Leonard Rifas Reads War Comics

Leonard Rifas, cultural critic and founder of Educomics, attempts to break the wall between reality and fantasy through a critical reading of his favorite war comic books, including Kent Blake of the Secret Service, Tales of the Green Beret, and Sgt. Rock. War comics are some of the most interesting fictional publications to look at in this manner because, as Rifas points out, they “exist right there at that crossroads between reality and fantasy: that place where fantasy becomes really interesting because it’s based on realities that are really crazy.” He also looks at the oft-expressed realism in these comics, revealing that in truth this realism is based not against reality against other comic books. Rifas also examines the enemies in comic books, showing that despite 40 years having passed since World War II, the significant majority of war comics still dealt with fights against Nazi Germany. He further explored the connections of these comics to several actual wars, including those in Afghanistan, Vietnam and Korea. An infomercial for hypnotism also finds its place in this program, echoing the ads for hypnotism kits often found on the pages of war comics. In all, this studio program is an interesting and educated look at the grimmest form of children’s entertainment.