Life, 1918-02-28 · page 31 of 40
Life — February 28, 1918 — page 31: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This WWI-era satirical comic mocks German immigrants and domestic German sympathizers during wartime. The sequence chronicles a supposed German spy's activities: hanging an American flag as cover, filling bombs, cheering at a soldier's death, and finally being caught ("Lights Out"). The title "Of an Enemy Alien" reflects the paranoia of 1917-1918 America toward German-Americans, many branded as potential saboteurs. The progression from patriotic facade (the flag) to revealed treachery (bomb-making) satirizes public fears about hidden enemy agents. The "Banking News" section is satirical commentary on banks' self-promotional press agents, humorously listing depositors by occupation and inventing absurd statistics—mocking the grandiose advertising banks used to attract customers. Both sections employ Life magazine's characteristic ironic humor targeting both genuine concerns (wartime security) and corporate hype (banking publicity).
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“LIFE: CHEERED AT A SOLDER - FILLED MY MADE MORE BomBs - OF AN ENEMY ALIEN DROPPED A — Gome@ IN THE HOLD OF A 5 +six waiters, 351 Banking News If Banks Had “ Live” Press Agents AXONS those who deposited at the Van Bunkman Savings Bank to- day were Jane Cliffjumper, the celebrated movie actress, Senator Po- tatoskin and Rear-Admiral Gasket. Miss Cliffjumper uses perfumed de- posit-slips The Cornsilk Trust Company num- bers among its depositors four hundred and eighty-two politicians, two hundred and sixty-nine college professors, one hundred and eleven police inspectors, seven street-car conductors, ninety-si elevator boys, two thousand and cighty- eighteen blacksmiths, ninety-eight — moving-picture* actors, ecighty-two newspaper reporters, three scenario writers and one poet. The poet inherited it. Horatio L. Gimlet, cashier of the Three Hundred and Eighteenth Na- tional Bank, who played shortstop on the Yarvard football team nine years ago, estimates that if the pass-books which he initials in one year’s time were to be placed end to end, they would stretch three times around the earth, with cnough left over to make paper hats for seven hundred and _ sixty- nine children. Mr. Gimlet is un- married. Charles S. Loganberry, president of the Knothole Trust Company, played golf last Saturday with John D. Walk- enfeller. Mr, Loganberry had Mr. Walkenfeller seven down at the end of the first nine holes; but Mr. Walken- feller took a brace at this point and defeated Mr. Loganberry one up. Mr. Walkenfeller was greatly pleased with his day’s sport, and is thinking of be- coming more closely identified with the Knothole Trust Company. President Primrose of the Gaspipe Safety Deposit and Trust Company is working on a plan whereby the safety- deposit boxes for women shali each contain a stick of lip-salve, an eyebrow accentuator, a bottle of expensive per- fumery and a powder puff. comicbooks.com