HERBIE AND FRIENDS
For the thousands of Herbie’s and their pals this book has come to fruition. All of you who were there remember them . . . the little guys who had scant to say about how the war was run but who had a great deal to say about the outcome.
This book is designed to be a reminder of the funny things that happen in wartime – those happenings that old soldiers remember when the hardships and dangers have faded.
TO MAUREEN, JACK, MEGHAN AND ALLYSON
As someone whose spirits were so often lifted by Herbie and his irreverent friends, I take great pleasure in renewing acquaintanceship with some of the most memorable characters ever to wear a Canadian uniform.
You needed a sense of humour to get through the rough days of war. The cartoons in this publication were as good for morale as letters from home.
Welcome back Herbie and Friends. You haven’t aged a bit!
With kindest regards.
George Hees
Herbie and Friends
Published by Natural Heritage/Natural History Inc.
P.O. Box 69, Postal Station H
Toronto, Ontario
M4C 5H7
Copyright © July 1990
No portion of this book, with the exception of brief extracts
for the purpose of literary review, may be reproduced in
any form without the permission of the publishers.
Design: Derek Chung Tiam Fook
Printed and bound in Canada by
T.H. Best Printing Company Ltd.
The Publisher gratefully acknowledges the support of the
Ontario Arts Council.
Canadian Cataloguing in Publication Data
Main entry under title:
Herbie and friends
ISBN 0-920474-52-7
1. World War, 1939-1945 – Caricatures and cartoons.
2. Canadian wit and humour, Pictorial.
3. Caricatures and cartoons – Canada.
I. Rowland, Barry D., 1941 –
| D745.2.H47 1988 | 741.5'971 | C88-094528-1 |
CONTENTS
The Comics Go To War: WWI/WWII
Herbie: A Legendary Success Story In Wartime Cartooning
Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, “Captain America.” © Marvel Comics Group.
THE CARTOON
The cartoon is generally defined as “a preparatory design drawing or painting . . . usually commenting on public and political matters.” In essence then, the cartoon is a vehicle of communication -an art form - that has evolved from its simplest beginnings in the Stone Age to the complexities of the present day.
As one examines the culture of early civilizations, it becomes quite evident that cartooning was extensively used. Prehistoric man, with his crude and primitive tools, meticulously designed and drew on the walls of caves in order to communicate his thoughts and ideas. Simple pictography enabled early man to tell his story and preserve it for all time. Cartooning played an integral part in the Egyptian, Greek and Roman cultures. In these societies, entertainment and enjoyment began to be the focus of cartoons and caricatures. The depiction of animals to deride mankind, the ridicule of gods and goddesses through art and the half-animal half-human drawings all provided an early foundation for the evolution of the cartoon as a tool for social commentary.
With the onset of the Middle Ages and the subsequent Reformation and Puritan periods, the cartoon and caricature seemed headed in a somewhat different direction. Although the foibles and follies of society, particularly as they applied to those in authority, continued to be fair game, the focus and parameters associated with cartooning began to expand. The leading institutions of the time - the Government and the Church - fell victim to the cartoonist’s brush. Clearly defined thematic shifts occurred with religion, politics and social concerns, each spending time in the limelight before giving way to the next. From the sixteenth century onward, cartoons and caricatures became more sophisticated. The age of social satire was born.
The cartoon made its first public appearance in America in 1754 with Ben Franklin’s most famous political cartoon “Join or Die” depicting the colonies as “segments” of a large snake requiring “union” to fight against a common foe. This cartoon became a widely distributed handbill and was subsequently often used as a newspaper heading. Early American patriots like Franklin, in the face of British colonial rule, required an appropriate and relevant vehicle to influence public opinion in a society where a majority of the people were uneducated and could not read. The cartoon and caricature became the tool and was used extensively to both shape public opinion and influence public policy. Among many other advancements, nineteenth century America witnessed the growth of newspapers, almanacs and assorted weeklies that provided a stage for this new form of cartooning - the political cartoon - in all of its complexity and detail.
In the late 1890’s, the cartoon as an art form experienced a further evolutionary development. William Randolph Hurst, working with his staff artist Rudolph Dirks, developed a new cartoon - a strip cartoon - that introduced to the American public Hans and Fritz, Momma, der Captain, der Inspector - the Katzenjammer Kids.
The comic strip as we know it had its birth.
Cartoons