Vault of Horror #12

Haunt of fear #15

First issue of EC's Weird Science title, #12

Crypt of Terror #17

First issue of EC's Weird Fantasy title, #13

Seeing EC Comics' success, other publishers decided to give it a try. DC published Strange Adventures No. 1 in August 1950. Harvey tried Witches Tales No. 1 in June 1951 and Chamber of Chills No. 1 in June. DC premiered Mystery in Space No. 1 in Spring 1951. Marvel, under it's Atlas group, published Strange Tales No. 1 in June 1951. American Comics Group added Forbidden Worlds No. 1 in July.

In other genres, DC Comics added The Adventures of Bob Hope No.1 in Winter 1950, and The Adventures of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis No. 1 in July 1952.

War's rebirth, superheroes fall...

Frontline Combat #1

With the "police action" in Korea, war comics once again soared in popularity. EC began Frontline Combat No. 1 in Summer 1952. Marvel added Battle No. 1 in March 1951. Star Spangled Comics became Star Spangled War Stories with No. 131 in August 1952 and DC also added Our Army at War No. 1 the same month. In October

Tales Calculated to Drive You Mad #1, later to become Mad Magazine

1952 EC added Tales Calculated to Drive You Mad No. 1, which would later become the famous Mad Magazine.

By 1953 superheroes were being outsold by nearly every other genre. DC now only published Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman titles. The last Fawcett Captain Marvel comic was The Marvel Family No. 89 in January 1954. DC's lawsuit against Fawcett had finally ended the year before, but by that tim it no longer mattered, Captain Marvel's popularity was gone. Later, in the 1970's DC would purchase the rights to Captain Marvel and company.

The Seduction of the Innocent...

Spring 1954 was the start of one of the darkest periods in comic history. Dr. Frederick Wertham's book, The Seduction of the innocent was released. His book was very critical of and damaging to the comic the comic industry. Dr. Wertham was the psychiatric consulant to the Chief Censor of the United States Treasury Department, a lecturer at Yale Law School, a consultant to the Juvenile Aid Bureau and had been the senior psychiatrist for the New York Department of Hospitals.

For years he had believed comics to be a major cause for the delinquency of the nation's youth and a vocal critic. Seemingly never having said enough on the subject, he did a series of public lectures and print interviews, ending with the publication of his anti-comic book. It was a work filling with half-truths and statistic manipulation that nearly became the tombstone for the industry.

He saw comics as drugs, a vice that even the poorest child could buy. The book, nearly 400 pages in length, attempts to proof comic book violence inspired juvenile crime, leading otherwise wholesome children down the dark path of crime and violence. He claimed children, when having read about a violent action, would repeat and carry it out when the idea would not have even occured to them otherwise. He sited various examples of juvenile delinquents confessing them sinister comics had inspired them to preform their horrible acts.

He claimed comics helped reinforce, and even possibly produce, reading disorders and claimed that youths with reading disorders had a noticeably higher chance of becoming delinquents. He claims that comics were the sole reason for any type of unusual sexual acts in children. Again, he claimed to have collaboration from juvenile sex offenders eager to agree with him.

He claims that the difference between comics and pornography for adults was that one was meant to attract perverts, the other, comics, was meant create them.

He claimed Batman and Robin were a homosexual couple and nothing more than propaganda. He blames the rise of open homosexuals on comics. Were he not so serious, his comments would have been quite humorous. Observe the following Wertham observations:

Sometimes Batman ends up in bed injured and young Robin is shown sitting next to him. At home they lead an idyllic life. They are Bruce Wayne and "Dick" Grayson. Bruce is described as a "socialite" and the offical relationship is that Dick is Bruce's ward. They live is sumptous quarters, with beautiful flowers in large vase and have a butler, Alfred. Batman is sometimes shown is a dressing gown. ...the young boy sometimes worries about his partner. It is like a wish dream of two homosexuals living together. Sometimes they are shown on a couch, Bruce reclining and Dick sitting next to him, jacket off, collar open, and his hand on his friend's arm. Like girls in other stories, Robin is sometimes held captive by the villians...

