#dr. wertham

[weirdlookindog]

Tomb of Terror #17 - Harvey, September 1955. Cover art by Bob Powell... Was never published.

Instead it changed it's title to Thrills of Tomorrow with the advent of the Comics Code.

The title story itself was never published.

Content was watered down and it only lasted four issues.

And so ended the Golden Age of American comic books.

[knownlesbianalexandracabot]

okay no but it’s literally insane though that one of the main antagonists of the final season of Riverdale is quite literally Dr. Wertham like it’s just straight up Dr. Wertham like there’s a character on Riverdale that is literally the author of Seduction of the Innocent Dr. Fredic Wertham himself and he’s like one of the primary antagonists of the season. absolutely insane tbh.

[ohnostalgia]

can i copy you by putting the st peters quote in my pinned or is that YOUR IDEA DO NOT STEAL!!!1!!!1!111

you can do whatever you want forever

[cryptocollectibles]

Dr Blink Superhero Shrink #0 (April 2004) by Dorkstorm Press

By John Kovalic and Christopher Jones

[todaysdocument]

Letter from Eugenia Y. Genovar Regarding Comic Book Censorship

Record Group 46: Records of the U.S. Senate Series: Committee Papers of the Committee on the Judiciary

[stamped] NOV 27 1953 [handwritten in red ink] Carl 1-6-5X [handwritten] ID 2-2 [crossed out in red ink, illegible] 271 St. George Street St. Augustine, Florida November 24, 1953 My Dear Senator Hendrickson, I see in today's Florida Times-Union that you have been appointed to head a committee for the investigation of juvenile delinquency. This is indeed a very fine idea for really a mother today lives in constant fear because of the awful increase in crime among the young, and especially the dreadful increase of sex crimes and depravity. My dear Senator Hendrickson as an American mother I offer you these suggestions. First, please read the article in the November issue of Ladies Home Journal on "What Parents Don't Know About Comic Books" by Dr. Frederick Wertham. I am positive that he has the right idea! If the mothers of our beloved country would unite to have these pernicious comic books banned I am sure it would be a great step forward in the control of the young, especially the young boys. Second, all the awful crime stories and murder mysteries sent out to pollute the air and corrupt the minds of our younger generation. I do not want to bore you with onerous detail but I have found that even though a mother is alert and does not allow her children to waste their money or time on these cheap and filthy comics, one's children can read them at the book stands or read them when they visit their friends. Third, reading all these lurid, highly colored comics ruins a child's appetite for good books as the better literature sounds too tame after this other highly seasoned diet. I believe that the P.T.A's all over the country could unite to have these comics banned, many cities have done this and as Dr. says, we have laws that prohibit selling poison, why can't we prohibit these people from selling poison to our children's minds? I do not think that it is necessary or just to conduct an investigation that will cause the long suffering, over taxed American citizen a great deal of money when the evidence is right in front of our eyes and the way to stop it is so very simple. Of course you will have educators (?) and others who will rise up and say these comics do not harm the minds of the readers but I think the proof that they do is right in front of us, in increased juvenile delinquency for as you know, we do spend a great deal of money on our schools, our recreation programs, ect, and the great majority of the parents are trying to bring their children up right, yet, in spite of all this we are appalled at what we read in the papers every day and hear from our neighbors, friends, nurses and doctors. I will not take up any more of your time. With heartfelt best wishes, I am, Sincerely yours, Eugenia Y. Genovar

[comicsart3]

Phantom Lady’s second incarnation was actually relatively short-lived, although the blue-and-red-costumed heroine became the default image of the character in later years, thanks to the distinctive “good time” girl art of Matt Baker. Under Baker’s version, Phantom Lady became younger, sexier, more shapely and wore a costume that left little to the imagination. She appeared in several stories in ten issues of her own title from August 1947 until April 1949, although she also appeared in nine issues of All Top Comics in the same period. However, it was Baker’s art that was, amongst others, showcased by Dr Frederic Wertham in his book Seduction of the Innocent, which became the foundational work for the moral crusade launched against Golden Age comic books in the 1950s, which culminated in the introduction of the Comics Code in the USA. Although the code was aimed principally at the lurid, and sometimes sadistic, imagery contained in the “true crimes” comics genre, sexualised female characters like Phantom Lady were swept up in the panic, with the result she effectively disappeared from print in the mid-1950s, until DC Comics obtained the rights to the character and felt brave enough to relaunch her in the 1970s.

