The legacy of Vertigo recalls the very idea of comics finally being allowed to mature; letting people swear, drink, openly take drugs for recreation, and bringing in some serious ambiguity as to what it means to be a good person. Titles such as Preacher, Transmetropolitan, Hellblazer, and Sandman cannot be separate from the very spirit of Vertigo. A new age of freedom and expression within the medium. However, to truly understand why this was so significant and praised, we need to look back at the reasons why these things were suppressed in the first place. As well as the attempts before this to allow the medium to grow up

Laird, Mikayla

English

University of Hertfordshire Research Archive

11/7/2019 The Road to Vertigo: The Suppression and Eventual Rise of Mature Comics and Their Readers | Sequart Organizationsequart.org/magazine/69911/road-to-vertigo-suppression-and-rise-of-mature-comics/ 1/6The Road to Vertigo:The Suppression and Eventual Rise of Mature Comics andTheir Readersby Mikayla J. Laird | in Articles | Mon, 1 July 2019The legacy of Vertigo recalls the very idea of comics finally being allowed to mature; letting people swear, drink, openlytake drugs for recreation, and bringing in some serious ambiguity as to what it means to be a good person. Titles suchas Preacher, Transmetropolitan, Hellblazer, and Sandman cannot be separate from the very spirit of Vertigo. A newage of freedom and expression within the medium. However, to truly understand why this was so significant andpraised, we need to look back at the reasons why these things were suppressed in the first place. As well as theattempts before this to allow the medium to grow up.Post-World War II, comics faced a major backlash for their content, and how the publicthought it was affecting their children. Largely spear-headed by psychiatrist Dr FredericWertham, comics were frequently burnt or banned as they were seen as poisonous tothe minds of children. With Wertham stat that “Hitler was a beginner compared to thecomic book industry”, according to David Hajdu’s book, The Ten-Cent Plague. Even StanLee has commented that a rifle salesman told him his work was criminal when statingthat he wrote comics for a living. The uproar around comics lead to the industry itselfbeing put on trial, the entire medium being villainised in the eyes of the public. Famously, during these trials, the coverof Crime Suspenstories #22 (1954) was held up as an example. The cover depicts a man holding both an axe and awoman’s head, while her torso and legs lay on the floor. The trial asked publisher William Gaines if he felt that coverwas appropriate for the medium. His response, “Yes, I do. For the cover of a horror comic”. Admittedly an aptresponse.11/7/2019 The Road to Vertigo: The Suppression and Eventual Rise of Mature Comics and Their Readers | Sequart Organizationsequart.org/magazine/69911/road-to-vertigo-suppression-and-rise-of-mature-comics/ 2/6After the trials, the Comic’s Code Authority was put into place, a self-regulated set of guidelines toprove to audiences that a comic was appropriate for the general public. Similar to the filmindustry’s own Hays Code. In the modern landscape, we can look at some of the rules andrestrictions as heavily draconian, but it was imperative for comics to even be allowed to bedistributed on newsstands. Some of the restrictions included:Criminals must not be portrayed in a sympathetic light,Policemen and lawmakers must always be respected,Good must always triumph over evil,Scenes of excessive violence are prohibited:No brutal torture,No unnecessary knife or gunplay,Physical agony, gory or gruesome crimes are to be eliminated,No comic can use the words ‘horror’ or ‘terror’,The walking dead, vampires and vampirism, ghouls, cannibals and werewolves are prohibited,Sexual relations are neither to be hinted at or portrayed,Seduction and rape shall not be shown or suggested.And several others. Amusingly, a number of comic books managed to skate around the rules pertaining to vampiresand werewolves in creative ways. The Amazing Spider-Man #101 (1971) introduced Morbius the living vampire to getaround the undead rule. X-Men #60 (1969) created Sauron, who turns into a pterodactyl instead of a werewolf, and DCdecided to use their writer Marv Wolfman to get around the rule, by referring to him as a “wandering Wolfman”.Between the time of the Comic Conde’s instigation and the formation of Vertigo, a number of comics and attempts tomature the comic book medium were attempted (with the exception of underground comics and Tijuana bibles, thatwere not code approved by definition). The Amazing Spider-Man #96 (1971) went to print without the Comics Codelogo on the cover, as it featured an important message about drug abuse. This did eventually lead to the codebecoming slightly more lenient, but the true progenitors of mature comics come in the form of both the essay Man ofSteel, Woman of Kleenex (1969) by Larry Niven, and the novel Superfolks (1977) by Robert