In the mid 1950s the U.S. Senate forced comic book publishers to adhere to the guidelines of a Comic Code Authority. The ‘Code’ was brought in to protect America’s youth from what was then deemed disturbingly graphic and blatantly sexual content in comic books.
Post ‘Code’ comic books were produced with quite severe content restrictions. No longer did artists and writers have license to create anything they wished. Artists being artists and writers being writers these talented people soon began looking for creative ways to express themselves beyond the constraints of the ‘Code’. Suggestive art and wordplay was now being covertly added into comics.
Our Sleepy Censors articles will expose many comics that deserve a closer look. Some will be so obvious you’ll think “how’d they let that through” while others will be tamer. We hope all the posts will be entertaining and we encourage your feedback and suggestions of comics you think caught the censors sleeping.
Adventure Comics #420, DC Comics, June 1972
Ah yes, the old hidden penis ploy. Hide in plain sight is more like it. You may think this a bit of a stretch but if you remove the details from the flying cannon it really is a flying penis, with testicles thrown in for good measure.
DC used many sexually provocative covers during this era, especially on titles starring female characters. It’s enough to know that Sleepy Sensors has quite a few of these comics in the vault and that they will all make excellent future installments.
Published at the height of the Women’s Lib Movement could this cover really be screaming “Men, who needs them”!
