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Comments

• [1] Gene April 21, 2008 - 12:50PM

  There's a social and political aspect that's never been addressed, ie, comics' radicalism (for the day).

  For example, EC Comics' cover story castigating the KKK, or its story of the red vs. blue robots, at the end of which the horrified spaceman takes off his helmet--and here, c. 1954, is a smart, sensitive, accomplished black man, written and drawn as a real human being--VERY radical for the day.

  Could these dangerous teachings have been a major factor in the Gov's attack on comics?

  
  
• [2] Sarah from Brooklyn April 21, 2008 - 12:54PM

  I learned much of my vocabulary from Archie comic books in the 1980s.

  
  
• [3] John Celardo from Fanwood, NJ April 21, 2008 - 12:55PM

  My dad drew comics in the 40s and 50s, and later drew and wrote syndicated comic strips including Tarzan and Buzz Sawyer. It was a great occupation, but dad never had his own strip. He had a great time, but for such talent, he never was financially rewarded. It was great growing up watching him draw.

  
  
• [4] Lisa from Queens April 21, 2008 - 12:55PM

  Who are the many women artists you're talking about from the 40s & 50s? I only know of a very few...

  
  
• [5] Jeffrey Slott from East Elmhurst April 21, 2008 - 01:16PM

  This author sounds like he's sensationalizing and simplifying things a bit.

  At first Superman was rejected by the mainstream newspapers of the day but once the character became so well-known from the comic books, it practically became an American institution. There was a radio serial, cartoons, a movie serial, a T.V. show, etc.

  It was in the late '40s and early '50s that certain comic books started marching down a darker path. And this style was basically imitating what was already going on in the movies, film noir, and what had been portrayed in radio serials like "Lights Out" and "Suspense" for almost a decade.

  Certain members of the adult population freaked out over their children's reading material. Similar is the reaction of those same adults over their kids who ran after Elvis. Presley's gyrations were no shock to many who grew up in the same environment he did. It was only the "sophisticated" northerners who did the majority of the protesting.

  
  
• [6] Roy from Queens April 21, 2008 - 02:58PM

  Good point, Gene. Part of that story's in Comic Book Nation by Bardford Wright, which looks at the history of comic books.

  Funny that the instigator of this scare, Dr. Frederic Wertham, author of "Seduction of the Innocent" was a believer of anti-segregation (noted in said book), yet he did NOTHING to have the industry include more African-Americans.

  As for me, I've learned to read by reading comic books, and I've been a fan since. Iwent to the Comic Con at Javits on Saturday. Great event!!!

  
  
• [7] Gene April 21, 2008 - 04:02PM

  As I recall from my youth, and even from re-reading as an adult, such "liberal" stories were poetic, well-done and incredibly effective in alerting a young mind to injustice. You would think that such stories, potentially influencing millions of kids, would infuriate and galvanize racist legislators. (A black kissing a white in a Hollywood movie would have set the South afire in those days). I wonder if Comic Book Nation was able to get any inside information about caucuses and battle plans.

  Glad you enjoyed the Con, Roy. I read that something like 40,000 attended. Wow. A far cry from the little podunk affair I attended in the Penta Hotel lo these many years ago. I was tempted to go--maybe next year!

  
  
• [8] Allan Rosenberg from Suffern, NY April 21, 2008 - 10:49PM

  This interview is filled with factual inaccuracies. David Hajdu's grasp of comic book history is extremely weak.

  He simplifies all the complexities of the first twenty years of comic book history.

  An example: Very few women worked on the creative side of comics back then. He makes up fact about romance comics left and right.