1954 comic book hearings

Detective comics or dc has survived major recessions, the 1954 comic book hearings which resulted in the comic code authority, eras of floundering sales, and mediocre batman v superman. Rip, comics code authority seal of approval, 1954 2011 in 1954, comic book publishers created the comics code to stave off government censorship. The senate subcommittee on juvenile delinquency hearings in april 1954, which focused specifically on comic books, had many publishers concerned about government regulation, prompting them to form a selfregulatory body instead. From the fall of 1954 through the summer of 1955, laws restricting the sale of comic books were passed in more than a dozen states, and there were also public comic book burnings. The basic personality of a child is established before he reaches the age of comicbook reading. In 1954 the senate subcommittee on juvenile delinquency conducted an investigation into how the comic book industry was supposedly contributing to the moral decay of a nations youth. 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. Comic books blueprints for delinquency, an article appearing in the readers digest, may 1954 90 10c. Fredric wertham s sensational book, seduction of the innocent, set the medium back 50 years. Feb 20, 20 drawing from his own clinical research and pointed interpretations of comicbook story. May 17, 2016 80 years is a lot of history, roughly equivalent to that of the average human lifespan. A pivotal moment in comic book history comes to life.

Long beach comic con and captured aural phantasy theater will. Full text of juvenile delinquency comic books hearings before the subcommittee to investigate juvenile delinquency of the see other formats. These two days would prove a pivotal period in comics history, lead. 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 exhi. Mar, 2015 the insane history of how american paranoia ruined and censored comic books. Senate subcommittee on juvenile delinquency holds hearings on whether comic books inspire juvenile delinquency.

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 industry, and. I listened to them this weekend, and while ive read the transcripts several times and seen all of the major quotes over and over again, actually hearing them is a whole new experience. The 1954 senate subcommittee hearings examining the possible. The cryptkeeper was the primary host of tales from the crypt. Harris pack, henry edward schultz and senator estes kefauver, whose witch hunt against comics, aided by dr. The code was voluntary, there was no law requiring its use, although some advertisers and retailers looked.

Sep 03, 2012 you can listen to fredric wertham and bill gaines at the 1954 comic book hearings posted by tim hanley september 3, 2012 posted in comics tags. Gaines, a witness at the 1954 hearings on comic books. You can listen to fredric wertham and bill gaines at the 1954. Jan 29, 2020 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 librarian named rae lee who forges an. 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. Full text of juvenile delinquency comic books hearings. 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. Twomey no other medium of american popular culture has been subjected to such widespread, vehement, and continuing attack as the socalled comicbooks. These were televised hearings, consisting of a number of us senators calling up and questioning various people in the comic book industry. The now mostly forgotten great comic book scare of 1954 foreshadowed recent debates over the cause and proper response to mass killings. Comic book confidential does contain snippets of the televised hearings.

For two days in april 1954 senators heard testimony from child psychologists, comic book publishers, and cartoonists seeking insight into whether comics required government regulation. I did not find anything in the paley centers catalog. The cca was created in 1954 as part of the cmaa in response to public concern about what was deemed inappropriate material in many comic books. The senate subcommittee on juvenile delinquency conducted its investigation of the comic book industry in the spring of 1954. This comic book cover was blown up three feet by six feet and displayed and featured in that 1954 senate investigation into crime comic books. While it is not presumed to be comprehensive of the material that can be explored in this field, this interim report is based upon the public hearings in new york city on april 21, 22, and june 4, 1954, and upon research by members of the staff of the subcommittee. I dont believe anything that has ever been written can make a child overaggressive or delinquent.

United states senate subcommittee on juvenile delinquency. History of comics censorship, part 1 comic book legal. As has already been pointed out by previous testimony, a little healthy, normal child has never been made worse for reading comic magazines. Crime suspenstories 22 a, may 1954 comic book by e. Before the cca was adopted, some cities already had organized public burnings and bans on comic books. Comics on trial in response to the public outcry raised by wertham in popular magazines and seduction of the innocent, comics were put on trial by the united states government in 1954 by the senate judiciary committees subcommittee to investigate juvenile delinquency. The kefauver committee had looked into comic books, too, the mandate to. University of cincinnati alum ashley kate adams on her. The professional rivalry among these three ghoulunatics was often played for comic effect. 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. The senate investigation crime comic books of the 40s and 50s. The insane history of how american paranoia ruined and.

