In 1952, the federal government was called upon to investigate the comic book industry in order to determine if reading comic books influenced juvenile delinquency. The United States could not afford to look weak from...In 1952, the federal government was called upon to investigate the comic book industry in order to determine if reading comic books influenced juvenile delinquency. The United States could not afford to look weak from any angle; the idea of Communist nations exploiting moral weakness of any kind was frightening to many. However, the Soviets were already aware of moral issues on the American home front that were affecting the health of the nation, such as civil rights, sexism （sexual confusion）, a rise in fascism, and juvenile delinquency. This study will discuss the investigation of the comic book industry as the sole contributors to juvenile delinquent issues, as Fredric Wertham charged in his book Seduction of the Innocent. In addition, this study focuses on the ways in which Entertaining Comics （EC） pushed the envelope and challenged Cold War standards of ideal middle class values. Their creative resistance led to the federal investigation which nearly destroyed the comic book industry. Through these investigations, the federal government re-defined the first amendment as it applied to this type of media as a way to curtail what they believed was the Soviet Union＇s efforts to use our own literature as a propaganda tool for their people.展开更多
文摘In 1952, the federal government was called upon to investigate the comic book industry in order to determine if reading comic books influenced juvenile delinquency. The United States could not afford to look weak from any angle; the idea of Communist nations exploiting moral weakness of any kind was frightening to many. However, the Soviets were already aware of moral issues on the American home front that were affecting the health of the nation, such as civil rights, sexism （sexual confusion）, a rise in fascism, and juvenile delinquency. This study will discuss the investigation of the comic book industry as the sole contributors to juvenile delinquent issues, as Fredric Wertham charged in his book Seduction of the Innocent. In addition, this study focuses on the ways in which Entertaining Comics （EC） pushed the envelope and challenged Cold War standards of ideal middle class values. Their creative resistance led to the federal investigation which nearly destroyed the comic book industry. Through these investigations, the federal government re-defined the first amendment as it applied to this type of media as a way to curtail what they believed was the Soviet Union＇s efforts to use our own literature as a propaganda tool for their people.
