A conservative competing in culture...with capitalist comic books?

With the left's domination of American culture, many conservative and libertarian personalities have harped upon the importance of competing in the war of ideas, through both education and entertainment -- or more broadly, culture.

Author Amity Shlaes is doing her part in a way you wouldn't expect from a Great Depression historian and prolific writer: by writing comic books.

[instory-book ISBN="9780061967641"]

Lest you think this is a silly medium, according to Publishers Weekly, graphic novels are currently "the hottest section at the library," with circulation rates far outpacing collection rates. They have even been gaining popularity within the academic community, and according to one Columbia librarian, represent "the most frequently requested material in our Ivy League request system."

In a recent post in National Review, Shlaes lamented that "many of the more serious graphic novels…are reinforcement weapons for progressive, or even outright Marxist, messages." Indeed, there have not been too many "Road to Serfdom"-like comics created of late.

So in order to counter progressives in the economic sphere, Shlaes took her No. 1 New York Times bestseller "The Forgotten Man," an economic history in which she challenged popular pro-government conceptions about the state's handling of the Great Depression via the New Deal and related policies, and converted it into a new graphic novel, released earlier this month.

Through changing the format of her influential book, Shlaes was able to take a serious work grappling with complex concepts -- the damage done in the Depression era to individual liberty, property rights and free markets, and resultant prolonged economic downturn -- and make it accessible and entertaining for everyone.

For more on Shales' new graphic adaptation of "The Forgotten Man," check out Blaze Books' (Facebook, Twitter) full review.

You can also find a sample from the illustrated edition of Shlaes' book below (via The Forgotten Man Tumblr):