Ten Cent Plague: The Great Comic-Book Scare and How It Changed America by David Hadju
I picked this up on an impulse at the half-price bookstore. I had a residual interest in the topic of the comic-book censorship era left over from seeing Weird Comic Book Fantasy all those years ago at Dad’s Garage.
The book gives an interesting background on the early days of comics. One of the amazing things was how easy it seemed to get a job in the comics industry; Apparently you just had to walk in and ask for one, and they put you to work drawing spots on Jungle Woman’s leopard skin outfit. The downside was that the industry was so looked down upon, that you couldn’t tell people in polite society what you did for a living.
While superhero comics got a bad rap, the main thrust of the book-burning and banning was geared towards the horror and crime genre that predominated. From this book, it was hard to tell if there was quality storytelling going on… on one hand the process is described as hurried and formulaic, on the other hand the comics are talked about with fond reverence for the artistry. Regardless, it sounds like the kind of stuff you hate to be on the side of defending, but know you must because free speech is sacred.
The story is frustrating at its core, because you know this kind of thing keeps happening, and will continue to happen: some group of folks take it upon themselves to decide what we can or can’t read, putting forth “protecting the children” as their rallying cry.
Makes me want to hit the comic book store and buy a batch in belated protest.
From this book, it was hard to tell if there was quality storytelling going on… on one hand the process is described as hurried and formulaic, on the other hand the comics are talked about with fond reverence for the artistry.
As with a lot of “disreputable” genre fiction, both statements are true. A lot of the EC variety of horror/crime comics were sheer dreck – but there were some genuine gems amid the rubble. EC Comics itself (as opposed to the legions of knock-offs that arose later) had a pretty distinguished slate of artists working on their titles, including Jack Davis, Frank Frazetta, Basil Wolverton, and Harvey Kurtzman and Wally Wood, who went on to change the world in a more subtle way via MAD Magazine.
Also characteristic of genre fiction was the freedom their writers had to tackle sensitive issues like racism, sex, drug use, anti-war stories, and social satire of all varieties. I think that’s what actually sunk them – the violence was shocking and blatant, but the unrepentant nonconformity and iconoclasm was what really horrified white-bread middle America.
Also characteristic of genre fiction was the freedom their writers had to tackle sensitive issues like racism, sex, drug use, anti-war stories, and social satire of all varieties.
Well, there you go. The benefit of freedom of expression is that although much bathwater is created, there are some fine and important babies in there.