- ISBN13: 9780312428235
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
In the years between the end of World War II and the mid-1950s, the popular culture of today was invented in the pulpy, boldly illustrated pages of comic books. But no sooner had comics emerged than they were beaten down by mass bonfires, congressional hearings, and a McCarthyish panic over their unmonitored and uncensored content. Esteemed critic David Hajdu vividly evokes the rise, fall, and rise again of comics in this engrossing history. <... More >>
The Ten-Cent Plague: The Great Comic-Book Scare and How It Changed America
When I saw the interview where the writer of this book said that he had never really read comics, He came across as just another mainstream person who writes aboutr a subject but has little or no education background on the subject itself. Yeah, real nice.
Rating: 2 / 5
I found David Hajdu’s book singularly diverting, entertaining, and informative. Most of all, and I can’t quite define how or why, I found “The Ten-Cent Plague” to be downright cozy. Perhaps because I think of that era that way; nostalgia, I suppose.
I applaud Mr. Hajdu’s unquestionable ability to vividly introduce the reader to (or remind him of; depending on one’s age) an extraordinarily different era; a better time than this, in my humble opinion. He’s a wonderful researcher and writer. But….
First, an intelligent and reasonable argument can be made that certain comic books were bizarre and lurid, and that their influence upon the young and impressionable wasn’t exactly wholesome or salubrious. Mr. Hajdu’s sneering dismissal of this viewpoint hardly indicates sophistication (as much as he may want to think that it does). Mind you, I’m not necessarily making this argument. I was an avid comic-book reader myself, and look how I turned out! My point is that such an argument isn’t groundless, nor is it inherently evil. After all, contrary to what many people believe, there is nothing even remotely anti-American about a given community insisting on certain values and standards of conduct, and in employing censorship as a means. Until the egregious 1970s, the only form of censorship the courts would condemn and prohibit was government censorship; each community had the right and duty to establish and enforce its own standards.
Second, despite Mr, Hajdu’s best efforts, he doesn’t persuade (he certainly didn’t persuade me) that the great comic-book scare was particularly scary. And this “scare” changed America? Oh, please.
Mr. Hajdu is more successful as an observer than as a commentator. And it is the hyperbole and silliness of some of his comments and historical claims that cost him a star. Still, four stars is nothing to sneeze at and I do indeed recommend this book.
Rating: 4 / 5
this book is far from perfect. and i understand where many of the more negative reviews are coming from. the mass condemnation of the comics and how it ruined the medium in the fifties is common knowledge to most comic fans. this book was written with people who dont know about wertham/seduction of the innocent/bill gaines getting grilled on tv by the senate/the comics code in mind. the author assumes his readers arent aware of these things and writes for any reader. however the main market for this book are comics fans and historians and many of them will feel let down or insulted by having these things explained to them as if they have no prior knowledge of them. however this book provides alot of great lessons and allegory about censorship and the author really did his homework. this is one of the first comic book history books i have read that has interviewed the book burners, banners, and many of the writers and artists who left the medium because of the backlash. and the book reads as a great modern social commentary when you consider it in terms of todays backlash against video games.
Rating: 5 / 5
Very readable, well written book. Anybody who read and enjoyed “The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay” should pick this up. My only criticism would be that the epilogue seemed a little short and forced.
Rating: 4 / 5
I bought this book due to an appreciation for the issue of censorship and because I enjoyed the EC books, which have been reprinted recently in hardcover. However, I found this book to read almost like an encyclopedia. It’s definitely well-researched but written in a tedious, drone-like style. Rarely have I read a book where I couldn’t figure out the definition of a word I didn’t know within the context of the sentence, but that happened numerous times here. People come and go, names are brought up and never mentioned again, other works are cited, but all in all the book couldn’t keep my interest. Most disappointingly, I didn’t feel the book really showed how the comic-book scare “changed the world,” it just said it did. Perhaps I’m not the target audience for this style of writing, so look at this review as a friendly ‘heads-up’- if you’re looking for a lighter read, skip this book. Otherwise, enjoy.
Rating: 2 / 5