Irving David Breger (April 15, 1908 – January 16, 1970) was an American cartoonist who created the syndicated ''Mister Breger'' (1945–1970), a

gag panel A gag cartoon (also panel cartoon, single-panel cartoon, or gag panel) is most often a single-panel cartoon, usually including a caption beneath the drawing. A pantomime cartoon carries no caption. In some cases, dialogue may appear in speech bal ...

series and Sunday comic strip known earlier as ''Private Breger'' and ''

G.I. Joe ''G.I. Joe'' is an American media franchise and a line of action figures owned and produced by the toy company Hasbro. The initial product offering represented four of the branches of the U.S. armed forces with the Action Soldier ( U.S. Army), Ac ...

''. The series led to widespread usage of the term "G.I. Joe" during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

and later.''Famous Artists and Writers'', King Features Syndicate, 1949.
Dave Breger was his signature and the byline on his books. During

, his cartoons were signed Sgt. Dave Breger.

Early life

Growing up in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, where he was born of native Russian parents, butcher Benjamin Breger and Sophie Passin Breger, only a few weeks after they arrived in the United States from Ukraine. As a youth, Breger had encounters with the local gangsters while working at his father's sausage factory. In 1926, he acquired his high school diploma from Crane Technical School, where he drew cartoons signed Irving Breger for the school paper. He studied architectural engineering at the University of Illinois and then transferred to

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

, where he edited the campus humor magazine, ''Purple Parrot'', while studying pre-med and psychology. He had no schooling in art or cartooning, and his college cartoons were drawn in a style similar to

John Held, Jr. John James Held Jr. (January 10, 1889 – March 2, 1958) was an American cartoonist, printmaker, illustrator, sculptor, and author. One of the best-known magazine illustrators of the 1920s, his most popular works were his uniquely styled ...

Harvey, Robert C. ''American National Biography: Supplement 2''. Oxford University Press, 2005. Graduating from Northwestern in 1931 with a degree in abnormal psychology, he spent a year traveling the world, visiting Russia and Africa; during that period he sold cartoons to the German magazine, ''Lustige Blätter''. He returned to Chicago and the sausage stockyard, rising to the position of office manager of his father's firm, where he devised the company slogan, "Our Wurst Is the Best". His first marriage, with fashion model Evelyn Breger, lasted five years. In 1937, after receiving a $30 check from ''

The Saturday Evening Post ''The Saturday Evening Post'' is an American magazine, currently published six times a year. It was issued weekly under this title from 1897 until 1963, then every two weeks until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely ...

'', Breger arrived in New York and began freelancing to '' Collier's'', '' Parade'', '' This Week'', '' Esquire'', ''Click'' and ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

''.

World War II

Early in 1941, he was drafted into the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

and sent to

Camp Livingston Camp may refer to: Outdoor accommodation and recreation * Campsite or campground, a recreational outdoor sleeping and eating site * a temporary settlement for nomads * Camp, a term used in New England, Northern Ontario and New Brunswick to descri ...

in Louisiana, where he repaired trucks. He drew at night in the bakery or while sitting in a truck with netting overhead to keep the bugs away. ''The Saturday Evening Post'', under the heading ''Private Breger'', began publishing these cartoons as a series starting August 30, 1941. The Army became aware of his talent and transferred him to the

Special Services Division Special Services was the entertainment branch of the American military. The unit was created on 22 July 1940 by the War Department as part of the Army Service Forces. Special Services not only used its own specially trained and talented troops b ...

in New York, where he married Brooklyn-born art agent Dorathy Lewis on January 9, 1942. In the early spring of 1942, he was assigned to the New York staff of ''

Yank, the Army Weekly ''Yank, the Army Weekly'' was a weekly magazine published by the United States military during World War II. History The idea for the magazine came from Egbert White, who had worked on the newspaper Stars and Stripes during World War I. He ...

