by Matt Peters In World War II, it was common for soldiers to take government-issued amphetamines to help stay alert and confident in hostile situations. In fact, U.S. troops consumed an estimated 250 to 500 million amphetamine tablets over the course of the war. Cigarettes were also ubiquitous, and they were included in many military rations. Versatile in their effects, cigarettes could relieve boredom during periods of calm and stress during periods of combat. Although Timely Comics (later known as Marvel) created Captain America to be a symbol of virtue, even he enjoyed a bit of tobacco during World… Read More
We Live Here – Detroit Eviction Defense and the Battle for Housing Justice
by Matt Peters In We Live Here: Detroit Eviction Defense and the Battle for Housing Justice, writer Jeffrey Wilson and illustrator Bambi Kramer have composed a collective biography of grassroots activists fighting an unfair economy. Those activists, all based in the Detroit metropolitan area, were brought together by a debt crisis that shook the nation and threatened the loss of their homes. Using graphic journalism to tell their stories, Wilson and Kramer have created an engrossing movement history. In telling that history, they often illuminate the critical links between health and housing security. We Live Here focuses on a… Read More