Pre-Code Horror

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muskrat

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Nov 8, 2010
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Seems appropriate. For some reason, around 1950, kids went ape for horror comics. Books like:

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Probably because of artists like this EC alum, George Evans:

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That's just good pre-code horror, right there.
 

muskrat

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Nov 8, 2010
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By 1954, every publisher was on the band wagon, and some of the sleazier outfits took it too far. To wit: (warning, graphic)

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So bang! At the insistence of a sub-committee of the U.S. Senate, the industry enforced the Comics Code, putting an end to those nasty books. Tame by today's standards, you say? Not all of it, kiddies.
 

muskrat

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Nov 8, 2010
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Okay, I'll do you one more before I gotta crawl back in my hole:

This is the work of Howard Nostrand, from Harvey's BLACK CAT#48. Great tale called THE LONELY, about a castaway who can't get rid of a corpse. Harvey Comics probably came closest to EC in terms of quality (and gore, heh heh.)

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muskrat

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Nov 8, 2010
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Under your bed
But, if you want heroes in tights, let's go WARTIME: (warning, insensitive dipiction of Japanese)

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Propaganda? Sure. But I've always found, any comic book depiction of actual warfare from that period PALES in comparison to ACTUAL events.