The Public Service Ads or PSA's we've come across in the pages of modern comic books have really changed in both appearance and content over the years, yet they continue to provide valuable insight into the behavior, culture, and important issues facing youth of the time. A quick flip of any comic from the last ten to fifteen years would indicate that young people today are faced with many serious choices, like whether or not they should smoke marijuana while judging the merits of a Nintendo Game Boy over a Sony PSP. That's rough stuff. Woo. (You can't see it, but we're shuddering.)
It's comforting to know that kids didn't have it much easier fifty, even sixty years ago. Comic book PSA's of yesteryear were every bit as serious as today's, and surprisingly, many of them are just as relevant now as they were then. From the 1940's through the 1970's, DC Comics often ran single-page comic strips that contained social and health-related messages directed to young readers; 'Earn While You Learn' being just one of many terrific examples.
Our DC, Service Me PSA of the Day appeared way back in August of 1957, in Issue #39 of the popular science fiction title, Mystery in Space. Although the ad contains implied substance use by a minor, and the kinds of drugs young guys deliver today may no longer be prescription, the argument it presents for seeking summertime work is laudable and far outweighs any risks in our opinion. Job descriptions come and go, but the benefits of gainful employment have, quite thankfully, endured for decades.
(Right click to enlarge)
Special thanks to Mike and his amazing research of DC Comics Indexes [link], as without either today's blog would not have been possible.
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