Seduction of the Innocent

[paw broon]

http://www.seductionoftheinnocent.org/
I feel sure many of those involved in the discussion over on the Victor topic, who have been headed off subject (partly by me putting in my 2d worth,) will be interested in this info. on S.O.T.I. I've put it here to let the discussion of the Victor, hopefully, carry on as before.
There is more than the book itself here and it will be worth your while taking a look at the pther headings. Sorry ifsome of the illos. offend anyone but they are representative of some American comics at the time.

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

It has to be said in all fairness that there definately WAS a fair amount of unrestrained unpleasantness in US comics before the comics code:



A fair whack of this material is not exactly palatable, to put it mildly:





There was other, far more graphic examples than these.

These images don't especially appal me,---they're actually striking graphic designs of some dark merit------ but I wouldn't frame them and put them on my walls either.

This state of affairs probably was in need of some sort of clearing up, but the acceptance of ' Seduction of the Innocent' within white and bluecollar America resulted in an overly-sanitized, bland comics landscape that took many years to recover properly. Many years later, the 'Seduction of the Innocent ' theme has been a well-deseved target for satirical comics collections:

[Lew Stringer]

These images don't especially appal me,---they're actually striking graphic designs of some dark merit------ but I wouldn't frame them and put them on my walls either.

Then again, in those times of comics being throwaway entertainment they weren't intended to be framed on the walls.

One of the problems with the anti-comics crusade is that it showed panels out of context. Isolate a particularly horrific one (like the stabbing image above) and it makes it ten times worse. Of course, a reader wouldn't see it isolated like that. It'd be part of a larger narrative where perhaps the killer got his just desserts and the reader would be made aware of the wrongness of the deed.

[STARBOY]

I loved some of those EC comics (some of the less reputable companies had awful strips that were really bad) and EC were (IMHO) in some cases a high point of their craft , it was horror and crime after all - compared to some of the early Image comics of the 80s with their bland sexist trash these were pieces of art. But were these 50s comics actually read by 10 year olds? I always assumed they would be read (and aimed at) by teenagers in the 50s

[felneymike]

I think it was more the thought that comics were "for" children that caused the backlash, rather than a more sober look at who exactly was reading these comics in particular. It's the same with videogame controversies today, people still think videogames are "toys" so they aren't happy when one such as Manhunt comes along and is full of people getting screwdrivers poked in their eyes and that.

[stevezodiac]

But a film like Braindead is more of a comedy than horror despite the fact there are heads in liquidisers etc. EC comics have never had a detrimental affect on me.

[Marionette]

I've read some of Seduction of the Innocent. One day I'll get around to finishing it, when I don't have some drying paint to watch.

It's terrible science. It talks about specific problems, but then doesn't tell you which comic it's from so you can check. It works from the premise that a lot of boys who commit crimes read comics, therefore comics are responsible, without comparing this with the number who read comics but don't commit crimes. it's just populist scaremongering.