Frank Miller’s Holy Terror – a typically over-the-top and controversial account of a Batman-esque character’s response to a 9-11 level terrorist attack – has been described by the cartoonist as “a piece of propaganda” that was at least partially inspired by the Golden Age comics that prominently featured patriotic super-heroes cheerfully punching out Hitler, Mussolini or Hirohito.
(In fact, critics have decried Miller’s apparent blanket condemnation of Muslims as hateful and prejudiced, much as how contemporary audiences view the World War II depiction of America’s enemies in comic books, films, radio and just about every other form of media from that era.)
As a point of reference, I thought it would be interesting to sample a story from one of the most famous “propaganda” comics of the 1940s: Lev Gleason’s Daredevil Battles Hitler, a title published before America’s entry into the war that clearly reflected the publisher’s personal antipathy toward fascism.
The comic featured Gleason’s breakout character, Daredevil, teaming up with other characters’ in the publisher’s stable in an epic battle against Hitler and the German dictator’s allies – which apparently included Jack Cole’s monstrous Claw.
From Daredevil Battles Hitler #1 (Lev Gleason Publications, July 1941), here’s - surprisingly enough – “Daredevil Battles Hitler.” The story is believed to be written and drawn by the great Charles Biro.
