The Comic Code

Crime SuspenStories read like the recent t.v. shows that investigate crime, such as Criminal Minds, except it's always from the criminal or victim's point of view. Although I noticed that the Crime SuspenStories covers had the Comic Code Seal of Approval on it, I was left wondering if the original code was created to reject stories just like Crime Suspense Stories.  I've included a couple of rules that seem to be against the comic's motto, but overall I just wanted to discuss censorship in general. I think the idea of the Comic Code makes sense; it seems in poor taste to let kids read particularly gruesome or risqué comics. However, this censorship resides on the idea that 1) only children are reading comics, and 2) that children reading comics leads to violence and law breaking. In addition, that somehow children are seeing the violence in comics, but not seeing violence on t.v., media, and the internet.

I suppose one of my greatest problems is that some of the rules of the Comic Code seem to be blaming the comic singularly for creating violence, whereas in reality, violence comes from humans themselves; the comic just sometimes reflects it. 

11. Restraint in the use of the word "crime" in titles or sub-titles shall be exercised.

I'm not sure how effective reducing the use of the word "crime" is in reducing violence in children.

Ultimately, I think the Comic Code was something people created to placate its readers, and its readers' parents; but I'm not sure many people actually believed in the code. This is exemplified in the fact that the comic code industry eventually all but disappeared until it was only one woman in her house keeping it alive.