Set Description:
My interest in the “Seduction of the Innocent” (SOTI) stems from the role it played in killing the crime and horror comics of the early 1950s that in turn set the stage for the rebirth of superhero comics and the start of the silver age. The SOTI was a book published by psychiatrist Fredric Wertham in 1954. Wertham believed that comic books were a key cause of juvenile delinquency and used the SOTI to cite examples of how comic books were contributing to behavioral problems in children. The book was part of a growing movement in the 1950s to censor comics. After the SOTI was published, the censorship movement culminated with Congressional hearings and the comic industry voluntarily creating the Comics Code Authority (CCA) in 1954. The CCA’s censorship essentially killed the crime, terror and horror comics that were prevalent in the early 1950s. In the wake of these changes, the comics industry responded by reintroducing superhero comics with a new twist. Instead of the authoritative fatherly figures of the 1940s, silver age superheroes were flawed and self-doubting. Marvel Comics in particular capitalized on this new genre of superhero by publishing highly imaginative stories with strong characterization. While I’m no fan of censorship, silver age Marvels are the comics that I enjoy collecting the most and I appreciate the historical role that the SOTI played in transitioning comics away from crime and horror towards the stronger story telling and character development of the silver age.
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