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Dr. Fredric Wertham (March 20, 1895 – November 18, 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. His best-known book was Seduction of the Innocent (1954), which led to a U.S. Congressional inquiry into the comic book industry and the creation of the Comics Code. is the 79th day of the year (80th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1895 (MDCCCXCV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... is the 322nd day of the year (323rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... AUGUST 25 1981 US Marine Sean Vance is Born on the 25th of August {ear nav|1981}} Year 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 Gregorian calendar). ... German Americans (German Deutschamerikaner) are citizens of the United States of ethnic German ancestry and currently form the largest ancestry group in the United States, accounting for 17% of the U.S. population. ... For other uses, see Psychiatrist (disambiguation). ... Popular press redirects here; note that the University of Wisconsin Press publishes under the imprint The Popular Press. Mass media is a term used to denote a section of the media specifically envisioned and designed to reach a very large audience such as the population of a nation state. ... A comic book is a magazine or book containing the art form of comics. ... 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. ... Year 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Type Bicameral Houses Senate House of Representatives President of the Senate President pro tempore Dick Cheney, (R) since January 20, 2001 Robert C. Byrd, (D) since January 4, 2007 Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, (D) since January 4, 2007 Members 535 plus 4 Delegates and 1 Resident Commissioner Political... The seal of the Comics Code Authority, which appears on the covers of approved comic books. ...

Early career

Wertham was born in Nuremberg, Germany, studied in Munich, Erlangen, and London, and graduated from the University of Würzburg in 1921. Major influences on his psychiatric career included Sigmund Freud, with whom he corresponded, and Emil Kraepelin; in his work at the Kraepelin Clinic, Wertham absorbed the then-novel idea that environment and social background had major effects on psychological development. In 1922 he moved to the United States, working originally at Johns Hopkins University. He became a citizen in 1927. In 1932 he moved to New York City, where he became the senior psychiatrist for the city's Department of Hospitals connected with the Court of General Sessions. His job was to give all convicted felons a psychiatric examination which was then turned over to the court. He married Florence Hesketh (1902-1987), a sculptor. Nürnberg redirects here. ... Erlangen around 1915 Erlangen is a German city in Middle Franconia. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... [ recorded in this] The University of Würzburg is a university in Würzburg, Germany, founded in 1402. ... Year 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar). ... Sigmund Freud (IPA: ), born Sigismund Schlomo Freud (May 6, 1856 – September 23, 1939), was an Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist who founded the psychoanalytic school of psychology. ... Emil Kraepelin (February 15, 1856–October 7, 1926) was a German psychiatrist who attempted to create a synthesis of the hundreds of mental disorders classified by the 19th century, grouping diseases together based on classification of common patterns of symptoms, rather than by simple similarity of major symptoms in the... Year 1922 (MCMXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Johns Hopkins University, founded in 1876, is a private institution of higher learning located in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. ... Year 1932 (MCMXXXII) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1932 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ...

Shortly after beginning his work in New York, Wertham was an expert witness in the trial of Albert Fish. Fish was a psychopath, masochist, child molester, and cannibal, whose own childhood was marked by abuse and mental illness. Wertham said that there were no comparable cases in his extensive experience, and that Fish was the most deranged human being he had ever seen. Despite Wertham's testimony, Fish was judged legally sane and executed. Wertham later described the Fish case and his involvement in other murder trials, in his 1949 book The Show of Violence. For the Canadian politician, see Albert Fish (politician). ...

Wertham's first book, The Brain as an Organ (1934), was a scientific study of the brain, which demonstrated his rich training in medicine. His wife provided illustrations of cross sections of the brain which accompanied the book. Wertham completed this book while working at Bellevue Hospital. But Wertham's work with troubled youth, and a clinical interest in popular culture, soon turned his focus to the negative influences of mass media. His 1941 book Dark Legend, later adapted into a play, was based on the true story of a 17-year-old murderer who, according to Wertham, had a dark fantasy life based on movies, radio plays, and comic books. Comics were extremely popular among all youth at the time, so it was not surprising that young criminals also consumed them in large quantities, but Wertham increasingly saw a sinister connection. For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ...

