The seal of the Comics Code Authority, which appears on the covers of approved comic books.

The Comics Code Authority (CCA) is an organization established to regulate the content of comic books in the United States. Member publishers submit comic books to the CCA, which screens them for conformance to its Comic Code, and authorizes the use of their seal on the cover if the books comply. At the height of its influence, it was a de facto censor for the U.S. comic book industry. Commanders Commendation Award Ribbon File links The following pages link to this file: Civilian decorations of the United States Categories: Civil Air Patrol images ... Commanders Commendation Award Ribbon File links The following pages link to this file: Civilian decorations of the United States Categories: Civil Air Patrol images ... De facto is a Latin expression that means in fact or in practice. It is commonly used as opposed to de jure (meaning by law) when referring to matters of law or governance or technique (such as standards), that are found in the common experience as created or developed without... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ...

Founding

Atlas Comics' pre-Code Astonishing #30. Art by Joe Maneely.

The CCA was founded in 1954, in response to public concern about what was deemed inappropriate material in many comic books. This included graphic depictions of violence or gore in crime and horror comics, as well as the sexual innuendo of what aficionados refer to as good girl art. Dr. Fredric Wertham's book Seduction of the Innocent rallied opposition to this type of material in comics, arguing that it was harmful to the children who made up a large segment of the comic book audience. Senate subcommittee hearings led by Estes Kefauver had many publishers concerned about government regulation, prompting them to form a self-regulatory body instead. Image File history File links Astonishing30. ... Image File history File links Astonishing30. ... Atlas Comics is the 1950s comic book publishing company that would evolve into Marvel Comics. ... Joe Maneely (born 1926, Pennsylvania, United States; died 1958) was an American comic book artist best known for his 1950s work for Marvel Comics 1950s predecessor, Atlas. ... Violence refers to acts of aggression and abuse which causes or intends to cause criminal injury or harm to persons, and (to a lesser extent) animals and property. ... Gore may refer to: Kensington Gore, English theatre slang for stage blood The depiction of graphic violence in film, TV and theatre, especially the realistic depiction of serious physical injuries involving blood, flesh and bone matter (see splatter film) A triangular segment: Gore (road), a triangular point of land often... Horror fiction is, broadly, fiction in any medium intended to scare, unsettle or horrify the reader. ... Look up Sex on Wiktionary, the free dictionary A sex is one of two specimen categories of species that recombine their genetic material in order to reproduce, a process called genetic recombination. ... Rangers Comics #26: Angels from Hell Good girl art (GGA) is a type of art (usually drawings or paintings) depicting attractive women. ... Fredric Wertham Dr. Fredric Wertham (March 20, 1895–November 29, 1981) was a German-American psychiatrist and crusading author who protested the purportedly harmful effects of mass media—comic books in particular—on the development of children. ... First U.S. printing, 1954 First U.K. printing, 1954 Seduction of the Innocent was a book by Dr. Fredric Wertham published in 1954, that warned that comic books were a bad form of popular literature and a serious cause of juvenile delinquency. ... The issue of Time Magazine in which Kefauvers victory in the New Hampshire primary was reported. ...

In its original form, the Code prohibited depictions of gore, sexuality, and excessive violence; required that authority figures were never to be ridiculed or presented disrespectfully, and that good must always win; and prohibited scenes with vampires, werewolves, ghouls or zombies. The code also prohibited advertisements of liquor, tobacco, knives, fireworks, nude pin-ups and postcards, and "toiletry products of questionable nature". Philip Burne-Jones, The Vampire, 1897 Vampires are mythical or folkloric creatures, typically held to be the re-animated corpses of human beings and said to subsist on human and/or animal blood (hematophagy), often having unnatural powers, heightened bodily functions, and/or the ability to physically transform. ... A werewolf in folklore and mythology is a person who changes into a wolf, either by purposefully using magic in some manner or by being placed under a curse. ... A ghoul is a monster from ancient Arabian folklore that dwells in graveyards and other uninhabited places. ... A participant in a zombie flash mob event in Calgary. ... Spirits redirects here. ... Species Nicotiana acuminata Nicotiana alata Nicotiana attenuata Nicotiana benthamiana Nicotiana clevelandii Nicotiana excelsior Nicotiana forgetiana Nicotiana glauca Nicotiana glutinosa Nicotiana langsdorffii Nicotiana longiflora Nicotiana obtusifolia Nicotiana paniculata Nicotiana plumbagifolia Nicotiana quadrivalvis Nicotiana repanda Nicotiana rustica Nicotianasuaveolens Nicotiana sylvestris Nicotiana tabacum Nicotiana tomentosa Ref: ITIS 30562 as of August 26, 2005... traditional Norse knife A knife is a sharp-edged hand tool used for cutting. ... The Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House illuminated under New Years Eve Fireworks 2005 A fireworks event (also called a fireworks display or fireworks show) is a spectacular display of the effects produced by firework devices on various occasions. ... A pin-up girl is a woman whose physical attractiveness would entice one to place a picture of her on a wall. ... A sample of various postcards. ...

