The big companies — including DC, Marvel, Archie and Dell — opted to regulate their own books and submit them to an independent third party, the Comics Code Authority, which awarded them with a literal stamp of approval.
People got so riled that cities (including Cleveland) passed laws banning comics with the word “Crime” on their covers. There were comic-book burnings all over, including Northeast Ohio. (The collector in me must point out that millions of dollars worth of rare, 1940s and 1950s comics were destroyed. )
DC Comics announced it is giving up the authority’s seal of approval in April.
I can think of 444 ways that Marvel could bring back the Human Torch, who was “killed” in the most recent issue of the “Impressive Four,” but I doubt any will be necessary.
Good riddance.
The much-hyped death caused a run on comics shops, which is always good, but I w
Now, isn’t that easier?
Wouldn’t it be great if that were our biggest problem today? It was a nice shameful part of our national history when a handful of congressmen held hearings to establish that comics were causing (horrors) JUVENILE DELINQUENCY. Many believe the code was just a way to pare the comic-book field and eliminate dozens of upstart companies that were flooding the market with horror, crime and erotic (for the 1950s) comics.
HUMAN TORCH SNUFFED
Now DC has done the same. Marvel said “enough” several years ago and substituted its own rating computer. Since the mid-’50s, the code of approval has appeared on comics covers, indicating that the book followed the code’s obvious, sometimes silly, guidelines. The only company still using the code is Archie Comics, which seems redundant for the family-oriented book.
Marvel Entertainment via APWriters in Impressive Four issue No. 587 extinguish the Human Torch’s flame and hellos life. Or do they?
Pokémon Black Version and Pokémon White Version also mark the first time in a Pokemon video game that the seasons will change in the game world. Certain Pokémon appear more frequently during different seasons, and players can only access some areas during a specific season.
This was in the days before comics shops, when comics were sold on newsstands. The stamp was large in the beginning, decreased over the years, and now you almost need a magnifying glass to see it.
DC, like Marvel, will establish its own code on covers, ranging from E for everyone to M for mature readers.
Comics and the free market did a pleasing job of policing the industry. Its strict rules (comics could not use the words zombie or vampire for example) look silly. There was never a need for the code.
The last surviving reminder of the 1950s attack on comic books, the Comics Code Authority, is just about gone.
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