The Ten-Cent Plague: The Great Comic-Book Scare and How It Changed America by David Hajdu
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Book Reviews of The Ten-Cent Plague: The Great Comic-Book Scare and How It Changed America
Book Review: We are creatures of habit...
Summary: 4 Stars
Highly informative, slightly esoteric, and entirely relevant, Hajdu's case study on the hysteria surrounding crime comic-books at the dawn of the Cold War left me with far more questions than answers. While this generally is a sign that an author has breached the innermost walls of my cerebrum and forced me to question my previous held assumptions regarding a given topic, Hajdu's impeccable research and wealth of knowledge was simply too much to handle. When I first purchased the book, I was under the assumption that I would be getting a comprehensive look at the hysteria surrounding the comic-book industry as a whole. Not so. Hajdu's research is extraordinarily focused (essentially the decade following WWII), yet highly effective. Those looking for a bit of easy reading need not apply. But I digress...
As a twenty-three-year-old, it makes perfect sense that I would find Hajdu's book rather esoteric. Simply put, I never experienced any of the comic-book burnings or public hysteria cited by Hajdu. But, that does not leave me ignorant of the reactionary elements central to the hysteria surrounding potentially "damaging" aspects of youth culture. As I read this book, I couldn't help but be reminded of the "parental advisory" stickers gracing my generation's compact discs, or the on-going debate surrounding the influence of violent video games on the minds of our nation's "impressionable" youth. Let's not forget the censorship imposed by retail outlets like Target or Wal-Mart, who have effectively banned CD's containing "objectionable" lyrical content from their shelves. So what's the bottom line? I think there's fertile ground for a sequel...
Book Review: How Comic Books Met Debilitating Censorship
Summary: 4 Stars
At various times, Americans have chosen to believe that comic books create juvenile delinquency and encourage all kinds of immoral behavior by corrupting the young, as described in the book with a questionable basis, Seduction of the Innocent. The Ten-Cent Plague describes a free-wheeling industry that entertained youngsters and people in their twenties with anti-establishment themes and stories.
Despite little or no research to support these views and the Supreme Court upholding the First Amendment, legislators listened to a few psychiatrists and church and scout leaders who believed otherwise and put stiff penalties on those who put out the most popular comics (especially crime, horror, and romance). Distributors and newsstand dealers didn't want to go to jail over comic books, and they knuckled under to the pressure. Publishers quickly began to go broke. The industry tried to save itself with a rigid self-censorship code that made comics bland and did little to restore sales. Hundreds of comic titles died, and many talented people left the industry under a dark cloud.
Mad Magazine was one of the few survivals, and only because it converted from a comic book to a magazine (which wasn't subject to the same penalties).
It's a chapter in American history that few know about or understand. David Hadju does a solid job of describing it. I was a child during most of this and was aware of the protests against comic books, but didn't realize what the effects were.
This book could have been quite a bit shorter and punchier. I was disappointed that so many simple events (like a comic book burning) were treated in such detail. It was a little ho hum after awhile.
Book Review: Fascinating History
Summary: 5 Stars
I found this book totally fascinating. Not only does it discuss the social history surrounding comics in the 40's and 50's but you can also see some parallels between the traditional culture's reaction to comics back then and the reaction of some to video games today. (There as some big differences though that will prevent the anti-gaming types (Jack Thompson, etc.) today from doing the damage Werthiemer (sp?) and his crew did back then.) I think anyone interested in social history, comics or video games will enjoy this book.Book Review: Incredible Social History
Summary: 5 Stars
It's no surprise to readers of David Hajdu's previous works that he knows how to research and how to translate that research into insightful, well-woven prose. He has a knack for finding unforgettable characters and telling their story in a compelling narrative. The book is laced with information gained from numerous in-depth interviews.
The story of the comics is itself incredible. The author clearly has a bone-deep knowledge and love of comics that can be seen in the biographies of the various creators and in the controversies they engendered.
But what most attracts me is that Hajdu provides a new reading for the social history of the 1950s, a new, intriguing way to understand contemporary culture. What a fascinating book for comic book fans. I just hope people seriously interested in contemporary American culture and history will read the book as well.
Book Review: A good book on an unfortunate chapter in comics industry
Summary: 4 Stars
Hajdu does a good job of writing about the hysteria directed against sequential art (to use Will Eisner's term) in the 1940s and 50s. He does a good job of portraying just how destructive the forces of censorship can be when certain cultural factors come into play. Things may be much better today, but after reading this book, I can't help but think that another big campaign of censorship against comics and other media is right around the corner.
If this book has a weakness, I think that it's that Hajdu doesn't say much in this book about the present state of the medium of comics or ways that fallout from the 1950s crackdown on comics has continued to affect public perception of the medium. Still, I think that this is a must-read for all comics fans. One especially sobering part of the book is a long list of writers and artists who never worked in comics again after the 1950s crackdown. It's very sad to think that the silencing of these writers and artists may have deprived the world of some brilliant work and that some of these people may have reached the same status as Will Eisner or Jack Kirby if they had been able to continue working in comics. Just thinking about it makes me want to write a big check to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.