“This isn’t a mudhole… It’s an operating table.”
The Second Comics Code and the Direct Market, 1980-1989
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 17824852 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Richard D Deverell (corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 21 |
| Publication date | 2025-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Mise au point (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2261-9623 • E-ISSN: 2261-9623 |
| Publisher | Association Française des Enseignants et Chercheurs en Cinéma et Audiovisuel (PUBLISHER • FR) |
| DOI | 10.4000/154x6 |
| OpenAlex | W4416253521 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 27 |
This article delves into the construction of an adult audience in the cultural industry of comic books, through a comparison between the evolution, in film industry, towards a more adult market throughout the 1960s, and the evolutions which transformed the comic book industry twenty years later. It also questions the adaptation processes, asking in which ways the evolution towards more adult contents inside comic books had, been contradicted by opposite forces attempting to provide family entertainment at the turn of the 20th century and in the beginning of the 21st. It argues that the combination of a weakening Comics Code, a new distribution model that offered an alternative to the Code’s focus on newsstands, and greater experimentation in long-form graphic novel storytelling made it possible for comic book advocates to gain mainstream critical approval for their work. While Marvel and DC continued to publish superhero stories under the Code, advocates had succeeded in cracking open pathways that bypassed it for select titles opened the possibility for highly experimental work. Other independent publishers arose that approached censorship in a much more lax manner, adopting the Code only as it suited them Several of these publishers enticed talent from Marvel or DC by offering creative control or retention of copyright, thereby tapping into the burgeoning creator’s rights movement and supporting further exploration of how writers and artists could use the medium. By the end of the 1980s, advocates had made such headway undermining the Code that the Comics Code Authority, trying to stave off complete irrelevance, revised it a second time. The new rules allowed characters to reflect prevailing social attitudes and show sensitivity to issues of race and sexuality, allowing more positive portrayals of gay characters. Even amid these radical changes, the Code seal continued appearing on most comic book covers, ironically offering comic book advocates protection to experiment against those who might wish to restrict the more adult fare
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |