COMIC BOOK APOCALYPSE! The Death of Pre-Code Comics and Why It Happened 1940-1955

Comic Book Apocalypse! explores the controversial world of pre-code comics, through 500 examples of cover art, highlighting why some deemed the Code necessary! I love it...here are all the wildest, weirdest, raunchiest, raciest, most violent covers of the 1940s and 1950s comics, from EC Comics to Batman, Fighting Yank to Pep Comics, romance to Planet Comics and Space Adventure. The book also examines who decided what content was acceptable, demonstrating how pre-Code comics reflect the larger story of 1950s America. While compliance was technically voluntary, most publishers followed its strict rules. Those who didn’t faced ruin when wholesalers and distributors refused to handle non-compliant comics, returning them unopened to publishers, who soon self-destructed. Each and every one of the covers is fully annotated. Chapters explore Superhero Comics, The Horror Comics, The Crime Comics, Science Fiction, Romance, War, Jungle, Teen and Humor, and Western Adventure and Funny Animal Comics. Aftermath: Surviving the Comics Code, index of illustrations and artists. A first class presentation. "Comic Book Apocalypse! gives today's readers a look at the nature of the art form at midcentury, and offers a reminder of how it has evolved. The book is a chance to analyze and wallow in what the Comics Magazine Association of America took away." - from Maggie Thompson's foreword "A mind-boggling selection of strange and demented comicbook cover art from the 1940s and early 1950s. These images enticed millions of Americans...and enraged millions more." Maggie Thompson, who writes the introduction, needs little introduction. She and her husband Don were editors of The Comic Buyer's Guide for decades. Before that, they wrote a hallowed column on comics, "Beautiful Ballons" and before that were part of the early comic book (and science fiction) fandom, circa the 1960s. She knows her stuff...together they bought EC Comics off the newstand and her retirement comfort was assured when she sent her well preserved copies to Heritage Auctions! Don wrote about early comics for All in Color for a Dime. She's also a big fan of George Carlson (Jingle Jangle Comics) and Little Lulu. Maggie and I share many of the same comic interests. - Bud From 1940 to 1955, American society and culture underwent dramatic changes, including the introduction of the Comics Code in October 1954, which heavily impacted comic books. The Code aimed to moderate comic content in response to public opinion, including such topics as juvenile delinquency, wartime sentiment, teenage sex, drugs, violent crime, and more.