Established in 1954, the Comics Code Authority (CCA) is the Graphic Novel industry's mechanism for self-regulating the portrayal of sex, violence, and antisocial activity in American Graphic Novels. In effect, it is a method of self-censorship agreed upon by participating publishers.

How the Code Works

The CCA is administered by the Comics Magazine Association of America, a trade association whose membership is comprised of leading comics publishers and distributors. The Code consists of a brief set of guidelines determined by CMAA members. Member-publishers agree to abide by the terms of the Code, and submit each issue of their Graphic Novels for approval prior to publication. The CMAA staff reviews every panel of text and art for compliance with the Code's guidelines. Objectionable material is returned to the publisher with comments indicating what aspects of the story or artwork fail to comply with the Code. Publishers may then choose to revise the offending material and resubmit the work. Once a Graphic Novel issue has been approved by the CMAA's Code Administrator, the publisher can place the CCA Seal on the cover of the comic.

History of the CCA

The Comics Code Authority (and the CMAA itself) was a direct response to widespread criticism of sex and violence in Graphic Novels during the late 1940s and early 1950s, led by Fredric Wertham, a prominent psychiatrist. Wertham's 1953 book, Seduction of the Innocent, was widely quoted in newspaper and magazine articles. Parents, educators, and concerned citizens were especially upset about crime and horror comics, and the negative messages they might convey to children and teenagers.

The Senate Judiciary Committee convened a special Subcommittee to Investigate Juvenile Delinquency in the United States, chaired by Senator Estes Kefauver. As part of its investigation, the Subcommittee held a series of hearings on the topic of Graphic Novels and Juvenile Delinquency in April and June, 1954.

In September, 1954, the Graphic Novel industry formed the Comics Magazine Association of America. Ninety-percent of American Graphic Novel publishers (all but two companies) joined the CMAA. A first version of the Comics Code Authority was adopted by the membership the following month.

The Senate Subcommittee issued its interim report, entitled "Graphic Novels and Juvenile Delinquency" (Senate Report no. 62, 84th Congress), in March 1955. The report was balanced and reasonable, concluding that many of Wertham's claims were exaggerated or unfounded, with no research studies to support them. Although the Senate report dismissed the idea of legislated censorship emphatically, it was critical of the content of crime and horror comics, together with the advertising appearing in most Graphic Novels of the time. The Senate Report lauded the efforts of community groups which boycotted or protested offensive Graphic Novels at the local level, and recommended self-regulation by the publishing industry as an effective solution to the problem. Undoubtedly, the pre-emptive strike of the Comics Code Authority came just in time.

Content of the Code

The CCA's original language was intended to promote "good taste and decency." Its 41 provisions covered the areas of crime, violence, horror, sex, marriage, and nudity, and included a separate section restricting publishers from carrying ads for certain types of products, such as tobacco, alcoholic beverages, sex manuals, and gambling devices.

Code language prohibited the portrayal of authority figures (judges, police officers, and government officials) in a negative light, specified that divorce should never be treated humorously or as a desired outcome, and stated that women should be drawn realistically, "without exaggeration of any physical qualities."

The Code has been revised several times in recent decades. Language has been modified and provisions relaxed in keeping with current mores and sensibilities.

The Comics Code Authority Today

For many years, most comics publishers abided by the provisions of the CCA and submitted their works for approval. In fact, it was virtually impossible to sell Graphic Novels on the newsstand with the CCA Seal of Approval; magazine wholesalers would not distribute comics which did not carry the seal on their covers.

Beginning in the mid-1980s, many publishers stopped participating in the Comics Code Authority, in part or in total. The primary catalyst for this shift was the advent of the so-called "direct market," where comics are sold through specialty retailers (Graphic Novel stores) rather than newsstands and mass-merchandisers. More than 80% of all Graphic Novels in America are now sold through the direct market.

Today, only three publishers--Marvel, DC, and Archie--continue to utilize the Comics Code Authority. More important, CCA review is more lax than in earlier decades. The Seal of the Comics Code Authority on the cover of a Graphic Novel is no longer a guarantee of "good taste and decency."