Of course, by the standards of today, when so many costumed heroines are hyper-sexualised, clad in skin-tight spandex and possessing breasts that look like they should have come off a production line, Baker’s cartoony imagery looks like innocent fun, rather than anything corrupting. However, Phantom Lady, along with arguably a whole generation of 1940s tough super heroines simply disappeared and I do wonder if that had more to do with a general societal desire to reimpose prewar gender roles as much as it was to save the nation’s youth.

The pages featured above are from the Phantom Lady story, The World’s Meanest Crook, that appeared in Phantom Lady #15 (December 1947). It is a good example of Matt Baker’s work depicting Phantom Lady in full athletic mode and a sexy depiction of her alter ego Sandra Knight, in the final panel. This version of the character was undoubtedly designed to draw in older male readers as well as the target readership of young teenage boys and girls, but it was hardly civilisation shaking.

Sources: Phantom Lady Wikipedia page for some of the text and comicbookplus for the pages.

[krinsbez]

https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/why-cant-batman-be-black-asian-or-latino.728998/post-55251715

I realize thus awhile ago. And you like to speculate. Not trying to rile more than your imagination

But how you view waynes-kanes-semitism abd, if at least intact if night wealthy, why the fuck when Bruce orphaned he didn't end up in stately Kane manor under Jacob or the rest.

I mean was Martha marrying Thomas that big a blow up?

Heck how like characterize the waynes?

AIUI, Martha's brothers are generally depicted as being, honestly, kind of terrible people whom she didn't get along with, so there's that?

It is also possible, that as two of the oldest families in Gotham, the Waynes and Kanes have a rivalry. Which doesn't stop them from intermarrying anymore than it did the royal houses of Europe.

(Sidenote, that should also go for the Arkhams and Cobblepots and Lawtons, if using the versions where they are also among Gothams' first families. In such a case, Bruce and Penguin and Deadshot should absolutely be cousins)

There is also probably a certain amount of pride involved. The Wayne of Gotham should not be under the authority of non-Waynes, or something like that.

That said, pre-Crisis, Bruce was actually sent to live with Thomas' brother Philip, though most of the work of raising him was via his hosuekeep Mrs. Chilton (who was secretly the mother of Joe Chill...Comics, everyone!)

WRT the Waynes in general, the thing I always say is that batman isn't a Dark Knight, he's a Dark Lord. He is the Wayne of Gotham, as it was his father before him, and his father, and etc. The city is his family's hereditary fiefdom, and I think that this is actually a contributor to why Batman is the way he is. When his father died, the city became his responsibility, and so on some level, he views the the city going to hell as being his fault, as something he should have prevented. Which is nuts, because obviously as a child he couldn't have done anything, and it was maybe already going in that direction, but if he was operating on pure reason, he wouldn't be dressing up as a bat and fist-fighting gangsters and homicidal clowns.

So, yeah, I think the Wayne family has always operated via a sense of noblesse oblige. They have always seen themselves as better than the other "first families" of Gotham and have justified it via investing real time and money and effort in trying to improve the city and it's people, rather than the kind of performative philanthropy their peers do. And Thomas and Martha took this even further, for whatever reasons.

