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Media Violence and Comic Books

Media Violence and Comic Books. A Tribute to Fredric Wertham. Do you believe there is a link between media violence and aggressive behavior?. What role might crime comic books play?. A few words from the Doctor.

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Media Violence and Comic Books

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  1. Media Violence and Comic Books A Tribute to Fredric Wertham

  2. Do you believe there is a link between media violence and aggressive behavior? What role might crime comic books play?

  3. A few words from the Doctor Wertham—In crime comic books, murder, violence and rape are the themes. There seems to be a widely held belief that democracy demands leaving the regulation of children’s reading to the individual. Leaving everything to the individual is actually not democracy, it is anarchy.

  4. From Wertham's perspective, 1940s and 1950s comics relied on imagery (or SPECTACLE) to influence THOUGHT Crime Comics and their Pulpy Past • “Some of the publishers produced semi-pornographic literature for adults.” • “Some of the distributors also had ties to figures involved in organized crime.” • (Evanier, 2003, p. 185)

  5. Images fromSeduction of the Innocent

  6. According to Wertham, there are common violent comic book motifs Dragging a body (no pity for dragging a living person) Misogyny (women are natural victims)

  7. The Killing Joke by Alan Moore The plot revolves around the Joker's attempt to drive Gotham City Police Commissioner James Gordon insane, and is intercut with the villain's flashbacks to his life before his disfigurement and criminal life. STORY—decension Current Crime Comics • Sin City • by Frank Miller • Marv is framed for the murder of Goldie—a beautiful one night stand. The story involves Marv's single minded quest to understand why Goldie was killed and bring revenge upon her murderers. • STORY—revenge

  8. Sin City“Dragging a body”

  9. Expected example STORY—revenge Violent acts define CHARACTER Marv is classic anti hero—only hurts bad people THOUGHT—Revenge “by any means necessary” is okay for anti-heroes in comic world

  10. The Killing Joke“Misogyny”

  11. Women/Girlfriends in Refrigerators Syndrome Too often women in comics are tortured, raped, maimed, killed, depowered, or made to go insane to further the development of a current storyline for a male character and/or to establish a premise for a future story. This style of writing not only devalues female characters, it sexualizes their existence and demise. When any woman would do, why pick this one?

  12. Unexpected example STORY—descension Violent acts linked to CHARACTER Expect—violent acts to define villain Don’t expect—violent acts to define victim Even Batgirl (a hero) can be a sexualized and forgotten victim THOUGHT—ALL women are disposable in the comic world

  13. Was Wertham right? Had I not highlighted these violent acts, would you have given them a second thought? Do you think that these revenge and decension stories would be better, worse or unaffected without violent imagery?

  14. Was Wertham right? Given theseTHOUGHTS, ALL women are disposable in the comic world Revenge “by any means necessary” is okay for anti-heroes Do you think repeated exposure to them IN PRINT FORM increases delinquency and/or violent tendencies in society?

  15. Sources Miller, F. (1991). Sin City. Milwaukie, OR: Dark Horse Comics. Moore, Alan, Bolland, Brian, Higgins, John and Starkings, Richard. “Batman: The Killing Joke.” DC Universe: The Stories of Alan Moore. New York: DC Comics, 2006. Wertham, F. (2004). Seduction of the innocent. Laurel, NY: Main Road Books, Inc. Evanier, M. (2003). Wertham was right! Another collection of POV columns. Raleigh, NC: TwoMorrows Publishing.

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