Incorrigibles and Innocents: Constructing Childhood and Citizenship in Progressive Era Comics

A single-issue academic comic from Rutgers University Press, Incorrigibles and Innocents (2018–present) examines how Progressive Era newspaper strips and comic books constructed ideas of childhood and citizenship. Written by scholars and illustrated by cartoonists, this short work analyzes the cultural tensions between depictions of children as mischievous "incorrigibles" and idealized "innocents." It offers a focused, illustrated primer on the ideological roots of early American comics.