Get Your War On
Encyclopedia
Get Your War On is a series of satirical comic strip
s by David Rees
about political topics — originally the effects of the September 11 attacks on New York City
but quickly switching focus to more recent ones, in particular the "War on Terrorism
". The series achieved a cult following
on the Internet
, and in particular on discussion forums
and blog
s, very soon after debuting on October 9, 2001.
From a technical standpoint the strips are very crude, being assembled from about a dozen simple clip art
pictures of office workers (with a few exceptions, most notably Voltron
) that recur continually, often in the same strip. Almost all are in red on a white background. Owing to a heavy emphasis on dialogue there is almost no action. Highly disillusioned and cynical, it is heavily laden with expletives
.
Get Your War On has been published in book form, with the author's royalties
(as well as part of the publisher's income for the first book) donated to landmine
clearing efforts. It has also been published regularly in Rolling Stone
and some alternative newspapers
. In 2004, Rees was interviewed in the book Attitude 2: The New Subversive Alternative Cartoonists
, edited by award-winning syndicated editorial cartoonist Ted Rall
. Attitude 2 included other cartoonists such as Alison Bechdel
and Aaron McGruder
.
In 2005 it was adapted into a stage performance by Rude Mechanicals
of Austin, Texas
. The performance was revived in the winter of 2006 and began a tour of the country in the fall of 2006. The tour included stops in Houston, Philadelphia, New York, and Washington, D.C.
In 2007, Get Your War On comics were included with the works of Jenny Holzer
and Goya in the DISSENT! exhibition of protest art at Harvard University
's Fogg Art Museum
.
In 2008, Get Your War On began running as an animated series on the comedy site 23/6
.
Per the author's promise, the strip ended the day that George W. Bush
left office, January 20, 2009. Rees continues to maintain a blog, which covers topical political issues.
Royalties from "Get Your War On" and "Get Your War On II" were donated to the charity Adopt-A-Minefield
for removal of landmines in Afghanistan.
has called Get Your War On a "glorious excoriation of our post-9/11 loony bin", while The Miami Herald
, in their review of the second Get Your War On book, called it "Profane, decidedly anti-war and screamingly funny ... guaranteed to make you laugh yourself sick." Time
magazine has compared Get Your War On to Doonesbury
and The Boondocks
, calling it "a fresher (and more R-rated) critique" of the Bush administration.
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
s by David Rees
David Rees (cartoonist)
David Thomas Rees is a left-wing cartoonist and humorist whose best-known work combines bland clip art with outrageous "trash talk" to incongruous effect...
about political topics — originally the effects of the September 11 attacks on New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
but quickly switching focus to more recent ones, in particular the "War on Terrorism
War on Terrorism
The War on Terror is a term commonly applied to an international military campaign led by the United States and the United Kingdom with the support of other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as well as non-NATO countries...
". The series achieved a cult following
Cult following
A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a specific area of pop culture. A film, book, band, or video game, among other things, will be said to have a cult following when it has a small but very passionate fan base...
on the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
, and in particular on discussion forums
Internet forum
An Internet forum, or message board, is an online discussion site where people can hold conversations in the form of posted messages. They differ from chat rooms in that messages are at least temporarily archived...
and blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
s, very soon after debuting on October 9, 2001.
From a technical standpoint the strips are very crude, being assembled from about a dozen simple clip art
Clip art
Clip art, in the graphic arts, refers to pre-made images used to illustrate any medium. Today, clip art is used extensively in both personal and commercial projects, ranging from home-printed greeting cards to commercial candles. Clip art comes in many forms, both electronic and printed. However,...
pictures of office workers (with a few exceptions, most notably Voltron
Voltron
Voltron is the titular super robot of an anime series that features a team of young pilots, known as the Voltron Force. The team’s individual vehicles join together to form the giant super robot, with which they defend the galaxy from evil...
) that recur continually, often in the same strip. Almost all are in red on a white background. Owing to a heavy emphasis on dialogue there is almost no action. Highly disillusioned and cynical, it is heavily laden with expletives
Expletive attributive
Expletive comes from the Latin verb explere, meaning "to fill", via expletivus, "filling out". It was introduced into English in the seventeenth century to refer to various kinds of padding—the padding out of a book with peripheral material, the addition of syllables to a line of poetry for...
.
Get Your War On has been published in book form, with the author's royalties
Royalties
Royalties are usage-based payments made by one party to another for the right to ongoing use of an asset, sometimes an intellectual property...
(as well as part of the publisher's income for the first book) donated to landmine
Land mine
A land mine is usually a weight-triggered explosive device which is intended to damage a target—either human or inanimate—by means of a blast and/or fragment impact....
clearing efforts. It has also been published regularly in Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
and some alternative newspapers
Alternative weekly
An alternative newspaper is a type of newspaper, that eschews comprehensive coverage of general news in favor of stylized reporting, opinionated reviews and columns, investigations into edgy topics and magazine-style feature stories highlighting local people and culture. Their news coverage is more...
