The Arabist

The Arabist

By Issandr El Amrani and friends.

Cartoonist sought for propaganda job

From Harper's. a job ad for a comic book artist interested in producing Arabic-language propaganda for Middle Eastern children:
In order to achieve long-term peace and stability in the Middle East, the youth need to be reached. One effective means of influencing youth is through the use of comic books. A series of comic books provides the opportunity for youth to learn lessons, develop role models, and improve their education.

The Contractor shall provide development of an original comic-book series. Knowledge of Arabic language and culture, law enforcement, and small-unit military operations is desired. The comic books will be produced in Arabic so the boxes will have to follow a sequence of right to left and top to bottom. The series will be based on the security forces, military, and police, and set in the near future in the Middle East. If the subject matter for a specific comic does not do well in its intended focus group then it may be dropped and/or a new basis for the comic will be selected.

A designated representative of the U.S. Army will provide thematic guidance, cultural expertise, and oversight to the Contractor. Additionally, photos of regional architecture, vehicles, and people, which will serve as a basis for the artwork, will be provided.

This will be a collaborative effort with representatives of the U.S. Army who have already done initial character and plot development.
Knowledge of Arabic language and culture, law enforcement, and small-unit military operations is desired. That's a tough one.

[Totally unrelated to this or anything else for that matter, I highly recommend reading Robert Crumb's trippy "The Religious Experience of Philip K. Dick" if you're into bizarre comics.]