Beetle Bailey (Vietnam War Era Copylore)

Mort Walker’s Beetle Bailey can make a claim to being the syndicated comic strip most often copied in underground and anti-war papers during the Vietnam War era. (Brant Parker & Johnny Hart’s Wizard of Id would likely take second place.) The most popular Beetle Bailey strip to be copied was itself a satire from Mad magazine.

Frank Ridgeway (script), Bob Clarke (art), “If Comic Books Covered the Burning Issues of the Day.” Mad, vol. 1, no. 126, April 1969, p. 21.

The Mad strip, which revealed “GET OUT OF VIETNAM!” written on Bailey’s forehead, was reprinted in Final Flight (Hamilton AFB, no. 4, 1969, p. 1; The Ultimate Weapon (Fort Dix, PA), no. 6, 19 April 1969, p. 7; Open Sights (Washington, DC), vol. 1, no. 3, 18 April 1969, p. 8; Northwest Passage (Bellingham, WA), vol. 1, no. 5, 17 June 1969, p. 19; Other Scenes (New York), vol. 3, no. 16, 1 Nov. 1969, p. 2 (panels 1 & 3 only); We Got the Brass (Frankfurt, Germany), no. 4, 1970; and Rising Up Angry (Chicago), vol. 3, no. 12, March 12-April 1, 1972, p. 12.

The strip, with a relettered message, appeared in Morning Report (Ft. Devens, Groton, MA), 1970, vol. 1, no. 5, p. 1.

Completely redrawn versions of the Mad strip appeared in Fatigue Press (Fort Hood, Austin, TX), issue 15, 1969 [top] p. 14; and USAF [United Servicemen’s Actions for Freedom] (Yellow Springs, OH), vol. 1, no. 2, 1 May 1969, p. 12 [bottom].

Bailey’s forehead message was changed to “GET FUCKED! LIFER” in the following publications: Fun, Travel, Adventure (Fort Knox, KY), no. 7, March 1969, p. 2 [pictured below]; Northwest Passage (Bellingham, WA), vol. 1, no. 5, 17 June 1969, p. 19; Gigline (Fort Bliss, TX), vol. 1, no. 3, Oct. 1969, p. 6; Fatigue Press (Fort Hood, Austin, TX), no. 20, Dec. 1969, p. 3; Fed Up! (Fort Lewis, Tacoma, WA), vol. 1, no. 5, 15 April 1970, p. 7; Navy Times Are Changin’ (North Chicago), vol. 1, no. 3, May 1970, p. 8; Out Now (Long Beach, CA), vol. 1, no. 4, August 1970; Rising Up Angry (Chicago), vol. 2, no. 1, Summer 1970, p. 12; Fatigue Press, no. 26, Sept. 1970, p. 4; Peace (Cambridge, UK), vol. 1, no. 2, 1 Sep. 1970; Napalm (Fort Campbell, KY), vol. 1, no. 5, Nov. 1970, p. 9; Fifth Estate (Detroit), vol. 5, no. 15, Nov. 26-Dec 9, 1970, p. 17; Counter-Attack (New York), vol. 4, no. 1, Dec. 1970, p. 12; Column Left, 1970, p. 4; Semper Fi (Marine Corps Air Station, Iwakuni, Japan), vol. 2, no. 2, 12 Feb. 1971; Every GI Is a POW (Fort Ord, CA), no. 1, March 1971, p. 2; On Korps (Havelock, NC), vol. 1, no. 1, March 1971; Madison Kaleidoscope (WI), vol. 3, no. 13, 12 May 1971, p. 13; Up from the Bottom (San Diego, vol. 1, no.1, Sep. 1971; Fragging Action (Fort Dix, NJ), vol. 1, no. 3, Nov. 1971, p. 7; Gigline (Fort Bliss, Texas), vol. 3, no. 11, Nov. 1971, p. 11; Rage (Camp Lejeune, Jacksonville, NC), vol. 1, no. 2, Nov. 1971, p. 2; SOS News (Oakland, CA), 1971, p. 4; Barrage (Fort Sill, Lawton, OK), #2, January 1972, p. 4; Fun, Travel, Adventure (Fort Knox, KY), vol. 4, no. 6, issue 31, Jan. 1972, p. 11; Fall in at Ease (Tokyo), April 1972, p. 5; Cry Out (Clark AFB, Philippines), vol. 1, no. 4, June 1972, p. 6; Omega Press (Koza, Okinawa, Japan), vol. 2, no. 1, 28 Feb. 1973, p. 6; Liberated Barracks, (Honolulu), no. 1, 1974, p. 11.

“GO TO HELL LIFER!”: GAF (Barksdale AFB, LA), vol. 1, no. 1, 4 July 1969, p. 3. Note: Original panels were placed vertically.

“FTAF”: Travisty (Travis Air Force Base, CA), vol. 2, no. 9, July/Aug 1973, p. 13. FTAF = Fuck the Air Force.

 “STP”: FTA with Pride (Heidelberg, Germany), no. 7, Feb. 1973, p. 1. STP = Stop the Pig; Stop the Pentagon; Serve the People; Seize the Power. Based on the logo for the STP motor oil company. Rising Up Angry (Chicago), vol. 3, no. 1, July 1971, p. 13; Gigline (Fort Bliss, TX), vol. 3, no. 11, Nov. 1971, p. 15.

“FUCK YOU”: The Rag (Chicago), Spring 1973. A “Newsletter for and by Reservists and National Guardspeople,” not to be confused with The Rag out of Austin, Texas.

Original version (“NYAH!”), 21 June 1966.

All the periodicals featured in this post, except Mad magazine, can be accessed at Independent Voices.

Left Flank (Koza, Okinawa, Japan), no. 2, Sep. 1970, p. 15.