Supernatural Law week, day 2: The Monsters Meet on Court Street

Although Batton Lash has never stopped producing new Supernatural Law comics, it's taken some time for his trade paperback collections to catch up to his output. The most recent collection, the Monsters Meet on Court Street is only the sixth such trade and is mostly concerned with material from 2003-04.

 

After a brief new story (more about which tomorrow), the collection gets underway with a run of stories connected (at times) with a subplot about Chase Hawkins, a lawyer who's been in a relationship with Alanna Wolff since the first volume, but it's been a problematic affair as Chase isn't particularly faithful. Chase receives more attention in this volume than in any previous book and while as a reader I extend some hope for Chase to turn his act around, it's only really because I've been made to care about Alanna; Chase has terrible self-control, from his inability to give up smoking to his philandering. By the end of the book, Alanna seems to have moved on from Chase and he's left unredeemed. But perhaps his story will continue in the future?

 

The Chase Hawkins tale comes to a head during "the Mamamomo Matter," easily my favourite chapter of the book. In this tale, Chase is representing a client who's been passing off his various crimes on his childhood imaginary friend, Mr. Mamamomo (who I think is meant to resemble Mr. O'Malley of the Barnaby comic strip?). Naturally, Wolff & Byrd become Mr. Mamamomo's lawyers, but as his one-time friend continues to spurn him, Mr. Mamamomo's physical presence diminishes, providing a "ticking clock" for Wolff & Byrd to race against. Unfortunately, Mr. Mamamomo fades whenever people ignore him and at the moment, Alanna is preoccupied by her troubles with Chase, Jeff is distracted by reporter Roberta Bronski and normally-reliable secretary Mavis is out-of-sorts after having heard her ex-boyfriend Toby is getting married. The story has plenty of great jokes about imaginary friends, a lot of character development for the series cast and even ends on a heartfelt moment.

 

Also noteworthy is "Appeal of the 800-lb. Gorilla," a sequel to a story from the previous volume which involved Nicky Gorillo, a man transformed into a gorilla. In what seems to be a joke based on DC Comics' one-time belief in selling comic books by placing gorillas on their covers, Gorillo returns in this story to become rich and famous due to the public's inherant fascination with talking gorillas. So Julius Schwartz really was on to something!

 

The book concludes with the great "13 Court Street," in which cast members see their possible futures reflected within a magic mirror. It proves to be a great means for the characters to confront their personal issues and undergo a bit of growth.

More about the Monsters Meet on Court Street tomorrow...

Supernatural Law week, day 1: what is Supernatural Law?

Comic book creators who self-publish have an uphill battle when it comes to remaining on people's minds. Having to create, publish and promote themselves (practically) solo usually means promotion gets short shrift. Being bound to Image guarantees some coattails to latch upon, but it's a small wonder so few self-publishers survive; who can produce their most creative work, make the right decisions on how to print it and do right by promoting the work as well?

And yet, Batton Lash's Supernatural Law (sold at Exhibit A Press) has existed in one or more forms since 1979, appearing as a newspaper comic, a National Law Journal cartoon, a comic book (now bound together into trade paperbacks) and a webcomic (which can read here). I'm still a relatively new Supernatural Law fan, but today I'll do my best to summarize the series for you.

The lead characters are Jeff Byrd and Alanna Wolff, occasionally dubbed "Counselors of the Macabre." Their particular expertise lies in cases involving the paranormal - the supernatural, extraterrestrial and otherdimensional . Frequently, they find themselves defending a paranormal client who would normally be the antagonist of a horror story, but through his lawyers, is finally able to give his perspective. Sometimes the clients turn out to deserve whatever scorn has been heaped on them and a suitably "ironic" resolution closes the case. Jeff tends to be good at dealing with the clients, while Alanna is at her best in the courtroom.