Mayer.Niven’s essay, while taking a somewhat humorous take on things, examines the problemsa superhero like Superman would have when it comes to sexual intercourse andreproduction. Something the comics would not touch at the time, but is a logical thoughtto have given his Kryptonian physiology and strength. Many years later, this would besomewhat addressed, with Lois and Clark having a son, Jonathan Kent, that could onlybe conceived while Clark was de-powered during the Convergence (2015) event.Granted, this wasn’t noted in the event itself, but in the tie-in issues, Convergence:Superman (2015), in which Jonathan is delivered by the Flashpoint Batman. But crucially,they specifically state that this was only possible due to Clark being de-powered at thepoint of conception and through the pregnancy.Superfolks, however, could be argued to be far more importantwhen it comes to the birth of Vertigo specifically. While in anovel format, the work satirizes the superhero genre and itsclichés. Starring a Superman analogue named David Brinkley,the novel shows him slowly losing his abilities due to anunknown enemy, while other superheroes have retired,disappeared or died. However, years later his powers returnwhile he is in the middle of a midlife crisis. The book touchedon current politics of the time, such as nuclear disarmament,ideas of human sexuality, such as the misuse of x-ray vision,homosexuality, incest, death and superheroes going through amidlife crisis. The book treated superheroes with a real-world mindset, something that has now become far morecommon, but was near unheard of at the time. The book has been cited by many creators as a source of inspiration in11/7/2019 The Road to Vertigo: The Suppression and Eventual Rise of Mature Comics and Their Readers | Sequart Organizationsequart.org/magazine/69911/road-to-vertigo-suppression-and-rise-of-mature-comics/ 3/6their work, most notably Grant Morrison and allegedly Alan Moore. Both of which were part of the British invasion ofcomics and have had work published under the Vertigo banner (weather that be intentionally or retroactively).The history of British comics, and their development alongside the Western superhero is also deeply crucial to thecreation of Vertigo. Specially, the company L. Miller & Son and their actions involving Captain Marvel, as well as thepublications Warrior and 2000AD.In short, the ‘50s saw the company L. Miller & Son reprinting American comics such as Fawcett’s Captain Marvel forthe British audience. When a lawsuit between Fawcett and DC forced the Captain Marvel title to be cancelled, L. Miller& Son decided to create their own character in a similar vein. Created by Mick Anglo, Marvelman replaced CaptainMarvel in British publications, up until 1963 when the publication ceased and L. Miller & Son filed for bankruptcy.In 1982, the comic Warrior came into existence. Debuting a brand-new, darker take onthe Marvelman character, penned by the then immerging Alan Moore. Along withMarvelman, another series that ran in Warrior was the politically charged V for Vendetta.A title that was later republished under the Vertigo banner. Moore’s work took on a verypolitical leaning, heavily influenced by the Thatcher administration. Much like howAmerican comics at the time were affected by the Cold War. Moore’s work in the UK alsostretched to 2000AD in the early ‘80s. A period in time that also saw the likes of AlanDavis, Ian Gibson, Grant Morrison, and Brian Bolland brought together in one place.Enter DC editor Karen Berger.British comics of the time found themselves with many less restrictions than theirAmerican counterparts. They were criticised for their content at times, specifically thecomic Action which gained the nickname “the seven-penny nightmare”. They had a different environment to thrive thantheir American counterparts, with an influence from both American and European print. What DC’s Karen Berger foundwhen visiting England, looking for talent, was the new blood comics needed to fully mature. With her interests in thehorror genre, more than the superhero, it’s possible that the creators she found and the books she green-lit with them,just wouldn’t have happened any other way.The first person Berger brought over from the UK was the previously mentioned Alan Moore. While it’s tempting toinstantly point at Watchmen, it’s better to argue that Swamp Thing is what truly inspired the rapid turn to a moremature medium and the start of Vertigo. The culmination of Berger’s horror leanings, the talent of Moore, Tolteben andVeitch, the history of mature suppression in comics, and the mix of American and British culture is what sparkedVertigo’s existence.11/7/2019 The Road to Vertigo: The Suppression and Eventual Rise of Mature Comics and Their Readers | Sequart Organizationsequart.org/magazine/69911/road-to-vertigo-suppression-and-rise-of-mature-comics/ 4/6It’s very easy to look back at the suppression of adult themes and content in the comic book medium as