. In 2004, Rees was interviewed in the book Attitude 2: The New Subversive Alternative Cartoonists
Attitude: The New Subversive Cartoonists
The Attitude series of books is a series of anthologies of alternative comics, photos and artists' interviews edited by Universal Press Syndicate editorial cartoonist Ted Rall. The books were designed by J. P. Trostle, news editor of EditorialCartoonists.com. Two sequels and three spin-off titles...
, edited by award-winning syndicated editorial cartoonist Ted Rall
Ted Rall
Ted Rall is an American columnist, syndicated editorial cartoonist, and author. His political cartoons often appear in a multi-panel comic-strip format and frequently blend comic-strip and editorial-cartoon conventions. The cartoons appear in approximately 100 newspapers around the United States...
. Attitude 2 included other cartoonists such as Alison Bechdel
Alison Bechdel
Alison Bechdel is an American cartoonist. Originally best known for the long-running comic strip Dykes To Watch Out For, in 2006 she became a best-selling and critically acclaimed author with her graphic memoir Fun Home.-Early life:...
and Aaron McGruder
Aaron McGruder
Aaron McGruder is an American cartoonist best known for writing and drawing The Boondocks, a Universal Press Syndicate comic strip about two young African American brothers from inner-city Chicago now living with their grandfather in a sedate suburb, as well as being the creator and executive...
.
In 2005 it was adapted into a stage performance by Rude Mechanicals
Rude Mechanicals (a.k.a. Rude Mechs)
Rude Mechanicals is a collaborative theater company operating out of Austin, Texas, USA. Founded in 1995, the company has created 25 original plays and produced another 25 premieres and workshops. Since 1999, they have run a theater space called The Off Center, where they premiere all of their work...
of Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
. The performance was revived in the winter of 2006 and began a tour of the country in the fall of 2006. The tour included stops in Houston, Philadelphia, New York, and Washington, D.C.
In 2007, Get Your War On comics were included with the works of Jenny Holzer
Jenny Holzer
Jenny Holzer is an American conceptual artist. Holzer lives and works in Hoosick Falls, New York.-Education:...
and Goya in the DISSENT! exhibition of protest art at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
's Fogg Art Museum
Fogg Art Museum
The Fogg Museum, opened to the public in 1896, is the oldest of Harvard University's art museums. The Fogg joins the Busch-Reisinger Museum and the Arthur M. Sackler Museum as part of the Harvard Art Museums....
.
In 2008, Get Your War On began running as an animated series on the comedy site 23/6
23/6
Huffington Post Comedy 23/6 is a satirical news and opinion website developed by Barry Diller's IAC/InterActiveCorp and The Huffington Post launched on November 9, 2007...
.
Per the author's promise, the strip ended the day that George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
left office, January 20, 2009. Rees continues to maintain a blog, which covers topical political issues.
Royalties from "Get Your War On" and "Get Your War On II" were donated to the charity Adopt-A-Minefield
Adopt-A-Minefield
Adopt-A-Minefield is a United Kingdom-based charity which raises awareness about landmines and their associated problems, and raises funds to clear minefields and help survivors of landmine accidents...
for removal of landmines in Afghanistan.
Critical reaction
The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
has called Get Your War On a "glorious excoriation of our post-9/11 loony bin", while The Miami Herald
The Miami Herald
The Miami Herald is a daily newspaper owned by The McClatchy Company headquartered on Biscayne Bay in the Omni district of Downtown Miami, Florida, United States...
, in their review of the second Get Your War On book, called it "Profane, decidedly anti-war and screamingly funny ... guaranteed to make you laugh yourself sick." Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine has compared Get Your War On to Doonesbury
Doonesbury
Doonesbury is a comic strip by American cartoonist Garry Trudeau, that chronicles the adventures and lives of an array of characters of various ages, professions, and backgrounds, from the President of the United States to the title character, Michael Doonesbury, who has progressed from a college...
and The Boondocks
The Boondocks (TV series)
The Boondocks is an American animated series created by Aaron McGruder on Cartoon Network's late night programing block, Adult Swim, based on McGruder's comic strip of the same name...
, calling it "a fresher (and more R-rated) critique" of the Bush administration.
In book form
- Get Your War On. Brooklyn: Soft Skull, 2002. ISBN 1-887128-76-X
- Get Your War On II. New York: Riverhead, 2004. ISBN 1-59448-048-6
External links
- Official site
- Interview with David Rees in part 1 of February 3, 2007 radio show "Whad'ya know"
- Animated Series on 236.com