Via Gary Farber’s Facebook Page, (Frederic Werther Juked His Stats) we learn that the book that was used to indict comic books as a scourge of society, a purveyor of sex and a promoter of crime, homosexuality and juvenile deliquency – Seduction of the Innocent by Frederic Wertham – was itself a scam. Carol Tilley a professor of Library and Information Science at the University of Illinois, has spent some time digging into Wertham’s archives and has found quite a bit of evidence of distortion of the truth.
Wertham’s book was used as evidence of the inimical influences of comic books during a Senate sub-committee hearing on Juvenile Delinquency and is widely considered to be one of the major reasons that comic book publishers formed the Comics Code Authority to self-regulate, rather than be subject to Federal regulation. (This is why you can no longer have fun!)
Tilley’s research – titled Comics: A Once-Missed Opportunity will be published in a future issue of the Journal of Research on Libraries and Young Adults. You can read more about Tilley’s research here
(Ed. Note: Now they’re trying to hang our gun issues on movies and in particular video games. Makes one wonder what we’re going to read 50 years from now about the research done on those topics.)
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According to John at SFSignal SkiffyTube (otherwise known as the channel formerly known as Sci Fi) has acquired the rights to produce a movie based on Philip K. Dick’s novel The Man in the High Castle.
I think something like this calls for a flashmob in front of SkiffyTube HQ. At the designated minute, everyone in the crowd should yell “OH NOES!” and then do a group palm-to-forehead slap.
Da Signal wonders if Megashark and Mansquito will make an appearance. I wonder if Dick’s story is going to make an appearance.
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Eoghann Irving has been blogging a History of Science Fiction for 9 episodes now. It’s pretty entertaining and has lots of nifty little factoids scattered throughout and is worth the read. I have a few very minor quibbles (such as wanting more detail on some of the things he outlines), but for someone wanting to play catchup on our now 100+ year old history, this is not a bad place to start.
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On a personal note I will be attending Boskone 50 this weekend – Feb. 15-17 – (yes, half-a-century of syrupy-chocolate convention fundom) along with at least two of our blog team members – Erin Underwood (who is on sabbatical from Amazing blog duties as she helps prepare what looks to be a phenomenal schedule of panels and events) and Cedar Sanderson who will be entertaining the crowd with balloon animal fun. I know several others will be in attendance as well, including newly-minted SF author Daniel M. Kimmel (no doubt having something to say about his novel SHHH! It’s A Secret). I’ll be there on Saturday, more than likely sitting in the lobby (there’s a set of couches right by the main entrance) and will be handing out mini-posters of the July 2012 Relaunch Prelaunch issue cover for the asking. Free while supplies last, as they say. Stop on by – I’ll be happy to answer any questions about Amazing Stories’ return!