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. Flaws found in fredric werthams comicbook studies the. Code of the comics magazine association of america, inc. See the article in its original context from may 28, 1954, page 15 buy reprints. The senate investigation crime comic books of the 40s. Juvenile delinquency comic books hearings before the subcommittee to investigate juvenile delinquency of the. 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. Fredric wertham, ec comics, estes kefauver, juvenile delinquency, seduction of the innocent, senate hearings. 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.

The mlk graphic novel that inspired generations of civil. The 1954 senate subcommittee hearings on juvenile delinquency. 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. This is a very special comic book and an iconic comic book cover. Q collection comic book preservation project facebook. Many of the comics researched for the hearing were kept, and covers have been. From the fall of 1954 through the summer of 1955, laws restricting the sale of comic books were passed in more than a dozen states, and there were also public comicbook burnings. Audio of 1954 juvenile delinquency hearings resurfaces comic. A doctor testified, most of the children that we do see at the psychiatric services of the court are. This is just the first day, with all the superstars. 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. In 1954, a senate subcommittee on juvenile delinquency met to discuss the problem of horror and crime comic books.

Full text of juvenile delinquency comic books hearings before the. Sep 16, 2014 this comic book cover was blown up three feet by six feet and displayed and featured in that 1954 senate investigation into crime comic books. They focused on particularly graphic crime and horror comic books of the day, and their potential impact on juvenile delinquency. On this day, in 1954, the senate judiciary committees subcommittee to investigate juvenile delinquency was closing out a second day of hearings.

Many have linked the ccas formation to a series of senate hearings and the publication of psychiatrist fredric werthams book seduction of the innocent. Juvenile delinquency comic books hearings before the. 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. The morning session features richard clendenon, dr. Aug 18, 2019 the now mostly forgotten great comic book scare of 1954 foreshadowed recent debates over the cause and proper response to mass killings. The insane history of how american paranoia ruined and censored comic books.

This paper seeks to answer many of the questions surrounding the comic book by tracing its history from the stage setting days of the 1954 senate comic book hearings, through its inspirational involvement in the. The comics code authority cca was formed in 1954 by the comics magazine association of america as an alternative to government regulation, to allow the comic publishers to selfregulate the content of comic books in the united states. The hearings, which resulted in the decimation of what was an enormous comic book industry, had been inspired in large part by the book seduction of the. They focused on particularly graphic crime and horror comic books of the day. 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. Wertham made about blue beetle comics in his 1954 book, seduction of the. It was imperative that it be included in the qcollection comic book preservation project. Full text of juvenile delinquency comic books hearings before the subcommittee to investigate juvenile delinquency of the. Senate held hearings on comic booksespecially horror titles and their impact upon adolescentswalt spoke out. You can listen to fredric wertham and bill gaines at the.

Senate subcommittee on juvenile delinquency in 1954 to address the scourge of comic books. These are the 1954 senate subcommittee hearings into juvenile delinquency, with the special focus on comic books. 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. Frederic wertham, author of the 1954 book seduction of the innocent, which warned. Shortly after the hearings, in june, 1954, robert warshow, whose. Drawing from his own clinical research and pointed interpretations of comicbook story. Oct 24, 20 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. These two days would prove a pivotal period in comics history, leading to decades of selfcensorship that almost destroyed the industry. Rather than impose government censorship, it recommended that the comic book industry set its own standards of good taste. Flaws found in fredric werthams comicbook studies the new. Senate subcommittee held televised hearings on the link between comic books and juvenile delinquency, and schools and civic organizations staged bonfire burnings of lurid. These were televised hearings, consisting of a number of us senators calling up and questioning various people in. Thus, a single issue of tales from the crypt would contain two stories told by the cryptkeeper, one by the vaultkeeper of the vault of horror and one by the old witch of the haunt of fear. The subcommittees interim report found some correlation between comic books and juvenile delinquency.

The first days afternoon session was decisive in leading to widespread censorship of comics. Wnyc has released the first day of the hearings, april 21, 1954. Following the hearings, comic book publishers voluntarily developed new standards of content control. I listened to them this weekend, and while ive read the transcripts several times and seen all of the major quotes over and over again, actually hearing them is a whole new. Long beach comic con and captured aural phantasy theater. Comicbook controversy is a cautionary tale nbc news. Last week, the beat posted some links to audio of the 1954 senate hearings on comic books and juvenile delinquency, and theyre fantastic. Many similarities are evident between the television violence hearings that rowland describes and the earlier comic book hearings.