Comments on: More comics history

by: Greg

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 19:33:13 +0000

When the Superman radio show read off the names of listeners featured in contests, half or more tended to be female.

Also, it’s easy to tell the intended demographics of early comics by their ads. A surprising number are clearly targeted at women in their twenties, late teens, and older. Oddly, I’ve not yet come across a comic that appears to be targeted toward males in similar age groups. From the ads, I’ve developed an impression of the demographics of the American comic-reading public pre-Wertham that, perhaps surprisingly, neatly mirrors the makeup of the Japanese comic-reading population today.

by: Marcus Lusk

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 09:07:59 +0000

Does anyone know who the various participants in the hearings are?

by: gene phillips

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 21:17:02 +0000

At the start of Tashlin’s ARTISTS AND MODELS the film shows what looks (to me) like archival footage of girls and boys reading comics together. That was 1955. (Admittedly the film is putting a funny spin on the anti-comics paranoia of the time, however.)

by: The Beat

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 19:44:31 +0000

John, sure but the image of young young girl reading a comic book in these old photos is one of homespun homeland goodness and apple pie, and not a weird deviancy of gender confusion. In other words, it was a symbol of order, not chaos.

by: Katie Moody

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 18:10:07 +0000

“Although… that picture was taken in 1958, in Anchorage, Alaska, so the locale could explain the young girl’s behavior.”

YES!! The hometown represents!! If I’m placing that church steeple in the background correctly, I think this shot was taken near the downtown park strip.

Torsten, I promise that there is a good proportion of reasonable folks living in the 49th state. We’re not all oddball secessionists. (And John, does her *interest* in the comic look staged to you? Sheesh.)

by: John Tebbel

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 15:11:31 +0000

Highly likely the girl on the horse was staged.

by: Torsten Adair

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 13:42:07 +0000

If one enlarges the original photos, can one tell what each comic is?

And while we know that good little girls do not read those horrible, horrible comic books, at least she has the modesty to ride side saddle.

Nothing was “in the water”, Ms. Beat. Just ink on paper, telling a visual story before phosphor dots hypnotized the masses. Although… that picture was taken in 1958, in Anchorage, Alaska, so the locale could explain the young girl’s behavior.