There were critics from both sides of the debate. Wertham dismissed the Code as an inadequate half-measure. William Gaines, head of EC Comics — whose best-selling titles included Crime SuspenStories, The Vault of Horror and The Crypt of Terror — complained about clauses prohibiting titles with the words "Terror", "Horror", or "Crime", as well as the clause banning vampires, werewolves, and zombies. Indeed, these restrictions quickly made EC unprofitable, and all its comics besides MAD were dropped within brief years following the CCA's introduction. William Maxwell Gaines (March 1, 1922–June 3, 1992), or Bill Gaines as he was called, was the founder of MAD Magazine but he was also noted for his efforts to create comic books of sufficient artistic quality and interest to appeal to adults. ... Entertaining Comics was headed by William Gaines but is better known by its publishing name of EC Comics. ... Crime SuspenStories was part of the EC Comics line in the early 1950s. ... The Vault of Horror was part of Bill Gaines EC Comics line during the early 1950s. ... Tales from the Crypt was part of Bill Gaines EC Comics line during the early 1950s. ... Harvey Kurtzmans cover for the first issue of the comic book Mad Mad is an American humor magazine founded by publisher William Gaines and editor Harvey Kurtzman in 1952. ...

While the CCA did not have any legal authority over other publishers, magazine distributors often refused to carry comics without the CCA's seal of approval. Some publishers thrived under these restrictions, others adapted by canceling unapproved publications and focusing on Code-approved content, and others were unable to survive. The range of comics published contracted substantially following the introduction of the Code. Older readers abandoned the medium, dissatisfied by stories written within parameters intended to make them suitable for children. The medium came to be even more strongly associated with children, a perception that persists in America and many influenced countries to this day.

Updating

In the late 1960s, the underground comics scene arose, with artists creating comics that delved into subject matter explicitly not allowed by the Code. However, these comics were distributed largely through other channels, such as head shops, making CCA approval unnecessary for their success. The term underground comics or comix describes the self-published or small press comic books that sprang up in the US in the late 1960s. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

The Amazing Spider-Man#96 (May 1971), the first of three non-Code issues that prompted the CCA's first update, allowing comics to show the negative effects of illegal-drug use. Note the cover-blurb reference to "The last fatal trip!" Cover art by Gil Kane

In 1971, Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Stan Lee was approached by the United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare to do a comic book story about drug abuse. Lee agreed and wrote a three-part Spider-Man story portraying drug use as dangerous and unglamorous. The CCA refused to approve the story because of the presence of narcotics, deeming the context of the story irrelevant. Lee, with the approval of his boss, Martin Goodman, published the story regardless in The Amazing Spider-Man #96-98 (May-July 1971), without CCA approval. The storyline was well-received and the CCA's argument for denying its approval was criticized as counterproductive. Image File history File links SpiderMan96. ... Image File history File links SpiderMan96. ... Eli Katz (April 6, 1926–January 31, 2000), who worked under the name Gil Kane and in a few instances Scott Edwards, was a comic book illustrator whose career spanned the 1940s to 1990s. ... It has been suggested that Felicia (pseudonym) be merged into this article or section. ... Stan Lee and his most famous co-creation, Spider-Man. ... Seal The United States Department of Health, Education and Welfare (also known as HEW) was a cabinet level department of the United States government from 1953 until 1979. ... Spider-Man swinging around his hometown, New York City. ... Martin Goodman (born 1910, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, United States; died June 6, 1992, Palm Beach, Florida) was an American publisher of pulp magazines, paperback books, mens adventure magazines, and comic books, launching the company that would become Marvel Comics. ... Cover to The Amazing Spider-Man #1 (Volume 1), March 1963, by Steve Ditko. ...

