Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley door pickup 10am - 7pm 3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611

  • Open Daily: 10am - 10pm
    Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm

    3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
    612-822-4611

Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm
3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611
Comic Book Apocalypse!: The Death of Pre-Code Comics and Why It Happened, 1940-1955

Comic Book Apocalypse!: The Death of Pre-Code Comics and Why It Happened, 1940-1955

Hogan, David J.
Thompson, Maggie

Hardcover

Literary CriticismGeneral Antiques & CollectiblesArt & Popular Culture

Publisher Price: $59.99

ISBN10: 0764369598
ISBN13: 9780764369599
Publisher: Schiffer Publishing
Published: Sep 28 2025
Pages: 256
Weight: 3.58
Height: 1.00 Width: 9.97 Depth: 11.14
Language: English
From 1940 to 1955, American society and culture underwent dramatic changes, including the introduction of the Comics Code in October 1954, which heavily impacted comic books. The Code aimed to moderate comic content in response to public opinion, including such topics as juvenile delinquency, wartime sentiment, teenage sex, drugs, violent crime, and more. While compliance was technically voluntary, most publishers followed its strict rules. Those who didn't faced ruin when wholesalers and distributors refused to handle noncompliant comics, returning them unopened to publishers, who soon self-destructed. Comic Book Apocalypse! explores this downfall through 500 examples of pre-Code cover art, highlighting why some deemed the Code necessary. The book also examines who decided what content was acceptable, demonstrating how pre-Code comics reflect the larger story of 1950s America.

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Hogan, David J.

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Literary Criticism

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