draconian, orthe result of over protective authority figures looking for the next villain to morality. But its that very suppression thatgave birth to the need to explore such subjects, the explosive rebellion of creativity that dared to challenge why themedium needed to be kid friendly. Something it feels like the medium still struggles against in the popular mindset.Vertigo was an inevitability, but one that exploded with so many possibilities. A place where characters were allowed toact like real people, explore issues that the likes of Superman or Spider-Man just couldn’t. If there wasn’t such arestriction on discussing death and violence, would we have had a series centred around the embodiment of Deathherself in Neil Gaiman’s Death: The High Cost of Living (1993)? Would Steven Seagle and Becky Cloonan’s AmericanVirgin (2006-2008) have existed if comics had explored religion and its relation to sexuality more casually earlier on?While the necessity of Vertigo has waned over the years, particularly with the implementation of DC’s Black Label orYoung Animal, and the unfortunate news of Vertigo’s closure, its legacy lives on.Bibliography:11/7/2019 The Road to Vertigo: The Suppression and Eventual Rise of Mature Comics and Their Readers | Sequart Organizationsequart.org/magazine/69911/road-to-vertigo-suppression-and-rise-of-mature-comics/ 5/6RSS feed for MikaylaLaird@MLairdWildingComic Book Legal Defence Force (2019) The Comics Code of 1954 [Online] CBLDF. Available from:http://cbldf.org/the-comics-code-of-1954/ [Last Accessed: 26/06/2019]Crandall, R. (1954) Crime Supsenstories #22. EC Comics: New York.Cronin, B (2009) Was Superman a Spy?: And Other Comic Book Legends Revealed. Plume Books: New York.Delano, J & Ridgway, R. (1988 – 2013) Hellblazer. DC Comics: Burbank.Ellis, W. & Robertson, D. (1997 – 2002) Transmetropolitan. Vertigo: New York.Ennis, G & Dillon, S (1995-2000) Preacher. Vertigo: New YorkGaiman, N (1989 – 1996) The Sandman. DC Comics: Burbank.Gaiman, N. (1993) Death: The High Cost of Living. Vertigo: New York.Hajdu, D. (2008) The Ten-Cent Plague: The Great Comic Book Scare and How it Changed America. PicardoUSA: New YorkHowe, S. (2012) Marvel Comics: The Untold Story. Harper Perennial: New York.Jurgens, D. & Weeks, L (2015) Convergence: Superman #1. DC Comics: Burbank.Jurgens, D. & Weeks, L. (2015) Convergence: Superman #2. DC Comics: Burbank.King, J. & Van Sciver, E. (2015) Convergence. DC Comics: Burbank.Lee, S & Kane G (1971) The Amazing Spider-Man #96: And Now, The Goblin! Marvel Comics: New York.Mayer, R (1977) Superfolks. Dial Press: New YorkMoore, A & Gibson, D (1986) Watchmen. DC Comics: Burbank.Niven, L (2005) Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex. The Man From Krypton: A Closer Look At Superman. Pp 51 –58. Benbella: Dallas.Seagle, S. & Cloonan, B (2006-2008) American Virgin. Vertigo: New York.Thomas, R & Adams, N (1969) X-Men #60: In the Shadow of …. Sauron! Marvel Comics: New York.Thomas, R. & Kane, G. (1971) The Amazing Spider-Man #101: A Monster Called Morbius. Marvel Comics: NewYork.Tagged censorship / freedom of speech, Comics Code Authority, Diagram for Delinquents, Fredric Wertham, horror comics, Larry Niven, Superfolks, Vertigo. Bookmark the permalink.ABOUT THE AUTHORHolding a BA and MA in Digital Media, Mikayla J. Laird acts as a Visiting Lecturer at the University of Hertfordshire. Sheis currently working on and planning a PhD in semiotics and digital comics. She uses both Comic Books and Film to helpstudents understand the importance of media history when looking towards the future. She frequently blogs about film,comics, and random thoughts brought about through research.See more, including free online content, on Mikayla Laird's author page.RELATED PRODUCTS1411/7/2019 The Road to Vertigo: The Suppression and Eventual Rise of Mature Comics and Their Readers | Sequart Organizationsequart.org/magazine/69911/road-to-vertigo-suppression-and-rise-of-mature-comics/ 6/6The British Invasion: Alan Moore, NeilGaiman, Grant Morrison, and theInvention of the Modern Comic BookWriterDiagram for DelinquentsOur Sentence is Up: Seeing GrantMorrison's The InvisiblesRELATED MAGAZINE CONTENTJordan Thomas onKickstarting and Frankat Home on the Farm#227 Aug 2019Jordan Thomas onFrank at Home on theFarm #123 Mar 2019Two Sequart ProductsSpotlighting ComicsHistory5 Sep 2018Larry Nevin ShouldNever Have BeenTaken Seriously, orWhy the Super SonsMatter11 Jan 2018“…Without Doubt theFullest and TruestExpression of EtherealGenius…” Tragedy,Transition and Triumphin Providence #1114 Mar 2017The Belfry: ANightmare Comic22 Feb 2017Turn Loose Our DeathRays and Kill ThemAll! 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The Road to Vertigo : The Suppression and Eventual Rise of Mature Comics and Their Readers

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The Road to Vertigo : The Suppression and Eventual Rise of Mature Comics and Their Readers

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