That said, it's important to keep in mind, they were still people, not saints. The same goes for Thomas' ancestors. It should also be noted that just because you are trying to help the city, doesn't mean you actually are. To give a relevant example, by all accounts Dr. Fredrick Wertham was genuinely concerned for the well-being of children, which doesn't make his falsifying data to support his need for a magic bullet, nor the subsequent crusade he unleashed, okay. I don't think this applied to Thomas, but definitely was the case with some of the previous Waynes. I do imagine that Thomas, while in no way abusive and entirely out of love, had expectations that his son would live up to the family's legacy and made sure he knew it, and probably put way more responsibility on the poor kid than was probably healthy; see above.

I hope this helps, and wasn't too ramble-y

Thank you for asking!

[chernobog13]

Blue Beetle (vol. 1) #56 (May, 1948). Cover by Jack Kamen.

Post-World War ll superheroes were no longer the draw they had been in comic books. True crime and horror books were on the rise, and publishers desperate to stay in the game made the changes they thought would make them competitive.

Near the end of his original run, Blue Beetle made fewer and fewer appearances in his own book. The stories were either "true" crime yarns narrated by the Beetle; or lurid tales featuring his reporter girlfriend, Joan, featuring plenty of blood, violence, and scantily-clad females where the Beetle only made a token appearance near the end to save the day.

For instance, the lead story in this issue involves a female killer, the Sphinx, who goes on a killing rampage with her knives. All of her victims are beautiful, nearly naked women, who are stabbed in very graphic manners. And the Sphinx's outfit is not only impractical, but would've been considered daring ten years ago (I've seen women come into Target wearing less).

All very much fodder for the infamous Dr. Fredric Wertham and his 1954 book, Seduction of the Innocent, which would lay the blame for juvenile delinquency and other societal ills right at the feet of comic books.

[ang-c-art]

Fun fact the CCA began during mccarthyism, and it was heavily due to psychiatrist Fredric Wertham's book Seduction of the Innocent. Wertham fabricated evidence to make people think comics were turning kids into delinquents and criminals.

The CCA is the reason why EC comics had to stop making horror magazines. They couldn't use "crime" "terror" or "horror" in their titles, no violence (or even just monsters) could be included in the story, and good always had to defeat evil. And of course, police and government officials could never be corrupt. Tl;dr, the code made comics authoritarian and *boring*.

The CCA is a lot less used now, and the rules are relaxed, but it was basically the satanic panic of the comic world. Fuck the CCA and fuck censorship.

[graphicpolicy]

Harold Schechter and Eric Powell team for new true crime with Dr. Werthless: The Man Who Studied Murder (and Nearly Killed the Comics Industry)

Harold Schechter and Eric Powell team for new true crime with Dr. Werthless: The Man Who Studied Murder (and Nearly Killed the Comics Industry) #comics #comicbooks #graphicnovel

Harold Schechter, Eric Powell, and Dark Horse Books present a new true crime graphic novel, Dr. Werthless: The Man Who Studied Murder (And Nearly Killed the Comics Industry), arriving Summer 2024. Dr. Werthless: The Man Who Studied Murder (And Nearly Killed the Comics Industry) examines one of the most polarizing figures in pop culture: Dr. Frederic Wertham. Reviled by comic book fans as a…

[weirdlookindog]

Dr. Wertham's Seduction of the Innocent in The Monster Times, May 1972.

[knownlesbianalexandracabot]

man, being aware of the actual history of the comics code really makes watching this season of riverdale..............................an experience.

[youhavelessproof]

you know what, no. I'm not putting this in the tags right now because we just lost Jaydick and I am not losing Brudick too. I am not letting y'all disrespect comic history just because ew Dick got adopted when he was an adult and they have an age gap.

I'm not qualified to talk about the history of gay adult adoption so instead here's some resources:

https://jgspl.org/same-sex-adult-adoption-a-result-of-marriage-inequality/ - https://web.archive.org/web/20240507221333/https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/11/how-marriage-inequality-prompts-gay-partners-to-adopt-one-another/281546/ - https://lawandinequality.org/2021/03/24/where-theres-not-a-will-theres-a-way-what-we-can-learn-from-same-sex-adult-adoption/ - https://web.archive.org/web/20240511124237/https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/19/magazine/the-lost-history-of-gay-adult-adoption.html - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Same-sex_adult_adoption

tl;dr when people couldn't get married, guess what they'd do? whatever they could to make sure they were always in each other's lives. when you are not allowed to love who you love the way that you do, you make it work. because they can't stop us from loving each other.

