The Ten-Cent Plague

This was an interesting read. It delves into the comic book panic of the early 1950s and the founding of the Comics Code which remained in effect long after the initial panic had passed. The story is similar to pretty much every time a new form of media captures the attention of youth culture, and the history reads very similar to the roots of rock and roll, television, and video games.

It is a well-researched book, and it does a good job of not making supermen of the key players in its story. It depicts many of the early comic creators (Eisner excepted) as men looking to make money with the new comic craze and not seeing anything particularly wrong with how they were doing it. These men were then supported by dozens of people who, for reasons of class, color, gender, or other gatekeepers, couldn't or didn't want to pursue art in other areas. The book doesn't defend comics as class literature, but openly admits that a lot of it was trashy pulp designed for a quick thrill. However it also demonstrates that reading a little trashy pulp does not undermine the morality of a nation. A little publicity, an upcoming election, and some sketchy individuals with Dr. in front of their names can do a lot of damage to common sense as evidenced by the lengthy list of artists who never worked again following the comic purge.

As an educator, censorship is always an issue in my life, whether it's deciding what books go in my classroom library or listening in more than a bit of shock as my students describe the latest horror movie to me. This book is a good reminder that blanket censorship is rarely an effective tool in guiding children and often does more to popularize the banned thing than to prevent it. Taste is always up to the individual, and much as it pains the adults watching over them, children need opportunities to develop their own. In the age where violent video games and rap music are the current easy targets for media and politicians looking to show concern for the morality of the nation, I think this book is an important read. Supervision is different from censorship, and our kids are often much savvier than we believe.