I could divide the kind of humour in Supernatural Law into three basic types:

TYPE 1: Monster jokes

Lash's stories use many of the monster types you might expect - vampires, werewolves, Frankenstein-ish monsters and so forth. Often they subvert the usual media tropes (such as in the above image, where the readers are led into thinking the vampire and werewolf are going to fight up until we see them fist-bumping). Other times, the monsters are played fairly straight as they react to our culture - such as when Dracula pays a visit on a Ann Rice expy ("Bad Blood").

TYPE 2: Lawyer jokes

Not being a lawyer, I couldn't tell you how many jokes about the law are contained in the series, but often the jokes seem to be drawn from real life legal cases which are well-known to the public, as in the above story which satirized the Lorena Bobbitt case. Other cases are less specific and refer more generally to types of court cases in the real world, such as when Frankenstein's Monster's impending wedding is used to satirize same-sex marriage ("The Life Partner of Frankenstein").

TYPE 3: Comic book jokes

Finally, there are jokes which come from the comic book medium, usually to allow Lash to show off his incredible talent at mimicking not only popular super hero artists like Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, but the likes of Bernie Krigstein or Winsor McCay (above). Lash has indulged in everything from a somewhat affectionate Chris Ware homage ("The Scariest Kid on Earth") to a somewhat unaffectionate Dave Sim homage ("Huberis the Dybbuk"). Lash samples styles from across the medium, truly benefiting those of us readers who appreciate the references.

Tomorrow: beginning a look at Lash's most recent Supernatural Law collection, the Monsters Meet on Court Street!

Presenting: Sasuke, the Demon Queller!

Stan Sakai's Usagi Yojimbo is, for all I know, beloved by all who read it. However, based on how seldom the series comes up around the blogosphere, I have to assume many of you are not reading the series. Perhaps the 25+ year publishing history seems daunting to you? It shouldn't; Sakai carefully crafts his tales to accommodate first-time readers joining the narrative at any point. On the other hand, suppose the adventures of funny animals in feudal Japan isn't your milieu? In that case, allow to argue in the favour of Usagi Yojimbo as a comic book series anyone can enjoy, even if you scorn funny animals.

Amongst the dozens of characters who comprise Usagi's cast, there's one who stands out as being a little more familiar to readers of comic books than most; his name is Sasuke and his singular occupation is that of demon queller.

 

When Usagi first met Sasuke in the story "Kumo" (found in trade vol. 14: "Demon Mask"), Sasuke appeared to be fox-man ronin. Up to that point, the tale had involved Usagi discovering webs left behind by giant spiders, spiders which had consumed a full-grown man. Venturing into a local tavern, Usagi began to describe what he'd seen to the locals. Sasuke is seen at first from the back of his head; he's just a figure in the crowd, one of the tavern customers. Of course, regular readers of the series know when Usagi meets another ronin in a tavern, the newcomer must be fated to aid or hinder our rabbit protagonist.

The first significant thing we learn about Sasuke comes when he calls Usagi by name, despite Usagi not having given it. "You must have introduced yourself when you came over," is Sasuke's simple response; Usagi might accept this, but we readers have the advantage of looking back over the previous panels, where we can see Usagi did no such thing. Something is off about Sasuke's explanation, but it's not because he's heard of Usagi by reputation or has been secretly observing our hero from afar; Sasuke knowing Usagi's name is just one of his supernatural talents.

The supernatural has figured in Usagi Yojimbo comic books almost from the first story, almost alwaysto bedevil Usagi. In "Kumo," Sasuke is an ally - and quite a powerful one!

 

Sasuke's magic goes beyond his mystic foresight and includes conjuring up bolts of eldritch energy, in a manner like any of Steve Ditko's sorcerers! Later in "Kumo" Sasuke battles a "Spider Queen" by conjuring up a giant frog to consume her massive spiders. Sasuke's demeanor against such supernatural horrors is as reserved as his explanation for knowing Usagi's name; one gets the impression his life is much less ordinary than our protagonist. In fact, Usagi can be quite unnerved by magical goings-on, providing a neat way to undercut his usual stoic manner. Just as Usagi could face a dozen armed men with grim determination, so does Sasuke confront the very demons of hell!

