Wertham Missed It!
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Wertham Missed It

A few extreme examples of comics that Dr. Wertham didn't mention in SOTI, but perhaps should have.
Most of these came out before SOTI, although if you look carefully you'll find some that were published
after SOTI came out but before the Comics Code went into existence.

Feast your eyes on these extreme examples of sex, violence, and gore.
Without trying too hard, you can find rape, pedophilia, bestiality and necrophilia.
Feel free to suggest any we may have missed.

If you have any information to contribute,
just E-mail us!
 

Title Issue Photo
  All Top   8
  All Top   10
  Astonishing   30
  Black Cat   50
  Bobby Benson's Bar B Riders   14
  Boy Loves Girl   29
It's common these days to find mass media such as movies and television presenting the message that love equals sex. You don't have to go back too far in time to find more extreme examples. If you look for them, you can find a number of 1950's romance comics that feature the "love equals rape" theme.
  Chamber of Chills   23
  Chilling Tales   16
  Crime Does Not Pay   24
  Crime Does Not Pay   26
  Crime Does Not Pay   33
  Crime Does Not Pay   36
  Crime Does Not Pay   38
  Crime Does Not Pay   42
  Crime Does Not Pay   43
  Crime Does Not Pay   44
  Crime Does Not Pay   46
Pedophilia was not a common theme on comic book covers, but you could find it occasionally. See also Fighting Yank #13.
  Crime Does Not Pay   48
  Crime Does Not Pay   50
  Crime Does Not Pay   52
  Crime Does Not Pay   54
The bullet-through-the-head cover on #50 must have sold well, because #54 has it too.
  Crime Does Not Pay   61
  Crime Mysteries   4
  Crimes By Women   7
  Crime SuspenStories   16
Yes, EC had some covers that could have been criticized by Wertham but were not. But when you compare them to the output of some other publishers, much of EC's output seems almost tame by comparison.
  Crime SuspenStories   17
  Dagar   23
  Dark Mysteries   10
  Dark Mysteries   13
  Dark Mysteries   19
  Diary Secrets   13
  Diary Secrets   17
  Diary Secrets   22
  Dynamic Comics   8
  Dynamic Comics   16
Another common theme: captive women being menaced by a snake.
  Eh   4
  Exposed   1
  Famous Crimes   2
  Fight Against Crime   12
  Fight Against Crime   16
  Fight Against Crime   19
  Fight Against Crime   20
  Fight Against Crime   21
  Fight Comics   39
  Fighting Yank   13
  Fighting Yank   21
  Fighting Yank   23
Paging doctor Freud! Although the "captive woman menaced by a snake" theme was common on Fox's jungle books, it appeared on other covers as well.
  First Love Illustrated   13
The classic "I Joined a Teen-age Sex Club".
  Ghost Comics   2
  Ghost Comics   3
  Ghost Comics   6
  Ghost Comics   7
  Ghost Comics   10
  Giant Comics Edition   12
  Horrific   3
  Jo Jo   11
  Jo Jo   17
  Jo Jo   22
  Jo Jo   25
  Jungle Comics   85
  Jungle Comics   106
  Jungle Comics   132
  Lawbreakers' Suspense   11
  Lawbreakers' Suspense   15
  Manhunt   5
  Manhunt   14
  Mister Mystery   4
  Mister Mystery   6
  Mister Mystery   7
  Mister Mystery   8
  Mister Mystery   11
  Mister Mystery   12
Dr. Wertham found many examples of what he dubbed the "injury to the eye motif." In a way, it's surprising that he missed this, arguably the most notorious "injury-to-the-eye" comic ever.
  Mister Mystery   13
  Mister Mystery   16
  Murder Incorporated   3
  My Life   13
  My Secret Affair   2
  Pictorial Romances   17
  Pictorial Romances   22
  Pictorial Romances   24
  Phantom Lady   16
  Phantom Lady   23
  Planet Comics   65
  Punch   9
  Punch   12
  Racket Squad in Action   5
  Racket Squad in Action   12
  Red Seal   14
  Roly-Poly   14
  Romantic Love   2
  Rulah   26
  Shock SuspenStories   7
  Startling Terror Tales   4
  Startling Terror Tales   10
  Startling Terror Tales   11
  Startling Terror Tales   12
  Startling Terror Tales   14
  Strange Suspense Stories   19
  Strange Terrors   6
  Suzie   88
  Super-Mystery Comics   V6N3
  Tales from the Crypt   38
  Teenage Romances   9
  Teenage Romances   33
  Teenage Romances   36
  Teenage Romances   38
  Teenage Temptations   1
  Teenage Temptations   2
  Teenage Temptations   4
  Teenage Temptations   8
  Thing   5
  Thing   7
  This Magazine is Haunted   10
  Thrilling Crime Cases   49
  Throbbing Love  
  Tomb of Terror   15
  True Life Secrets   23
  True Love Pictorial   11
  Underworld Crime   7
  Vault of Horror   30
  Vault of Horror   32
  Voodoo   15
  Wartime Romances   17
  Weird Chills   2
  Weird Mysteries   1
  Weird Mysteries   3
  Weird Mysteries   5
  Weird Mysteries   6
  Weird Tales of the Future   8
  Weird Terror   7
  Weird Terror   8
  Witches Tales   2
  Witches Tales   25
  Worlds of Fear   9
  Zoot   11
    More to come! What do YOU think belongs on a list of the most outrageous pre-Code comics? We focused primarily on covers, but we're open to suggestions for any covers or interiors from any pre-Code comics.

 
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