Reviews
Haunted Horror: Banned Comics from the 1950s by Craig Yoe, Mike Howlett, Clizia Gussoni, Steve Banes
barry_x's review
3.0
This collection of pre-code horror comics from the early 1950's was a real treat to read. The tales range from quietly comic to fiendishly evil. There is something for everyone in here from ghost stories to Lovecraftian horror to psycho killers and voodoo - pretty much all the tropes are here.
I appreciate the opportunity to see what all the fuss was about as I was aware of the moral panic in the 1950's in the United States over the content of comics and what children were accessing. I initially thought it was over the top censorship, and it is true that the Comic Code stifled creativity and killed large swathes of the business. Now, having read this collection I can see the point from parents point of view. Some of this stuff is quite close to the bone. I will be honest I would have LOVED to have read these when I was a young boy and I acknowledge that elements of these stories would really have spooked me. I bet some kids couldn't sleep alone after stealing their older siblings comics to read in bed.
This collection is lurid, gory and genuinely pushes the buttons and it was fun to read. Redemption and revenge feature heavily throughout. I think a basic rule of thumb in this book is don't go into business or marry.
Compared to comics of today, they certainly don't have the subtlety and range of artistry and using the medium to convey thoughts, feelings and emotions and many of the stories are overly verbose but I guess my review is in the context of now and perhaps it is unfair to compare.
I have knocked a star off due to some of the content viewing it through a 21st century lens. Of course standards of today are different but these comics are particularly misogynistic. Women are ineffectual (indeed, I can't think of a positive female character in the whole collection). They are viewed as possessions to marry, to save. They are portrayed as greedy, devious and cruel. They are almost permanently attached to a husband. It really is sexist stuff, and although I get the context and the audience it says much about the 1950's. Persons of colour are invisible.
Worth a read and a privilege to get a snapshot of a culture and age where horror comics ruled the newsstands.
I appreciate the opportunity to see what all the fuss was about as I was aware of the moral panic in the 1950's in the United States over the content of comics and what children were accessing. I initially thought it was over the top censorship, and it is true that the Comic Code stifled creativity and killed large swathes of the business. Now, having read this collection I can see the point from parents point of view. Some of this stuff is quite close to the bone. I will be honest I would have LOVED to have read these when I was a young boy and I acknowledge that elements of these stories would really have spooked me. I bet some kids couldn't sleep alone after stealing their older siblings comics to read in bed.
This collection is lurid, gory and genuinely pushes the buttons and it was fun to read. Redemption and revenge feature heavily throughout. I think a basic rule of thumb in this book is don't go into business or marry.
Compared to comics of today, they certainly don't have the subtlety and range of artistry and using the medium to convey thoughts, feelings and emotions and many of the stories are overly verbose but I guess my review is in the context of now and perhaps it is unfair to compare.
I have knocked a star off due to some of the content viewing it through a 21st century lens. Of course standards of today are different but these comics are particularly misogynistic. Women are ineffectual (indeed, I can't think of a positive female character in the whole collection). They are viewed as possessions to marry, to save. They are portrayed as greedy, devious and cruel. They are almost permanently attached to a husband. It really is sexist stuff, and although I get the context and the audience it says much about the 1950's. Persons of colour are invisible.
Worth a read and a privilege to get a snapshot of a culture and age where horror comics ruled the newsstands.
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