U.S. subscribers), checks made on U.S. banks, or cash. Sorry, no credit cards.

Contributors receive a complimentary / free copy of the issue their article appears in.
We are now offering electronic-only subscriptions for $40 each / year for individuals; $100 / year for institutions. If you're interested in this, use the normal subscription process but specify electronic-only and provide your email address. Standard print subscriptions will also get the digital version of that volume when it is published.

If you're not a subscriber, and wish to buy electronic issues at $20 each (at least a 10% savings from the print version), Paypal John Lent at jlent@temple.edu specifying your email and which issue(s) you're buying in your text. All issues are available. You'll be sent Dropbox links to download the files.

Back issues are available at the same rates as above. The following are out of print: Vol. 1, nos. 1 and 2; Vol. 4, no.2; Vol. 5, no. 1; Vol. 6, no. 2; Vol. 7, no. 1, Vol. 10, no. 1. Vol. 1, no. 1 can be bought via print on demand.
International Journal of Comic Art Author, Country, and Genre Index Volumes 1-25 (1999-2023) can be bought via print on demand.

Subscriptions should be ordered directly from:

John A. Lent
669 Ferne Blvd.
Drexel Hill, PA 19026
USA
or jlent@temple.edu

 

IJOCA 26:2 Table of Contents

 International Journal of Comic Art Vol. 26, No. 2 Fall/Winter 2024

Editor’s Notes
John A. Lent
1
2025 IJOCA Price List
6
Comics Art in Korea by John A. Lent (Advertisement)
7
Comics and Human Rights UN Event: The Church Center for the United Nations, October 17, 2024
Transcript by Kate Kelp-Stebbins with Kim Munson
8
Illustrated Weeklies Introducing Graphic Sequences in Flanders (1868-1900)
Pascal Lefèvre
58
The Unique Aesthetic of Cao Hanmei in His Adaptation of Jin Ping Mei: Lianhuanhua or Manhua?
Marie Laureillard
82
German-Speaking Comics Artists in Interwar Czechoslovakia 1918-1938
Tomáš Prokůpek
102
An Ecocritical Analysis of Pakistani Tarzan Stories
Sobia Kiran
128
The Phantom Speaks Fijian: Cultural and Political Ambivalence in Bera-na-Liva
Thomas Vranken, Asela Tuisawau, and Paul Geraghty
145

Women Creating Monsters: A Bibliography of Comics and Graphic Novels, Part I:
Graphic Novels, 2014-2024
Lizzy Walker
161
Meet Sarah Firth of Australia: A Post-Small Press Expo Interview
Mike Rhode
228
Great Existentialism Carries Great Responsibility: Sartre’s Philosophy in the Spider-Man Comics
Ignacio A. Loranca Frontana
252
An Extremely Personal Take on the History of Manga Studies
Natsume Fusanosuke
Translated by Jon Holt and Teppei Fukuda
265
Abstract Extortionist, A Photo-Graphic-Novel as a Way to Challenge Disciplinarity:
From Literary Studies to Comics Studies through Art History
Chris Reyns-Chikuma
283
Some Caribbean Comics Artists’ Thoughts on Artificial Intelligence
John A. Lent and Geisa Fernandes
311
An Essay
First-Hand Impressions of Thai Comics and Pop Culture
Lim Cheng Tju

Extraordinary Master Erotic Artist and Storyteller, Kevin J. Taylor (1963-2024)
William H. Foster, III
328
In Search of a Meaning: Graphic Novels in China

John A. Lent
344
Defining Forms or Types (Not Genres): One-panel Comics Are a Contradiction in Terms
Jakob Dittmar
364
“Ecological Aesthetic Education”: Lao Jiu and His Humorous Philatelic Cartoons
Xu Ying
373
Carmilla and Vampirella: Sisters, Cousins, or Coincidence?
Liam Webb
381
“Tribute to Trina Robbins” San Diego Comic-Con 2024
Kim A. Munson
399
Research Prompts
Mike Rhode
414
“No Joke! No Joke!” A Short Survey of Philippines Political Comics and Cartoons in 2024
C.T. Lim

