Subcommittee to investigate comic books and juvenile. Intro to the hearings, descriptions of crime and horror comic book stories. They focused on particularly graphic crime and horror comic books of the day, and their potential impact on juvenile delinquency. Comic book code of 1954 wikisource, the free online library. They were all untested books, and the publishers were not inclined to do a big print run for fear of having them returned. Comic books are successful almost from their inception in the early 1930s, but also subject to attack by critics for the low quality of the art and writing, and for the. By joe izenman the 1954 senate subcommittee hearings examining the possible relationship between comics and juvenile delinquency remain the most significant moment in the history of comic book censorship. A comprehensive examination of the precode horror comic books of. Here are the 15 most controversial comic book covers of all time. Following the hearings, comic book publishers voluntarily developed new standards of content control. A federal judge determined in 2008 and 2009 that the writers heirs.
Senate hearings into the bad influence of comic books. The industry formed a new trade association and formulated a new code to selfcensor content. Senate subcommittee on juvenile delinquency in 1954 to address the scourge of comic books. Murphy 19101992, a specialist in juvenile delinquency, to head the organization and devise a selfpolicing code of ethics and standards for the industry.
The book is well written and illustrated with more than fifty fullpage blackandwhite reproductions of comic books from superman to the. In the end, careers were ruined, companies went out of business, and comics fell under a strict censorship regime for decades. United states senate subcommittee on juvenile delinquency. Juvenile delinquency comic books hearings before the subcommittee to investigate juvenile delinquency of the by united states. The public hearings took place on april 21, 22, and june 4, 1954, in new york. How fredric wertham public backlash and the 1954 senate delinquency. Audio of 1954 juvenile delinquency hearings resurfaces comic. Though it violated the code, he published a spiderman series with a character who had a serious drug abuse problem as a way to dissuade young people from using drugs. Audrey is a preservation specialist in the motion picture preservation lab and writes for the unwritten record. Treatment of youth culture is largely by inference. Click on any image to see links to licensing and related cartoons. Since reading comic book nation, ive rediscovered the joy of comics. Congressman john lewis is featured in a new comic book being read by students in school.
The supreme court comics and cartoons the cartoonist group. Marvel comics editor and writer stan lee took a stand against censorship and encouraged modernization of the comics code authority which banned certain words and depictions. Full text of juvenile delinquency comic books hearings. Audio of 1954 juvenile delinquency hearings resurfaces. Arkham city 2011 draw on familiar comic book narratives, themes and characters to situate players in a world of. They focused on particularly graphic crime and horror comic books of the day. Wikipedia article, commons category, wikidata item. With no actual evidence proving causality, plaintiffs rely on anecdotal, onesided, and unverified hearsay see the blogs cheat sheet here such as adverse event reports. Pdf the amazing spiderman and the evolution of the. These are available to license for books, magazines, merchandise, newsletters, presentations and websites. Full text of juvenile delinquency comic books hearings before the subcommittee to investigate juvenile delinquency of the see other formats. Writer and artist larry hama is famed in comic books for his long runs on g. The supreme court comics and cartoons collected from thirtyfive of the best cartoonists.
Legal the 9th circuit court of appeals will hear arguments today on whether a negotiated 2001 deal dc comics should prevent the daughter of superman cocreator jerry siegel from reclaiming his portion of the rights to the man of steel under a provision of u. Richard cledenen executive director, us senate subcommittee to investigate juvenile delinquency. Throughout that lengthy history, comics and cartoons have also been a subject of controversy, censorship, legislation, and litigation. The event took place on april 21, 1954, at the foley square u. If the fbi had chosen to act upon this information in 1952, then history might have been forever altered in regards to the senate hearings into comic books in 1954, but, as noted, kefauver had protection at the highest level and the senate investigation into juvenile delinquency was one that hoover and the fbi gleefully leapt into with gusto. It was after these hearings that many comics were censored and banned. Charlie brown is no longer the object of patty and violets affectionderision, more likeand his pattern of losing continues. Selling in the millions each year for the past six decades, comic books have figured prominently in the childhoods of most americans alive today. So a comic book might have an initial print run of 250,000.
