I’ve
talked a little about how comics took a turn for the goofy after the 1954 Senate
investigation into the effects of comic books on juvenile delinquency. (Spoiler
alert: There were none.)
As a result of
the hearings and the bad publicity they engendered, the Comics Code Authority
was established.
Its job was to prevent such
wayward influences as bad grammar, “sex perversion” (read: non-straight people),
and say-no-to-drugs messages from infiltrating our comic books. By the early 1970s, the CCA’s influence slackened
just enough to allow two important supporting characters—Harry Osborn from
Marvel and Roy Harper from DC—to be revealed as drug addicts without their
respective publishers running into significant trouble.
Ten years later, having a comic book tackle
such serious topics as race relations, homelessness, and addiction was
practically the norm.
That’s not to say
these topics were all handled well, but a wobbly first step is better than none
at all.
And that brings
us to today’s topic: Demon in a Bottle, one of the more famous of
Marvel’s Bronze Age attempts at sincerity.
It’s a big ‘un, so be sure to check back throughout the next few weeks
to see how this arc develops.
