Page:1954 Juvenile Delinquency Testimony.pdf/238

226 Mr. . Not tomy knowledge, not through our company.

Mr. . You would not distribute books?

Mr. . No, sir.

Mr. . Let me go through the process which you have done with the American Comics group.

Mr. . Yes, sir.

Mr. . There is a relationship there, I gather, between Mr. Iger and one of the owners of the National Comics group?

Mr. . That is right.

Mr. . You went throngh the same process and sat down with Mr, Iver and Mr. Sanger and told them certain magazines would not be carried ?

Mr. . That is correct.

Mr. . They agreed to kill those magazines?

Mr. . That is right.

Mr. . Are they going to substitute others for them?

Mr. . That very possibly will be done.

Mr. . Are they going to adopt the code that the Superman group has adopted?

Mr. . I can’t speak for them on that point, Let me say this, that they publish right now magazines such as Ha Ha and Giggle Comies, which are the animated type of comic, along with some teen-age comies, of which ‘‘Caokie” is one.

They do hold a very high standurd in that type of comic, but they have had these three comics in their dine.

T might say this, thai the reason for those comics was not because they are out to friehten children. They were asked by some distribu- tors, Mr. Iger and Mr. Sanger, “Why don’t you put out a comic ltke this? They are selling.”

The reason that that type of material has sold, I believe, is the tremendous amount of pubheity that has been given to the weird and ho rror com Les.

The good class, clean comic, has been hurt by the publicity given to these comics.

In other words, there has not. been enough complimentary remarks passed on good clean comic reading.

The. Mr. Chamberlain, do you mean to imply that the publicity came from this subcommittee?

Mr. . No, sir; I dont mean that at all, sir. It has come over the past 3 or 4 years.

The. I was sure that that was not your intention.

Senator Hunnines. In further development of the point which the Senator has raised, from what sources did you expect this comment relating to the clean comics to come, or from what sources had you hoped it might come?

Mr. . Well, sir, as you probably know, there are many groups ucross the United Siaies and Canada who have set themselves up 28 censors, as bodies to determine what is good or bad for ihe youngsters to read, and too often, is the case, that they say, this is bad, but they make no comment whatsoever as to what is good or where the publishers should be praised for their work in trying to put out goad, decent hterature. .

Senator IIewntnes. The comment is negative, rather than positive as it relates to all of the field?