''. ''Yank'' wanted Breger to do cartoons like those in ''The Saturday Evening Post'', but the editors asked him to devise a new title. He came up with the title ''

'' from the military term "Government Issue", and the character's full name was Joe Trooper. His ''G.I. Joe'' cartoon series began in the first issue of ''Yank'' (June 17, 1942). That summer, Breger arrived in the UK in 1942 as one of the first two ''Yank'' correspondents, covering the American military in England as a photo-journalist, while also producing his weekly ''G.I. Joe'' cartoon for ''Yank''. King Features Syndicate took an interest and signed Breger on to do a ''Private Breger'' (aka ''Private Breger Abroad'') daily panel for domestic distribution. It was launched October 19, 1942 and continued until October 13, 1945. He soon became one of the most famous and widely read of the World War II cartoonists, and the term "G.I. Joe" was adopted first by soldiers and then the homefront as the popular term for the American foot soldier. (Hasbro's

is a different character, developed by

Larry Hama Larry Hama (; born June 7, 1949) is an American comic-book writer, artist, actor, and musician who has worked in the fields of entertainment and publishing since the 1960s. During the 1970s, he was seen in minor roles on the TV shows ''M*A*S*H'' ...

and trademarked as "G.I. Joe, A Real American Hero.") In 1942, Breger illustrated the sheet music for

Irving Berlin Irving Berlin (born Israel Beilin; yi, ישראל ביילין; May 11, 1888 – September 22, 1989) was a Russian-American composer, songwriter and lyricist. His music forms a large part of the Great American Songbook. Born in Imperial Russ ...

's "I Left My Heart at the Stage Door Canteen".

''G.I. Jerry''

Breger also produced ''G.I. Jerry'', satirical cartoons about

Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

and others in the

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

regime. There also was a

postcard A postcard or post card is a piece of thick paper or thin cardboard, typically rectangular, intended for writing and mailing without an envelope. Non-rectangular shapes may also be used but are rare. There are novelty exceptions, such as wood ...

series titled ''Private Breger''. The character remained a private throughout World War II, while Breger himself was promoted through the ranks to corporal, sergeant and eventually lieutenant. His August 25, 1945 cartoon was signed Lt. Dave Breger, indicating his final military rank. From 1943 to 1946, ''Private Breger'' was reprinted in David McKay's ''

Ace Comics ''Ace Comics'' was a comic book series published by David McKay Publications between 1937 and 1949 — starting just before the Golden Age of Comic Books. The title reprinted syndicated newspaper strips owned by King Features Syndicate, follow ...

'' (1943–46) and ''Magic Comics'' (1945).

''Mister Breger''

Returning to civilian life after World War II, Breger also had his character become a civilian. Private Breger was discharged, and on October 22, 1945, the title was altered from ''Private Breger'' to ''Mister Breger''. The ''Mister Breger'' Sunday strip was added on February 3, 1946. Vacationers could write friends with the set of ''Mister Breger'' postcards, ''Mister Breger on Vacation''. Recurring themes in the strips and panels included jail, weddings and Breger employed as a bank teller. In one cartoon, Breger predicted that since television showed so many old movies, the day would come when movie theaters would turn to vintage television for product. This prediction came true with the advent of such TV-based films as '' Mission: Impossible'' and '' Star Trek''. ''Mister Breger'' also received comic book reprints in ''

The Katzenjammer Kids ''The Katzenjammer Kids'' is an American comic strip created by Rudolph Dirks in 1897 and later drawn by Harold Knerr for 35 years (1914 to 1949).Popeye Popeye the Sailor Man is a fictional cartoon character created by Elzie Crisler Segar.Beetle Bailey ''Beetle Bailey'' is an American comic strip created by cartoonist Mort Walker, published since September 4, 1950. It is set on a fictional United States Army post. In the years just before Walker's death in 2018 (at age 94), it was among the old ...

'' (1969) and ''Flint Comix and Entertainment'' (2009–10). In 1946, Breger became a founding member of the National Cartoonists Society. Dave and Dorathy Breger settled in

West Nyack, New York West Nyack is a hamlet and census-designated place in the town of Clarkstown, Rockland County, New York, United States. It is located north of Blauvelt, east of Nanuet, southwest of Valley Cottage, southeast of Bardonia, and west of Central ...

, where they had three children—Dee, Lois and Harry. They were, according to Breger, "all three artistic".National Cartoonists Society
In the 1960s, Breger taught a cartooning course at New York University, developing his lesson plans into a book, ''How to Draw and Sell Cartoons'' (1966). When Breger died in 1970, he was cremated at Ferncliff Cemetery in

Hartsdale, New York Hartsdale is a hamlet located in the town of Greenburgh, Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 5,293 at the 2010 census. It is a suburb of New York City. History Hartsdale, a CDP/hamlet/post-office in the town of Green ...

. ''Mister Breger'' continued to run as a daily panel until March 21, 1970. The final Sunday was published the following day, two months after his death.

