Northwest prof pens chapter on WWII comics

John Katsion

MARYVILLE, Mo. — For one Northwest Missouri State University faculty members, comic books are serious business.

John Katsion, an assistant professor of communication, recently contributed a chapter to “The 10 Cent War: Comic Books, Propaganda, and World War II.”

The book offers an analysis of how different types of comic books and characters helped support the war effort.

For his part, Katsion researched and wrote about how the comic book form works to persuade its readers.

“I specifically looked at a series of comic books that had children fighting alongside grownups called ‘The Boy Commandos,’ and how those comic books worked to persuade an audience during World War II,” Katsion said.

“The overall focus of the book is on how comic books were used as a form of propaganda during World War II. Comic book sales were at some of their highest points during this period.”

Katsion joined the Northwest faculty in 2010 and teaches communication courses. He previously taught at Hannibal-LaGrange College in Hannibal and Multnomah University in Portland, Oregon.

He has a Ph.D. in communication studies from Regent University in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and a master’s degree in speech communication from Minnesota State University-Mankato.