News Story, February 15, 1954}}
Public Taste, Profit Used To Justify “Horror” Comics
By Irving M. Kravsow
New York.—Certain comic-book publishers, nuder lire because their magaiies glorify erime and feature sex, and sadism, justify it this way—they give Lhe pnblic what it wants.
lf parents think these comic books are undesirable, ler the parents take care of if, the yublishers advise. Their products are for older teci-agers and young adults. If children read them, Uhat’s not the concern of (he publishers, they say.
A few jin the publishing field are less arrogant,
Attorney Ilenry MM. Schuliz, counsel for the National Association of Comic Book Lublishers, declared ihe public must restize comic books are here to stay.
“Bat.” he added, “fhe public must also realize there are both good und bad comic hooks and parenis should direct their chiklren to the good ones und awny froin the bad.”
STATE PRINTS 40 PERCENT
Few persons outside the comic-book industry know Low vast is the cireulation of cone bocks, both good aud bad. An executive of one of the largest eomic- hooks printing firms tn ihe Nation, located in Waterbury, Conn., said 65 million issues are printed cach month,
Of these 65 million issues, more thin 1 percent are printed in Cennecticut. While it ts virtually impossible to estimate how many of the 65 million copies are in the horror or erime classification, a look at the newsstunils of the Nation shows the fignre is stuggering,
Sehultz looked at suiples of some of the come hooks purchased by a Courant reporter and shook his head, °No deeeut person wollld ever try to defend these hooks,’ he said, “but they are only a purt of the whole tidustry.”
He said all parents should wretch (ieir own childrou’s reading matter and guide youngsters away from nuwholesome material, “There are enough goo colmies around to replace this filth,” be said,
Seliults (a member of the New York Board of Edueation for many years as well us counsel to the hurge comic-book publishers) said the “big pubtishers try (og police themselves, bul the little conypantes won't cooperate,”
As an examyle he cifed one publisher, a noupracticing attorney and doll niann- facturer, who publishes horror eami¢c bouks as a siteline “to pick up a few extra thonsand dollars.”
Profit is the rnling factor. Asked why large jublishers don't throw out the horrar line and coucentrate on more wholesnle material, Shui sutd the big fitine once did stop producing horror baoks,
What happened? “The had ones still poured ont of ihe smedter eutfits and flooded the newsstamis, cutting serionsly into the sale of the geod inaguzines. So publishers had to go back 1o pwoeducing herror comics in order to stay In business,” Schultz said.
Many of the smaller conmpanies had another version, however. Each agreed there are pany undesivable comie books on sule in this eonntry, but each pointed ihe finger at the other guy.
Stunley Morse, publisher of Gilbnore magazines, deseribed his produets ius “MUG. One of the stories published by Morse was I Killed Mary, This was the one Qenounced by VT. 6. Murphy in his Conrant columu, Of Many Phings,
CHOPS GIRL WITH AX
I Killed Mary, tells the story of « yenth who wants to do something hig and daring so peuple will notice him. ‘Phe hey chaps up a girl with an ax to gain recognition, but when his parents wat believe he killed the girl, the youth hangs limself in a bern,
“T don't see anything wrong with this story,” said Morse, as be fingered a copy of the magazine. “This stery has a moral. It shows that crime doesn’t pay.”
“Is that the moral in the story?” Morse was asked.