Books

Between 1942 and 1951, Breger did five books collecting his Army cartoons. ''Private Breger in Britain'' (1944), published in London by Pilot Press Ltd., included an introductory discussion on Anglo-American humor between Breger and Michael Barsley. ''Squads, Write'' was a 1951 postcard book with 32 cards printed 6" × 11" on postcard quality paper. In ''But That's Unprintable'' (1955) Breger wrote about newspaper and magazine taboos and illustrated his text with 135 unpublished cartoons by leading cartoonists, including Bo Brown,

Milton Caniff Milton Arthur Paul Caniff (; February 28, 1907 – April 3, 1988) was an American cartoonist famous for the ''Terry and the Pirates'' and ''Steve Canyon'' comic strips. Biography Caniff was born in Hillsboro, Ohio. He was an Eagle Scout and a r ...

Irwin Caplan Irwin Caplan (May 24, 1919 – February 22, 2007), nicknamed Cap, was an American illustrator, painter, designer and cartoonist, best known as the creator of ''The Saturday Evening Post'' cartoon series, ''Famous Last Words'', which led to newspap ...

, Eric Ericson, Stan Fine, Rube Goldberg, Leo Garel,

Don Flowers Don Flowers (1908–1968) was an American cartoonist best known for his syndicated panel ''Glamor Girls''. Flowers was noted for his fluid ink work, prompting Coulton Waugh to write that Flowers displayed "about the finest line ever bequeathed ...

, Phil Interlandi,

Reamer Keller Charles Reamer Keller (January 11, 1905 – January 17, 1994), better known as Reamer Keller, was an American cartoonist. He often drew 50 cartoons a week and routinely published a thousand cartoons annually for decades.''Portsmouth Times'' Biog ...

, Fred Lundy,

Jack Markow Jack Markow (1905-1983) was an American cartoonist who also wrote instructional books about cartooning, comic strips and comic art. For three years, he was the cartoon editor of '' Argosy''. Born in London, Markow was a New Yorker from the age ...

, Charles E. Martin,

Fred Neher Fred Neher (September 29, 1903 – September 22, 2001) was an American cartoonist best known for his syndicated gag panel, ''Life's Like That'', which offered a humorous look at human nature, with a focus on American society and family life, for ...

Russell Patterson Russell Patterson (December 26, 1893 – March 17, 1977) was an American cartoonist, illustrator and scenic designer. Patterson's art deco magazine illustrations helped develop and promote the idea of the 1920s and 1930s fashion style known as t ...

Mort Walker Addison Morton Walker (September 3, 1923 – January 27, 2018) was an American comic strip writer, best known for creating the newspaper comic strips ''Beetle Bailey'' in 1950 and ''Hi and Lois'' in 1954. He signed Addison to some of his strips. ...

and George Wolfe. The material is arranged in such chapters as bodily functions, clothing, death, mental illness, sex and words.

Awards and exhibitions

Northwestern University honored him in 1946 with an Alumni Merit Award for distinguishing himself in his field of endeavor. An exhibition of Breger cartoons, ''WWII and Private Breger'', was displayed at Syracuse University's Ernest S. Bird Library from February 28 to April 6, 1979. Syracuse University Library's Special Collections Research Center has Breger's papers (more than 90 items of correspondence) plus 2,414 of his cartoons, including 377 of the World War II cartoons. There is also a collection at the Library of Congress.

Bibliography

* ''Private Breger: His Adventures in an Army Camp''. Rand McNally and Co., 1942. (Collects The Saturday Evening Post '' cartoons) * ''Private Breger's War: His Adventures in Britain and at the Front''. Random House, 1944. * ''Private Breger in Britain''. London: Pilot Press Ltd., 1944. * ''Give Out: Songs of, by and for the Men in Service''. Femack Company, 1942. * ''The Original G.I. Joe'' (''Private Breger''). Garden City, New York: Blue Ribbon Books, 1945. * ''Squads, Write!'' (1951) * ''But That's Unprintable''. Bantam Books, 1955. * ''How to Draw and Sell Cartoons''. G. P. Putnam's, 1966.

References

Sources

* Strickler, Dave. ''Syndicated Comic Strips and Artists, 1924–1995: The Complete Index.'' Cambria, California: Comics Access, 1995.

External links

14 ''G.I. Jerry'' panelsDailyINK: "Ask the Archivist: Memorial Day Salute" (May 30, 2012)

The Ohio State University Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum Art Database
{{DEFAULTSORT:Breger 1908 births 1970 deaths American comics artists American comic strip cartoonists G.I. Joe American people of Russian-Jewish descent Jewish American writers Artists from Chicago