Wertham's writing, in books and magazine articles, turned exclusively to the unwholesome effects of the media and of comic books in particular. He was not alone in these criticisms, but as a respected clinician who had been called to testify in trials and government hearings, he was particularly influential. His 1948 articles "Horror in the Nursery" (Collier's Weekly) and “The Psychopathology of Comic Books” (American Journal of Psychotherapy) prompted the formation of the Association of Comics Magazine Publishers and the first attempt at self-censorship by the comic book industry. The publication of Seduction of the Innocent (1954), and his subsequent public testimony about comic books, represented the peak of his influence. Colliers (May 7, 1932) Colliers Weekly was an American magazine founded by Peter Fenelon Collier and published from 1888 to 1957. ... The American Journal of Psychotherapy is the official journal of the Association for the Advancement of Psychotherapy. ... The Association of Comics Magazine Publishers (ACMP) was an industry trade group formed July 1, 1948 to regulate the content of comic books in the face of increasing public criticism. ... Year 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Seduction of the Innocent and Senate hearings

Seduction of the Innocent described overt or covert depictions of violence, sex, drug use, and other adult fare within "crime comics"—a term Wertham used to describe not only the popular gangster/murder-oriented titles of the time but also superhero and horror comics as well—and asserted, based largely on undocumented anecdotes, that reading this material encouraged similar behavior in 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. ... For other uses, see Superhero (disambiguation). ... “Horror story” redirects here. ...

Comics, especially the crime/horror titles pioneered by EC, were not lacking in gruesome images; Wertham reproduced these extensively, pointing out what he saw as recurring morbid themes such as "injury to the eye". Many of his other conjectures, particularly about hidden sexual themes (e.g. images of female nudity concealed in drawings of muscles and tree bark, or Batman and Robin as gay partners), were met with derision within the comics industry. (Wertham's claim that Wonder Woman had a bondage subtext was somewhat better documented, as her creator William Moulton Marston had admitted as much; however, Wertham also claimed that Wonder Woman's strength and independence made her a lesbian.) Entertaining Comics was headed by William Gaines but is better known by its publishing name of EC Comics. ... Batman (originally referred to as the Bat-Man and still referred to at times as the Batman) is a DC Comics fictional superhero who first appeared in Detective Comics #27 in May 1939. ... Robin (also referred to as The Boy Wonder) is the name of several fictional characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, originally created by Bob Kane and Jerry Robinson, as a junior counterpart to DC Comics superhero Batman. ... For other uses, see Wonder Woman (disambiguation). ... A model in bondage cuffs with a leg spreader In the context of BDSM, bondage involves people being tied up or otherwise restrained for pleasure. ... Dr. William Moulton Marston (May 9, 1893 – May 2, 1947) was a psychologist, feminist theorist, and comic book writer who created the Wonder Woman character with his wife Elizabeth Holloway Marston. ... This article is about same-sex desire and sexuality among women. ...

What is often overlooked in discussions of Seduction of the Innocent is Wertham's analysis of the advertisements that appeared in 1950s comic books and the commercial context in which these publications existed. Wertham objected to not only the violence in the stories but also the fact that air rifles and knives were advertised alongside them. Also rarely mentioned in summaries or reviews of Seduction of the Innocent are Wertham's claims that retailers who did not want to sell material with which they were uncomfortable, such as horror comics, were essentially held to ransom by the distributors. According to Wertham, news vendors were told by the distributors that if they did not sell the objectionable comic books, they would not be allowed to sell any of the other publications being distributed. 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. ... 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 splash made by this book and Wertham's previous credentials as an expert witness, made it inevitable that he would appear before the Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency led by anti-crime crusader Estes Kefauver. In extensive testimony before the committee, Wertham restated arguments from his book and pointed to comics as a major cause of juvenile crime. The committee's questioning of their next witness, EC publisher William Gaines, focused on violent scenes of the type Wertham had decried. Though the committee's final report did not blame comics for crime, it recommended that the comics industry tone down its content voluntarily; possibly taking this as a veiled threat of potential censorship, publishers developed the Comics Code Authority to censor their own content. The Code banned not only violent images but also entire words and concepts (e.g. "terror" and "zombies") and dictated that criminals must always be punished—thus destroying most EC-style titles, and leaving a sanitized subset of superhero comics as the chief remaining genre. Wertham described the Comics Code as inadequate. The Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency was convened during the early 1950s to investigate the influence on youth by violence and sex in mass media and, in particular, comic books. ... The issue of Time Magazine in which Kefauvers victory in the New Hampshire primary was reported. ... William Maxwell Gaines (March 1, 1922 – June 3, 1992) (more frequently referred to as Bill Gaines), was the publisher and co-editor of EC Comics, and publisher of Mad for over 40 years. ... The seal of the Comics Code Authority, which appears on the covers of approved comic books. ... For other uses, see Superhero (disambiguation). ...

