blakemp's review against another edition
5.0
Wonderful book -- well-written and very compelling story. Basically boils down to the death of EC Comics and the way the entire art form was forced to evolve after the damage was done.
spinnerroweok's review against another edition
3.0
Summary: Comic books were really cool and kids loved them. Adults, deciding that kids shouldn't love things or enjoy themselves in America proclaimed that comic books were evil. They then had a lot of comic book burnings while proclaiming "just because we burn books doesn't make us like the commies or Nazis." Then the politicians try to go all McCarthy on the comic book guys before McCarthy goes McCarthy on anyone. Anyway, a lot of good people lose their jobs because in America we punish people by taking away their means of making a living so they can no longer feed their families and contribute to society.
Feeling disgusted with my country right now.
Read this if you think things are worse now than they were in the past to set yourself straight.
End Rant.
Feeling disgusted with my country right now.
Read this if you think things are worse now than they were in the past to set yourself straight.
End Rant.
lukeh_g's review against another edition
4.0
Bill Gaines is the man. I had no idea any of this happened the way it did. Time to hunt out some old EC horror books and early MAD and then think on what could of been.
carolynf's review against another edition
4.0
Comics controversy from Hogan's Alley in 1890s to censorship trials in 1950s. Critics saw superheros as fascists and sadists, romance comics as promiscuous, and thought that comics increased delinquency even though delinquency wasn't even rising at the time. Even the bible comics were believed to hurt children's eyes with their excessive colors. Eventually, being a comic book artist was equated with being a mobster.
gabopagan's review against another edition
3.0
Good account of a dark time in USA Comics history but I don't think it fullfilled the promised in the title.
valjeanval's review against another edition
4.0
This was an interesting read. It delves into the comic book panic of the early 1950s and the founding of the Comics Code which remained in effect long after the initial panic had passed. The story is similar to pretty much every time a new form of media captures the attention of youth culture, and the history reads very similar to the roots of rock and roll, television, and video games.
It is a well-researched book, and it does a good job of not making supermen of the key players in its story. It depicts many of the early comic creators (Eisner excepted) as men looking to make money with the new comic craze and not seeing anything particularly wrong with how they were doing it. These men were then supported by dozens of people who, for reasons of class, color, gender, or other gatekeepers, couldn't or didn't want to pursue art in other areas. The book doesn't defend comics as class literature, but openly admits that a lot of it was trashy pulp designed for a quick thrill. However it also demonstrates that reading a little trashy pulp does not undermine the morality of a nation. A little publicity, an upcoming election, and some sketchy individuals with Dr. in front of their names can do a lot of damage to common sense as evidenced by the lengthy list of artists who never worked again following the comic purge.
As an educator, censorship is always an issue in my life, whether it's deciding what books go in my classroom library or listening in more than a bit of shock as my students describe the latest horror movie to me. This book is a good reminder that blanket censorship is rarely an effective tool in guiding children and often does more to popularize the banned thing than to prevent it. Taste is always up to the individual, and much as it pains the adults watching over them, children need opportunities to develop their own. In the age where violent video games and rap music are the current easy targets for media and politicians looking to show concern for the morality of the nation, I think this book is an important read. Supervision is different from censorship, and our kids are often much savvier than we believe.
It is a well-researched book, and it does a good job of not making supermen of the key players in its story. It depicts many of the early comic creators (Eisner excepted) as men looking to make money with the new comic craze and not seeing anything particularly wrong with how they were doing it. These men were then supported by dozens of people who, for reasons of class, color, gender, or other gatekeepers, couldn't or didn't want to pursue art in other areas. The book doesn't defend comics as class literature, but openly admits that a lot of it was trashy pulp designed for a quick thrill. However it also demonstrates that reading a little trashy pulp does not undermine the morality of a nation. A little publicity, an upcoming election, and some sketchy individuals with Dr. in front of their names can do a lot of damage to common sense as evidenced by the lengthy list of artists who never worked again following the comic purge.
As an educator, censorship is always an issue in my life, whether it's deciding what books go in my classroom library or listening in more than a bit of shock as my students describe the latest horror movie to me. This book is a good reminder that blanket censorship is rarely an effective tool in guiding children and often does more to popularize the banned thing than to prevent it. Taste is always up to the individual, and much as it pains the adults watching over them, children need opportunities to develop their own. In the age where violent video games and rap music are the current easy targets for media and politicians looking to show concern for the morality of the nation, I think this book is an important read. Supervision is different from censorship, and our kids are often much savvier than we believe.