(important to note that Dick got adopted in 2001. y'know what wasn't legal in New Jersey in 2001? Gay marriage. also important to know that that's about 60 years after Dick was intro-ed in the comics.)

I really need y'all to understand that Batman and Robin, Bruce and Dick, have been around since the 1940's. that is such a different world in terms of queer history. like I really need you to sit and think about that.

Dick was explicitly described as Bruce's best friend for many many many years. the most familial it got was "brothers" which- how often are two male characters described as "brotherly" to justify the close the relationship they have without actually admitting that they're clearly in love with each other?

Dick and Bruce used to share a bed, had multiple fake weddings (I believe, might have just been once but still,) were explicitly partners in everything, are basically soulmates (Bruce will always have a Dick that is a multiversal constant,) Dick is described as the most important person in Bruce's life- none of that has to be read as romantic, but saying it can't be romantic is devaluing how much they mean to each other.

for fuck's sake part of the reason the Comics Code Authority existed was because Batman and Robin were too gay. this is not a fucking joke.

"Batman comics were among those criticized when the comic book industry came under scrutiny with the publication of psychologist Fredric Wertham's book Seduction of the Innocent in 1954. Wertham's thesis was that children imitated crimes committed in comic books, and that these works corrupted the morals of the youth. Wertham criticized Batman comics for their supposed homosexual overtones and argued that Batman and Robin were portrayed as lovers. Wertham's criticisms raised a public outcry during the 1950s, eventually leading to the establishment of the Comics Code Authority, a code that is no longer in use by the comic book industry."

the issue was that they were both men. because that is always the fucking problem. they weren't concerned with whatever issues you have with Brudick, they just didn't want gay people in comics.

need I remind you of the other Comic Code Authority rules? from this same time, so 1950's-1960's.

"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."

"Policemen, judges, government officials, and respected institutions shall never be presented in such a way as to create disrespect for established authority."

these aren't people actually concerned with what's in media for the "right reasons" this is the same "think of the children!" bit that we still hear.

there were literally comic book burnings because of the fearmongering around this shit.

frankly, I don't give a shit if you do or don't ship Brudick. I don't care how you view their relationship. but it is an important piece of queer history. I'm not joking. comics are seen as nerdy or whatever now, but there were generations where this was the standard media that kids, especially kids in lower income areas, grew up consuming.

put some respect on this ships fucking name.

you see it as a father/son relationship? fucking go for it, but don't use that to erase us like people have been trying to for decades.

look, I like Damijon. and I like that Jon is canonically bi. I think these characters are really important to each other and the idea of Super Sons is adorable. but the impact of these two ships are not comparable.

Jon being canonically bi ruffled some feathers, Bruce and Dick being in a perceived gay relationship changed the world of comics.

Top AO3 Batfamily Ships Bracket: Round 6

[comicbookclub]

Eisners Cuts Journalism Category, Ghost Rider Breaks Bad, Eric Powell And Harold Schechter Reteam For Wertham Graphic Novel | Comic Book Club News For January 11, 2024

The Eisner Awards have cut their journalism category for this year's awards. The next Ghost Rider will be a villain, teases Marvel. Harold Schechter and Eric Powell are reteaming for a graphic novel about Dr. Wertham and the Comics Code Authority.

