You Back the Attack! We'll Bomb Who We Want!: Remixed War Propaganda

This stunning, hilarious, and politically incendiary full-color poster book by U.S. Airborne Ranger-turned-dissident-comic-book-artist Micah Wright reworks classic American World War I and II propaganda into biting commentaries on war and pariotism for the post-September 11 era.

One of the posters in this collection features a young blond woman sitting at a typewriter and saluting, but the original World War II era text urging typists to be productive for the war effort has been changed to read, "You write what you're told! Thanks, corporate news! We couldn't control the people without you. (A message from the Ministry of Homeland Security)." This and 39 other "remixed" World War II propaganda posters comprise the heart of this book, essentially a warning about creeping totalitarianism and warmongering in the United States. Each poster is accompanied by a commentary by the Center for Constitutional Rights discussing the issues raised. The original posters are reproduced in an appendix. Annotation ©2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Publishers Weekly

Former Army Ranger turned antiwar comic book artist Wright had what he calls a moment of clarity after participating in the U.S.'s 1989 invasion of Panama. Feeling that media coverage was blatantly pro-war, but that the post-invasion results for Panama were far from positive, he offers this as a (belated) warning against war on Iraq. Reworking American propaganda posters from WWI and WWII, Wright reveals his satiric take on current events: one poster reads, "Millions of troops are on the move...All To Protect Your Oil Supply! Is your SUV really worth their lives?" In another, a girl sitting in her father's lap asks, "Daddy, why don't YOU or any of your friends from ENRON have to go to war?" And many are messages from the Orwellian-sounding "Ministry of Homeland Security": The Statue of Liberty points to the onlooker and commands, "You! Stop Asking Questions! You're Either With U.S. or You're With The TERRORISTS!" The antiwar contingent will read these and weep, rather than laugh. 40 pages of color illus. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

MICAH IAN WRIGHT is an artist whose work has appeared in the New York Times, Sunday Guardian (UK), the Washington Post, The Progressive, Christian Science Monitor, the Boston Globe and the Fox News Channel.