SOTI

Seduction of the Innocent, published in 1954 by psychiatrist Dr. Frederic Wertham was one of the most impactful events in comic book history, leading to censorship in comics and the establishment of the Comics Code Authority  This category lists issues that were referenced in the book with Wertham's reasons for why comic books were damaging to the youth of America

Youthful Oct 1952

Beware #12

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$140
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$420
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$1.4K
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Referenced in text on pg 388 of Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comic Code Authority
Harvey Apr 1952

Teenage Dope Slaves #1

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$25
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$75
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$250
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: adolescent drug use, brought to the attention of the public led to lurid publications devoted to the subject
Ace Magazines Dec 1950

Mr. Risk #2

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$100
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: Wertham chides the writer of 'The Case of the Psycopathic Lady' for spelling psychopathic incorrectly
DC Apr 1948

Gang Busters #3

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$25
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$75
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$280
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: Wertham calls a map drawn by criminals 'a comic-book map for crime'
Quality Apr 1953

Diary Loves #31

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$100
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: a story about a woman stealing a dress
Fox Sep 1950

Famous Crimes #19

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$20
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$250
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: lynching praised as an acceptable form of justice and in another story a man slaps a girl then threatens to slam a board full of spikes in her face
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$90
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$275
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$1K
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: Wertham describes the relationship of Batman and Robin as homosexual describing a panel where Grayson sits beside Bruce Wayne who is lying down on a couch
Orbit-Wanted Sep 1950

Wanted Comics #29

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$15
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$50
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$210
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Reference in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the comics Code Authority
Reason: killing a policeman, a man shot in the stomach, a woman mugged then beaten to death with a hammer
Lloyd Jacquet Studios Jun 1946

Your United States

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$25
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$75
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$235
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: Wertham writes, 'a man hanged from a tree, a Negro in chains, a girl about to be raped and massacred...is that what you want your children to think is the history of your United States'
Fawcett Dec 1951

X-Mas Comics #6

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$80
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$245
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$890
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: morbid fantasies - a story about humankind unable to use their legs (reprinted story from Captain Video #2)
DC Sep 1951

Wonder Woman #49

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$115
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$385
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$1.1K
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: Wertham claims lesbian overtones between Wonder Woman and a child she adopts
Fox Jul 1948

Women Outlaws #1

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$150
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$500
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$1.5K
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: violent women 'giving children an image of American womanhood'
Ace Magazines Feb 1949

Western Adventures #3

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$12
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$35
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$100
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: eye injury - a man throws gold dust in another man's eyes
EC May 1953

Weird Science #19

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$85
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$225
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$850
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority, a woman stabs her husband to death in his sleep after realizing he is an alien
Stanley Morse Oct 1953

Weird Mysteries #7

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$350
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$1.1K
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$3.5K
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: a woman is shown wearing only a bra and in another panel, a woman bites into a man's neck, drawing blood
EC Nov 1950

Weird Fantasy #16

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$80
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$230
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$990
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: Wertham condemns comics as being poorly written citing editorial comments from this issue, 'Greetings, humanoids! Drag over a cyclotron and crawl in! (if we'da known you were coming, we'da baked an isotope!)'
Quality Nov 1952

Web of Evil #1

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$230
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$925
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$2.3K
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: the famous death scene in Shakespeare's Hamlet is rewritten
Magazine Village Aug 1949

True Crime Comics #1

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$100
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$300
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$1.1K
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: gratuitous violence (reprinted from True Crime vol. 1 #2)
Harvey Jan 1951

Trapped

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$7
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$20
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$80
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: in response to the governor of New York praising this issue for illustrating the dangers of drug abuse, Wertham criticized his decision to veto The Crime-Comic Book Control Bill despite overwhelming support for it
Street and Smith Jan 1949

Top Secrets #7

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$300
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: instructional diagram of how to inflict the most damage on an individual
Fawcett Sep 1948

Tom Mix Western #9

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$12
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$40
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$125
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: two boys find a box with a man's amputated hands inside
Charlton Jul 1953

The Thing #9

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$90
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$275
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$1K
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: a man stomps on another man's face with cleats
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$300
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$1K
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$3K
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: implication that the United States tests biological weapons on African natives
Reprinted story from Rulah the Jungle Goddess #21
Star Apr 1954

