Are you having serious problems? Your job? Your car? Your relationships, or lack thereof? Your life? Are you upset that some people die before their time, the have-nots continue to have not, and the world generally just isn't fair? The solution is simple. Blame comics! You'll feel better immediately knowing that your problems aren't your own fault, and channeling all that free-floating anger against some lines on paper (or onscreen). And when you accuse them of a conspiracy against your religious leaders, aiding the spread of world Communism, and murdering innocent shoppers, don't worry, they won't sue you for slander. They won't even take offense. They can't. They're just lines. Yet they're somehow evil. Never forget that. Evil, evil lines. The following are ten outrageous examples of comics being blamed for society's ills. Let's be clear: some individual comics can be irresponsible, and we don't mean to make light of the actual problems on this list, some of which are quite upsettting. But we're talking about instances where someone looked at something terrible, like, say, the Black Plague, and declaring, "You know what would fix this problem? How about a nice old-fashioned comic-book burning? Yes! It'll be like a bonfire, only with more smug ignorance! I feel better already now that we've picked a scapegoat instead of committing ourselves to do anything that would actually fix the problem!"
T Campbell has written quite a few online comics series and selected work for Marvel, Archie and Tokyopop. His longest-running works are Fans, Penny and Aggie-- and his current project with co-writer Phil Kahn, Guilded Age.
