Hide Your Children

As most anyone who collects older comics knows, in the late 40s/early 50s, there was quite the backlash against comics by parents groups, local governments, psychiatrists, and the like. It led to, among other things, the Comics Code, a scathing (and factually unreliable) book in Seduction of the Innocent, and a dip in sales.

For the most part, the attacks were against publishers of crime and horror comics (while EC is often seen as the poster boy for the anti-comics campaign, other publishers such as Ace, St. John's, and Harvey were publishing violent, horrific, and graphic stories), there was also the inevitable slam against the very popular romance comic genre.

From a Washington Post editorial dated January 24, 1950, entitled "Love Stuff":

How far the national preoccupation with romance will go is a question that has been raised by the invasion of comic books by what is called "love stuff." Recently the "boy meets girl" theme was found to be taking over many Western story magazines. Now in about one third of comic books, it is estimated, cartoon courtship has replaced slapstick comedy. Although directed at a teen-age audience, these love comics are said to be finding many followers among adults, the assumption being, as always, that frustrated housewives find them a means of vicarious romance.

Total readership of comics book is put at around 70 million. This means that at least 20 million readers are turning to comics for heart thrills. Since "love stuff" also dominates soap operas, movies, slick magazine fiction and popular songs, most of the population must be constantly engrossed in at least the chaff of love. Yet the decadence and violence of the times do not reflect such preoccupation. Or perhaps the times are promoting this escape into a world where human beings look even intermittently on each other with favor.

Is this unnamed editorial writer that dense? He/she mocks the idea that "most of the population must be constantly engrosed in at least the chaff of love." Well, no shit! Even in the conservative environment of the post-War era, boys were still falling for that swell gal down the block, girls were still swooning over that handsome fellow, and there was plenty of hanky-panky going on. It was the baby-boom after all.

I suppose, when it comes to "love stuff" seeping into Western stories, the writer still wished that the only thing that was kissed by the end of the tale was the horse.