The Seduction of the Innocent: Hysterically Misguided 2012 Edition

This past weekend, as I was watching the Giants drive the Packers into the ground like tent stakes, my local Washington, D.C. Fox affiliate kept running promos for a feature story that was going to appear on the Wednesday news. What was the story going to be about? SEX AND VIOLENCE IN COMIC BOOKS AND HOW THEY ARE CORRUPTING OUR YOUTH. The spirit of Fredric Wertham is alive and well, my friends.

It aired last night. Here’s a link to the story and the accompanying article.

Putting aside my high dudgeon about not being interviewed (no, the “Jared” mentioned in the article isn’t me), this can be dismissed as your typical local news scare report. “These common household products, products you are probably using at this very moment, can kill you and your entire family. FIND OUT WHAT THEY ARE AT 11.” I’ll leave it to you to come up with the assorted devastating rejoinders that cut the legs out from underneath the piece. They only talk about DC Comics, which seems half-assed. No longer aimed at kids. Etc. At least the homosexuality and communism bogeymen didn’t come into play.

If the critique had been “Most comics now are garbage…” I think would have been more onboard.

I took some delight in the knickers in a twist child psychologist who was interviewed. “Fictionalized Playboy.” AND WHAT EXACTLY, SIR, IS WRONG WITH PLAYBOY? Insulting my comics is one thing, but when you bring my pornography into things, well…

Anyway, can hearings before Congress be far behind? Will the ‘Mazing Man-hating Comics Code Authority rise like Ra’s al Ghul from his Lazarus Pit? Let the hysteria begin!