I enjoy how Sasuke's knowledge of people's names (and other pertinent information) is repeated each time he appears like a running gag. In "Sumi-E" (found in vol.18: "Travels With Jotaro"), Sasuke not only knows Jotaro's name before it is given to him, he also surmises Usagi is Jotaro's father. Again, Sasuke offers weak suggestions that he came by this information honestly. "Sumi-E" is an absolute delight, containing a loving tribute to Japanese giant monster movies such as Gamera and Godzilla. Perhaps the best Sasuke tale thus far is the full-colour graphic novel "Yokai" in which some details of the hero's tragic origins are revealed.

There you go: Usagi Yojimbo is not just a funny animal book with a period setting, it's also a raucous fantasy adventure! Is that helpful? Please consider picking up a Usagi Yojimbo story - don't dismiss such a fine series sight unseen!

The Mystic Eyes of Doctor Strange

Perhaps I'm exaggerating, but amongst comic book scholars there are few topics I can think of which are as divisive as the shape of Dr. Strange's eyes (unless it's the colours of the stripes on Captain America's shield). It's well-known that when Dr. Strange first debuted, Steve Ditko drew his hero's eyes as partially-closed or slanted. Slanted eyes are usually employed by artists to indicate Asian characteristics, as with Dr. Strange's mentor, the Ancient One. Ditko drew Dr. Strange this way for his first eight adventures, then graduated him to a rounded-eye design which emphasized the sorcerer's Caucasian features.

Of course, all the obscure by-ways of 1960s Marvel Comics have been referenced and retread to some extent. Dr. Strange's slanted eyes have been restored to him by various fan/artists such as Erik Larsen and John Byrne (above). This is a means by which the fan/artists express their support for the author's original intent,* a way to reflect the way the character was originally depicted (and possibly "correctly" depicted) and demonstrate how much the character has changed over time. Thus, a depiction of Dr. Strange with slanted eyes is "retro," an homage to his roots, a celebration of Steve Ditko's vision... even though Ditko changed his mind about how to express Dr. Strange's eyes after just eight early stories.**

But let's not think of Stephen Strange's eyes as a mere fetish. What could the slanted eyes possibly mean within the context of Steve Ditko's Doctor Strange? The obvious conclusion to draw would be to assume Steve Ditko originally intended for Doctor Strange to be an Asian man. If Dr. Strange were Asian, it would rewrite our understanding of racial diversity in 1960s comic books as he'd predate Luke Cage by almost 10 years as the first non-white "Marvel Age" leading character. This may not change how we feel about the 1960s Marvel Comics themselves, but it would validate how we feel about being fans of the 1960s comics.

Further, we've always viewed the origin of Doctor Strange as the tale of a "man of the western world" who ventures into "the mysterious east" and gains "enlightenment." He begins his origin as a self-absorbed surgeon, loses his vocation after suffering a debilitating injury, journeys to Tibet just to demand the Ancient One cure him, but ultimately discovers a higher calling when he realizes magic is real, the Ancient One is waging a constant war against the evil forces of magic and the Ancient One needs a disciple. Our belief that "the east" is a land of mystery, magic and enlightenment is a little cliche, just a touch patronizing. Why should the east seem anymore mysterious, magical or enlightening than the west... except that most of our heroes originate in the west?

Ah, but if Dr. Strange were Asian... now the story isn't about a man braving a foreign culture to discover a new way of living, now it's the story of a man discovering his own heritage. In this scenario, Stephen Strange would be a westernized Asian man whose ego has grown healthy in the decadent world he's been brought up in, but his own ego and determination eventually leads him home, where he rediscovers the values of his ancestors. Say, that's not such a bad tale. I guess there's no reason we couldn't consider it a valid interpretation of Doctor Strange's character...

...Except for one thing: Doctor Strange is not Asian.