The World of Comics News

456

Book Reviews
Kenji Miyazawa. Adapted by Yasuko Sakuno and translated by Moss Quanci. Kenji Miyazawa’s The Restaurant of Many Orders and Other Stories, by Jon Holt, p. 465.
Margaret C. Flinn, ed. Drawing (In) The Feminine. Bande Dessinée and Women, by Manuela Di Franco, p. 471.
I-yun Lee. Taiwan Comics: History, Status and Manga Influx 1930s-1990s, by John A. Lent, p. 476.
Neale Barnholden. From Gum Wrappers to Richie Rich: The Materiality of Cheap Comics, by Brian Flota, p. 478.
Tom Heintjes, ed. The Complete Betty Brown, Ph.G., by David Beard, p. 483.
Mark Hibbett. Data and Doctor Doom: An Empirical Approach to Transmedia Characters, by Chris York, p. 487.
Paolo Alessandro Herras and Cheng Tju Lim, editors. South East Asian Kommunity 2024, by Duy Tano, p. 491.
Shawn Conner. Superheroes Smash the Box Office: A Cinema History from the Serials to 21st Century Blockbusters, by Edward Whatley, p. 493.
Ewa Stańczyk.C artoons and Antisemitism: Visual Politics of Interwar Poland, by John A. Lent, p. 495.
Nancy Burton. Hurricane Nancy, by Cassia Hayward-Fitch, p. 497.
Jim Coby and Joanna Davis-McElligatt, eds. Boom! Splat! Comics and Violence, by Kirsten Møllegaard, p. 499.
Ytasha L. Womack. Black Panther: A Cultural Exploration, by Charles W. Henebry, p. 502.
Rafael Carrión-Arias. Batman and the Shadows of Modernity: A Critical Genealogy on Contemporary Hero in the Age of Nihilism, by Felipe Rodolfo Hendriksen, p. 503.
Matthew Reinhart (paper engineering); Brad Walker, Marco Santucci, and Tom Derenick (pencils and inks); and Paul Mounts (colors). DC Super Heroes: The Ultimate Pop-Up Book, by Gene Kannenberg, Jr., p. 506.

Graphic Novel Reviews
Leonard Rifas, et al. Ground Zero Comics: Move Beyond Nuclear Weapons, by James Willetts, p. 511.
Charles Burns. Final Cut, by Luke C. Jackson, p. 514.
Tereza Čechová (text) and Štěpánka Jislová (ill.); translated by Martha Kuhlman and Tereza Čechová. Bald, by José Alaniz, p. 516.
Ginette Kolinka, Jean-David Morvan, and Victor Matet (writers), Cesc and Efa (illustrators), Roger (colorist), and Edward Gauvin (translator). Adieu Birkenau: Ginette Kolinka’s Story of Survival , by Matt Reingold, p. 524.
Patrick Spät and Sheree Domingo; translated by Michael Waaler. Madame Choi and the Monsters: A True Story, by Cord A. Scott, p. 527.
Olivier Schrauwen. Sunday, by Luke C. Jackson, p. 531.
Rick Parker. Drafted, by Nicholas Wirtz, p. 534.
Craig Yoe. Woman & Man+, by C.T. Lim, p. 537.
David F. Walker and Marcus Kwame Anderson. Big Jim and the White Boy: An American Classic Reimagined, by Matthew Teutsch, p. 539.
Claire Alet and Benjamin Adam. Thomas Piketty’s Capital & Ideology: A Graphic Novel Adaptation, by Liz Brown, p. 542. 

Eddie Ahn. Advocate: A Graphic Memoir of Family, Community, and the Fight for Environmental Justice, by Margaret C. Flinn, p. 544.
Stéphane Douay and Benoist Simmat; translated by Montana Kane. The Incredible Story of Cooking: From Prehistory to Today, 500,000 Years of Adventure, by Cord A. Scott, p. 546.
Frédéric Fanget, Catherine Meyer, and Pauline Aubry (ill.). Translated by Edward Gauvin. The Anxiety Club: How To Survive Modern Life, by Ishita Sehgal, p. 548.
Cormac McCarthy and Manu Larcenet. The Road: A Graphic Novel Adaptation, by Luke C. Jackson, p. 550.

Exhibition Reviews
“‘Gordo’ by/de Gus Arriola: Depicting Mexico and Modernism”, by José Alaniz, p. 553.
“Ralph Steadman: And Another Thing”, by Mike Rhode, p. 564.
“Exposition Collective Inaugurale”, by Nick Nguyen, p. 589.
“Beautiful Monsters: The Art of Emil Ferris”, by Carli Spina, p. 595.
Beijing Animation Festival China Picture Book Fair, by Xu Ying, p. 599.
“Hell, Ink & Water: The Art of Mike Mignola”, by Carli Spina, p. 607.
“JewCE: The Jewish Comics Experience”, by Matt Reingold, p. 609.

