Seduction of the Innocent Related Items
SeductionOfTheInnocent.org Homepage     Comic Books referenced by Dr. Wertham in Seduction of the Innocent.  Many have been identified by collectors, but many more are yet undiscovered.     Other items from the anti-comics movement of the 1950s:  Love and Death, Parade of Pleasure, the Senate hearings, editorials, and more.     Other works by Dr. Fredric Wertham.     Dr. Wertham cited hundreds of examples of sex and violence in the comics of the 40s and 50s, but he didn't spot them all.  Here are some of the most glaring examples he failed to mention in SOTI or during the Senate hearings.     Links to sites that have additional related information.     Frequently Asked Questions
 
Anti-Comics articles
Love And Death
Parade of Pleasure
New York Legislative Comm.
U.S. Senate Investigation
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Anti-Comics Articles

Articles and publications and articles related to the comic book censorship movement of the 1940's and 1950's.

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American Journal of Psychotherapy, May 1948 (?) Summary of March 19 1948 Symposium
“The Psychopathology of Comic Books”
(Wertham, Gershon Legman, among others)
Chicago Daily News, May 8th, 1940 First Sterling North aritcle.
Collier's, March 27, 1948 , pp. 22-23+ Judith Crist "Horror in the Nursery"
Commentary#7, 1949 pp. 80-88 Norbert Muhlen. “Comic Books and Other Horrors”
Educational Administration and Supervision #28 (1942) pp. 344-353 Paul Witty, Ethel Smith, and Anne Coomer “Reading the Comics in Grades IV-VII”
Family Circle, February, 1949, pp. 60-63. Harvey Zorbaugh & Mildred Gilman "What Can YOU do about Comic Books?"
Read it!
Journal of Education #12 (1944) pp. 14-15 James Landsdowne, “The Viciousness of the Comic Book”
Journal of Educational Sociology Vol 23, 1949. pp. 195-205 Frederick Thrasher. “The Comics and Delinquency: Cause or Scapegoat”
Journal of Educational Sociology December 1949 Disparages Wertham’s theories. Paul Witty begins to publish a series
of academic articles on comic books
Journal of Experimental Education #10 (1941), pp. 105-109 “Reading the Comics—A Comparative Study”
Journal of Experimental Education #10 (1941), pp. 100-104 “Children’s Interest in Reading the Comics”
The Lure of the Comics British anti-comics pamphlet published by the International Women's Day Committee, April, 1952
McCall's, December, 1947, pp. 24-25+ Selma Robinson "What Do They See in the Comics?"
National-Parent- Teacher, Jan 1942, pp. 29-30 Paul Witty “Those Troublesome Comics”
New Republic, Feb 17 1947 pp. 20-23 Marya Mannes “Junior has a Craving”
Newsweek, May 3, 1954
The New Yorker, May 8, 1954
Parents' Magazine, February, 1950, pp. 38-39+ Jesse L. Murrell, "Cincinnati Rates the Comic Books"
Parents' Magazine, October, 1950, pp. 44-45+ Jesse L. Murrell, D.D. "Cincinnati Again Rates the Comics"
Parents' Magazine, November, 1952, pp. 48-49+ Jesse L. Murrell, D.D. "Annnual Rating of Comic Magazines"
Picture Post, May 17, 1952 , pp. 33-35 "Should US Comics Be Banned?"
Reader's Digest, November, 1948, pp. 56-57 “Common Sense about Comics” Reprinted from Parents' Magazine
Reader's Digest, November, 1954 T.E. Murphy "The Face of Violence" anti-comics article. Cites several specific comic books: 1) A murderer who dissects his victims: "He made the first incision across the throat...", "Now I shall make an incision in the upper arm and separate the muscles so that you may identify them." 2) One comic book that shows how to make a cap gun into a deadly weapon. Another that shows how to make brass knuckles from milk-can handles. 3) The cover of Crime SuspenStories #22
Saturday Review of Literature, March 20, 1948 John Mason Brown “The Case Against the Comics”
Saturday Review of Literature, March 20, 1948 Al Capp, “The Case for the Comics”
Scouting, September, 1954 Anti-comics article
Scouting, October, 1954
One-page anti-comics article
Time, May 3, 1954 , p. 78 "Horror Comics" small article about Kefauver investigation. Article cites Crime SuspenStories #22 cover.