Although the Doctor Strange stories from Strange Tales#110 & 119 each featured Dr. Strange's slanted eyes, his origin story (#115) introduces Stephen Strange with rounded, Caucasian eyes. And so his eyes remained...

...Until, most curiously, he began his tutelage under the Ancient One. For some reason, studying magic in Tibet caused Stephen Strange to metamorph into an Asian man. Or, at least, a Caucasian man with Asian eyes. Perhaps it's simply a mark of how Stephen changed, having become so inwardly transformed by his reeducation that it took on a physical manifestation; magic could be like that. Truly, after his experiences in Tibet, Stephen Strange could never blend in with his own culture again; he couldn't hold a normal occupation, live in a normal house, love normal women... perhaps it's right that Stephen was physically transformed and in a way other than what he wished. Stephen asked the Ancient One to heal his hands: instead, he opened his eyes... by closing them.

I do not have a solution of my own to this riddle. But just thinking of Stephen as an Asian man... it changes how I feel when the Ancient One calls him, "son."

This article was inspired by a series of articles penned by Colin Smith at Sequart; please read them for yourself here!

*= Likewise when Byrne overruled the assertion of the Hulk's skin being gray in his first appearance as a colourist's error, making the gray skin canon. He could not, however, convince us about what colour the spider on Spider-Man's back should be.

**= It would be interesting to review Dr. Strange's appearances and see if he's been drawn with slanted eyes in more than eight non-Ditko stories. I would guess he has.

2012: a Year Which Certainly Was

2012: it began, it ended and between the two events was a great deal of middle. During this past year, I consumed a lot of media - perhaps more than I've sampled in any previous year. Although I did keep a record of everything I watched/read/listened to (because I am ridiculous), I'm only going to pause over those things which I most enjoyed... and then those I found most troubling.

2012: BOOKS

Although I consumed a lot of Sax Rohmer novels in 2012, I would feign to list any of them as amongst his best work. The most interesting fiction I read was Vertigo by Boileau-Narcejac. I was already predisposed to enjoy the story because the film version is among my favourites, but I was still surprised at where the original story charts its own course, eventually parting ways with the better-known adaptation. Another revelation was the Collected Stories of Ray Bradbury Vol.1, which was certainly an appropriate tome to read during the year of Bradbury's death. Not only does the book feature very early and rare stories, but it offers a terrific analysis of how and why the youthful Bradbury's writing changed, particularly with regards to what publishers were willing to print.

The real triumphs were to be found in non-fiction; my continuing fascination with Africa led me to read Chasing the Devil by Tim Butcher, an account of his travels in Sierra Leone (read just before I visited Sierra Leone). Along with his book Blood River it gave me a terrifically grounded sense of life in two African locales. Butcher's account in Blood River of an aged grandfather in the Congo who knew more about machines than his grandchildren was the most striking illustration. I also delved into Ghosts of Medak Pocket by Carol Off based on the recommendation of a friend who said the book made him "proud to be a Canadian." I didn't quite mirror his reaction as there's more tragedy than triumph in this account of Canada's intervention during Croatia's ethnic cleansing, but it's an aspect of Canadian and world history I was ignorant of and deserved to learn. Finally, Errol Morris' Believing is Seeing wouldn't have caught my attention were it not for the author being a favourite filmmaker; being ignorant of the issues surrounding photography and the question of whether a photo is "staged," I was fascinated by Morris' essays on the subject.

2012: FILMS

Let's see, according to my records I watched... approximately 900 movies in 2012. Huh. Even though at times I would go an entire week without watching a film, on some weekends I would watch movies non-stop, thanks to buying up old VHS tapes for a pittance and constantly renting pictures through my library. I have a list of titles I'm always trying to locate and watch, but also sought out various directors and stars I'd previously had only a minor interest in.