A case study of the comic book legal defense fund marc h. This article is a case study of the work of the comic book legal defense fund cbldf, a new yorkbased nonprofit organization which provides legal defense for comic artists, collectors, distributors and retailers who find themselves facing civil andor criminal penalties for the creation, sale and even ownership of comics, cartoons, graphic. When i was a kid in the 1960s, most of the comics i. Brief of respondent for schwarzenegger, gov of ca v. The appeals court comics and cartoons collected from thirtyfive of the best cartoonists. The senate investigation crime comic books of the 40s. Harris peck, and henry edward schultz, general counsel for the association of comic book magazine publishers. The most collectible comics from the golden age are always issue number one of a title. On this day, in 1954, the senate judiciary committees subcommittee to investigate juvenile delinquency was closing out a second day of hearings. It is like senator hendrickson in the 1954 comic book hearings alleging that reading comic books causes juvenile delinquency. A senate committee report assesses crime and horror comic.
This is a sweeping and ambitious history that is successful in explaining the business of comic book publishing and the ways in which the writers, artists, and publishers created an alternative world that appeals to many youthful. Hearings before the subcommittee on juvenile delinquency, 83d cong. Publication of the arizona highway department featuring stories and art with western themes. Fredic wertham, seduction of the innocent, william moulton marston, wonder woman 0 i am quite tired of people looking at me funny when i tell them i am an avid comic book reader. This is a boy reading a comic book getty imageshutton archive. Most controversial comic covers of all time screenrant. For the april 1954 hearings, showing several representative comic book covers time magazine. In 1954, the senate subcommittee on juvenile delinquency conducted hearings on comic books and warned the industry that if selfregulation did not prove to be effective, other ways and means would be found to protect children. The kefauver committee had looked into comic books, too, the. Jeff trexler delves into the legal strategy behind the attorneys. A minor bestseller, it alarms parents, teachers and moral guardians and galvanized them to campaign for comics censorship.
The second volume of fantagraphics books monumental complete peanuts series covers 195354, and the visual style and character development is closer to the kids we know and love, as they try to exist in a grownup world. In june of 1954, the senate subcommittee on juvenile delinquency held an investigation of crime and horror comic books. Senate committee on the judiciary, comic books and juvenile delinquency, interim report, 1955 washington, d. The insane history of how american paranoia ruined and censored. Us congress, senate 1954 juvenile delinquency comic books. Today i indulged in more of the fan aspect of nycc, but one presentationa history of the comic book legal defense fundcaught the librarian eye. In the wake of the hoopla, and growing concern among drugstores and other retailers fearing a public backlash, us magazine publishers agreed in 1954 to a.
The front page of the report, with listing of the committee members and the table of contents. Over three days of hearings, numerous experts were called to testify whether comics of the day were contributing to increased violent crimes in teens. The history of the comics code 2344 university of mississippi 1998 discussing the controversy over comic book content in the 1940s. Warren bernards citations and fredric wertham documents. Intellectual continue reading new york comiccon day 2. Decades later, december 1993 saw congress launch a series of hearings on the issue of violence in video games. Anxiety over comic books grew as the pulp fiction crime and horror genre. Science fiction stories by frank herbert, john jakes, robert bloch, milton lesser, w. The comics magazine association of america cmaa was formed in september 1954 in response to a widespread public concern over gory and horrific comicbook content. Hearings before the senate subcomittee on juvenile delinquency.
The 1954 senate subcommittee hearings examining the possible. United states senate subcommittee on juvenile delinquency hearings on the comic book. Advertisement theres still a taint, says bill liebowitz, owner of three golden apple comic book stores. Juvenile delinquency comic books hearings before the. The friday of nycc is the first official day of the con, which means a lot more people and a lot more panels. It was removed from this site for a couple of years due to a reprint sale, but its back now. The book warns that comic books are a negative form of popular literature and a serious cause of juvenile delinquency. There were senate hearings and comic book burnings. Legal a federal judge this week made final his oct. The senate subcommittee on juvenile delinquency conducted its investigation of the comic book industry in the spring of 1954. Crime and horror comics may appeal to and thus give support and sanction to. The committee held three days of hearings in new york city the location selected because most of the comic book publishers were based there, called twentytwo witnesses, and accepted thirtythree exhibits as evidence. Senate special committee to investigate organized crime in interstate commerce, a compilation of information and suggestions.
Marvel comics genius stan lee turned outcasts into. I think it ought to be possible to determine once and for all what is in these comic books and i think. The appeals court comics and cartoons the cartoonist group. Greenberg cartoons and comics have been a part of american culture since this nations formation.