The Journal of Popular CultureVol. 40 Iss. 1 (2007)
Tales Calculated to Drive You MAD: The Debunking of Spies, Superheroes, and Cold War Rhetoric in Mad Magazine's "SPY vs SPY"
Teodora Carabas
Although repetitive, Carabas's article provides a convincing argument of the subversive nature of the SPY vs SPY comic strip by contrasting it with other Cold War era narratives such as Superman and the James Bond series.
The Jack Woodford Press: Bestsellers at the Army Base, the Drug Store, and the Tourist Bookstore, 1946-1959
Jay A. Gertzman
Gertzman tracks the rise and fall of the Jack Woodford Press and in doing so provides a history of sex pulp fiction. The narrative Gertzman creates is well researched, but the author fails to provide any compelling interpretation or analysis.
Tricksters and the Marketing of Breakfast Cereals
Thomas Green
In attempt to explain the prevalence of trickster mascots in the marketing of breakfast cereals, Green provides a wonderful history of the origins of cereals, including religious, medical, and economic forces. The author then convincingly demonstrates how this history has made trickster characters attractive mascots for breakfast cereals.
Harry Potter and the Functions of Popular Culture
Dustin Kidd
Although Kidd does address the Potter books, this title is deceiving as the majority of the article explores, with moderate success, the functions of popular culture on late capitalist societies. Harry Potter is brought in at the end as an example of Kidd's approach, but this section adds nothing to the essay.
Racial Anxiety on the Comics Page: Harry Hershfield's "Abie the Agent," 1914-1930 The William Brigman Journal of Popular Culture Award Winner
Richard Moss
Moss deserves his award as he astutely employs Hershfield's comic to illustrate white racial fears and Jewish immigrant attempts at assimilation in a manner concise, yet compelling.
Class and Gender Anxieties in Weimar Nutritional Discourse: Max Rubner's Volksernährung
Cecilia Novero
Novero's discussion of Rubner's work on Weimar nutrition will be decidedly unappetizing for readers without an explicit interest in early twentieth century German dietary habits. Novero provides an impressive analysis, but fails to situate it in a larger context or debate.
Somali's Don't Climb Mountains: The Commercialization of Mount Everest
Elizabeth Rosen
Unfortunately, Rosen's intriguing exploration of the psychology of adventure tourists is overshadowed by the long, didactic treatment of irresponsible marketing tactics.
REVIEWED BY
Ben Wright
If you have questions or comments, or if you would like to submit a review of a journal, please send an email to Ben Wright at bgw2108@columbia.edu.