I'm usually a tough sell when it comes to comedies, so it's no small thing for me to recommend the following: Ruggles of Red Gap (1937), O. Henry's Full House (1952), Footlight Parade (1933; I'm not a musical fan either), Bachelor Mother (1939), That Thing You Do! (1996), Stand-In (1937), the Miracle of Morgan's Creek (1944), the Muppets (2011), Destry Rides Again (1939), Hail the Conquering Hero (1944), Palm Beach Story (1942), the Great McGinty (1940), Ball of Fire (1941), the Lost Skeleton Returns Again (2008), Easy Living (1937) & Dark Star (1974).

Some great documentaries were: Shake Hands With the Devil: the Personal Journey of Romeo Dallaire (2004), It's All True (1993), When We Were Kings (1996), Being Elmo (2011), Tabloid (2011), the Adventures of Errol Flynn (2005), Let There be Light (1946) & Grass: a Nation's Struggle for Life (1925).

Some great thrillers & action movies include: the Face Behind the Mask, the House by the River (1950), the Big Heat (1953; this led to a new found appreciation for Fritz Lang), the Reckless Moment (1949), Gun Crazy (1950), On Dangerous Ground (1952), Fury (1936; another utterly amazing Fritz Lang picture), Flight of the Phoenix (1965), Misery (1990), the Ministry of Fear (1944), Onibaba (1964), Magic (1978), Alive (1993) & the Avengers (2012).

Finally, the rest: the Hill (1965), the Road (2009), Black Orpheus (1959), the Best Years of Our Lives (1946), Of Mice and Men (1939), Stage Door (1937), Grand Canyon (1991), Grand Hotel (1932), State of the Union (1948), On Borrowed Time (1939), the Artist (2011), Eight Men Out (1988), Ben-Hur (1925), the Thin Man (1931), the Story of G.I. Joe (1945), Three Comrades (1938), the Sunset Limited (2011), der Verlorene (1951), Patterns (1956) & the Last Emperor (1987).

Strangely, from January-August I only visited the cinema three times, including for John Carter and Brave, which were both good (how strange to me to find myself a Disney fan!). However, in the last four months of the year I visited the cinema eight times! Of the latter eight visits, the Hobbit: an Unexpected Journey was good, albeit padded (can't wait for the shortened edition DVD).

2012: COMIC BOOKS

Obviously I hit a rough patch with comic books in 2012 as it was the year I quit working for Marvel Comics and gave up buying comics from Marvel or DC. It was also the year which saw some of my favourite books - Snarked, Rasl & glamourpuss - conclude their runs, while Usagi Yojimbo went on hiatus.

Still, there was much to enjoy; IDW is fast becoming my favourite publisher, not only as I continue to delve through their Complete Terry & the Pirates collections but with Larry Hama's G.I. Joe: a Real American Hero!, Roger Langridge's Popeye, the reprinted Classic Popeye (me? buying two Popeye comics per month?) and James Stokoe's Godzilla: the Half-Century War I happily gave them a lot of business in 2012 and it appears 2013 will be another great year at IDW!

Elsewhere, I added Joe Sacco's Journalism and the Fixer and Other Stories to my library, plus another of Fantagraphics' Carl Barks Library editions. There was also at least one more Tales Designed to Thrizzle, wasn't there? The graphic novel a Tale of Sand was a visual treat and Supernatural Law squeezed out another collection, one I happily supported via Kickstarter (more on this book in coming weeks). Finally, delving into the university's collection brought up Joe Kubert's Fax From Sarajevo, a fine non-fiction graphic novel and great way for me to remember the creator, who passed away during the year.

2012: TELEVISION

Discovering Errol Morris' First Person series was the single best television-based experience of mine in 2012; I implore you, seek this program out! If episodes like "Eye to Eye" or "Leaving the Earth" don't keep you fascinated and riveted, I don't know what would.

