Comic book hearings 1954

Until recently, comics were generally considered a secondclass literature, a legacy of wertham and kefauvers 1954. Holds hearings in nyc on the issues of comics in 1954. New research refutes claims wertham made about blue beetle comics in his 1954 book. The comics code authority cca was formed in 1954 by the comics magazine association of america as an alternative to government regulation. Comic books blueprints for delinquency, an article appearing in the readers digest, may 1954 90 10c. Senate subcommittee finds disagreement but thinks public can bring pressure.

Many similarities are evident between the television violence hearings that rowland describes and the earlier comic book hearings. Audio of 1954 juvenile delinquency hearings resurfaces comic. Looking at comic books through the lens of the cold war this concern led to u. Code of the comics magazine association of america, inc. Having failed in his attempt to outlaw crime comics, his vitriol now was directed against the myriad graphic horror comics. Senate hearings and the publishers defensive creation of the comic codes authority in 1954. The comic book hearings killed most nonsuperhero comics in the us, from what i recall especially horror and true crime comics. Full text of juvenile delinquency comic books hearings before the subcommittee to investigate juvenile delinquency of the see other formats. Set at the height of the banned books era in the united states, it follows the comic book hearings of 1954 through the story of a revolutionary. 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 subcommittee on juvenile delinquency holds hearings on whether comic books. Senate subcommittee on juvenile delinquency in 1954 to address the scourge of comic books.

The insane history of how american paranoia ruined and censored. On page 41 of the comic book hearings before the subcommittee to investigate juvenile delinquency, the july 1953 list of the cincinnati committees evaluation of comic books was accurately reprinted. A pivotal moment in comic book history comes to life. Juvenile delinquency comic books hearings before the. Werthams april 1954 testimony against comics was no less damning.

The history of comics censorship in the 1950s has been chronicled in books like david hajdus the ten cent plague, but researcher carol tilley, an assistant professor at the university of illinois, has found some new angles to the story in a surprising place. Warren bernards citations and fredric wertham documents by warren bernard feb 06, 20 when this article was originally conceived, it was not clear whether there was any new ground to cover about the famed senate comic book hearings of 1954. The trade associations comics code authority and its seal of approval were the publishers answer to their critics. The senate investigation crime comic books of the 40s. In 1954, a senate subcommittee on juvenile delinquency met to discuss the problem of horror and crime comic books. Newspaper editorial pages and national magazines debate the influence of comics on the young. Confidential file was aired in 1955, after the senate hearings and the formation of the comics code, but it serves as a perfect example of how the media reacted to the comic book. Religious leaders, civic groups, educators, the press, and government officials have voiced concern since the 19th century over supposed deleterious effects on children of popular culture, from dime novels and motion pictures to comic books, and television. The insane history of how american paranoia ruined and. Hearings turn out to be a witch hunt, bill gaines was the only one who spoke on behalf of comics. Comics price guide was the first online price guide for comic books back in 1995. Frederic wertham, author of the 1954 book seduction of the innocent, which warned. These are the 1954 senate subcommittee hearings into juvenile delinquency, with the special focus on comic books.

In the late 1940s and early 1950s, wertham was the intellectual spearhead of the anti comics crusade, arguing in many articles and his 1954 bestseller, seduction of the innocent, that comic books. At the time of the hendrickson hearings, comic books were a hundredmilliondollarayear business. Comic books were rst on the list of media to be examined by the subcommittee subsequent hearings would investigate the effects of radio and television. Senator estes kefauver of tennessee, who succeeded hendrickson as chairman of the committee, oversaw a series of televised hearings in new york in the spring of 1954. Crime suspenstories 22 a, may 1954 comic book by e. Senate subcommittee on juvenile delinquency holds hearings on whether comic books inspire juvenile delinquency. Though walt had little to do with this funnybookwidely considered the topselling comic book series in historyhe took pride in its excellence and the quality of all the disney comics. The batman tv show pretty much followed in tone what was going on in the comics in otl.