Robin is a handsome ephetic boy, usually showing his uniform with bare legs. He is buoyant with energy and devoted to nothing on earth or interplanetary space as much as to Bruce Wayne. He often stands with legs spread, the genital region discreetly evident.

As I said, quite a twisted leap of logic.

In April 1954, reacting to Wertham's conclusions, the United States Senate Subcommittee to Investigate Juvenile Delinquency in the United States held public hearings and Wertham testified. He said that his study was the only one of it's kind and that without a doubt or any reservation comic books were an important factor in juvenile delinquency, particularly in targeting "normal" children who would regularly not become delinquents

He said Hitler was "a begiinner compared to the comic book industry. They get the children much younger." He claimed comics taught race hatred to children as young as four. That newsdealers appealed to him to please help them so they don't have to sell comic books.

Both the public and the authorities, particularly the Senate Committee, believed his views. The Senate ordered a standard code must be developed for all comics, eliminating everything in a comic potentially damaging or demoralizing to a youth. So was born The Comic Code.

The Comic Code...

Following the Senate report comic publishers decided to band together and self-regulate, forming The Comic Magazine Association of America Inc. on October 26, 1954. They developed a code that members would adhere to and a print a logo on the cover assuring the public that the book in question met with the Comic's approval. A copy of theStandards of the Comics Code Authority they developed is available online. Wertham didn't consider self-regulation enough. Fans considered it too much, causing the death of many of their favorite titles.

The Code created massive restrictions. Horror and crime comics became nearly extinct. Westerns had to have fewer gunfights. Romance comics couldn't have much romance. Even funny animal comic violence was limited. In addition to genres going under, a number of publishers went out of business as well. Among them were Fiction House, Eastern Color, United Feature, Star Publications, Toby Press, and Sterling Comics. Many artists were also forced to leave for ecomonic reasons, among them Sub-Mariner creator Bill Everett, John Buscema, and Gene Colan.

Post-Code life...

Seemingly locked out of most other genres, publishers turned to superheroes. In April 1954 Marvel revived Sub-Mariner Comics and The Human Torch with their old numbering. Joe Simon and Jack Kirby's Fighting American No. 1 for Headline produced the 1950's first new hero. Captain America Comics also returned for three issues.

DC added Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen in September 1954, My Greatest Adventure No. 1 in January 1955, and The Brave and the Bold No. 1 in August 1955. In March 1955, in Adventure Comics No. 210, Superboy was given his superdog Krypto.

Gaines and EC Comics were forced to scrap a large number of titles because the Code wouldn't approve them and distributors therefore refused to carry them Between Fall 1954 and Summer 1955 he added Piracy No. 1, Extra No. 1, Valor No. 1, impact No. 1, Psychoanalysis No. 1, M.D. No. 1 and Incredible Science Fiction No. 30. Within a year however, all EC titles had failed and all that was left was Mad, which became Mad Magazine with No. 24 in order to escape the Comic Code entirely.

In December DC published Detective Comics No. 225, featuring the first appearance and origin of the Martian Manhunter in the back-up feature. Originally called John Jones, J'onn J'onzz was the first new DC superhero since the Golden Age. He didn't however, start the Silver Age, that would later be Showcase No. 4, the first appearance of the new Flash.

Science-fiction managed to be one of the few surviving Post-Code genres and in 1956 publishers expanded it. DC added Tales of the Unexpected No. 1 in February. Marvel rolled out, World of Suspense No. 1 in April, World of Fantasy No. 1 in May, and Mystical Tales No. 1 and World of Mystery No. 1 in June. Charlton joined the parade with Out of this World No. 1 and Mysteries of Unexplored Worlds No. 1 in August.

In March DC premiered Showcase No. 1, a title designed for try-outs of new characters. In June they added to their television line with Jackie Gleason and the Honeymooners No. 1. June saw the first ppearance of Batwoman in Detective Comics No. 233

A new era begins...

Harvey closed the year with the release of three titles. Baby Huey, The Baby Giant No. 1 in September and Little Lotta No. 1 and Spooky, The Tuff Little Ghost No. 1 in November. However, by then Showcase No. 4 had hit the stands, offically starting The Silver Age.