In November 1977, DC Comics made a proclamation that would change the entire comic book publishing industry. Only, it didn’t happen. Instead of an explosion of comics, DC Comics suffered a massive implosion. But does this make DC Comics a loser, or was it just ahead of its time?
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This series was produced for those wanting to learn more about the comics they consume. The below list includes the sources we used to gather information. All quotes, and clips used in this production are used under section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976.
RESOURCES
Senator Joseph McCarthy, 1953 statement retrieved from The Miller Center
McCarthyism and the Red Scare | Miller Center
The paranoia about the internal Communist threat-what we call the Red Scare-reached a fever pitch between 1950 and 1954, when Senator Joe McCarthy of Wisconsin, a right-wing Republican, launched a series of highly publicized probes. Journalists, intellectuals, and even many of Eisenhower’s friends and close advisers agonized over what they saw as Ike’s timid approach to McCarthyism.
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg executed in 1953 for espionage clip, retrieved from the Daily Mail
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg executed in 1953 for espionage | Daily Mail Online
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were convicted and executed in 1953 for espionage for leaking nuclear information to the Soviet Union.
Have you no sense of decency, sir? Retrieved from YouTube
“Have you no sense of decency, Sir?” Joseph Welch to Joe McCarthy
In a dramatic confrontation, Joseph Welch, special counsel for the U.S. Army, lashes out at Senator Joseph McCarthy during hearings on whether communism has infiltrated the U.S. armed forces. Welch’s verbal assault marked the end of McCarthy’s power during the anticommunist hysteria of the Red Scare in America.
Seduction of the Innocent by Frederic Wrtham (2021 Edition)
Seduction of the Innocent
Seduction of the Innocent by Frederic Wertham
Frederic Wertham and William Gaines’s testimony before the Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency were retrieved from WNYC.org and the NYC Municipal Archives WNYC Collection
Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency: Wertham Versus Gaines On Decency Standards | WNYC | New York Public Radio, Podcasts, Live Streaming Radio, News
The media changes, but the arguments remain the same.
The Ten Cent Plague by David Hajdu
The Ten-Cent Plague: The Great Comic-Book Scare and How It Changed America
Amazon.com: The Ten-Cent Plague: The Great Comic-Book Scare and How It Changed America eBook : Hajdu, David: Kindle Store
The 1954 Comic Code Authority Rules
Comics Code Authority – Wikipedia
The Comics Code Authority ( CCA) was formed in 1954 by the Comics Magazine Association of America as an alternative to government regulation. The CCA enabled comic publishers to self-regulate the content of comic books in the United States. The code was voluntary, as there was no law requiring its use, although some advertisers and retailers looked to it for reassurance.
Comic Book Sales Data via Comichron
Comichron: Yearly Comic Book Sales
Comic Book Sales by Year
“So Much Moralizing” Stan’s Soapbox, March 1970
New York Times, February 04, 1971
A Comics Magazine Defies Code Ban on Drug Stories (Published 1971)
Code of Comics Magazine Assn of Amer, which governs contents of more than 300 million comic books published each yr in US, has been overhauled for 1st time since its adoption 16 yrs ago; however, despite considerable pressure from some publishers and editors within indus, code continues to make no
Comic Code Authority Shuts Down
Last nail in the coffin for Comics Code Authority – Archie says good-bye
Tom Brevoort reflections on Rolling Stone's article about Marvel Comics
Blah Blah Blog - Rolling Stone
A post from my old Marvel blog, pointing to a transcript of a Marvel article from Rolling Stone. The transcript is no longer there, but Barry Pearl has helpfully transcribed it here: https://forbushman.blogspot.com/2019/06/rolling-stones-article-on-marvel.html . Flo Steinberg sadly passed away a few years ago. Rolling Stone April 28, 2007 | 1:00 AM | By Tom_Brevoort |...
(referenced as: https://zak-site.com/Great-American-Novel/comic_sales.html)
The Amazing World of Carmine Infantino by Carmine Infantino and J. David Spurlock (2001)
The Amazing World of Carmine Infantino
In his 60-year career, Carmine Infantino practised nearly every job in the field of comics, for a "Who's Who" list of publishers. But Infantino will always be remembered as the personification of DC Comics' Silver Age. Infantino helped to resurrect a dying comics industry in 1956 as the artist wh...
Jenette Kahn Wikipedia
Jenette Kahn - Wikipedia
Jenette Kahn (; born May 16, 1947) is an American comic book editor and executive. She joined DC Comics in 1976 as publisher, and five years later was promoted to president. In 1989, she stepped down as publisher and assumed the title of editor-in-chief while retaining the office of president.
Sequential Tart Interview with Jenette Kahn by Jennifer M. Contino, retrieved from the Internet Archive
https://web.archive.org/web/20031026213108/http://www.sequentialtart.com/archive/may01/kahn.shtml
DC Comics Publishorial, "Onward and Upward"
DC Comics Logos Over the Years
The Comics Journal #40
Kim Thompson, “An Interview with Marvel’s Head-Honcho: Jim Shooter” (p. 38)
The Comics Journal No. 40, June 1978 - The Comics Journal
Featuring an interview with Jim Shooter; Kim Thompson on Tom Sutton; illustrations by John Cornell.
Quotes from The Comic Reader, Comic Media News, and others were sourced from:
Comic Book Implosion: The Oral History of DC Comics Circa 1978 by Keith Dallas and John Wells
Comic Book Implosion : TwoMorrows Publishing, The Future of Comics and LEGO™ Publications.
TwoMorrows Publishing Comic Book Implosion - The PRINT Edition is SOLD OUT! But a DIGITAL Edition is available! An Oral History of DC Comics Circa 1978 - 136-page Trade Paperback with COLOR Things looked bleak for comic books throughout the 1970s because of plummeting sell-through rates.
Other resources
Slugfest: Inside the Epic, 50-year Battle Between Marvel and DC by Reed Tucker
Slugfest: Inside the Epic, 50-year Battle between Marvel and DC
Amazon.com: Slugfest: Inside the Epic, 50-year Battle between Marvel and DC eBook : Tucker, Reed: Kindle Store
Marvel Comics: The Untold Story by Sean Howe
Marvel Comics: The Untold Story
Amazon.com: Marvel Comics: The Untold Story eBook : Howe, Sean: Kindle Store
MUSIC AND SFX
Unspoken - licensed via Premiumbeat.com
Break Through - licensed via Premiumbeat.com
Patriotic Epic - licensed via Premiumbeat.com
OMnis - Music by DSTechnician from Pixabay
Big Day Out - Music by Geoff Harvey from Pixabay
Defenders of the Truth - Music by Zakhar Valaha from Pixabay
Inspiring Cinematic Ambient - Music by Aleksey Chistilin from Pixabay
Superhero Hollywood Trailer - Licensed via PremiumBeat.com
Documentary Background - Music by Aleksey Chistilin from Pixabay
Out of Time - Music by Zakhar Valaha from Pixabay
Summer Adventures - Music by Sergii Pavkin from Pixabay
This Minimal Technology (Pure) - Music by Yrii Semchyshyn from Pixabay
Sound Effects from Pixabay
CLOSE
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Stephen Schleicher began his career writing for the Digital Media Online community of sites, including Digital Producer and Creative Mac covering all aspects of the digital content creation industry. He then moved on to consumer technology, and began the Coolness Roundup podcast. A writing fool, Stephen has freelanced for Sci-Fi Channel's Technology Blog, and Gizmodo. Still longing for the good ol' days, Stephen launched Major Spoilers in July 2006, because he is a glutton for punishment. You can follow him on Twitter @MajorSpoilers and tell him your darkest secrets...