So What are the "High Quality" Comics the Code Abolished Exactly?

[DDD]

Reading some of the books mentionned in Seduction of the Innocents. I haven't read a single decent story yet. What am I missing out on? Though it's a downer for gore and salacious pictures, I still don't understand how it destroyed anything quality wise. Most comics mentioned are by the numbers, predictable sing along dreck. Even the dialogue is idiotic.

I also inherited a collection of Warren Magazines and aside from the lavish artwork, I can't say I've read anything memorable. I wound up happy to sell them all, to my surprise.

I can read cheap novels from the 40s and I don't find them stupid. I can even read from 200 years ago and enjoy them. Where's the quality writing in comics that the code destroyed?

[John Aston]

Um rose-colored hindsight?

It's been a while since I read Seduction of the Innocent, but the modern equivalent is violent video games. Though comics were not Faust back in the day, publishers did offer a wide range of "true crime" or the like which depicted acts of violence. Wertham essentially tried to connect the dots from comics to juvenile delinquency just like today as those who know better try to connect to dots to violent behavior to video games.

Now, were those comics of any quality? For some, yes. For others, no. Quite honestly, the cream of the comic talent were working on newspaper comic strips, not comic books during the Golden Age.

[victorxd1999]

What books have you read? I haven't read a lot myself but the best comics from the 50's were mostly works by Eisner and stuff from EC Comics. Look up works from masters of the medium like Wally Wood. Oh and if you want some good stuff from Warren check out Creepy Presents (especially Wrightson and Corben).

[DDD]

Yet how many claim it destroyed the industry, implying it was mature, into infantile junk? Where can I read the Pulitzer Prize worthy comics?

I "kind of" liked Jon Juan because it has some style to it. And I enjoyed Corliss Archer, it actually tells stories. However, I could not find anything about it that couldn't be done post Comics Code.

[Billy Batson]

What books have you read? I haven't read a lot myself but the best comics from the 50's were mostly works by Eisner and stuff from EC Comics. Look up works from masters of the medium like Wally Wood. Oh and if you want some good stuff from Warren check out Creepy Presents (especially Wrightson and Corben).

Eisner didn't do much comic work in the 50's since he was in the army. He did some illustration/comic stuff for them, though.

[Billy Batson]

Yet how many claim it destroyed the industry, implying it was mature, into infantile junk? Where can I read the Pulitzer Prize worthy comics?

I "kind of" liked Jon Juan because it has some style to it. And I enjoyed Corliss Archer, it actually tells stories. However, I could not find anything about it that couldn't be done post Comics Code.

It did prevent the industry from growing into something like Japan's comic industry where manga sells for millions even in today's market.

[DDD]

It did prevent the industry from growing into something like Japan's comic industry where manga sells for millions even in today's market.

Yes and 90% of the uncensored stuff is filled with juicy panty shots on teenage school girls, cheap pandering etc. I'm thrilled not to be reading manga, it's mostly pandering schlock.

Sources:
-My country does not censor Manga like the USA does
-Purchasing Japanese copies of Shonen Jump and other "supposedly not porny manga" straight from Japan
-Purchasing polybaged USA Shonen Jump and being subjected to a 7 year old piece of T&A which was barely censored for the last few issues of its publication.
etc
-Being flat out lied to by Otakus who thought I hadn't read the same mangas they did.

[Dayle88]

You mention that people say it destroyed the industry which implies something you have decided for yourself. Maybe it was something else besides what you've assumed. I don't know much about it but maybe it had a negative impact on production, costs and other such things.

[ed2962]

I think the idea is less that we were getting these great literary classics and the code took them away and more that the code solidified the idea of comics as "kids only" and hampered possible growth in some areas.

[Billy Batson]

Yes and 90% of the uncensored stuff is filled with juicy panty shots on teenage school girls, cheap pandering etc. I'm thrilled not to be reading manga, it's mostly pandering schlock.

Sources:
-My country does not censor Manga like the USA does
-Purchasing Japanese copies of Shonen Jump and other "supposedly not porny manga" straight from Japan
-Purchasing polybaged USA Shonen Jump and being subjected to a 7 year old piece of T&A which was barely censored for the last few issues of its publication.
etc
-Being flat out lied to by Otakus who thought I hadn't read the same mangas they did.

You say that like superhero comics are any better.

[Judge Dredd]

I am not sure if it blocked any high quality stories, but I believe it was Denny O'Neil on Fatman on Batman talked about not being able to show actual crimes so that does limit stories a bit.

[DDD]

It's often said the 30s and 50s were a Golden Age. I am certain there has to be a lot of hidden quality work in there amidst all the cheap sweatshop trash. For example, I had a hard time discovering newspaper strips like Mary Perkins and Adam Ames but they were still published and "forgotten".

So far, most of the Simon and Kirby stuff is genius. Kirby's strong sense of design is already there. Oddly enough, it seems even stronger than when he debuted on Fantastic Four.

You say that like superhero comics are any better.

At least they don't shove close ups on schoolgirl panties every 2 pages. It's a lot less embarrassing to browse through.

[Old_Batman]

It's often said the 30s and 50s were a Golden Age. I am certain there has to be a lot of hidden quality work in there amidst all the cheap sweatshop trash. For example, I had a hard time discovering newspaper strips like Mary Perkins and Adam Ames but they were still published and "forgotten".

So far, most of the Simon and Kirby stuff is genius. Kirby's strong sense of design is already there. Oddly enough, it seems even stronger than when he debuted on Fantastic Four.

I always viewed "Golden Age" as another word for "really old source material." From my limited understanding of comic history knowledge, publishers were printing anything remotely involved with Noir and/or Superheroes. But that's also why I believe the Joe Simon and Jack Kirby material to be superior to many of the Golden Age comics, they have a sense of maturity and vision some of the Golden Age comics don't have.

At least they don't shove close ups on schoolgirl panties every 2 pages. It's a lot less embarrassing to browse through.

Browse through some 90s superhero art work or anything with Power Girl in it. Superhero comics CAN be just as bad.

[DDD]

I always viewed "Golden Age" as another word for "really old source material." From my limited understanding of comic history knowledge, publishers were printing anything remotely involved with Noir and/or Superheroes. But that's also why I believe the Joe Simon and Jack Kirby material to be superior to many of the Golden Age comics, they have a sense of maturity and vision some of the Golden Age comics don't have.




Browse through some 90s superhero art work or anything with Power Girl in it. Superhero comics CAN be just as bad.

Thanks lol I remember Razor, Witches of the Tarot and all that stuff just fine. I don't have a problem with that. I don't recall seeing cheap fanservice in a long time in mainstream comics. And at least it features adults. I don't know if you've seen manga uncensored. I am not talking about doujinshi. I suspect most of the official releases get heavily censored for the USA.

[CrazyOldHermit]

It's not that the Code destroyed great literature, it's that it held the industry in a state of arrested development for decades. EC Comics shows where the industry could have gone but because of the Code those creators were forced into superheroes, underground comics and magazines.