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Official stamp of the Comics Code Authority
The Comics Code Authority is a self-regulatory body that governs content in comic books.
In 1954, psychologist Frederic Wertham published Seduction of the Innocent, a scathing book discussing how the media in general and comic books in particular corrupt young minds. The book was such a sensation that it catapulted Wertham into celebrity, and the US Congress convened the Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency to address the issues brought up in the book. The primary target for both Wertham and the Senate was EC Comics’ horror and crime titles. EC had established a strong niche for itself in the industry for publishing what would be considered “mature” titles today. But since comic books at the time were considered solely as children’s entertainment, Wertham considered EC Comics as especially dangerous for children.
In a proactive move, EC Comics publisher William Gaines gathered together the other comic book publishers and suggested they create their own governing body to regulate content, in order to not be officially censored by the government. In an ironic twist, the body that was formed, the Comics Code Authority, created guidelines that were so strictly enforced that EC Comics was not able to publish the kinds of comics they specialized in. Gaines and EC Comics were all but forced out of the comic book business. Their final title, MAD, switched to a magazine format to bypass the restrictions of the Comics Code Authority. It has been in continuous publication since 1952.
Some of the restrictions in the Code as originally written include:
- No comic magazine shall use the word horror or terror in its title.
- Crimes shall never be presented in such a way as to create sympathy for the criminal, to promote distrust of the forces of law and justice, or to inspire others with a desire to imitate criminals.
- In every case, the criminal must be punished in every case.
- The letters of the word “crime” on a comics-magazine cover shall never be appreciably greater in dimension than the other words contained in the title. The word “crime” shall never appear alone on a cover.
- Scenes dealing with, or instruments associated with walking dead, torture, vampires and vampirism, ghouls, cannibalism, and werewolfism are prohibited.
- Divorce shall not be treated humorously nor represented as desirable.
- Illicit sex relations are neither to be hinted at nor portrayed. Violent love scenes as well as sexual abnormalities are unacceptable.
- Sex perversion or any inference to same is strictly forbidden.
By agreement of the publishers, no comic book would be published without the CCA’s authority, which would be symbolized by a stamp on the cover of each issue approved. The first mainstream super-hero comic published after 1954 without the Code’s approval was Amazing Spider-Man #96 in 1971. It was written by Stan Lee at the request of the US Department of Health, Education and Welfare to warn about the dangers of drug abuse. It was rejected by the CCA for violating the clause about depicting drug abuse in any fashion. Marvel Comics published the story anyway, and it resulted in the first of many revisions and reversals of the Code.
Since the rise of the direct market as the primary distribution model for comics, more and more comic books have been published without the Code. Marvel Comics dropped the Code entirely for their own in-house rating system in 2001. DC Comics only submits comics from their Johnny DC and DCU lines, and only some of the latter. The only publisher that still submits all of their titles to be approved is Archie Comics.
For an index of all the Comics 101 articles, click here.
For more on Frederic Wertham and Seduction of the Innocent, click here.
When is a Kryptonian not a Kryptonian? Click here.
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