I didn't keep up with many current programs; although I continued with the Amazing Race's two 2012 seasons, neither really thrilled me (aside from a few very memorable teams and moments). I actually enjoyed last year's Amazing Race: Australia far more than the US version! I also kept track of the Daily Show for most of the year, primarily for Jon Stewart's monologues (I don't care much for the correspondents and find maybe half of the interviews worth watching). Still, it being an election year in the USA made the show worth keeping up with; I also watched more Colbert Report than usual because of the election, although I can only take so much of Colbert's style (the show half-mocks and half-endorses the cult of personality; I'd rather just dispense with all the Colbert-baits-his-audience moments).

2012: CDs

I didn't buy much music in 2012 because I had so many albums gifted to me in 2011 which had yet to be experienced. I did purchase a Louis Armstrong collection (because I felt I needed some Louis Armstrong), but the real purchase was the Newsboys' God's Not Dead, which was up to the band's usual standards; having stepped away from Christian music for most of a decade, it's great to be listening to at least one band again, especially one which melds basically every group I enjoyed in the 1990s into one unit.

2012: VIDEO GAMES

The only new video game of significance came late in the year: Halo 4. I was dubious about continuing the Halo story after it had been well wrapped-up in Halo 3, but the new game's campaign was decent enough. The only real frustration with Halo 4 is how terrible the matchmaking system is, with many games lagging, stalling or outright dropping.

Now that I have all my good will out of the way, it's time to indulge in what I found disappointing in 2012.

In books, I tried out Bram Stoker's Lair of the White Worm even though I'd heard many times how Dracula was supposedly his only good book. Having enjoyed Jewel of the Seven Stars, I was prepared to prove the critics wrong, but... this proved to be an uninteresting slog.

In the midst of my Sax Rohmer reading I bought Bianca in Black by his wife, Elizabeth, primarily as a curio. It's a pretty unremarkable mystery story about a bride who might be a black widow murderer. Or is she...? I'll tell you up front: it's reverse-Rebecca.

After years of searching, I finally picked up the film Track of the Cat (1954), having enjoyed the radio adaptation on Suspense and assumed it would make a pretty great film; it was immensely uninteresting and ultimately botched the best moment of the story (the moment where the protagonist thinks a panther is stalking him). The most interesting thing about the movie is it's use of colour, being a colour film which uses primarily black/white coloured objects & clothing. That's it.

Finally, two films about famous authors: Kafka (1991) and Hammett (1981). Both films have the "brilliant" idea of casting a famous author as the hero in a story ripped-off from the author's own material, rather than examine the authors' real lives (which should have been fascinating enough!). I fear someday I'll discover someone made a film called "Doyle" wherein Sir Arthur Conan Doyle must investigate a phantom hound...

Lessons learned from licensed comic books

When your comic book adapted from a popular film, television program or toy has been around for some time, you may be unaware of certain deficiencies which have crept into the comics.

Here are three warning signs to bear in mind.

HAS YOUR CAUCASIAN PROTAGONIST...

1. ...Begun growing his blond hair into a mullet?
2. ...Been wielding ridiculous, giant firearms?
3. ...Taken to wearing a bandanna around his head?

If you answered "yes" to all three of these questions, then you are publishing either...

G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero

...Or Star Wars.

When this happens, you are certain to be cancelled soon after.

Across My Desk: "Are Comics Better or Worse?"

My work as a librarian occasionally leads me across some fascinating detrius in the history of comic books... such a post is this. From the August, 1955 issue of Parents Magazine, I offer you this 3-page article:

If you're familiar with your comic book history, then you know this was published a year after Frederic Wertham had helped spur on the Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency hearings and only shortly after the Comics Code Authority shield began defacing comics on the racks. The CCA resulted in tepid, lifeless comic books because of the restrictions on what was considered "in good taste," as though crime, horror and funny animal comics should each play according the same rules for the same audience. The stigma generated against comics by the hearings and CCA is still felt by comic book fandom today.

