The New Adventures of Hitler
| "The New Adventures of Hitler" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Publisher | Complete Print International 1989 Fleetway Publications 1990 |
| Publication date | July 1989 – July 1990 |
| Genre | |
| Title(s) | Cut 1989 Crisis #46-49 9 June to 21 July 1990 |
| Creative team | |
| Writer(s) | Grant Morrison |
| Artist(s) | Steve Yeowell |
| Letterer(s) | Gordon Robson |
| Colourist(s) | Nick Abadzis Steve Whitaker |
| Editor(s) | Alan Jackson Steve MacManus |
"The New Adventures of Hitler" is a creator-owned British comic story. It was initially partially published in the magazine Cut in 1989, and then in its entirety in the adult-orientated comic Crisis. Written by Grant Morrison and drawn by Steve Yeowell, the story is based on Bridget Dowling's debated assertion that Adolf Hitler spent time in Liverpool shortly before the outbreak of World War I. "The New Adventures of Hitler" uses several anachronisms to comment on present-day politics at the time of publication, and caused some controversy in Britain.
Creation
Grant Morrison and Steve Yeowell had broken through to critical acclaim with the revisionist superhero story "Zenith" in 2000 AD in 1987, and Morrison rapidly become one of the best-known British comic writers - including being headhunted by DC Comics. However, the writer continued to concurrently work on smaller-scale comics projects, as well as plays. With the boom in adult interest in comics following the mainstream success of Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns, many different publications began showing interest in the medium - including Complete Print International, a Scottish publisher putting together a new music and culture magazine called Cut.[1] Inspired by what they saw as the worrying parallels between 1930s Nazi Germany and the policies of the then-incumbent Conservative government under Margaret Thatcher, Morrison and Yeowell devised "The New Adventures of Hitler" for serialisation in the magazine.[2]
What I had done is put Thatcherite ideology into the mouth of Hitler, because some of the things I see happening around me I find disturbing. The things that Thatcher is doing and saying, destroying the unions, Section 28 and the talked about camps for AIDS sufferers, are all things that Hitler talked about in Mein Kampf.
— Grant Morrison, quoted in "Newsdesk - Grant Morrison in Fascist Controversy", Speakeasy #100 (July 1989)[2]
The premise that
Publishing history
The strip was instantly controversial. One of Cut's columnists was singer
The involvement of Kane saw the spat picked up on by the British
The travails of the strip had attracted sympathy from elsewhere in the industry, and Yeowell recalled the pair received several offers from publishers to continue publication.[3][1] A first run agreed with Fleetway Publications' fortnightly adult-orientated anthology Crisis in 1990.[6] Ironically, during the initial controversy Morrison had stated the ambition for the story was "to write a political strip that didn't turn into a dour tract, without hitting them over the head with it, like Crisis does".[2][3] For the run in Crisis, the story was split into four 12-page chapters, appearing in #46 to #49 from 9 June to 21 July 1990. The strip was coloured by Nick Abadzis and Steve Whitaker, who used a series of pseudonyms - The Spock Whitney Quintet; Brian, Dougall and Mr. Rusty; and Your Mum - for the first trio of issues before being credited under their real names on the last part.[7] The publication in Crisis largely passed without comment.[3]
While Fleetway were interested in publishing a collected edition, Crisis editor Steve MacManus revealed the company had only paid for the first run British rights, and other publishers were also bidding for further rights.[6] Morrison and Yeowell later considered setting up their own label to release some of their creator-owned work,[8] while Yeowell noted several small publishers had approached him intermittently.[3] However, as of 2024 no collected edition has been produced.
Plot summary
In 1912, Adolf Hitler is staying with his brother Alois and sister-in-law Bridget, in their terraced house at 102 Upper Stanhope Street, Liverpool. Adolf - whose career as a painter met with critical scorn - is troubled by strange visions and unemployed, but remains convinced he will make his mark on the world and becomes obsessed with horoscopes and discovering the Holy Grail. Alois, an evangelical seller of safety razors, is given to giving demagogic speeches on his plans to take over Europe with 'Hitler International' and an army of salesmen marching out of Germany, criticising Adolf for his own lack of plans as he and his wife tire of the drifter. Adolf's visions intensify, and he undertakes a long discussion with John Bull. The latter feels the country has gone downhill since the death of Queen Victoria and needs "a mad vicious bitch in the driving seat."[a]
The following day Bull again appears to Adolf, convincing him humans need tyranny and that he should follow the example of the
Reception
In a 2020 overview of "The New Adventures of Hitler" for Medium, Reed Beebe felt that Morrison's pop-culture sensibilities lifted the story above others with the same theme.[1]
Notes
- ^ The same frame features a photograph of Margaret Thatcher in the background[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Beebe, Reed (18 December 2020). "The story that inspired Grant Morrison and Steve Yeowell's 'The New Adventures of Hitler'".
- ^ a b c d e f "Newsdesk - Grant Morrison in Fascist Controversy". Speakeasy. No. 100. Acme Press. July 1989.
- ^ a b c d e f g Berridge, Ed (14 October 2008). "Four-Colour Classics: There's a Riot Goin' On - The Story of British Adult Comics Part Two". Judge Dredd Megazine. No. 275. Rebellion Developments.
- ^ "Barbelith Interviews: An Interview with Grant Morrison". Barbelith.com. 2 September 2002. Archived from the original on 19 February 2011. Retrieved 7 October 2010.
- ^ a b "The Savage Sword of Grant Morrison - Pat Kane vs. The New Adventures of Hitler - Deep Space Transmissions". sites.google.com.
- ^ John Brown Publishing. March 1990.
- ^ Holland, Steve (2002). The Fleetway Companion. Rotherham: CJ & Publication.
- ^ "PopImage". PopImage. Archived from the original on 25 May 2011. Retrieved 7 October 2010.
- ^ Grant Morrison (w), Steve Yeowell (a). "The New Adventures of Hitler" Crisis, no. 46-49 (9 June to 21 July 1990). Fleetway Publications.