Editing Little Orphan Annie (section)

===World War II and Annie's Junior Commandos===
As war clouds gathered, both the Chicago ''Tribune'' and the New York ''Daily News'' advocated neutrality; "Daddy" Warbucks, however, was gleefully manufacturing tanks, planes, and munitions. Journalist James Edward Vlamos deplored the loss of fantasy, innocence, and humor in the "funnies", and took to task one of Gray's sequences about espionage, noting that the "fate of the nation" rested on "Annie's frail shoulders". Vlamos advised readers to "Stick to the saner world of war and horror on the front pages."<ref name="Smith"/>

When the US entered [[World War II]], Annie not only played her part by blowing up a German submarine but organized and led groups of children called the Junior Commandos in the collection of newspapers, scrap metal, and other recyclable materials for the war effort. Annie herself wore an armband emblazoned with "JC" and called herself "Colonel Annie". In real life, the idea caught on, and schools and parents were encouraged to organize similar groups.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Heer |first=Jeet |title=Harold Gray's Little Orphan Annie Volume Ten: The Junior Commandos |date=April 2014 |publisher=IDW Publishing |isbn=978-1-61377-951-4 |location=San Diego, CA |pages=7–8 |language=English}}</ref> Twenty thousand Junior Commandos were reportedly registered in Boston.<ref name="Smith"/>

Gray was praised far and wide for his war effort brainchild. ''[[Editor & Publisher]]'' wrote,

<blockquote>Harold Gray, ''Little Orphan Annie'' creator, has done one of the biggest jobs to date for the scrap drive. His 'Junior Commando' project, which he inaugurated some months ago, has caught on all around the country, and tons of scrap have been collected and contributed to the campaign. The kids sell the scrap, and the proceeds are turned into stamps and bonds.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://strippersguide.blogspot.com/2009/06/news-of-yore-1942-war-work-of.html |author=Monchak, S. J. |date=September 19, 1942 |title=War Work of the Cartoonists: Cartoonists Important Factor In Keeping Nation's Morale |work=Editor & Publisher}}</ref></blockquote>

Not all was rosy for Gray, however. His application for extra gas coupons was denied by the [[Office of Price Administration]], as cartoonists were not deemed essential to the war effort. Gray appealed, but the decision was upheld. Furious, Gray used the strip to criticize the government's decision as well as the clerk who made the original denial, whom he thinly caricatured in the strip. This storyline was controversial, with both sides garnering criticism in local papers. The clerk eventually threatened to sue for libel, and some papers cancelled the strip. Gray showed no remorse, but did discontinue the sequence.<ref name="Smith"/>

Gray was criticized by a Southern newspaper for including a black child among the white children in the Junior Commandos. In his reply, Gray denied being a reformer, but pointed out that Annie was a friend to all, and his inclusion of a black character, was "merely a casual gesture toward a very large block of readers." African-American readers wrote letters to Gray thanking him for the incorporation of a black child in the strip, although no record survives of any replies from Gray.<ref name="Smith"/>

In the summer of 1944, [[Franklin Delano Roosevelt]], whom Gray despised, was nominated for a fourth term as President of the United States. Gray responded with a dramatic month-long storyline that ended with Warbucks dying of a jungle fever. Readers were generally unhappy with Gray's decision to kill off the character, although one New York Man wrote to suggest that Annie also be killed off and the strip ended.<ref name="Smith" />

By the following November, Annie was working as a maid in an abusive home. The public begged Gray to have mercy on Annie; instead, he had her framed for her mistress's murder, though she was later exonerated. Following Roosevelt's death in April 1945, Gray resurrected Warbucks with the explanation that he had only been playing dead to thwart his enemies, and once again the billionaire began expounding the joys of [[capitalism]].<ref name="Smith" />