Comics

Abstract

Like radio serials and movies, comic books were criticized for romanticizing immoral and criminal behavior to vulnerable children. In the late 1940s, comic books became more popular and more violent, as EC comics began producing horror comics that depicted torture, crime, and gambling. The public outcry led to Senate Hearings about Juvenile Delinquency in 1953–1954. During the hearings, a moral crusader against the comics, Dr. Frederic Wertham, publicized the idea that juvenile crime was directly related to the action presented in the comics. This led to a new “comics code,” internal regulation by the industry, that changed the face of the horror comics.