Take That, Adolf!: The Fighting Comic Books of the Second World War

by Mark Fertig, Jack Kirby, Joe Simon

Between 1941 and 1945, Hitler was pummeled on comic book covers by everyone from Captain America to Wonder Woman. Take That, Adolf! is an oversized compilation of more than 500 stunningly restored comics covers published during World War II, featuring America’s greatest super-villain. From Superman and Daredevil to propaganda and racism, Take That, Adolf! is a fascinating look at how legendary creators such as Joe Simon, Jack Kirby, Alex Schomburg, Will Eisner, and Lou Fine entertained millions of kids on the home front and buoyed the spirits of GIs fighting overseas by using Adolf Hitler as a punching bag.

Genres: Comics, Comic Book, Superheroes, Nonfiction, History

250 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 22, 2017

About the author

Mark Fertig served as chair of art and art history at a national liberal arts college in Pennsylvania.

Mark Fertig's bio from the Where Danger Lives blog:

I’m a college professor who loves movies — primarily noir, women’s pictures, musicals, screwball, and westerns. My favorite film is “The Best Years of Our Lives.” I’m also the author of “Film Noir 101: The 101 Best Film Noir Posters of the 1940s and 1950s,” “Take That, Adolf! The Fighting Comic Books of the Second World War,” and the upcoming "Hang 'Em High: A Century of Western Movie Posters," all from Fantagraphics. Click the cover images below to find the books on Amazon.com.

Finally, I’m obsessed with finishing lists of films, and watch hundreds of movies for the first time each year. I’m slavishly devoted to the Academy Awards.

Reviews

[Little Timmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic reference book on these rare Golden Age comics. Incredible selection of extremely well reproduced covers of many obscure issues. A wonderful read for any comic enthusiast. Very recommended

[Kym Masera Taborn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a fun book. It includes some essays and historical perspective but the meat of the presentation is hundreds of hundreds of covers showing how the comic books during World War 2 addressed the war. Adolf takes a licking, that's for sure. This is really a coffee table book - pick it up and randomly browse. To go through it cover to cover like I did can be over kill, but I can handle it when you are rewarded every so often with artwork showing Hitler getting punched.

[Bill Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hundreds of bright World War 2 comic covers show the home front spirit -- violent, racist, patriotic, and half insane. The covers are accompanied by a long essay on the subject, a little too heavily weighted with descriptions of the very covers at hand, but also informative, especially for anyone who isn't already a comic fan. A great memento of a bad time and of the united country that opposed overseas Fascism.

[Bart Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

While a few of the entries are a bit dry, the information contained within are informative-- especially to someone not familiar with the role comic books played during WWII as suppliers of morale, propaganda, and entertainment. But, if one isn't interested in reading the short narratives, then the collection of meticulously retouched comic book covers reproduced within are worth its cover price.

[Mike Glaser · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not what I was expecting but it turned out to be a very good history of the comic book industry in WW II. Easily 3 1/2 stars if not quite a 4 star book. It is a shame that no one one (to my knowledge) has republished any of these lesser known comics in a collector’s edition as this book makes them sound very interesting.

[Chb4usc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read. History of comics in WWII....Background on creation of famous characters (Captain America, etc) that fought the war in comics....and the propaganda they provided. All time high in
popularity in comic history. Beautiful illustrations of the comic covers.