Terrifying Tales #15

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$50
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$150
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$700
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: 'The First Americans' story, reprinted from Rulah, Jungle Goddess #22
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$80
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$215
High
$775
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: Tegra sprays fiery radium dust on the exposed breasts of another woman
DC Nov 1948

Superman #55

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$100
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$1.1K
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: a policeman is shot in the mouth with a water pistol and also advertisements for B-B guns
Archie Oct 1948

Super Duck #22

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$10
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$90
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: Super Duck is poised, ready to beat a rabbit with a baseball bat
Avon Apr 1951

Strange Worlds #2

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$135
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$400
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$1.4K
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: the hero slashes a giant across the eyes with a sword
Commercial Comics Jan 1948

The Story of Harry S Truman #1

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$15
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$150
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Biography of Harry S Truman
Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: false account of history, Truman's inspiration to run for president incorrectly credited
Star May 1953

Spook #24

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$250
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$800
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$2.5K
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: inspires sexual deviance, reprinted from Inside Crime #2
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$80
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$250
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$875
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: a man is severely beaten by the police while the real killer, a high-ranking cop, gets away with murder
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$100
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$300
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$1K
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: a plot revolving around a man encouraging Americans to not 'let foreigners take our jobs,' suggesting the world is a violent and hateful place
Realistic Jan 1951

Reform School Girl

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$1.2K
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$4.3K
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$12.5K
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: cover art shown with the caption - comic books are supposed to be like fairy tales=
Fox Apr 1948

Phantom Lady #17

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$7.5K
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$24K
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$75K
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: Wertham writes of the cover art, 'sexual stimulation by combining headlights with the sadist's dream of tying up a woman' - headlights a reference to her breasts
Cross Apr 1951

Perfect Crime #11

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$20
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$65
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$210
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: provides instructions to rob a drugstore
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$90
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$325
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$980
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: a female character expresses that a gentleman does not hit a woman with a blackjack, he uses his fists
Reprinted from Blue Beetle #56
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$60
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$180
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$600
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: Wertham said, ‘adolescent boys call these Headlight Comics’ referring to the depiction of breasts
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: Wertham said, ‘adolescent boys call these Headlight Comics’ referring to the depiction of breasts
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$100
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$300
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$1.1K
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: Wertham said, ‘adolescent boys call these Headlight Comics’ referring to the depiction of breasts
Fox Jun 1950

Martin Kane #4

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$35
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$100
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$330
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: teaches the revenue potential in becoming a criminal (reprinted from Murder Incorporated #8)
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$500
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: Wertham considers a panel of a killer bragging about murdering his own best friend just to make a buck is the philosophy of comic books
Essankay Aug 1948

Law Against Crime #3

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$120
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$400
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$1.2K
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: a couple is shown with bullet holes in their heads and stab wounds in their chests
Magazine Enterprises Jan 1947

Killers, The #1

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$400
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$1.2K
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$4.5K
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: a woman is tied to a post and repeatedly lashed by a man whose love she denied
Eisner Apr 1949

Kewpies #1

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$25
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$75
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$245
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: less of a condemnation of this issue and more of a critique on comics as a whole when a little girl being interviewed by Wertham mistakenly called this comic 'Corpsies'
Fiction House Feb 1948

Jungle Comics #98

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$35
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$315
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: Wertham claims there is a hidden drawing of a nude female on a man’s shoulder
Superior Sep 1953

Journey Into Fear #15

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$180
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$600
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$1.8K
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: stories of bizarre acts of murder - a man kills his wife who is a werewolf
Fox Sep 1950

Inside Crime #2

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$200
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: a woman with a whip talks about forcing a man "to come to me on his knees," inspiring sexual deviance
Dell Jan 1951

Howdy Doody #6

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$18
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$55
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$285
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: insulting racial depictions
EC May 1953

Haunt of Fear #19

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$180
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$600
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$1.8K
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: a gruesome baseball game played with dismembered body parts including the catcher's chest plate appearing to be naked breasts
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$450
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$1.5K
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$4.5K
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Origin of Crypt of Terror, Vault of Horror and Haunt of Fear
Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: a character receives incompetent advice from a psychologist which leads to his death
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$800
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$2K
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$8K
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Iconic story ‘Teen-Age Dope Slaves’
Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: adolescent drug use brought to the attention of the public led to lurid publications devoted to the subject
St. John Jun 1952

Fugitives From Justice #3

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$60
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$160
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$550
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: sexual innuendo, reprint of Authentic Police Cases #6
Toby Apr 1950

