Comic Book Industry Blunders

The 1st could have really well been the coining of the name "comic books". The earliest versions of the so-called half-tab (for half tabloid) reprints of the Sunday funnies (the comics) became better-known as "comic books". This led to the thinking in general, that comic books contained comic or funny material, which we all know, is a far stretch from reality. Comic books can be really somber, dark or bold magazines. It has often been recommended that there should be another term coined to better describe this literary package we all cognize as comic books. To date, no else user-friend term has been recommended for use in the comic book industry.

A second misdirection came once magazine prices started to rise. Instead of increasing comic book prices, like else flourishing magazines did, the comic book industry distinct to cut pages to keep the then current cost tag of 10 cents. This brought on the impression that comic books were "cheap" by definition, and neglected the fact that a dime was a lot of money at one time (steak & eggs cost 35 cents). This given the pictures that comic books were simply for kids. It likewise ready-made the product progressively less viable for retail merchants to stock. Why take up the same shelf space, once a higher priced magazine would-be do more nicely. Over over again the perceived value of the comic book was loosing credibility.

Then as the Decennary rolled around, an individual by the name of Dr. Town Wertham, publicized a book entitled "Seduction of the Innocents". Through the use of pseudoscientific research and assumptions, he expressed that all the nation's ills were directly related to kids reading comic books (ah hmm, what?). Central to his thesis, was the misassumption that comic books were strictly for kids. The more adult material, it was without reasoning assumed, was aimed at our sweet, naïve innocent children. Yes, we do have to protect our children, but it still bothers me to no end, that certain self-righteous individuals believe their lot in life is to do the rest of the planet adhere to their own personal beliefs. If this were the case, then our great country would-be have ne'er been founded.

With this wildly irrational attack on the comic book industry and many an law-makers leaders jumping on the bandwagon, comic books were gaining a bad reputation. The comic book industry publishers at this point, could have banded together and declared that comic books, like movies, were not "just for kids". It should have been expressed that the wide range of comic book genres depicted was target to as wide a range of readers. All but one of the publishers (William Gaines, publisher of EC Comics) buckled under to this Law-makers Investigation and the Comic Code Authority was created. This citizenry the content of comic books and ensured that for the next 15 years or so, the literary content would-be not rise more above that of pablum for the mind. Therefore another slide into incredibleness for the comic book industry took place. Can the comic book industry be saved? Really possibly, but once the individuals in charge of the saving are as eager as ever to do the same mistakes all over again, what wish the outcome be? They don't even as appear to be knife enough to do new mistakes.

Dave Gieber, a former rocket engineer, has distinct to take up residency on the Internet. He is the owner and editor of several websites, one of which was built about one of his childhood passions; www.comic-book-collection-made-easy.com . You can visit here to keep up to date on the earth of comic books and comic book collecting. Feel free to sign up for my comic book ezine.