Banned books have seen no shortage of headlines and controversies in recent years, stemming from efforts to challenge and restrict certain books in public schools and libraries.
But comic books are also in the “banned books” conversation, though not as frequently or prominently.
Banned comic books don’t get as much attention, probably because they’re not as common, or perhaps because most people don’t think of comic books as the type of “books” that are taught in schools or available for checkout in public libraries.
Indeed, comic books (or just comics or collections of serialized cartoons) are forms of expression that enjoy free speech protection under the First Amendment. That means they are broadly free from government censorship.
Banned comic books: What is allowed under the First Amendment?
Just like other forms of speech and expression, comic books can be subject to scrutiny, review, challenge, censorship or “banning” depending on the context.
For example, obscenity is not protected by the First Amendment. Though there is a difference between what people may think of as “obscene” and what meets the strict legal definition of “obscenity.”
Like text-based books, comic books in public schools or libraries are subject to scrutiny and can be challenged for their educational appropriateness. In fact, the act of asking a school board or library board to remove comic books, just like regular books, is a form of petition protected by the First Amendment.
One important note on challenging a comic book (or any form of petition): Asking government officials to ban a comic book does not guarantee your request will be granted. School board and other public officials have broad leeway to determine what is and is not educationally appropriate.
Who has restricted or banned comic books
First, it’s important to distinguish terms when presenting such a list.
Government censorship refers to a public action on the local, state or federal level. The First Amendment only concerns actions taken by the government. In modern times, government censoring or “banning” any book is extremely rare due to the broad protections of the First Amendment. But government censorship could involve:
- Preventing a company from publishing an entire comic book.
- Requiring government review of a comic book before it’s published or forcing the publisher to change or censor material.
- Preventing comic books from being distributed or sold in private businesses.
Industry self-regulation refers to voluntary action or “self-censorship” taken by a group to avoid government regulation or scrutiny. The comic book industry did this for nearly 60 years from 1954 to 2011, with varying levels of participation by publishers. Under the Comics Code Authority, formed by the Comics Magazine Association of America, comic books received a stamp on their cover to indicate they complied with certain industry-set standards for language, sexual content, depictions of violence and similar themes. This was to assuage concerns from parents that comic books were a negative influence on their children and to make distributors more likely to carry and sell comic books. It was also an effort to keep government scrutiny at bay, especially in the early years of the code before the U.S. Supreme Court defined broader protections for books and entertainment media under the First Amendment.
Private action refers to a private business such as a comic book store or large retail chain choosing not to sell a certain comic for any number of reasons. That is not censorship as defined here, nor is it a First Amendment issue. However, fans of the comic may want to boycott or protest the store in a public space, and in so doing they’d be exercising their First Amendment right to assemble.
Examples of banned comic books in the U.S.
This list includes examples of comic books and graphic novels that have been censored, challenged or otherwise restricted at some point.
“Maus”
Challenge/ban year: 2022
The Holocaust is a tough subject for schools. That’s particularly true when books describe and depict the genocide against Jews and other groups committed by the Nazis. That’s what has made Art Spiegelman’s Pulitzer Prize-winning “Maus” a notable banned book in its graphic novel form. Controversy around the book led to a spike in sales for “Maus” after a Tennessee school district tried to ban it over nudity and profanity.
“Assassination Classroom”
Challenge/ban year: 2019
The title of this comic gave a parent reason to object to its use in a Staten Island, New York, classroom. The title is provocative for a school setting, but the themes are more traditional superhero and science fiction: A teacher is a villainous secret alien, and the misfit superhero students must stop it. The school removed the book from shelves while reviewing the case. That prompted the National Coalition Against Censorship to write the school district to remind them that legally books under review in school settings must still be available while the review takes place. NCAC wrote: “The First Amendment imposes a constitutional obligation on school officials to resist pressure to promote a particular ideology or to suppress controversial or unpopular ideas. Nor may they restrict access to books based on their own tastes or a parent’s subjective view of what is ‘appropriate’ in literature.”
“The Walking Dead”
Challenge/ban year: 2019
Before it was a popular TV show, “The Walking Dead” was a comic series and graphic novel, first published in 2003 by Image Comics. The series depicts a post-apocalyptic battle between humans and zombies featuring intense gore and violence. That caught the attention of parents and administrators in the Wallace, Idaho, school district. A district review committee investigated and ruled to keep it available for students, but the superintendent overruled it, banning the book district-wide.
Various “Batman” Comics
Challenge/ban year: 2010 and 2013
Just as Batman has been portrayed by many actors on screen, many versions of Gotham’s Dark Knight exist in comic form by many different authors. In 2010, a patron of the public library in Canton, Ohio, challenged “The Dark Knight Strikes Again” for having sexist and offensive language, but the library did not remove copies. Three years later, the Columbus, Nebraska, public library received a similar challenge over “Batman: The Killing Joke,” over claims that it “advocates rape and violence.” The library board voted to keep it on the shelves.
“The Amazing Spider-Man: Revelations”
Challenge/ban year: 2009
A parent in Millard, Nebraska, didn’t like that her 6-year-old son had checked out this book from the school library, claiming it had sexual undertones. The mom challenged the book, and a formal review process took place. Reporting at the time indicated the mom declined to return the book to the library during the review process. Though the final status of the challenge is unclear, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund noted that as of 2014 the book was marked “out for repairs” in the library’s online database.
“The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: The Black Dossier”
Challenge/ban year: 2009
Usually talk of challenged or banned comic books starts with parents or library patrons objecting to a book and asking library officials to remove it from circulation. The opposite happened in Jessamine County, Kentucky. Two employees of the public library (though not full librarians themselves) objected to sex scenes in the book, calling them pornographic, and tried to keep it out of circulation by continually checking it out themselves for a year. A patron tried to request the book, essentially reserving it, but the employees worked to deny the request and keep the book themselves. An investigation led to both employees losing their jobs.
“Eightball #22” aka “Ice Haven”
Challenge/ban year: 2008
A high school teacher in Guilford, Connecticut, loaned a new student a copy of “Eightball #22” by Daniel Clowes (later turned into the “Ice Haven” graphic novel) to catch up on missed summer reading. He warned the student of its adult language and nudity. The student’s parents objected and filed complaints with the school and police, who investigated. The parents also alerted news media to the “pornographic” material given to their daughter by a teacher. The teacher resigned from his job but didn’t face criminal charges.
“Dragon Ball Super, Volume 6”
Challenge/ban year: 2006
The Japanese anime series “Dragon Ball” has been around in various forms since 1986, with TV and movie spinoffs. In 2009, the manga was challenged and removed from the entire school district in Wicomico, Maryland, over nudity and violence.
Banned comic books and the First Amendment
Banning or challenging comic books, graphic novels and regular books from public schools and libraries is not new. Today, “censorship” at the government level is more in the form of removing books after challenges from parents or community members, not by government officials stopping comic books from being published. The self-regulation of the comic book industry under the Comics Code Authority helped allay many potential banning or censorship attempts.
The First Amendment means people may write and read comic books and graphic novels, with some narrow limits for obscenity. Public school officials can restrict comics books in schools and libraries based on educational appropriateness, with a formal review process.
The First Amendment also gives parents and community members the right to petition school boards and libraries about what books are available. It also lets people talk at public meetings and support or oppose banning comic books.
Scott A. Leadingham is a Freedom Forum staff writer. Email
This post was originally published on here
