How comics have been seen in relation to childhood is a central part of understanding the place of the comic in Britain. That the comic has been seen as problematic is linked to the assumption that it is for a younger audience (even though it is capable of addressing older readers) and that any material aimed at older readers, rather than being for older readers, simply exists to lead the younger reader ‘astray’. This view sees the younger reader as unable to be discerning or critical and so is tied to the tradition of ‘media effects’ theory.
The recent history of comics in Britain, looks at the controversy that the medium has excited. It could be used to stimulate discussion with older pupils, especially if used alongside a range of comics or graphic novels ranging from those aimed at the very young to key titles aimed at older readers (the suggestions throughout the Case Studies would make a collection that could be used to reinforce these points).
Comics hold an uneasy position in British culture. They have been criticised for a range of reasons one of which is linked to the view that certain material is seen as suitable for girls and some for boys. When one variety of comic has been attacked; each act of censorship contributes to the low status of the form and ensures that it remains controversial.
Penny dreadfuls
Originally in Britain, ‘story papers’ (the precursor to comics) and early comics were produced partly in response to the ‘penny dreadfuls’, and were meant to be an acceptable alternative to them. Martin Barker (1989,p9) describes how ‘penny dreadfuls’ had a mixed male and female readership, largely young and older adults. Comic books were bound up with notions of what acceptable entertainment was for the young and for the working class on the basis of middle class judgement, and the need for social control.
Criticisms about ‘penny dreadfuls’ had focused British publishers more on material that had a largely gendered appeal. It was also felt that the ‘penny dreadful’ encouraged immorality amongst the young.
Changing attitudes towards the comic
By the 1950’s the comic, and particularly the American comic, seemed to become the dangerous new media of their day, liable to have an effect upon the young reader. This ‘moral panic’ about the comics of that time is located alongside later panics about the ‘video nasty’ and video games.
Comics Campaign in Britain in the 1950’s and 1960’s
The key campaigns against comics have been predominantly concerned with young men and boys (although in several cases the points made about ‘unsuitable’ material specifically cited female readers) and titles that attract a mixed readership. In the 1950’s comics for girls became an important genre in Britain, many with the emphasis of ‘being nice’.
The campaign against comics was the linkage of comic book reading to juvenile delinquency, a problem representing the ultimate loss of social control over children. The American crime comic and superhero comics raised distinct concerns about how they may affect boys and girls and the working classes. Middle classes, it was believed, would not be affected by such comics.
Comics and Feminism in Britain
Although from the perspective of the comics world material for girls was bland, feminist critics have found much to criticise in these comics as well as elsewhere in the form. Gender stereotyping and the pumped up bodies of the superhero comic have often been among feminist concerns and they have focused on images of vulnerable girls and women as well as class.
Conclusion
It seems that the perception of this material as undermining authority, resulted in the characterisation of the comic as either beyond the pale or mindless nonsense. As Barker suggests: ‘More than almost any other medium, comics have been lambasted with little hesitation and with even less knowledge’ (Barker, 1989, p.ix)
Today the attitude towards graphic novels or ‘comics’ is changing. They are now recognised as being of merit to a wide ranging audience in terms of age, gender and class.
Find us on