Comic book readers at the center of Fredric Wertham´s lies

Abstract

Fredric Wertham’s legacy as either a psychiatrist or an anti-comics advocate is largely unknown outside of United States. The exceptions are Canada, England, Australia, Germany, and Brazil, His ideas gained currency in Brazil as the country struggled with its own fears about the corrupting influence of comics on the lives of child readers. After mentioning early scholarship on comics, focused on the gatekeepers—librarians, teachers, parents, and other adults—who attempted to regulate young people’s comics reading, the focus of the article is changed to young people themselves. A context about Fredric Wertham and US comics in the mid-20th century is provided and then the article discusses a few specific young readers who Wertham studied. Based on these remarks, some brief concluding remarks are offered.