EPISODE · Feb 2, 2026 · 28 MIN
The Great Comic Book Scare
from HISTORY This Week · host The HISTORY® Channel | Back Pocket Studios
February 4, 1955. In a New York courtroom, the Comics Czar takes the stand. He’s in charge of enforcing a new code, meant to keep comic books from corrupting America’s youth, and he’s here to prove that his work has cleaned up the industry. But that afternoon, a noted psychologist named Fredric Wertham argues that his work has not nearly gone far enough. When the hearing comes to a close, the committee is left to decide: what is the future of the comic book? Why did one of the country’s leading psychologists see them as a major threat to American children? And what can the Great Comic Book Scare teach us about moral panics? Special thanks to our guests, David Hajdu, author of The Ten-Cent Plague; and Jeremy Dauber, author of American Comics: A History. ** This episode originally aired Jan 31, 2022. Get in touch: [email protected] Follow on Instagram: @historythisweekpodcast Follow on Facebook: HISTORY This Week Podcast To stay updated: http://historythisweekpodcast.com
What this episode covers
February 4, 1955. In a New York courtroom, the Comics Czar takes the stand. He’s in charge of enforcing a new code, meant to keep comic books from corrupting America’s youth, and he’s here to prove that his work has cleaned up the industry. But that afternoon, a noted psychologist named Fredric Wertham argues that his work has not nearly gone far enough. When the hearing comes to a close, the committee is left to decide: what is the future of the comic book? Why did one of the country’s leading psychologists see them as a major threat to American children? And what can the Great Comic Book Scare teach us about moral panics? Special thanks to our guests, David Hajdu, author of The Ten-Cent Plague; and Jeremy Dauber, author of American Comics: A History. ** This episode originally aired Jan 31, 2022. Get in touch: [email protected] Follow on Instagram: @historythisweekpodcast Follow on Facebook: HISTORY This Week Podcast To stay updated: http://historythisweekpodcast.com
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The Great Comic Book Scare
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