1954 comic book hearings congress

Offering an example of this practice of teaching crime techniques via crime through comic books, dr. The morning session features richard clendenon, dr. In 1954, a senate subcommittee on juvenile delinquency met to discuss the problem of horror and crime comic books. 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. With sales falling due to negative publicity, the industry adopted a comics code authority that issued seals of approval.

United states senate subcommittee on juvenile delinquency. Yet we keep blaming these toothless congressional inquiries as the big bad. Why congress has every right to investigate baseball and. In 1954, senators estes kefauver and robert hendrickson conducted hearings into the comic book industry, which people pointed to as a corrupting influence on americas youth. It sold very well and it caught the attention of the united states congress, who began to hold hearings on the effect comic books had on juvenile delinquency. 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. The comic book code closely resembled the notorious censorship code in the movies, which was adopted on june, 1934.

The comics code authority cca was formed in 1954 by the comics magazine association of america as an alternative to government regulation. A splash page is a page in the comic book where there are no other panels and the character or scene fills the entire page of the comic book. 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. With the opening of the fredric wertham papers at the library of congress. History of comics censorship, part 1 comic book legal. Senate held hearings on the evils of comic books on april 21, 1954, and the major comic book publishers adopted a code on october 26, 1954. These were televised hearings, consisting of a number of us senators calling up and questioning various people in the comic book industry. The cca allowed the comic publishers to selfregulate the content of comic books in the united states. Echos of the 1954 great comic book scare in trump targeting video games for mass shootings by michael schaller special to the arizona daily star aug 18, 2019. Us congress, senate 1954 juvenile delinquency comic books. A senate committee report assesses crime and horror comic books. 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.

Code of the comics magazine association of america, inc. Full text of juvenile delinquency comic books hearings. Catholic students in binghamton, ny, burn 10,000 comic books. The insane history of how american paranoia ruined and. Following the hearings, comic book publishers voluntarily developed new.

Comic book censorship 1954 in 1954, a senate subcommittee on juvenile delinquency met to discuss the problem of horror and crime comic books. 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. Senate subcommittee on juvenile delinquency in 1954. Fredric wertham and his 1954 book seduction of the innocent.

The splash page is a very common art device that is used in the world of comic books. Jake tappers hellfire club takes us back to mccarthy. Dec 26, 2019 the 1954 release of fredric werthams seduction of the innocent was a sensation. 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. He has charlie attend the senate subcommittee on juvenile delinquency, a. 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. Harris pack, henry edward schultz and senator estes kefauver, whose witch hunt against comics, aided by dr. Looking at comic books through the lens of the cold war. Hearings before the senate subcomittee on juvenile delinquency. His essays, and book, seduction of the innocent 1954 suggested that comics were a danger to children, and a direct cause of juvenile delinquency.

The senate investigation crime comic books of the 40s and 50s. 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. The senate subcommittee on juvenile delinquency conducted its investigation of the comic book industry in the spring of 1954. Those who know the history of comic books will realize that this was the period just after the infamous comicbook hearings of the american congress, during which comic books were investigated. With a may, 1954 cover date, css 22 was the current issue on the newsstands at the time of the hearings. These two days would prove a pivotal period in comics history, leading to decades of selfcensorship that almost destroyed the industry. To further push his agenda of removing comic books from the newsstands and out of the hands of the children, wertham used out of context panels from comics to illustrate the book. 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.

Although werthams work has since been discredited, his book triggered a public outcry and led to congressional hearings. At this time nearly all comic books in canada were american. Intro to the hearings, descriptions of crime and horror comic book stories. Comicbook controversy is a cautionary tale nbc news. May 05, 2014 with a may, 1954 cover date, css 22 was the current issue on the newsstands at the time of the hearings. Before the cca was adopted, some cities already had organized public burnings and bans on comic books. Congress, making life suck since before you were born. 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. The subcommittee expressed alarm that rather than provoking laughter, these crime.