"That was the only big issue that we had" with the Code, Lee recalled in a 1998 interview.

"I could understand them; they were like lawyers, people who take things literally and technically. The Code mentioned that you mustn't mention drugs and, according to their rules, they were right. So I didn't even get mad at them then. I said, 'Screw it' and just took the Code seal off for those three issues. Then we went back to the Code again. I never thought about the Code when I was writing a story, because basically I never wanted to do anything that was to my mind too violent or too sexy. I was aware that young people were reading these books, and had there not been a Code, I don't think that I would have done the stories any differently". [1]

The Code subsequently was revised in 1971 to permit the depiction of "narcotics or drug addiction" if presented "as a vicious habit". Also newly allowed were vampires, ghouls, and werewolves, "when handled in the classic tradition of Frankenstein, Dracula, and other high caliber literary works written by Edgar Allan Poe, Saki, Conan Doyle and other respected authors whose works are read in schools around the world." Zombies, lacking a respected "literary" background, remained forbidden. However, Marvel skirted the zombie restriction in the mid-1970s by calling the apparently deceased, mind-controlled followers of various Haitian super-villains "zuvembies". Insert non-formatted text hereInsert non-formatted text hereInsert non-formatted text hereInsert non-formatted text hereInsert non-formatted text hereInsert non-formatted text hereInsert non-formatted text here:This article is about the 1818 novel. ... Bela Lugosi as Dracula; U.S. postage stamp first issued in 1997 as part of a series celebrating Famous Movie Monsters Dracula (1897) is a novel by Irish author Bram Stoker, and the name of the worlds most famous vampire character. ... Edgar Allan Poe (January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American poet, short story writer, editor, critic and one of the leaders of the American Romantic Movement. ... Saki (December 18, 1870 - November 14, 1916) was the pen name of British author Hector Hugh Munro, whose witty and sometimes macabre stories satirised Edwardian society and culture. ... Image:Sir Conan doyle. ...

Despite periodic revisions to the Code to reflect changing attitudes about appropriate subject matter (e.g. the original ban on making reference to homosexuality as a sexual perversion was revised in 1989 to include gay and lesbians among the classes of people that comic books could not stereotype) its influence on the medium continued to diminish, and publishers gradually reduced the prominence of the seal on their covers. The development of new distribution channels, especially "direct market" comics specialty shops, provided additional means for non-Code books to reach a large audience, and newsstand distribution — a shrinking component of industry sales — became less important. The word homosexuality has acquired multiple meanings over time. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

A new generation of publishers emerged in the 1980s and 1990s that distributed solely to specialty shops and did not join the CCA or submit their books for approval. DC Comics, Marvel, and other CCA sponsors began to publish lines of comics intended for adult audiences, without the CCA seal. For example, in the 1990s DC Comics' Milestone imprint submitted its books to the CCA, but published them regardless of the CCA's ruling, placing the seal only on issues that passed. In 2001, Marvel Comics withdrew from the CCA in favor of its own ratings system. As of 2005, DC Comics and Archie Comics are the only major publishers still submitting their books for CCA approval, and in the case of DC, only books from their Johnny DC and DC Universe superhero lines are submitted. DC Comics (originally called Detective Comics, Inc. ... Milestone Medias character Static Animated version of Static Milestone Media is a company best known for creating the Milestone comics imprint (that was published through DC Comics) and the Static Shock cartoon series. ... The Marvel Rating System is a system for rating the content of comic books, with regard to appropriateness for different age groups. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Archie Comics is an American comic book publisher known for its many series featuring the fictional teenagers Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge, Reggie Mantle, and Forsythe Jughead Jones. ... Johnny DC was a character that appeared in various Silver Age DC Comics advertisments, and was used to promote DCs line of comics. ... The DC Universe (DCU) is the fictional shared setting where most of the comic stories published by DC Comics take place. ...

