In his 1953 book Seduction of the Innocent, Dr. Frederic Wertham famously assailed the comic book industry for how it created different kinds of maladjustment in young minds. The following year, the Comics Code Authority was created to police the industry, censoring any references to sex, drugs, excessive levels of violence, the occult, etc. And yet these 20 comic book panels the bulk of them selected from comics that were published in the 1950s and 60s when the Comic Code Authority was at its strictest demonstrate that even a sanitized, well-regulated comic book industry could still have its fair share of lewd and crude moments, filled with boners, indecent exposures and propositions for trysts in the Batcave when read in certain contexts, of course. In reality, while some of these images might have been the work of some clever, smart-alecky comic book creator that wanted to subversively work in a dash of innuendo into the latest issue of Batman, Superman or Archie, the hilarity of these panels is inadvertent a happy accident for those of us whose mind goes directly into the gutter whenever a comic book character talks about getting hard or having a strange sensation. So here are 20 unintentionally funny comic book panels in all of their out-of-context glory.
20. A Tough Position For Batman And Green Lantern
Batman almost always seems to be at odds with somebody in the DC Universe, so much so that an entire film is being made about his often adversarial relationship with Superman. However, in this instance, Green Lantern is on the receiving end of some Bat-angst. Hopefully Hal Jordan can use his power ring to get himself in a more comfortable position.
19. Meet Me In The Batcave
*Spoiler Alert* but theres enough unintentionally funny comic book panels featuring Batman and Robin that an entire list could be dedicated to just to those two. As such, heres the first of a few featuring the Dark Knight and his Boy Wonder. It is certainly nice of the more experience Batman to be willing to show Robin a thing or two in the Batcave.
18. No Telling What A Woman Can Do
Comic books have come a long way since the Golden and Silver Age. At least when the medium demeans female characters know, its by putting them in skimpy outfits, or by having a writer suggest that certain character was created with the sole purpose of having sex with other male characters. This panel comes from a less progressive era, when the worst comics would do was suggest that women were crazy and irrational and filled with uncontrollable urges.
17. Something Happening Between Archie And Reggie
As two of Riverdales chief teenage alpha males, Archie Andrews and Reggie Mantle have long been competitors and adversaries, especially for the affections of the lovely Betty and Veronica. But in this scene, these two appear to be engaging in a different kind of alpha male competition. Unfortunately for Archie, it appears Reggie has the upper hand.