Even so, when a guy called Frederick Wertham decided to make a career out of convincing America that comics were perverting the youth, he had plenty of supporting material. Thanks to that little snitch, Congress ended up recommending that comic book publishers tone it the heck down with all the gore and calamities and whatnot. This led to the creation of the Comics Code Authority, which was basically designed to prevent the publication of any comic scarier than a Scooby-Doo episode. And the result was …
Censorship Made “Horror” Comics Extremely Dumb (Think “Dark Universe In The ’60s”)
It’s probably not a coincidence that “happy baby-looking ghost going on whimsical adventures” became a popular comic book genre right after the Comics Code banned stories about unsightly ghouls. People had to get their paranormal fix somehow, you know? Casper the Friendly Ghost was the first and most successful example, but not the only one. These are all from 1955-1958:
Ajax-Farrell, Marvel Comics, American Comics Group, DC Comics
The Comics Code specifically forbid showing vampires, werewolves, or zombies — but that doesn’t mean those characters disappeared completely. Dell Comics, one of the few companies not beholden to the whims of the Code, dared to publish an ongoing Dracula comic in the mid-’60s when everyone else was too afraid to touch the character. Unfortunately, he looked like this:
Dell Comics
Since superheroes had become all the rage again after horror comics were banned, Dell decided it would make sense to beef up the lord of vampires and squeeze him into a spandex suit. This version of the character is actually a descendant of the original Count Dracula, who accidentally gains superpowers while experimenting with bat blood to find a cure for “brain damage.” Now he has super senses and can turn into a bat at will, so he uses these abilities to fight crime as some sort of “Man-Bat.”
Dell Comics
Diving Into Horror Comics' Gruesome Highs And Embarrassing Lows
Source: Pinoy Daily News
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