Todd DePastino: BILL MAULDIN: A Life Up Front and WILLIE & JOE: The WWII Years: Mr. Media Interview

If you were a dog soldier in World War II, there were probably days when the only thing you had to look forward to was the latest issue of Stars & Stripes and the single-panel cartoons of Bill Mauldin.

Mauldin’s adventures of "Willie & Joe" became legendary for the laughs they brought to America’s soldiers – and the contempt they generated in high ranking officers.

Mauldin was the first artist to make a reputation for himself in the military, always signing his name to his work. Soldiers pledged allegiance to the American flag, baseball, apple pie – and the cartoons of Bill Mauldin.

Todd DePastino brings us a triple-dose of Mauldin to the artists’ legion of fans this year, first with his biography, Bill Mauldin: A Life Up Front from W.W. Norton, and second with Willie & Joe: The WWII Years, a collection of the beloved artist’s cartoons, published in a two-volume deluxe set by Fantagraphics.

You can LISTEN to this Mr. Media interview with TODD DePASTINO by clicking the BlogTalkRadio.com audio player below!

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Copyright 2008 Bob Andelman. Click here for copyright permissions!