Seal of Approval: The History of the Comics Code (Studies in Popular Culture

by Amy Kiste Nyberg

For the past forty years the content of comic books has been governed by an industry self-regulatory code adopted by publishers in 1954 in response to public and governmental pressure. This book examines why comic books were the subject of controversy, beginning with objections that surfaced shortly after the introduction of modern comic books in the mid-1930s, when parents and teachers accused comic books of contaminating children's culture and luring children away from more appropriate reading material. It traces how, in the years following World War II, the criticism of comic books shifted to their content, and the reading of comic books became linked with the rise of juvenile delinquency. This resulted in attempts at the local, state, and national level to ban or license comic book sales. A major figure in the crusade against comic books was the psychiatrist Dr. Fredric Wertham. While he played a significant role in the postwar attack on comics, his accusations against the comic book industry have been misunderstood by comic book fans and media scholars alike. They have accused him of being a naive social scientist who saw direct causal links between the reading of comic books and delinquency. In fact, Seal of Approval shows that Wertham's work is much better understood in the intellectual tradition of media criticism of the Frankfurt school and their critique of mass culture. The negative publicity aroused by the controversy, coupled with fears that the government would pass censorship legislation, led publishers to adopt the self-regulatory code. It has been changed only twice, once in 1971 and again in 1989. The legacy of the comics code is that it continues to define the comic book medium as essentially juvenile literature. While the code offers protection against those who attack the media (and not just comic books), it also reaffirms the public perception of comic books as children's fare. As a result, the comic book has yet to achieve legitimation as a unique form of expression that blends words and pictures in a way that no other medium can duplicate. In tracing the evolution of the controversy and the resulting code Seal of Approval examines important issues about children, media effects, and censorship. It is the first booklength scholarly study of this period of comic book history. Amy Kiste Nyberg is a professor in the Department of Communication at Seton Hall University.

Genres: Nonfiction, Comics, History, School, Comic Book

256 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1998

Reviews

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Seal of Approval" is a dryly academic book about a colorful and contentious topic, the sort of thing you get when your passion project has to make it past a review board or a thesis adviser. It is nevertheless a deeply researched and informative book, and worth reading if you are serious about learning more about the history of the Comics Code.

The book covers the controversies that lead to the creation of the original Comics Code and then its various revisions through the decades. Unfortunately it is now out of date, as shortly after this book was published Marvel Comics withdrew from the Comics Code Authority. A few years later, DC Comics and Archie Comics also withdrew from the CCA, leaving the Code after sixty plus years entirely defunct.

I would like to know Nyberg's thoughts on these developments.

It is in fact not entirely clear what she thinks of the code overall. While she bemoans the way its restrictions stymied innovation in comics for decades, she also appears to wag her finger at those who insist we can get along without it. But maybe I'm misinterpreting her.

Nyberg also mounts a defense of sorts of Frederic Wertham, the psychologist who was responsible for so much of the panic about comics. Wertham is often criticized for his sloppy or simplistic linkages between comics and juvenile delinquency, most popularly presented in his book Seduction of the Innocents. Nyberg argues that Wertham wasn't trying to build a scientific case against comics per se, but that he was advocating for a holistic, radical program of limiting kids' exposure to mass media of any kind. Seduction wasn't supposed to be science, it was propaganda.

It's hard to see how that makes it better. Or in any way excuses Wertham.

In a work this copiously researched and footnoted, what doesn't get said can be quite deceiving. Nyberg is quick to dismiss certain viewpoints but doesn't really back up her dismissals by digging into them, so it is hard to know how valid they are. Was the Comics Code a major factor in the near-collapse of the comics publishing industry in the late fifties? Nyberg says "No," but doesn't bother to delve into this much. Since you could undoubtedly make a strong counter-argument, it would have behooved her to grapple with this in greater depth or at least to admit the ambiguities.

At any rate, there is a lot of valuable material here for a student of comic book history. Just expect it to be a little dry.

[Bekki Suorez · Rating 2 out of 5]

I tried. Honest, I did. I believe that nonfiction and academic texts can be intriguing. This book, however, is not amongst the interesting ones.

I made it approximately one third of the way through the book before I just couldn't take it. Worst part? I still don't know quite why I can't finish it. I just find my attention sliding everywhere else after less than a minute of reading.

Perhaps something to try again in a year or two.

[Dan Newland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seal of Approval begins by examining how comic books ran afoul of parent groups and government watchdogs in the 1930s and 1940s and then examines ways in which the industry responded to this pressure, including the creation of the Comics Code Authority. Nyberg looks at how the code worked, details what it restricted, and examines how this self-censoring approach had both positive and negative impacts on comics from the 1950s to the 1990s.

As a lifetime comic book fan, I have had a negative opinion of the Comics Code Authority and Frederick Wertham for as long as I can remember. And while Nyberg certainly did not transform me into a fan of Wertham, she did help me to gain a greater understanding of the CCA. I think that this book is an extremely valuable read for longtime comics fans, because it questions our assumptions and makes us reassess the people and events involved with 1950s comic censorship.

Seal of Approval is well-written and engaging. It tells the story of an interesting and important time in comics history and provides a viewpoint that is not often heard in comics scholarship. It is especially useful in conjunction with David Hajdu’s excellent book The Ten Cent Plague, as the two come at the same topic from very different angles.

[Pirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Continuing my research into the history of the comics code authority (and the conclusion, for now; I'm not marking stuff I only half read or articles, there was more reading being done I promise). A mostly easily readable and comprehensive book on the subject. My main complaints are that the order of the chapters didn't really make sense and the fact that despite having numbered notations in the text itself, the bibliography is alphabetical rather than numbered. This doesn't mean you can't find what you're looking for, but it's just a little confusing and weird.

[Kristen Chew]

An interesting scholarly assessment of the history of the Comics Code and the Comics Code Authority, with some reevaluation (if not exoneration) of Frederic Wertham. This short book focuses more on industry reaction than effects on readers (although that is certainly discussed), making it a good companion to David Hadju's The Ten-Cent Plague: The Comic Book Scare and How It Changed America (written for a mainstream audience).

[James Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the most organized history books I have ever read. I do have to say I was not entirely interested in the topic but the way Nyberg presents the history is amazing.

[Max A · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very dated, but when it was written it was a good overview of censorship in comics. Sadly its early chapters are much better than its later ones.