Page:1954 Juvenile Delinquency Testimony.pdf/236

224 Mr. . You do not know whether they make suggestions from time to time?

Mr. . I believe they do, but again E am not positive.

Mr. . Now, the type of material J have notieed in the Super- man group differs consider ably from the type of material in the maga- zines distributed by the Independent News Co., despite the fact that the three owners are the sume. Can you account for the incongruity of setting up an advisory bourd for one eperi: ton, and then distribut- ing material such as is contained in Black Magic or Frankenstein, and so forth?

Mr. . We must admit that it is incongruous because of this: We are in the Independent News Co., a national distr ibuting outfit. Itistrue that we are a subsidiary concern of National Comies, Ine. ; we represent a number of publishers other than these that pub- lish comic magazines. magazines that we distribute to the ‘Independent News Co, We have, and many times in the past, refused to distribute certain magazines that have been presented to us by our present publishers. ‘Vhat has Papper! in the past 8 or 10 months, as a matter of fact.
 * We do have a set. of standards by which we guide ourselves in the

Mr. . Which InagaZi nes were those, do you know ?

Mr. . Not in the comic-book field. They are ontside the comie-book field.

However, when this first ivesiigation came to New York, of your eommiittee, we sat down and discussed the entire matter, and 1t was decided at that time that we would eliminate through the news com- pany any magazines that we felt bordered on the type that you were investigating. We do not feel that even these mayazines are the worst im the field, but they do border on your weird, ‘fantastic group

that you are investigating, and we have eliminated them and they are off the market, or will be in the next 30 days. Titles suehi as “FF rank- enstein,” “Out of the Night,” “Forbidden Worlds,” and one which you do not have there, * ‘Chutel ving Wand,” lave been killed.

Mr. . Killed in what way?

Mr. . They no longer will be published or distributed on the newsstands.

Mr. . They have gone out of business; is that it?

Mr. . The publisher, for example, the American Comies group, has not gone out of business, but they ure not gomg to publish Forbidden Wor ids, or Out of the Night any more,

Mr. . They decided that they would not do it and you decided you would not distribute it?

Mr. . That is correct.

Mr. . What others have you decided not to distribute?

Mr. . In the case of Adventures Into the Unknown, the editorial content of that is to be changed to bring it entirely out of the realm of the present editorial content. The title will remain the same for the time being. They will gradually ivy to work the title off.

The same holds true for Black Magic, wherein the editorial content will be changed completely.

Those are the only changes that are being made in the magazines which you have presented before me.