"It is observable that the more illusion and falsehood needed to maintain any given state of affairs, the more tyranny is needed to maintain the illusion and falsehood. Today the tyrant rules not by club or fist, but, disguised as a market researcher, he shepherds his flocks in the ways of utility and comfort."
The Mechanical Bride (Preface), 1951
The Mechanical Bride, McLuhan's first book, is a collection of 59 short (most one or two pages) essays about mid century US media, advertising and culture. It is a book that has aged well and a great read. The topic of six of the essays is comic strips - Blondie, Tarzan, Superman, Li'l Abner, Little Orphan Annie and Bringing Up Father. I imagine that McLuhan enjoyed the Star Weekly Comic section in every Saturday Toronto Star where all of these strips could be found in the 1950s.
Here are the 21 strips in the February 12, 1955 Star Weekly Comic section.
- Abbie an' Slats
- Blondie
- Bringing Up Father
- Dick Tracy
- Ella Cinders
- Flash Gordon
- Hopalong Cassidy
- Jane Arden
- Li'l Abner
- Little Orphan Annie
- Mandrake the Magician
- Moon Mullins
- Napoleon
- Popeye
- Snookums
- Steve Canyon
- Superman
- Tarzan
- Terry and the Pirates
- The Captain and the Kids
- The Lone Ranger
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