Jon Juan #1

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$70
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$225
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$1.1K
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: inappropriate wording characterizing the hero as a "superlover"
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$30
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$90
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$360
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: Wertham uses this book as an example of creators using a pseudonym to publish objectionable material
Avon Nov 1949

Frontier Romances #1

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$55
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$165
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$590
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: a man spanking a woman, bent over his knee
Fox Mar 1949

Famous Crimes #7

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$40
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$120
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$440
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: story about a hero who robbed a bank and shot five men to death
Fox Oct 1948

Famous Crimes #3

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$55
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$170
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$600
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: excessive violence/electric chair panels
D.S. Mar 1949

Exposed #7

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$35
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$105
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$340
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: Wertham considers a diagram explaining how to lock the inside of a window from outside 'a diagram for housebreakers'
Ziff-Davis Jan 1951

Eerie Adventures #1

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$200
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$800
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$2K
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: a legal battle between Eerie and Eerie Adventures led to Wertham, author of Seduction of the Innocent, to believe the courts cared more about protecting the financial interests of publishers than the well being of the children
D.S. Jan 1949

Exposed #6

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$35
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$105
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$340
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: Wertham considers a panel that diagrams a killer's plan offers instructions on 'how to prepare an alibi'
Chesler Dynamic Jan 1946

Dynamic Comics #17

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$65
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$200
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$725
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: a woman wearing a skirt has one leg fastened to a chair and the other raised and tied to a box as a man approaches her with a hot poker
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$50
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$150
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$540
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: the hero displays racism after throwing bombs and a man from a plane while yelling 'bombs and bums away'
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$90
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$280
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$900
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: instructs girls on how to avoid making mistakes when committing a crime
Fox Oct 1948

Crimes By Women #3

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$300
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$1K
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$3K
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: cover art depicting women engaged in a gunfight with police
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$160
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$525
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$1.6K
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: a man pours the poison used to kill his wife down the drain and avoids being charged for murder
Lev Gleason May 1948

Crime Does Not Pay #63

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$18
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$55
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$180
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: gratuitous violence
Reprinted from True Crime Comics #2
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$180
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$600
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$1.8K
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: Wertham is parodied on the cover, tied to a chair with tape over his mouth
Marvel Apr 1952

Crime Can't Win #10

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$300
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: examples of how to commit multiple crimes
Trojan Oct 1950

Crime Smashers #1

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$80
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$290
High
$890
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: a milkman stumbles upon a woman who has been 'raped and murdered' according to Wertham, author of Seduction of the Innocent
St. John Oct 1948

Crime Reporter #2

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$110
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$330
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$1.2K
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: a woman wearing a skirt has one leg fastened to a chair and the other, raised and tied to a box as a man approaches her with a hot poker
Reprint of Dynamic Comics #17
Pines Sep 1952

Crime Files #5

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$25
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$70
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$225
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: a seventeen-year old girl seduces a man, robs then kills him
Lev Gleason Jun 1948

Crime Does Not Pay #64

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$18
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$55
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$180
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: Wertham criticizes the publisher of this issue who displayed the comics code logo but did not adhere to the rule that no blood is to be shown
Ziff-Davis Jun 1952

Crime Clinic #3

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$18
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$55
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$180
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: a criminal mentors two boys, instructing them to punch a man that they robbed, regardless of his cooperation
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$80
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$215
High
$850
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: teaches the revenue potential in becoming a criminal with a pricing menu for delivering a black eye ($4.00), broken limbs ($10.00) or the 'whole job' ($100+)
Fox Mar 1948

Zoot Comics #14

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$180
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$600
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$1.8K
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: a girl nailed by the wrists to a tree with blood flowing from her wounds
Magazine Village May 1948

True Crime Comics #2

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$210
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$675
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$2.3K
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: a man threatens to stab a woman in the eye with a syringe and criminals drag two men to their death on a gravel road, optimal for 'erasing faces'
Gilberton Nov 1947

Classics Illustrated #43

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$500
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: Wertham describes the first eight pages of this comic as being gratuitously violent and a poor representation of the source material
HRN stands for Highest Re-order issue Number on back cover - the lower the number the earlier the printing. Generally a first printing will have an HRN that matches the issue number on the front
Lev Gleason Jun 1948

Crime and Punishment #3

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$20
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$60
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$190
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Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority
Reason: a criminal instructs his partner to punch a man in the eye using brass knuckles and to twist them upon impact

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