Did you know that according to Marvel Comics publication standards it is perfectly natural for female superheroes like Ms. Marvel and Psylocke to be drawn in nothing more than a thong leotard, but strictly prohibited for Wolverine to be seen smoking a cigar? Did you know while Superman and Captain America were fighting Hitler overseas some stateside politicians and communities demanded the comics be taken off the rack because the titular characters were thought to epitomize the Nazi ideal of the perfect man? Did you know that according to many psychologists, physicians, and pastors, Wonder Woman influenced little girls to hate men and refuse to get married? If you answered no to any of these questions, don’t worry, neither did I. In fact, it was my lack of knowledge that motivated my research. When I was younger the biggest mystery in my life, aside from Santa Claus’ , was the tacky black and white symbol in the corner of my comic books. Since I was seven, I’ve always wondered what in the world this symbol stood for:

  Blank Panels is a website that examines the history of regulation and censorship in the comic book industry. I started out searching for the simple answer to my question, but I later realized there was more to the seal of approval than a brief explanation. My website started out focusing solely on the work of Dr. Frederic Wertham, who wrote a scathing criticism of the comic book industry entitled Seduction of the Innocent. I later expanded my focus to the broad history of anti-comic book organizations and the development of content standards.

I used the website medium because it allowed me to treat my digital essay like a collection of articles. The ability to simply click on these rather text-rich articles made the website format the best fit for my essay. While my digital essay contains helpful images and videos, it is predominantly text, and unapologetically so. This website is rich with information and I like the visual to textual ratio.