Tony Husband (1950–2023)

In Dictators in Cartoons: Unmasking Monsters and Mocking Tyrants, editor Tony Husband explores the role of the fourth estate in undermining the evil ambitions of tyrants throughout history. He begins with Tyrants from Long Ago, which includes Roman emperors such as Caligula and Nero, Transylvanian Vlad Țepeș, Louis XVI and Napoleon, and even Otto von Bismarck. In his second section, Husband explores parodies of Mussolini, whose bluster and bravado made him an easy target for parody. Chapter three explores Stalin, both during World War II and after. The longest chapter, on Hitler, offers a variety of sources from around Europe and the United States before and during World War II. Generalissimo Francisco Franco receives a brief section, several of which deal with his status as the last of the 1930s dictators after World War II. Mao Zedong rounds out the chapters dedicated to an individual. Husband concludes with a chapter on Modern Despots, Demagogues, and Control Freaks, including Egypt's Nasser, Chile's Augusto Pinochet, Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe, Uganda's Idi Amin, Iraq's Saddam Hussein, Cambodia's Pol Pot, Romania's Nicolae Ceausescu, and Russia's Vladimir Putin. In each case, the art serves as an example of how to caricature those who would abuse their power and laugh in the face of evil. This calls to mind Bassem Youssef's goal of "tickling giants" to undermine their pretensions and expose them for the flawed, corrupt human beings they are. Husband's collection will appeal to those with an interest in history and especially to those teaching it, as it will make an excellent resource of primary sources for classroom analysis.… (mehr)

Sometimes the best way to get a feel for an era is through its cartoons. These are collected from various countries during the period of World War II. Are they the best of the era? I can't say, because I am not knowledgeable enough. Some of them just plain don't work, partially because they are from a time we don't remember, and partially because they are from a culture we don't understand. The easiest to comprehend are those from our own cartoonists, as we have a sense of our own culture that we don't have with others. And it is important to remember that political cartoons are not always funny, so don't expect a laugh riot. It is an interesting look at the history of another era.… (mehr)