2/28/09

Public Service Comics: Careers

Here are some more public service or educational comics, all of which have to do with careers. Click on any picture to see it in more detail.

The 50's and 60's coincided with the Baby Boomers starting high school, and a general shift toward the future. Luckily GE came out with the comics "Science in Your Future." This is from the Adventures in Science Series, published by General Electric, 1956. There's not much of a story, but runs Jane and Johnny through a survey of modern electronics, including vacuum tubes and transistors.



Popeye had a series of comics advising young folk about possible careers. I'm not sure why they chose this fighting sailor for their guide, but there were fifteen titles in all:
Here's the full list of the King Features Career Education Series:
E1 - Health
E2 - Environmental
E3 - Communications
E4 - Transportation
E5- Construction
E6 - Consumer and Homemakin
E7 - Manufactionuring
E8 - Hospitality and Recreation
E9 - Marketing and Distribution
E10 - Business and Office
E11 - Public Service
E12 - Personal Service
E13 - Marine Science
E14 - Fine Arts and Humanities
E15 - Agri-business and Natural Resources

Here's Popeye and Communications and Media Careers (E3), copyright King Features, 1972, but printed by Charlton Press. In this comic Popeye says to Swee Pea: "In this country, we get more information than any other people on earth, See'pea, and I am going to explain to you how we get our information." In the background there are various media, such as a phone, a TV, some magazines and newspapers. None of these comics have a story, just Popeye dragging us to various workplaces and commenting on them. The section with the telephone operators is sort of quaint.



Here's another Popeye "Careers" comics: Popeye and Consumer and Homemaking Careers (E6) from King Features, 1973, also printed by Charlton Press. In this comic Popeye drives a delivery truck, works as a custodian (not "janitor"), and plays golf at a resort.




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