Scan barcode
libra17's review
5.0
I recently finished reading a few of books about DC's frontline characters - Batman, Catwoman, and Wonder Woman - all of which referenced Wertham, his crackpot crusade, and the effect on those specific characters, and when I stumbled across this while browsing it seemed like a broader narrative account to round out my understanding of the time period that ended up nearly destroying some of our most beloved icons today. In that, The Ten-Cent Plague was a fascinating success. Recounting the origin of newspaper funnies to the tides affecting genre popularity, The Ten-Cent Plague was a wide-lens view the comic industry as a whole during the golden age, though - as in industry leader - EC Comics did have a lot of the limelight. Mostly, though, this book is an account of why comics were popular during that time and place, and why that created a backlash to the medium. It is an account of moral panic which we, from the hindsight of the 21st century, can see was irrational and overblown.
However, readers who know about Professor Carol Tilley's research on Wertham and Seduction of the Innocent should note that her research is not included in The Ten-Cent Plague because (as far as I can tell) it wouldn't be published for another 5ish years. If Hadju had known when writing this about Professor Tilley's conclusions that Wertham baked his research, he would have had much more ammunition with which to attack Wertham's most famous statements. As it is, Harju does just fine with what rational people knew during the comic scare; apparently, there were some rational people still left who submitted research that comics had nothing to do with juvenile delinquency (among other things) and tried to make themselves heard, but - alas - they could not make their voices heard over the hysterical clamoring that graphic stories were simply evil.
Even with that in mind, I very much liked this book. It is something that I very much enjoyed, and it is something I would recommend.
However, readers who know about Professor Carol Tilley's research on Wertham and Seduction of the Innocent should note that her research is not included in The Ten-Cent Plague because (as far as I can tell) it wouldn't be published for another 5ish years. If Hadju had known when writing this about Professor Tilley's conclusions that Wertham baked his research, he would have had much more ammunition with which to attack Wertham's most famous statements. As it is, Harju does just fine with what rational people knew during the comic scare; apparently, there were some rational people still left who submitted research that comics had nothing to do with juvenile delinquency (among other things) and tried to make themselves heard, but - alas - they could not make their voices heard over the hysterical clamoring that graphic stories were simply evil.
Even with that in mind, I very much liked this book. It is something that I very much enjoyed, and it is something I would recommend.
neven's review against another edition
2.0
Abandoned, sadly. There's clearly a fascinating story here, but it's laid out in a dense, haphazard, and tiring manner. Everything is given the same flat treatment, from the story of the first Superman comic to a warehouse owner's coat. Dull quotes sprinkled throughout for no discernible reason.
sew's review against another edition
3.0
The good: This book is well researched and appears to have been assembled from a large number of interviews with comic book artists of the era.
The bad: It is hard to expect a fully objective account, but the critical level of the author rarely rises above ad hominem attacks. I found the historical narrative to be disjointed. The overly descriptive writing style didn't make up for the lack of illustrations.
The bad: It is hard to expect a fully objective account, but the critical level of the author rarely rises above ad hominem attacks. I found the historical narrative to be disjointed. The overly descriptive writing style didn't make up for the lack of illustrations.
jstuartmill's review against another edition
3.0
This book is just a bit too long and tries to drown the reader with facts rather than telling an interesting story. This is too bad because the content overall is pretty interesting. I wish I could say I enjoyed it, but what It came down to was just finding it to be really good information, like reading an academic paper or encyclopedia.
mandigolightly's review against another edition
2.0
This book is really bland for such an interesting topic, and was full of minutiae that was wildly irrelevant.
rickklaw's review against another edition
3.0
During the 1950s, many creative institutions came under societal and governmental scrutiny: movies, books, and especially comics. [author:David Hajdu] recounts this troubled time in The Ten-Cent Plague: The Great Comic-Book Scare and How It Changed America.
During the late 1940s and early 1950s, these 10-cent illustrated pulp magazines – intended primarily for children – featured stories of superheroes, teen angst, crime, romance, and horror. Many individual issues sold in the millions of copies. To the ire of many "right-thinking" adults, these tales often contained such unsavory elements as sexual innuendo, detailed crime depictions, and excessive violence. Parent groups routinely blamed comic books for "juvenile delinquency." The hysteria reached a fever pitch with the publication of [author=Fredric Wertham]'s controversial vilification of comic books, [book:Seduction of the Innocent] (1954). The ensuing televised congressional hearings almost destroyed the industry, forcing hundreds of publishers out of business and nearly 1,000 people out of work.
Hajdu deftly chronicles these events through interviews with the era's comicdom creators as well as newspaper accounts of the various incidents. The heartfelt and insightful discussions offer a unique glance into a previously well-documented series of events. As the events unfold, Hajdu sites evidence from both sides of the comic-book debate, presenting a cautionary tale of creativity vs. control. By the end of Hajdu's account, the industry is in ruins, nearly destroyed, and therein lies the flaw in an otherwise compelling book.
Comic books as an art form obviously survived, eventually evolving into a respected medium. Hajdu makes a feeble attempt in his epilogue to explain comics' resilience by interviewing [author=Robert Crumb] as a savior of the industry. While Crumb's contribution to comic books certainly ushered in the modern era of graphic novels, his work was far from the only impetus for the industry rebirth. A more thorough examination of how comics survived would have provided an upbeat ending to an otherwise bleak story and further enhanced the fascinating narrative of The Ten-Cent Plague.
This review originally appeared in The Austin Chronicle, March 21, 2008.
During the late 1940s and early 1950s, these 10-cent illustrated pulp magazines – intended primarily for children – featured stories of superheroes, teen angst, crime, romance, and horror. Many individual issues sold in the millions of copies. To the ire of many "right-thinking" adults, these tales often contained such unsavory elements as sexual innuendo, detailed crime depictions, and excessive violence. Parent groups routinely blamed comic books for "juvenile delinquency." The hysteria reached a fever pitch with the publication of [author=Fredric Wertham]'s controversial vilification of comic books, [book:Seduction of the Innocent] (1954). The ensuing televised congressional hearings almost destroyed the industry, forcing hundreds of publishers out of business and nearly 1,000 people out of work.
Hajdu deftly chronicles these events through interviews with the era's comicdom creators as well as newspaper accounts of the various incidents. The heartfelt and insightful discussions offer a unique glance into a previously well-documented series of events. As the events unfold, Hajdu sites evidence from both sides of the comic-book debate, presenting a cautionary tale of creativity vs. control. By the end of Hajdu's account, the industry is in ruins, nearly destroyed, and therein lies the flaw in an otherwise compelling book.
Comic books as an art form obviously survived, eventually evolving into a respected medium. Hajdu makes a feeble attempt in his epilogue to explain comics' resilience by interviewing [author=Robert Crumb] as a savior of the industry. While Crumb's contribution to comic books certainly ushered in the modern era of graphic novels, his work was far from the only impetus for the industry rebirth. A more thorough examination of how comics survived would have provided an upbeat ending to an otherwise bleak story and further enhanced the fascinating narrative of The Ten-Cent Plague.
This review originally appeared in The Austin Chronicle, March 21, 2008.
armand_rosamilia's review against another edition
4.0
Very in-depth history of America's fear and loathing of comic books and the multiple ways the government and misguided politicians and others pinned juvenile delinquency on crime and horror comics.