The Eisner Awards have cut their journalism category for this year’s awards. The next Ghost Rider will be a villain, teases Marvel. Harold Schechter and Eric Powell are reteaming for a graphic novel about Dr. Wertham and the Comics Code Authority. All on Comic Book Club News for January 11, 2024. SUBSCRIBE ON RSS, APPLE, ANDROID, SPOTIFY, OR THE APP OF YOUR CHOICE. FOLLOW US ON TWITTER,…

[comicbookclublive]

Eisners Cuts Journalism Category, Ghost Rider Breaks Bad, Eric Powell And Harold Schechter Reteam For Wertham Graphic Novel | Comic Book Club News For January 11, 2024

The Eisner Awards have cut their journalism category for this year's awards. The next Ghost Rider will be a villain, teases Marvel. Harold Schechter and Eric Powell are reteaming for a graphic novel about Dr. Wertham and the Comics Code Authority.

The Eisner Awards have cut their journalism category for this year’s awards. The next Ghost Rider will be a villain, teases Marvel. Harold Schechter and Eric Powell are reteaming for a graphic novel about Dr. Wertham and the Comics Code Authority. All on Comic Book Club News for January 11, 2024. SUBSCRIBE ON RSS, APPLE, ANDROID, SPOTIFY, OR THE APP OF YOUR CHOICE. FOLLOW US ON TWITTER,…

[kiayalacy]

A Superman Creator, a Racy Comic, and a Murder Trial... Oh My!

Did you know that Superman co-creator Joe Shuster was connected to an infamous murder trial in Brooklyn in 1954? Now you're probably thinking I'm making all this up, but I swear to the big blue boy scout himself that this is completely true. In 1954, Shuster, with rapidly deteriorating sight and financial problems, agreed to anonymously illustrate a series of comic booklets titled "Nights of Horror." Nights of Horror wasn't anything like Superman; it was an adult comic book, if you get what I'm saying. It was pretty much 50 Shades of Gray in comic form. Fast forward to that summer, when four teenage boys murdered two men and committed assault and torture against several others in Brooklyn. They were given the name the Brooklyn Thrill Killers by the media because it seemed like they had only done these crimes for the thrill. Now you're probably wondering how these two things come together. Well, the answer to that question is psychiatrist Dr. Fredrick Wertham, who was brought in to see if Jack Koslow (the leader of the boys) was legally insane or fit to stand trial. The good doctor was intrigued by the teen and continued to study him even after deeming him sane. During his sessions with the doctor, Koslow mentioned he was "addicted" to horror comics. Now one thing you need to know about Dr. Williams is that he hated comics; he even wrote papers about them, so this piqued his interest. After that, Dr. Whitham brought the teen the Nights of Horror comics and asked him if that's what he read. Koslow looked through them briefly and said, “That’s it. Only I have a better  edition."He also told Wertham that he and the other boys had their victims do something that was shown in the comics; rather, he said that after being shown the comics or not, it was not said. So with all of that, the good doctor came to the conclusion that Nights of Horror and other horror comics caused the boy to do these things, even stating that "it is hardly something that a boy would do spontaneously—that is, without getting the idea from somewhere." Now there are some things that make the good doctor’s theory a bit questionable. First of all, there was no evidence that Koslow actually bought or read the books; no witnesses were ever brought forth stating that they had sold the comics to the boy. Secondly, not only did it come out that Koslow was obsessed with a certain crazy Austrian (H!tl3r), but at just 7 years old, he was found to be "aggressive and subject to fantasies of killings." Strangely enough, on top of all of this, he had an IQ of 135. So the real question here, folks, is: if he did read those comics and wasn’t just playing along with the doctor, did the comics simply make him more creative instead of being the all-out cause of his crimes? You know the old saying: movies don’t make psychos; they just make them more creative. Just 10 days after the murder of Wilard Mentor (their second victim), the boys’ trial ended with only the oldest two boys, Jack Koslow and his main partner in crime, Melvin Mittman, getting charged with felony murder. Now you probably think that's the end of this sorted tale, right? Well, not exactly. A month after the Brooklyn Thrill Killers trial, The Nights of Horror comics were seized and banned in New York City. When the publisher tried to appeal that ruling, it went to the Supreme Court, who in turn completely banned the comics, stating that they were plainly obscene and that it did not go against the Constitution to ban them.