In another sense, this is all in the past and thus safe for us on the other side of history to look back and guffaw. Certainly this article's criteria for judging comic books is baffling. The "No Objection" list includes much of what Archie and Dell were publishing at the time - in fact, the list is almost entirely comprised of teen humour comics, funny animal comics and romance comics. And yet, what grants Superman No Objection but Action Comics & Superboy Some Objection? Why does the Lone Ranger warrant Some Objection while the spin-off comics Silver and Tonto are clear?

There's also practically no daylight between the Riverdale teens of Archie and the company's Katy Keene, yet Katy is Objectionable! It ranks a "2," which... hm, let's check the standards... Moral Area... ah, yes, "The portrayal of drug addiction or excessive use of alcohol."

Actually, Katy and the similar Millie the Model were probably written up over "Any situation having a sexy implication" and/or "Persons dressed indecently or unduly exposed; costumes not appropriate to the occasion." Yet how was Dan DeCarlo's Millie substantially different from Dan DeCarlo's Betty & Veronica?

Perhaps the most baffling Objectionable comic to me was Rin-Tin-Tin, who earned a "3" for Morbidly Emotional (as did the similar Rex the Wonder Dog). How could Rin-Tin-Tin differ much from the clean-as-a-dog's-mouth Lassie? Perhaps the objection was over "Kidnapping of women or children, or the implication of it," but that must be the most unhelpful criteria ever invented. The "implication" of kidnapping? Who determines when kidnapping is implied? How? What is a super dog like Rinnie supposed to do for a living if he's not allowed to rescue women and children in peril? Is he only allowed to rescue adult men? How emasculating for them.

As a fan of Atlas Comics, it's interesting to note how few Atlas comics listed under "No Objection" - just Patsy & Hedy, My Own Romance & Homer the Happy Ghost. None of their adventure comics made the cut, while DC at least scored with Superman and Tomahawk. It's strange to see the various Atlas fantasy books listed with different objections as their content was virtually identical and all of it rather bad; that's the really galling part - even after cleaning up their horror comics into fantasy comics, Atlas was still told their material was too "morbid." Check out this from the article (emphasis mine):

"Horror and crime comics are less numerous and somewhat less offensive according to this year's review than formerly: yet a new subtle type of mystery story has appeared on the scene. To some parents it might seem even more objectionable than the obviously fantastic and weird stories of other years. These new mystery stories present arson, walking dead, and even in some cases horribly disturbing incidents that seem a threat to civilization."

I would love to understand what the bold type refers to. "Seem a threat to civilization?" What, like a science fiction story about the end of the world? Was two-year old Alan Moore already publishing stories which promoted anarchy?

How about the wild "Crime stories unless they relate to folklore or classical literature." So, that's fine for Classics Illustrated, but what is a "crime story?" Wertham considered any comic involving crime (even in Looney Tunes) to be a "crime story," so what's their definition? Superman certainly seems exempt, despite being a crime fighter.

Some titles on the Objectionable list hit the coveted 3-in-one in culture, morals and morbidity! These are Authentic Police Cases (St. John), Blue Beetle (Charlton), Crime and Justice (Charlton), Crime and Punishment (Lev Gleason), Don Winslow (Charlton), Mad (EC), Outlaw Fighters (Atlas), Outlaw Kid (Atlas), Piracy (EC), Rugged Action (Atlas), Straight Arrow (Magazine Enterprises) & T-Man (Quality). DC doesn't list a single title under all three, although it's interesting to see Batman came close, missing only on culture. I suppose Robin's shorts won them a moral objection for "costumes not appropriate to the occasion."

It's a small wonder to see EC's Mad on the list, although they were already headed to their magazine format by the time of this article. What is surprising is to find Charlton's Mad rip-off Insanity considered clean!

In other "EC can't catch a break" headlines, Valor is written up for culture and morbidity. Again, a company tried to clean up their content into something less sensational with decent values, only to be slighted.

In all, a portrait of the times; the US public eventually tired of poking their nose into people's comic book habits. They retain an insatiable appetite for intruding in people's religious, political and sexual background, however.