The Catalogue Raisonne of Will Eisner’s WWII Posters

by Warren Bernard 

It was clear to US Army leaders after the blitzkrieg of 1939-1940, where German tanks overran first Poland and then most of Western Europe in a matter of weeks, that World War II would be conducted with mechanized warfare to a far greater degree than previous wars. The numbers of vehicles (tanks, half-tracks, cargo trucks, troop transports, etc.) would dwarf those built during the World War I. Mobility of troops and supplies in the war would be paramount, and to that end by 1945 the United States alone produced over 2.3 million trucks, 640,000 jeeps and 88,000 tanks, plus tens of thousands of other vehicles.[i]

The Army also controlled the air force (known then as the Army Air Force), which would not become a separate branch of the armed services until 1947. Planes, of which the United States produced 297,000 by the war’s end[ii], added more stress to maintenance duties around the world in that their engines, landing gear, bombs, bomb bays, machine guns and other parts / systems would need regular servicing and a high degree of mechanical skill.

Working against the Army’s needs at this time was the education level of the typical draftee. In 1940 only 25% of males over the age of 25 had a high school degree, with high school graduation numbers just over 50%.[iii] There was an overall literacy issue in the armed forces because of these societal deficiencies. New methods needed to be implemented to train not only front-line soldiers how to care for their equipment, but also the mechanics and other support troops spread around the world to service planes and mechanized units.

            Into this educational void was thrust William Erwin Eisner (1917-2005). One of the pioneers of comics, his creation The Spirit, that ran as a comic book newspaper supplement from 1940-1952, is considered one of the great hero characters of The Golden Age of Comics (1938- ca.1956). Eisner's use of splash pages, innovative panel layouts and adult-aimed stories influenced many comic books artists in subsequent generations. He is also considered either a father or godfather to the form of the graphic novel, as both an advocate and creator in that genre, although historically he did not invent the graphic novel concept.

            Eisner received his draft notice in December 1941, soon after the United States declared war after the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor. At that time, he was running a comics production shop that published The Spirit, along with providing Quality Comics and other publishers with complete comic book stories.[iv] He was able to defer his enlistment to take care of setting up his business to run in his absence until he was inducted May 1942.[v] Eisner’s basic training was at Fort Dix, New Jersey, after which he was posted to the Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Maryland. It was there that Eisner came up with the idea to use comics to help train army troops, creating the character of Joe Dope to exemplify what one should not do to their equipment. This idea was embraced by his commanding officer, who then transferred him to the Holabird Ordnance Center in Baltimore.

            On September 7, 1942, the Adjutant General of the Army, James Ulio sent out an order that effective that month, Joe Dope posters were being distributed to all “posts, camps and stations” around the world. The backs of some of the posters have the original order, along with instructions on where to hang the posters. Below the hanging instructions, Eisner drew a cartoon emphasizing the proper placement of the poster. 

 

 

Per Ulio’s orders, the first three posters were issued every two weeks starting in September 1942, and that posters were to be distributed weekly after that. It is clear from the research that this rate of poster publication was never fulfilled, as to date only 52 of these posters have been identified after research from the National Archives (NARA), Library of Congress (LoC), private collections, and auction sites. The posters covered a wide range of equipment, including machine guns, trucks, tanks, mortars, and planes, among others. They also gently prodded supply depots to fill out the correct forms and not over order or hoard spare parts. Fifteen of the posters were specifically made for the Army Air Force, with seven other posters made for the Pacific Theater. Though it is known that there were 20,000 of the first posters printed, additional research is needed to see if any documentation exists for the actual print run totals. It is not known at this point whether Eisner chose the poster topics or they were assigned to him.

While at Holabird, Eisner joined the staff of Army Motors magazine that was published there for distribution to all army bases around the world for mechanics, soldiers, and support staff. Army Motors began its publication history in May 1940 as an 8 ½” x 11” text-only, black and white mimeographed publication. By the time Eisner came on board in mid-1942, it was still the same size, but now it was staple-bound with a spot-colored cover. The interior used photographs and line drawings to communicate different aspects of maintaining equipment. A wide range of topics were covered in Army Motors, from maintenance issues with tanks, to how to prepare trucks for use in cold weather and how to lubricate a jeep, among thousands of topics covered during its 5-year run.

The November 1942 issue of Army Motors introduced Eisner’s Joe Dope to the Army: 

Joe Dope is the doggondest fool in the Army!!!! 

A new character with a desperate destiny designed to call attention to habitual failures in maintenance of all Army equipment. Humor without bitterness but stinging with its truthfulness. Joe Dope posters will drive home a point quickly…. And with little or no pain! 

