Macayne Bock

Macayne Bock graduated from Ohio University in 2023 earning a Bachelor of Arts in history with a minor in political science. Macayne is a second year master's student focusing on nuclear humanities. His studies are inspired by his hometown Waverly, Ohio’s immediate vicinity to one of three original gaseous diffusion uranium enrichment facilities which has now been converted into one of the only two active uranium production facilities in the United States. His ongoing research investigates American political cartoons as cultural artifacts that illuminate public attitudes toward nuclear proliferation and warfare during the Atomic Era. His most recent work is a deep analysis of Herbert Block’s recurring character, Mr. Atom, an anthropomorphic atomic bomb that became a staple in Block's work displaying his staunch stance on antinuclear warfare throughout the Nuclear Arms Race. This work uses Block’s Mr. Atom as a case study to provide a visual medium to assist deeper understanding of the societal anxieties associated with nuclear proliferation and warfare throughout the latter half of the 20th century. Macayne was a recipient of the Kasch Summer Research Grant, which assisted his research visit to the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum at the Ohio State University where he was able to handle and analyze original work from L.D. Warren which includes depictions of another recurring anthropomorphic bomb with similar themes and characterizations as Block’s Mr. Atom.