While were unlikely to see two days of anti comics hearings take place on the senate floor today, comics are still targeted by wouldbe censors. These were televised hearings, consisting of a number of us senators calling up and questioning various people in the comic book. University of cincinnati alum ashley kate adams on her. These include most of the first 12 issues of mad, edited by william f. Investigation of juvenile delinquency in the united states. Im not sure what it wouldve done if batman comics were darker in tone. Following the hearings, comic book publishers voluntarily developed new standards of content control. Decency, authority and the dominated expert the advent of comic books in the late.

When the senate committe sic of the judiciary to investigate juvenile delinquency began hearings in new york city in 1954, this particular cover caught the eye of senator estes kefauver. Kefauver led these hearings in the same year he was running for president, could have been for added publicity. The history of the comics code, university press of mississippi, isbn 087805975x. A senate committee report assesses crime and horror comic books. After the senate hearings, comic book publishers banded together to selfpolice the content. Behavioral problems among teenagers and preteens can be blamed on the violence, sex and gore portrayed in the media marketed to them that was the topic of televised public hearings held by the u. Harris peck, and henry edward schultz, general counsel for the association of comic book magazine publishers. See the article in its original context from june, 1954, section e. Flaws found in fredric werthams comicbook studies the. The public hearings took place on april 21, 22, and june 4, 1954, in new york. No longer would lurid and violent themes be allowed in comic books bearing the seal of the comics code. Juvenile delinquency comic books hearings before the united states senate committee on the judiciary, subcommittee to investigate juvenile delinquency in the u. Some 60 years ago, during the era of mccarthyism, comic books became a threat, causing a panic that culminated in a senate hearing in 1954. The kefauver committee had looked into comic books, too, the mandate to.

The insane history of how american paranoia ruined and censored comic books. The cca allowed the comic publishers to selfregulate the content of comic books in the united states. Over three days of hearings, numerous experts were called to testify whether the comics of the day were contributing to an increase in violent crimes among teens. How the code authority kept lgbt characters out of comics. Warren bernards citations and fredric wertham documents. Senate hearings to link juvenile delinquency to comic books and impose censorship on the. Many of the comics researched for the hearing were kept, and covers have been scanned. From our humble beginnings, we have grown to the largest, most complete comic book price guide with well over 1,000,000 comics in our database. The senate subcommittee on juvenile delinquency conducted its investigation of the comic book industry in the spring of 1954. A doctor testified, most of the children that we do see at the psychiatric services of the court are.

Senate held hearings on comic books especially horror titles and their impact upon adolescentswalt spoke out. Designed to resemble a stamp, the seal bore the words approved by the comics code authority, which was the regulatory arm of the comics magazine association of america. Full text of juvenile delinquency comic books hearings before the. Comicbook controversy is a cautionary tale nbc news. Looking at comic books through the lens of the cold war. Senate, eightythird congress, second session, pursuant to s.

Many of the comics researched for the hearing were kept, and covers have been. For all the colorful adversaries that comic books have. Juvenile delinquency comic books hearings before the subcommittee to investigate juvenile delinquency of the. These were televised hearings, consisting of a number of us senators calling up and questioning various people in the comic book industry. Gaines, a witness at the 1954 hearings on comic books. Bill gaines, publisher for ec comics spoke on behalf of the.

They focused on particularly graphic crime and horror comic books of the day. Download citation the kefauver comic book hearings as show trial. Shortly after the hearings, in june, 1954, robert warshow, whose. United states senate subcommittee on juvenile delinquency. Until recently, comics were generally considered a secondclass literature, a legacy of wertham and kefauvers 1954 crusade against them. Theyve just put up two sessions from the opening day of the hearings, but its riveting to listen to this day in history unfold, including both wertham and gaines giving testimony on the stand in the afternoon session. Over three days of hearings, numerous experts were called to testify whether comics of the day were contributing to increased violent crimes in teens. We have values for any marvel, dc, image, idw, darkhorse, or dell comic book that is in your collection. Wertham published the nowinfamous book seduction of the innocent wherein he said, i think hitler was a beginner compared to the comic book industry. This study examines the authoritative voice of fredric wertham and the symbolic politics of the kefauver comic book hearings, with a particular emphasis on how the interests of the comic book publishers made a selfcensorship code an almost predetermined outcome. The premier online comics price guide free comic book values. Full text of juvenile delinquency comic books hearings.