            The posters of Joe Dope were successful enough to spawn a two-page comic strip by Eisner that began in the April 1944 issue of Army Motors, continuing until the magazine ceased publication in September 1945. Eisner would resurrect Joe Dope during the Korean War in 1951, when he left his creation, The Spirit, behind to become a government contractor. He used Joe Dope as the centerpiece in his new undertaking, PS: The Preventive Maintenance Monthly, for the U.S. Army.[vi] Covering the same topics of equipment maintenance, PS magazine was an updated and expanded version of Army Motors, down to the use of the digest format Eisner had introduced for Army Motors in the summer of 1944. Eisner remained with PS for twenty years until 1971, at which point he returned to the comics field as a teacher and the creator of new works that would renew his stature as one of the greats in the world of comics.

This attempt to create a catalogue raisonné listing all of Eisner’s Army posters was conducted over a period of years, and the following information was captured: Artificial title using 1st line of rhyme; year; Eisner's rank; Eisner's organization (as signed on poster); audience; LoC / NARA holdings; Government Printing Office # / other ID; LoC received date; notes. The information is presented in two ways - as a caption to an image of the poster, and as a table at the end of the article. 

                     

A rock to Joe Dope is a trifle  1942  Pvt.  Aberdeen Pvg. Gds.  Both (LoC and NARA)  478618

 
At maneuvers Joe Dope took a tank    1942    Pvt.            Both    481419     

   
In helping assemble a mortar    1942    Pvt.            Both    481418        

Joe Dope camouflaged his Garand    1942    Pvt.    Aberdeen Pvg. Gds.    Europe    Both    478615        
Joe Dope has a vague premonition    1942    Cpl.            Both    498371        

Joe Dope has a way that's unique    1942    Pvt.            Both    481417    2/15/1943    

Joe dope has the habit, we fear,    1942    W/O            LoC    None    1/13/1943    

Joe Dope is a guy you can't teach    1942    Pvt.    Ord. Tng. Division        Both    481420    2/26/1943    

No obstacle that he may meet    1942    Pvt.    Aberdeen Pvg. Gds.        Both    478619         
 

The book says to run a car right    1942    Cpl.        Europe    Both    498372    2/18/1943    

The Sheik thinks it terribly strange    1942    Cpl.    Ordnance Dept    North Africa    Both    498733    2/2/1943    

The tank crew is sore as a boil    1942    Pvt.            Both    478620        

 

When the Stukas begin to attack    1942    W/O    Ordnance         Both    553727       

 
A maxim Joe Dope just pooh poohs    1943    W/O            Both        10/11/1943    

Aloft in the thick of the fight    1943    W/O        AAF    Both    562295    1/19/1944   

 
At fixing things I'm a bear!    1943    W/O    Ordnance        Both    None    9/1/1943   

 
Behold Joe Dope hitting his stride    1943    W/O        AAF     Both    553727        

I'm tired of taking the rap    1943    W/O    Ordnance    AAF    Both        10/11/1943    

If the bomb that you aimed like a charm    1943    Cpl.    Ordnance    AAF, Pacific    LoC    518000        
Joe Dope is a regular ace    1943    W/O    Ordnance        Both    None    10/11/1943    

Joe Dope says "Should I get KP...    1943    W/O    Ordnance    AAF    LoC    PMU Holabird A-6    8/26/1943    

Joe Dope says, "Why bother to clean...    1943    CWO    Ordnance        NARA    565905       

 
Joe Dope should get thrown in the can    1943    W/O    Ordnance    AAF, Pacific    Both    518000       

Joe Dope thinks it funny to play    1943    W/O    Ordnance    AAF, Pacific    BotH    518000    4/24/1943    

Misled by publicity stuff    1943    W/O    Ordnance        NARA    553727    

    

No friends, this is not the location    1943    None    Ordnance        LoC        7/13/1943    

The poet says "What's in a name?"    1943    Warrant Officer            NARA    562294     Verso has letter from Adjutant General and illiustration by Eisner as to how to hang them

   

These pilots will "gently" explain    1943    W/O        AAF    Both    518000        

 

To prove he's game as the flyers    1943    Cpl.    Ordnance        Both    512339        

 

While draining the oil one day    1943    Unsigned            Both    512339    5/8/1943   

 
 

"Who's (sic) 'borrowed' the damn arming wire    1943    W/O    Ordnance    AAF    LoC    552727         

With an air of complete unconcern    1943    CWO    Ordnance        Both    565904     