Later career

Wertham's views on mass media have largely overshadowed his broader concerns with violence and with protecting children from psychological harm. His writings about the effects of racial segregation were used as evidence in the landmark Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education, and part of his 1966 book A Sign for Cain dealt with the involvement of medical professionals in the Holocaust. To promote this book Wertham made two memorable appearances on the Mike Douglas Show where he ended up debating his theories with the co-hosts, Barbara Feldon (April 10, 1967) and Vincent Price (June 19, 1967). Excerpts were shown at the 2003 Comic-Con International: San Diego ^[1] Racial segregation characterised by separation of different races in daily life, such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a rest room, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home. ... Holding Segregation of students in public schools violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, because separate facilities are inherently unequal. ... Year 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. ... “Shoah” redirects here. ... The Mike Douglas Show was a popular and long-running American daytime television talk show starring singer Mike Douglas. ... Barbara Feldon (Barbara Hall) (born March 12, 1932) is an American actress, game show panelist of the 1960s and model, known for her character-type roles. ... Vincent Leonard Price Jr. ... Comic-Con International is an annual comic book convention held in San Diego, California. ...

Wertham always denied that he favored censorship or had anything against comic books in principle, and in the 1970s he focused his interest on the benign aspects of the comic fandom subculture; in his last book, The World of Fanzines (1974), he concluded that fanzines were "a constructive and healthy exercise of creative drives". This led to an invitation for Wertham to address the New York Comic Art Convention. Still infamous to most comics fans of the time, Wertham encountered suspicion and heckling at the convention, and stopped writing about comics thereafter. The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, also called The Seventies. ... Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ... A fanzine (see also: zine) is a nonprofessional publication produced by fans of a particular cultural phenomenon (such as a literary or musical genre) for the pleasure of others who share their interest. ... 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. ...

He died in 1981 at his retirement home in Lynn Township, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. His papers were donated to the Library of Congress and are held by the Manuscript Division where they are available for scholarly research after the expiration in 2001 of a restriction on access. A register of the papers has been prepared. AUGUST 25 1981 US Marine Sean Vance is Born on the 25th of August {ear nav|1981}} Year 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 Gregorian calendar). ... Lynn Township is a township located in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. ... Lehigh County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. ...

Wertham in fiction

A fictional depiction of the Wertham-inspired attacks on the comics industry comprises part of the novel The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay. Wertham and the Kefauver hearings have been extensively parodied in comics themselves, notably in the 1977 underground comic Dr. Wirtham's Comix & Stories [sic] and in Rick Veitch's The Maximortal. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay is a 2000 novel by American author Michael Chabon that won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2001. ... Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ... 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. ... Rick Veitch is an American comic book artist and writer who has worked in mainstream, underground, and alternative comics. ...

He was also depicted in the mini comic book series Fanboy, first selling comics used for his research, and later testifying that comics were not harmful, opposing his earlier opinions, in the title character's trial, for selling a mature comic book to a minor. Fanboy is a term used to describe an individual (usually male, though the feminine version fangirl may be used for females) who is utterly devoted to a single fannish subject, or to a single point of view within that subject, often to the point where it is considered an obsession. ...

Wertham was also parodied in Daniel Clowes' Eightball. The strip illustrates most of Wertham's key points, but then shows most comic book collectors as impotent nerds, unable to engage in any type of criminal behavior. Daniel Gillespie Clowes (born April 14, 1961 in Chicago, Illinois) is an Academy Award-nominated American author, screenwriter and cartoonist of alternative comic books, most notably Eightball (1989-present), an anthology of self-contained narratives and serialized graphic novels (one of which, Ghost World, was published separately in 1997. ... Eightball is an alternative comic book series written and drawn by Daniel Clowes. ...