Jake tappers hellfire club takes us back to mccarthyera. The 1954 release of fredric werthams seduction of the innocent was a sensation. Nov 21, 2018 then in 1954, psychiatrist fredric wertham published his book, seduction of the innocent, which blamed comic books for juvenile delinquency. The united states senate subcommittee on juvenile delinquency was established by the united states senate in 1953 to investigate the problem of juvenile delinquency. 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 first days afternoon session was decisive in leading to widespread censorship of comics. Warren bernards citations and fredric wertham documents. I think hitler was a beginner compared to the comicbook industry, wrote psychiatrist frederic wertham in his 1954 book, seduction of the innocent, which linked comics to the rise in. Many similarities are evident between the television violence hearings that rowland describes and the earlier comic book hearings.

Was there a comics code before seduction of the innocent. Full text of juvenile delinquency comic books hearings before the subcommittee to investigate juvenile delinquency of the. Burnings of comics were reported across the united states, and congress held hearings into the matter, which helped spur the creation of the selfcensoring body the comics code authority only. An american comic book is a thin periodical originating in the united states, on average 32 pages, containing comics. Then in 1954, psychiatrist fredric wertham published his book, seduction of the innocent, which blamed comic books for juvenile delinquency. Jersey, was determined to indict the makers of comic books, and the hearing was designed as a spectacle. Following the hearings, comic book publishers voluntarily developed new standards of content control. A documentary about fredric wertham, who nearly destroyed the. Alarmed by a dramatic rise in juvenile delinquency in the 1950s, congress explored the. A documentary about fredric wertham, who nearly destroyed. They focused on particularly graphic crime and horror comic books of the day, and their potential impact on juvenile delinquency. Fredric wertham s sensational book, seduction of the innocent, set the medium back 50 years. Dec 15, 2017 in 1954, a senate subcommittee on juvenile delinquency met to discuss the problem of horror and crime comic books.

These are the 1954 senate subcommittee hearings into juvenile delinquency, with the special focus on comic books. While the form originated in 1933, american comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publication of action comics, which included the debut of the superhero superman. Looking at comic books through the lens of the cold war this concern led to u. 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 the comics of the day were contributing to an. Wnyc has released the first day of the hearings, april 21, 1954. 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. Apr 21, 2018 he has charlie attend the senate subcommittee on juvenile delinquency, a. 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 industry formed a new trade association and formulated a new code to selfcensor content. The event took place on april 21, 1954, at the foley square u. Richard cledenen executive director, us senate subcommittee to investigate juvenile delinquency.

How fredric wertham public backlash and the 1954 senate delinquency. During april and june, 1954, the subcommittee held televised public hearings in new york, the center of the comic book publishing industry. 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. Juvenile delinquency comic books hearings before the subcommittee to investigate juvenile delinquency of the by united states. This was followed by a superhero boom that lasted until the end of world war ii. Senate hearings and the publishers defensive creation of the comic codes authority in 1954. Full text of juvenile delinquency comic books hearings before the subcommittee to investigate juvenile delinquency of the see other formats. Malarkey kellys sinister cat representing senator joseph mccarthy as the king of hearts. The public hearings took place on april 21, 22, and june 4, 1954, in new york. I started reading comic books when i first learned to read about 1954, when i was five. 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. 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.

The subcommittee was especially concerned about comic books vivid, detailed illustrations of violent acts. India ink over graphite and blue pencil underdrawing. Werthams april 1954 testimony against comics was no less damning. Senate subcommittee on juvenile delinquency holds hearings on whether comic books inspire juvenile delinquency. Soti was published in april, 1954 as well, so css 22 would have come out too late to have been included in werthams book. Over three days of hearings, numerous experts were called to testify whether comics of the day were contributing to increased violent crimes in teens. Catholic students in binghamton, ny, burn 10,000 comic. Comic book collection newspaper and current periodical reading room, library of congress. Juvenile delinquency comic books hearings before the.