The New Adventures of Hitler
Encyclopedia
The New Adventures of Hitler was a highly controversial comic
series written by Grant Morrison
and drawn by Steve Yeowell
which first appeared in Cut, a Scottish arts magazine in 1989 before being reprinted in the anthology
Crisis in 1990.
(one scene has Hitler opening a cupboard to find Morrissey
singing "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now
") strip based on the claims of Hitler's sister-in-law Bridget Dowling
that Hitler had lived with her, her husband Alois Hitler, Jr.
, and her son William Patrick Hitler
in Liverpool
from 1912 to 1913. It first appeared in Cut, a Scottish arts and culture magazine and became instantly controversial, and some accused Morrison of being a Nazi
due to his use of Hitler in what was essentially a humorous story.
The resulting controversy saw Pat Kane
, the lead singer of the band Hue and Cry
as well as one of the magazine's editors, threaten to walk off the magazine and indulge in a public war of words with Morrison over his intentions with the strip. The debate widened to cover freedom of speech
issues and became a nationwide news story when the tabloid newspaper The Sun
got hold of the story. The New Adventures of Hitler completed its run in Cut but the controversy continued when the story was reprinted in Crisis in 1990.
Crisis was a spin off from 2000 AD which printed more adult-oriented work and The New Adventures of Hitler fit in with the themes of the magazine. However the controversy which had surrounded the story in Cut continued with the strip's reprinting in Crisis. The story ran from Crisis in issues 46-49 and a proposed collected edition by IPC never appeared. Morrison himself had planned to set up his own imprint to self-publish some of his work, including The New Adventures of Hitler, but nothing came of the idea.
Comics
Comics denotes a hybrid medium having verbal side of its vocabulary tightly tied to its visual side in order to convey narrative or information only, the latter in case of non-fiction comics, seeking synergy by using both visual and verbal side in...
series written by Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison is a Scottish comic book writer, playwright and occultist. He is known for his nonlinear narratives and counter-cultural leanings, as well as his successful runs on titles like Animal Man, Doom Patrol, JLA, The Invisibles, New X-Men, Fantastic Four, All-Star Superman, and...
and drawn by Steve Yeowell
Steve Yeowell
Steve Yeowell is a British comics artist, well-known for his work on the long-running science fiction and fantasy weekly comic 2000 AD.-Biography:...
which first appeared in Cut, a Scottish arts magazine in 1989 before being reprinted in the anthology
Comics anthology
Comics anthologies collect works in the medium of comics that are too short for standalone publication.- U.S. :- UK :British comics have a long tradition publishing comics anthologies, often weekly...
Crisis in 1990.
Publication history
The New Adventures of Hitler was a satirical and surrealSurrealism
Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
(one scene has Hitler opening a cupboard to find Morrissey
Morrissey
Steven Patrick Morrissey , known as Morrissey, is an English singer and lyricist. He rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the alternative rock band The Smiths. The band was highly successful in the United Kingdom but broke up in 1987, and Morrissey began a solo career,...
singing "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now
Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now
"Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" is a single by The Smiths that reached #10 on the UK Singles Chart in June 1984 before its inclusion on the compilation album, Hatful of Hollow...
") strip based on the claims of Hitler's sister-in-law Bridget Dowling
Bridget Dowling
Bridget Elizabeth Hitler, née Dowling was Adolf Hitler's sister-in-law via her marriage to Alois Hitler, Jr. She was the mother of Alois Hitler's son William Patrick Hitler...
that Hitler had lived with her, her husband Alois Hitler, Jr.
Alois Hitler, Jr.
Alois Hitler, Jr., born Alois Matzelsberger , was the son of Alois Hitler and Franziska Matzelsberger, and was the half-brother of Adolf Hitler.-Early life:...
, and her son William Patrick Hitler
William Patrick Hitler
William Patrick "Willy" Stuart-Houston was the nephew of Adolf Hitler. Born to Adolf's half-brother Alois Hitler, Jr., and his first wife Bridget Dowling, William later moved to Germany and subsequently escaped, eventually going to the United States where he enlisted to fight in World War...
in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
from 1912 to 1913. It first appeared in Cut, a Scottish arts and culture magazine and became instantly controversial, and some accused Morrison of being a Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
due to his use of Hitler in what was essentially a humorous story.
The resulting controversy saw Pat Kane
Pat Kane
Pat Kane is a Scottish musician, and half of the pop duo Hue and Cry with his younger brother Greg.Independently of Hue & Cry, lead singer Kane writes on politics and culture...
, the lead singer of the band Hue and Cry
Hue and Cry
Hue and Cry is a pop duo formed in 1983 in Coatbridge, Scotland by the brothers Pat Kane and Greg Kane . They had a number of modest hits in the UK Singles Chart in the late 1980s, and early 1990s, and have released sixteen albums from 1987 to date.-Career:Their first single "Here Comes...
as well as one of the magazine's editors, threaten to walk off the magazine and indulge in a public war of words with Morrison over his intentions with the strip. The debate widened to cover freedom of speech
Freedom of speech
Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without censorship. The term freedom of expression is sometimes used synonymously, but includes any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used...
issues and became a nationwide news story when the tabloid newspaper The Sun
The Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
got hold of the story. The New Adventures of Hitler completed its run in Cut but the controversy continued when the story was reprinted in Crisis in 1990.
Crisis was a spin off from 2000 AD which printed more adult-oriented work and The New Adventures of Hitler fit in with the themes of the magazine. However the controversy which had surrounded the story in Cut continued with the strip's reprinting in Crisis. The story ran from Crisis in issues 46-49 and a proposed collected edition by IPC never appeared. Morrison himself had planned to set up his own imprint to self-publish some of his work, including The New Adventures of Hitler, but nothing came of the idea.