In November 1977, DC Comics made a proclamation that would change the entire comic book publishing industry. Only, it didn't happen. Instead of an explosion of comics, DC Comics suffered a massive implosion. But does this make DC Comics a loser, or was it just ahead of its time?
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This series was produced for those wanting to learn more about the comics they consume. The below list includes the sources we used to gather information. All quotes, and clips used in this production are used under section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976.
Senator Joseph McCarthy, 1953 statement retrieved from The Miller Center
https://millercenter.org/the-presidency/educational-resources/age-of-eisenhower/mcarthyism-red-scare
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg executed in 1953 for espionage clip, retrieved from the Daily Mail
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/embed/video/1341583.html
Have you no sense of decency, sir? Retrieved from YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7x8RkdG6I0
Seduction of the Innocent by Frederic Wrtham (2021 Edition)
Frederic Wertham and William Gaines's testimony before the Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency were retrieved from WNYC.org and the NYC Municipal Archives WNYC Collection
https://www.wnyc.org/story/215975-senate-subcommittee-juvenile-delinquency-ii/
The Ten Cent Plague by David Hajdu
The 1954 Comic Code Authority Rules
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comics_Code_Authority
Comic Book Sales Data via Comichron
https://www.comichron.com/yearlycomicssales.html
"So Much Moralizing" Stan's Soapbox, March 1970
)
New York Times, February 04, 1971
Comic Code Authority Shuts Down
Tom Brevoort reflections on Rolling Stone's article about Marvel Comics
https://tombrevoort.com/2021/02/14/blah-blah-blog-rolling-stone/
(referenced as: https://zak-site.com/Great-American-Novel/comic_sales.html)
The Amazing World of Carmine Infantino by Carmine Infantino and J. David Spurlock (2001)
Jenette Kahn Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jenette_Kahn
Sequential Tart Interview with Jenette Kahn by Jennifer M. Contino, retrieved from the Internet Archive
https://web.archive.org/web/20031026213108/http://www.sequentialtart.com/archive/may01/kahn.shtml)
DC Comics Publishorial, "Onward and Upward"
)
DC Comics Logos Over the Years
)
*The Comics Journal #40 Kim Thompson, “An Interview with Marvel’s Head-Honcho: Jim Shooter” *(p. 38)
**
https://www.tcj.com/tcj-archive/the-comics-journal-no-40-june-1978/
Quotes from The Comic Reader, Comic Media News, and others were sourced from:
**Comic Book Implosion: The Oral History of DC Comics Circa 1978 by Keith Dallas and John Wells **
https://twomorrows.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1374
Slugfest: Inside the Epic, 50-year Battle Between Marvel and DC by Reed Tucker
Marvel Comics: The Untold Story by Sean Howe
Unspoken - licensed via Premiumbeat.com)
Break Through - licensed via Premiumbeat.com)
Patriotic Epic - licensed via Premiumbeat.com)
OMnis - Music by DSTechnician) from Pixabay)
Big Day Out - Music by Geoff Harvey) from Pixabay)
Defenders of the Truth - Music by Zakhar Valaha) from Pixabay)
Inspiring Cinematic Ambient - Music by Aleksey Chistilin) from Pixabay)
Superhero Hollywood Trailer - Licensed via PremiumBeat.com)
Documentary Background - Music by Aleksey Chistilin) from Pixabay)
Out of Time - Music by Zakhar Valaha) from Pixabay)
Summer Adventures - Music by Sergii Pavkin) from Pixabay)
This Minimal Technology (Pure) - Music by Yrii Semchyshyn) from Pixabay)
Sound Effects from Pixabay)
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