1954 Code highlights

• 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.
• If crime is depicted it shall be as a sordid and unpleasant activity.
• Criminals shall not be presented so as to be rendered glamorous or to occupy a position which creates a desire for emulation.
• In every instance good shall triumph over evil and the criminal punished for his misdeeds.
• Scenes of excessive violence shall be prohibited. Scenes of brutal torture, excessive and unnecessary knife and gunplay, physical agony, gory and gruesome crime shall be eliminated.
• No comic magazine shall use the word horror or terror in its title.
• All scenes of horror, excessive bloodshed, gory or gruesome crimes, depravity, lust, sadism, masochism shall not be permitted.
• All lurid, unsavory, gruesome illustrations shall be eliminated.
• Inclusion of stories dealing with evil shall be used or shall be published only where the intent is to illustrate a moral issue and in no case shall evil be presented alluringly, nor so as to injure the sensibilities of the reader.
• Scenes dealing with, or instruments associated with walking dead, torture, vampires and vampirism, ghouls, cannibalism, and werewolfism are prohibited.
• Profanity, obscenity, smut, vulgarity, or words or symbols which have acquired undesirable meanings are forbidden.
• Nudity in any form is prohibited, as is indecent or undue exposure.
• Suggestive and salacious illustration or suggestive posture is unacceptable.
• Females shall be drawn realistically without exaggeration of any physical qualities.
• Illicit sex relations are neither to be hinted at nor portrayed. Violent love scenes as well as sexual abnormalities are unacceptable.
• Seduction and rape shall never be shown or suggested.
• Sex perversion or any inference to same is strictly forbidden.
• Nudity with meretricious purpose and salacious postures shall not be permitted in the advertising of any product; clothed figures shall never be presented in such a way as to be offensive or contrary to good taste or morals.

Trivia

• Writer-editor Marv Wolfman, on the panel "Marvel Comics: The Method and the Madness" at the 1974 New York Comic Art Convention, told the audience that when he first began working for DC, he was forbidden to use the name "Wolfman" in print due to the company's interpretation of the Comics Code Authority's ban on the mention of werewolves or wolfmen. ^[1]

• In the Marvel Comics universe, it has long been established that a fictional Marvel Comics company publishes comic books based on the "real-life" exploits of super-heroes. In the 2004-2005 She-Hulk series written by Dan Slott, it was further established that the fictional Marvel also submitted their publications to the Comics Code Authority for approval, until breaking with the CCA in 2001 as the real Marvel did. This fictional CCA is vaguely identified as an official federal agency, rather than an affiliation of member publishers, which led to an interesting legal precedent: all comic books based on "real" exploits of Marvel Universe heroes that bear the CCA seal of approval are considered to be legal documents in the United States of America of the Marvel Universe, and thus can be cited as evidence in a court of law. The fictional law firm of Goodman, Lieber, Kurtzberg & Holliway, where the She-Hulk is employed in her "civilian" identity as Jennifer Walters, was shown to have an extensive library of CCA-approved Marvel comic books for reference purposes.

Cover to Crisis on Infinite Earths #1, which was written by Wolfman. ... Flag Seal Nickname: The Big Apple, The Capital of the World[1], Gotham [2], Metropolis Location Location in the state of New York Government Counties (Boroughs) Bronx (The Bronx) New York (Manhattan) Queens (Queens) Kings (Brooklyn) Richmond (Staten Island) Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,214. ... The Comic Art Convention, begun in New York City in 1968 and held annually for over a decade, was the first large-scale comic book fan convention and the largest national comics gathering of its kind until San Diego, Californias Comic-Con International took over that position. ... Various characters of the Marvel Universe. ... She-Hulk is a fictional character, a comic book superheroine in Marvel Comics. ... writer of cult favorite comic book series She-Hulk and the new series The Thing based on the character from Fantastic Four. Recently finished writing mini-series Great Lakes Avengers and Spider-Man/Human Torch Also wrote a variety of comic books geared toward children for DC Comics, including Batman... Goodman, Lieber, Kurtzberg & Holliway is the name of the fictional law firm She-Hulk works for, created by Dan Slott. ...

See also

• Hays Code
• Marvel Rating System

The Production Code (also known as the Hays Code) was a set of guidelines governing the production of motion pictures. ... The Marvel Rating System is a system for rating the content of comic books, with regard to appropriateness for different age groups. ...

References

• Dean, M. (2001) Marvel drops Comics Code, changes book distributor. The Comics Journal #234, p. 19.

Wikisource has original text related to this article:

Comic book code of 1954

• Comic Book Code
• Original Comics Code
• 1971 Revision
• 1989 Revision