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.
Tales of the Unexpected #77, DC Comics, July 1963
Tales of the Unexpected #77
Tales of the Unexpected is a long running DC Sci Fi title that featured Space Ranger.
This is an absolutely classic cover. Upon closer examination the monster on the cover kind of looks like a big turd. That’s not all though, the caption box on the bottom left of the cover reads “the Beast Oracle of Uranus”.
A turd shaped monster that is named the Beast Oracle of Uranus? Nice.
