The peak of comic booksĬomic books began as collections of newspaper comic strips. Consequently, that cemented the idea that this was a medium for kids - something we've only recently started disbelieving. What adults thought was best for children ended up censoring and dissolving years of progress and artistry, as well as comics that challenged American views on gender and race. And it was in publishers' best interests to remain compliant. The reaction to the suspected scourge was the Comics Code - a set of rules that spelled out what comics could and couldn't do. But they share the same symptoms of American fear and a harsh, reactive response to it. This, of course, isn't to say that McCarthyism and the comic book panic were comparable in their human toll. 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. But it's also - often unknown to comics fans - a blunt reminder of one of the worst things to ever happen to comic books. It's a chilling insult that the stuff they read - the stuff they love - never advanced beyond its funny-page beginnings. One of the most hurtful things you can say to a comic book reader is that comic books are for kids.
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June 2023
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