7 Weird Facts You Didn't Know About Comic Books
2. The Comics Code Authority Drove One Comics Publisher Mad
Oops. Typo. "Drove One Comics Publisher to Mad"
After being investigated by the FBI and the U.S. Senate during the early 1950s, the comics industry agreed to a form of self-censorship. Publishers voluntarily submitted every panel of art and every word balloon to the Comics Code Authority. But the CCA was extremely rigid and perhaps even a bit anal in its guidelines for good taste. For instance, no excessive violence, no gore, no cleavage -- and absolutely no stories about ... ZOMBIES and VAMPIRES and GHOULS -- Oh my!
Oh yeah, and publishers weren't allowed to use the words "crime" or "horror" on the covers of comics.
Bill Gaines, publisher of the famed EC Comics, The Vault of Horror and Crime SuspenStories, felt many of these prohibitions were specifically designed to harass him and hamper his efforts. But Gaines wasn't ready to go off the deep end until after he'd submitted to the CCA a science fiction comic that served as an allegory of the evils of racism. The story featured a black hero, but the CCA wanted a white man substituted.
Gaines argued that the story would only work (and be effective) because the hero was black. He also threatened to expose the CCA's obvious prejudice. So the CCA backed off, and the comic finally received the seal of approval.
Still, Gaines felt as though he'd been bound and gagged under the restrictive and repressive guidelines of the funny book police. In fact, the CCA routinely censored things for the silliest reasons - and most of what it objected to was far more tame than what kids got to see every Saturday in the G-rated movies of the day. So, Gaines eventually dropped his entire comics line in favor of publishing magazines - specifically his wildly successful MAD Magazine.