Voices in Time
1. Crimes shall never be presented in such a way as to create sympathy for the criminal, to promote distrust of the forces of law and justice, or to inspire others with a desire to imitate criminals.
2. In every instance good shall triumph over evil, and the criminal shall be punished for his misdeeds.
3. The letters of the word “crime” on a comics magazine cover shall never be appreciably greater in dimension than the other words contained in the title. The word “crime” shall never appear alone on a cover.
4. No comics magazine shall use the word “horror” or “terror” in its title.
5. Scenes dealing with, or instruments associated with, walking dead, torture, vampires and vampirism, ghouls, cannibalism, and werewolfism are prohibited.
6. Although slang and colloquialisms are acceptable, excessive use should be discouraged, and wherever possible good grammar shall be employed.
7. Females shall be drawn realistically without exaggeration of any physical qualities.
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From the Code of the Comics Magazine Association of America, Inc. The Comics Code Authority was created in part from the public concern generated by the Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency hearings that focused on the industry.
—Frank Zappa, c. 1975
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Comments Post a Comment »
Born in 1949 I *love* old comics, especially pre-code crime and dare I say it, girls romance comics.
Yet I can see the viewpoint of the code. Maybe they were *right*. They were right about *drugs*.
Back in the 1960s we laughed at "Reefer Madness" and midnight showings of the alarmist anti-drug "educational" film of the 1940-50s, laughed until there were *tears and snot* hanging off our faces.
Because we were *stoned*---we were so smart, so hip, so *above it all*, so past *all that*.
Well, the laugh was on *us*---everything we were told in the 1950s was TRUE.
Every little bit: Using drugs could only lead to one outcome: sickness, madness, death.Those who persisted in drug use as a way of life turned into the people my parents warned me against: Convicts, community-care chronics, cemetery residents.
Now legalizing narcotics is the-flavor-of-the-month and there is not just no censorship, there is no *restraint*. Where nothing is forbidden, nothing is believable.
*This* has been swept away:
5. Scenes dealing with, or instruments associated with, walking dead, torture, vampires and vampirism, ghouls, cannibalism, and werewolfism are prohibited.
HOW are we better off for all that ?
Posted by Matthew H. Davidson on Thu 22 Apr 2010
Yeah. That *last* one sure was followed to a T.
Posted by T. on Thu 6 May 2010