Comic Code Seal of Approval, What Does it Mean Today?

You've seen the Comic Code Seal of Approval before. It's that little "A" stamp in the top right side of almost every comic book with the halo looking "C" around it. The Comic Code Authority puts that stamp right there, in that spot. What does it mean? How does it affect the American public? Does putting that stamp on the books make any difference to consumers today?

You can't talk about the Comic Code Authority with out mentioning Fredric Wertham. He was a psychiatrist, and considered the Comic Code Authority a "cop-out." But make no mistake. Fredric Wertham is the reason it exists.

In the course of his work in the 1950's, Fredric Wertham interviewed common criminals, serving their time. He discovered many of them enjoyed comic books.

Not long after, Fredric Wertham's crusade began.

Like many learned men, with something substantial to say, Fredric Wertham wrote a book. Unsavory violence, horror, crime and sexuality in comic books were ceremoniously brought into the light.

Wertham's work resulted in senatorial consideration. In pictures you may find of this man, scattered around the Internet, you can almost imagine him saying, "Witness the power of higher education, you peon comic-cons."

Of course, in this instance, the term "comic-con" may refer to comic convicts. But Fredric Wertham's book was aptly titled "Seduction of the Innocent."

Superman became the powerful alien, showing off the inadequacies of American law enforcement and armed forces. Fredric Wertham bashed Batman and Robin as homosexuals. Wonder Woman was more a symbol of sexual bondage and domination than of truth and justice.

Did Fredric Wertham show the light, or rally the troops over nothing?

We still have active prisons, sexy women, and a slew of other unsavory venues in society.

We can hardly lay this at the feet of comic book collectors and creators.

Comic publishers founded the Comic Code Authority after Fredric Wertham shook up the bigwigs in government. This is what I suspect Fredric Wertham hated the most. The publishers became their own regulators, and were able to stay in business. I don't believe he would have been happy until the entire genre was demolished.

Regardless, the Comic Code Authority exercised heavy restrictions over the industry. As a result of that, and the bad publicity Fredric Wertham dredged up, interest was lost in comics. And of course, with the restrictions placed upon comic books, the actual storytelling suffered.

No longer could publishers release content depicting the triumph of evil. Law enforcement could not be depicted as helpless regular humans in the face of super villains. Many comic books fizzled out, and never returned. It's difficult to believe Batman and Robin survived the onslaught brought against them by the psychiatrist.

Even the suggestion that they were homosexuals back in the 1950's would cause heavy repercussions.

Publishing companies initiated the Comic Code Authority to govern each other, but they were not a cream puff organization, back then. It took the brave and creative Stan Lee to outwardly defy the Comic Code Authority. Stan Lee wished to publish content in the "Amazing Spiderman" depicting the negative effects of drug abuse.

Even mention of a drug in comic books went against the Comic Code.

It was a three issue series in the "Amazing Spiderman" published without the Comic Code Seal of Approval. America seemed to love it. Stan Lee continues to receive great recognition for this work. It prompted the first update for the comic code.

Now comics carrying the Comic Code Seal of Approval can depict drugs in a negative light. Fredric Wertham probably flipped when he heard.

The Comic Code Authority still exists, and publishers often heed it. "Often," being the operative word. When comic book content breaks the rules of the code, many publishers put out what they want. Perhaps Fredric Wertham was right about the Comic Code Seal of Approval being a cop-out.

Is America worse off because of this development?

I can't really say, but it is probably no worse for the unsavory music published these days. Take your pick of any blockbuster Hollywood motion picture. Even look at the news while eating Chips and dip with your friends.

One thing I am certain of is that no bloody wars have been fought over any genre of entertainment. We cannot lay the blame for crime at the feet of any one particular thing. Crime is too large a phenomenon. There are many (sometimes a few hundred) reasons for it manifest in every single criminal.

Effects of Fredric Werthams war against comic books, and his failure to carry the analysis of criminals to obvious end conclusions, are still felt in the industry today. Sells aren't what they once were. Video games may have taken attention away from graphic novels, but that is a story for a different time. The comic book industry still enjoys thousands of fans.

Now, if we could only get comic writers to tell more coherent stories...