Adult comics
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Adult comics are comic books intended for adults. They may contain material that might be considered obscene, profane, immoral, and even pornographic, in contrast to the traditionally considered kid-friendly mainstream world of comics. Many adult comics, however, feature none of this, and simply tell stories of a more mature nature, as opposed to the fantasy elements of most comics.
The term "adult comics" generally refers to those with pornographic content, and is usually separated from comics labeled for "mature readers", although not always. The "mature readers" label is a relatively new invention (although adult comics have been around for decades), and has gained more acceptance in the average comicbook reading demographics which are now aged far older than they were before the 1990s.
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[edit] History
[edit] Early days
The history of adult comics can be traced as far back as the 1920s, over a decade before the premiere of what is traditionally considered the "first" comicbook, Action Comics #1, the first appearance of Superman. The adult comics of this time are sometimes called tijuana bibles - rectangular, eight page pamphlets with black printing on cheap white paper. The art was usually crude and sometimes also racist (Blacks were caricaturized with huge lips and extruding eyes). Their stories were explicit sexual escapades usually featuring well known cartoon characters, political figures or movie stars (used illegally without permission).
[edit] EC Comics and the Comics Code Authority
In the early 1950s, William Gaines shifted the focus of his father's comic book Company, EC Comics, from educational to gruesome, with a bevy of titles such as Tales From the Crypt, Weird Science, and Crime SuspenStories, and became the best selling company of the time (and perhaps all time, although sales records from the period are imprecise). While none of the books featured any nudity or foul language, they were undoubtedly of a mature nature. Gruesomeness and grotesquery could be found in almost every story, and sexual situations and illicit activities in many of them. At the time, no standard existed for dividing material for adults from material for all audiences. Consequently, EC Comics found their way into the hands of millions of American children. This led to Dr. Fredric Wertham's book Seduction of the Innocent, which blamed violent media (but almost exclusively comic books) for the rising number of cases of juvenile delinquency nationwide. After a large public outcry and even Senate hearings, most of the major publishers joined together to create the Comics Code Authority.
The Comics Code Authority prohibited almost all mature subject matter from comic books. It was a voluntary system, and a comics company could publish whatever they liked without submitting it for approval to the CCA, however the public outcry had led many retail outlets to forbid selling anything without the CCA's code of approval for the foreseeable future. The mainstream, American comics industry had more or less neutered themselves, and reinforced the American belief that comics were for kids.
[edit] Underground comics
Adult comics continued underground in the late 1960s under the umbrella of the CCA. the underground comics movement was spearheaded by people like Robert Crumb, Art Spiegelman, Kim Deitch and Harvey Pekar, and were often sold at head shops. When law enforcement cracked down on these establishments in the 70s, many titles were left without a way to reach their audience.
[edit] Vertigo
In recent history, DC Comics took a major stride into the world of Adult/Mature Readers comics with the foundation of the Vertigo Comics line, which strictly produces Mature Reader material. Vertigo is the only line of adult comics that might be considered mainstream. Marvel Comics has also attempted such an imprint with their MAX line of comics, although they have not duplicated DC's successes.
