Articles from and news about the premier and longest-running academic journal devoted to all aspects of cartooning and comics -- the International Journal of Comic Art (ISSN 1531-6793) published and edited by John Lent.

Thursday, August 7, 2025

Free new book on U.S. Marine Cartoonists in the Korean War by IJOCA contributor Cord Scott

Cord's second book on military cartooning is out, and again is free from the Marine Corps. 



7 x 10 paperback
256 pages
2025

PDF download
EPUB
Audiobook

They Were Chosin
U.S. Marine Cartoonists in the Korean War

Cord Scott

DOI: 10.56686/9798987849200

 

ABOUT THE BOOK

They Were Chosin is based on a previous work, The Mud and the Mirth, which details U.S. Marine cartoonists in World War I. This book focuses again on one primary artist, Norval E. "Gene" Packwood, and two books he wrote and illustrated during the late 1940s and early 1950s: Leatherhead: The Story of Marine Corps Boot Camp and Leatherhead in Korea. They Were Chosin offers a humorous perspective on what was going on during the war. This book is not meant to be a definitive visual history of the Korean War. It is meant to share an aspect of the war, told through the cultural lens of comic characters.



TABLE OF CONTENTS

Editorial Note

Foreword

Preface

Acknowledgments

Introduction


CHAPTERS

1. Origins of Cartoonists in the Post-World War II Era

2. Norval Packwood and the Creation of Leatherhead

3. The Korean War in Brief

4. Leatherhead in Korea

5. Norval Packwood's Work with the Marine Corps

6. Other Cartoon Work from the Period

7. The Modern Era


Conclusion

Appendix A. Popular Culture during the Korean Conflict

Appendix B. Biographies of Korean War Artists

Select Bibliography

About the Author

Cord's first book is still available:



The Mud and the Mirth

Marine Cartoonists in World War I

Cord Scott, PhD

DOI: 10.56686/9798985340341

 https://www.usmcu.edu/Outreach/Marine-Corps-University-Press/Books-by-topic/MCUP-Titles-A-Z/The-Mud-and-the-Mirth/

ABOUT THE BOOK
Visual arts constitute a significant portion of the Marines' life, from training manuals to public appearances. Illustrations may inform, educate, or entertain the masses, be they civilians or military personnel. The Mud and the Mirth takes a deeper look at comic illustrations from the earliest publications for the Marine Corps--the Recruiters Bulletin, the Marines Magazine, and the Marines Bulletin--prior to World War I, as well as presents the entire collection of Stars and Stripes cartoons illustrated by Marine cartoonist Abian A. Wallgren.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Cord A. Scott is an overseas collegiate faculty for the University of Maryland Global Campus in Asia. He teaches history, government, and humanities, specifically film. He has written extensively on a variety of topics concerning popular culture, with two of his books centered on military comics of World War II (Comics and Conflict and Four Colour Combat). He has also written previously for the scholarly journal Marine Corps History. He currently resides in Okinawa, Japan, where he teaches on many of the III Marine Expeditionary Force bases.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction: The Early Years

Chapter One. The War Begins

Chapter Two. The Early Publications

Chapter Three. Recruiters' Bulletin

Chapter Four. Marines Magazine

Chapter Five. The Stars and Stripes Era

Chapter Six. The End of the War and the Commemorative Cartoons

Conclusion

Appendices

A. Biography of Abian Wallgren

B. The Nature of Art

Select Bibliography


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