   

Don't hoard spare parts  1944    CWO            Both    577520    (non-limerick)

 

Don't wash vehicles in...  1944    CWO        Pacific    Both    595006    8/25/1944  (non-limerick)

    
Joe Dope isn't bug-house or crazy    1944    [Ordnance]           Both    62235        Maybe not Eisner? No signature, does not look like his art

Joe Dope takes good care that his hide    1944    Unsigned        AAF, Pacific    Both    569901 

       
Joe Dope, friends, has done it again    1944    CWO        Pacific    Both    569902        
 

Shock absorbers left to get dry    1944    Unsigned    Ordnance Dept.        Both    622350    2/21/1945    

The Tower of Pisa would shy    1944    CWO    Ordnance        NARA    606762       War Department Safety Council

To Joe Dope ring-round-rosie is fun    1944    Unsigned    Ordnance        Both    62235    1/24/1945 

   
By fireball pilots like Joe    1945    CWO    Ordnance    AAF, Pacific    LoC     684706    8/6/1945  

  
No more good than the bag at the left   1945    Unsigned            LoC    631775    3/30/1945    

Oh, one cannot really decree    1945                Both    631775    3/30/1945    

The guns on this new '-38    1945    CWO        AAF    NARA    631774       

 
This rather acute situation    1945    Cpl    Aberdeen Pvg. Gds.        LoC    631775    3/30/1945   

 
The reason for Joe Dope's new entangle    1945    CWO    For Air Ordnance    AAF, Pacific    NARA    631774        
 

To the pilot that's giving him sass    1945        For Air Ordnance    AAF    NARA    631774   

     
Headspace to Joe Dope was a riddle,    None    W/O        Europe    Both    PMU Holabird   

      
Joe Dope cleaned his rifle, oh yes -   None    W/O    Ordnance        Both    P.M.V - H.O.D (Holabird Ordnance Depot)

Joe Dope takes a constant vacation    None    W/O    Ordnance    Pacific    Both    None  Co-signed with H.C. Minor. Possibly trimmed.

On high over enemy soil    None    Warrant Off.        AAF    NARA            

The caissons go rolling along    None    Unsigned    Preventive Maintenance Department         NARA            

The "T-Slot" you carelessly clean     None  NARA    514706   from https://picryl.com/media/the-t-slot-you-carelessly-clean-will-pit-and-soon-form-a-space-seam-ruptured-62ad2f

The "T-Slot" you carelessly clean 
Will pit and soon form a space-seam. 
Ruptured cartridge at best 
Will result, and the rest 
Joe Dope best describes what we mean.

To view the spreadsheet below, right click on it, and select "This Frame" and then "Open Frame in New Tab."

 

 Warren Bernard is an independent scholar and the director of the Small Press Expo (SPX).

A version of this will be published in IJOCA 27-1. Updated 6/17/2025 at 11 PM with the poster The T-Slot you carelessly clean, and modifying the title to Catalogue Raisonne, as Wikipedia says it's never Anglicized.

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[1] Joe Ciccarelli, America Goes To War, Industrial Production Key To Victory, https://www.pacificwarmuseum.org/uploads/documents/America_Goes_To_War_Industrial_Production_1.pdf ; National WWII Museum,  “Research Starters: U.S. Military By The Numbers,” https://www.nationalww2museum.org/students-teachers/student-resources/research-starters/research-starters-us-military-numbers

[ii] The War: War Production. https://www.pbs.org/kenburns/the-war/war-production.

[iii] Digest of Education Statistics, Table 104.10-Rates Rates of high school completion and bachelor's degree attainment among persons age 25 and over, by race/ethnicity and sex: Selected years, 1910 through 2019, https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d19/tables/dt19_104.10.asp ; Claudia Goldin and Lawrence F. Katz, Why The United States Led In Education From Secondary School Expansion:1910-1940, https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w6144/w6144.pdf , p. 2.

[iv] In the early days of superhero comics, a comics “shop” was a separately-run company composed of comics artists and writers that would produce stories and create new superheroes for larger publishers. Some shops distributed their own works, as Eisner did with The Spirit, but the majority of their work was used and distributed by the large publishers. This outsourcing reduced the amount of staff, coordination and overhead required to produce a publisher’s stable of comic books.

[v] Michael Schumacher, Will Eisner - A Dreamer’s Life In Comics. New York: Bloomsbury, 2010. p. 82.

[vi] All print issues have been digitized by the Virginia Commonwealth University Library and are online at https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/psm/