There's also a character known as Frederick Wertham seen in Steve Niles and actor Thomas Jane's image comic mini-series Bad Planet. Steve Niles is a comic book author, best known for his 2004 horror hit, 30 Days of Night, set in Barrow, Alaska. ... For the 15th century English Bishop of Norwich, see Thomas Jane (Bishop of Norwich). ... According to ComicBookResources. ...

In John Kovalic's Dr. Blink, Superhero Shrink comic, the epymonious character's full name is Frederick Wertham Blink. In this case he acts as a pop psychologist for superheros, instead of attacking the comics they come from. John Kovalic (born November 24, 1962, in England) is a cartoonist and illustrator. ...

In the Justice League episode "Eclipsed", there is a report condemning children's admiration of superheroes by a psychiatrist named Dr. Fredric, entitled "The Innocent Seduced". Justice League is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes which ran from 2001 to 2004 on Cartoon Network. ...

In Kevin Smith's canceled Superman Lives screenplay written in March 1997, his last name is used as the "Wertham act" supposedly the only obstacle preventing Lex Luthor from killing Superman. This article is about the American screenwriter, film director, actor and comic book writer. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... For other uses, see March (disambiguation). ... For the band, see 1997 (band). ... Lex Luthor is a fictional DC Comics supervillain and the archenemy of the superhero Superman. ... Superman is a fictional character and comic book superhero , originally created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian artist Joe Shuster and published by DC Comics. ...

In Comic Book: The Movie, the first segment is titled, "Seduction Of An Innocent," and the book itself is also referenced, though in this fictionalized version of comics and fandom, the title is given as "Seduction of the Juvenile."

Selected bibliography

• 1948: "The Comics, Very Funny", Saturday Review of Literature, May 29, 1948, p. 6. (condensed version in Reader's Digest, August 1948, p.15)
• 1953: "What Parents Don't Know". Ladies' Home Journal, Nov. 1953, p. 50.
• 1954: "Blueprints to Delinquency". Reader's Digest, May 1954, p. 24.
• 1954: Seduction of the Innocent. Amereon Ltd. ISBN 0-8488-1657-9
• 1955: "It's Still Murder". Saturday Review of Literature, April 9, 1955, p. 11.
• 1968: A Sign for Cain: An Exploration of Human Violence. Hale. ISBN 0-7091-0232-1
• 1973: The World of Fanzines: A Special Form of Communication. Southern Illinois University Press. ISBN 0-8093-0619-0
• 1973: "Doctor Wertham Strikes Back!" The Monster Times no. 22, May 1973, p.6.

Cover of the May 10, 1972 issue (#8) of The Monster Times The Monster Times was a horror film fan magazine created in 1972, published by The Monster Times Publishing Co. ...

References

• (1954). "Are Comics Horrible?". Newsweek, May 3, 1954, p. 60.
• Decker, Dwight. (1987). "Fredric Wertham - Anti-Comics Crusader Who Turned Advocate". Amazing Heroes nos.123-125, 1987.
• Gibbs, Wolcott. (1954). "Keep Those Paws to Yourself, Space Rat!" The New Yorker, May 8, 1954.
• New York Times; December 1, 1981; Fredric Wertham, 86, Dies; Foe of Violent TV and Comics. Dr. Fredric Wertham, an internationally known psychiatrist who believed that comic books, movies and television shows that featured crime, violence and horror exerted a damaging influence on many juveniles and young adults, died November 18 at his retirement home in Kempton, Pennsylvania. He was 86 years old.

The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ... is the 335th day of the year (336th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... AUGUST 25 1981 US Marine Sean Vance is Born on the 25th of August {ear nav|1981}} Year 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 Gregorian calendar). ...

online references

External links

• Fredric Wertham - on Lambiek Comiclopedia
• Fredric Wertham - Anti-Comics Crusader Who Turned Advocate - longer online version of Dwight Decker essay listed above
• The End of Seduction - lengthy history of Wertham and censorship of comics
• Comics Reporter: "Let's You and Him Fight" Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5 - Bart Beaty and Craig Fischer discuss Beaty's "Fredric Wertham and the Critique of Mass Culture"

further reading

• Bart Beaty. Fredric Wertham And the Critique of Mass Culture. University Press of Mississippi, 2005. ISBN 1578068193
• David Hajdu. The Ten-Cent Plague: The Great Comic-Book Scare and How It Changed America. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2008. ISBN 0374187673

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