Clean Up By Comics Czar Fallout

Today in Geneva New York in 1955, it was reported that at the Four County Mayors Association meeting the day before, the local wholesaler said "We will not handle any comic books that do not carry the approval seal."

Geneva Daily Times, January 11, 1955 pg 5

What is also worth noting, is that Louis B. Budgar (owner of Seneca News Agency) said that he wouldn't distribute ANY comic books to newsdealers who continued to sell "non-seal" books.  To some extent, this was a hollow threat since every comic book publisher that he could carry was already signed onto the code, except one: Gilberton Publications.  Seneca News Agency was an independent wholesaler, so he couldn't carry Dell Comics which was distributed by the American News Company (ANC).  Classics Illustrated never carried the code and their distributor was Curtis Circulation.

Angel #2 (May-July 1955) [Dell Comics]

I wonder if the Seneca News Agency no longer carried Classics Illustrated?  Several issues were condemned by the New York Legislature including this one.

Classics Illustrated #21 (December 1953) [Gilberton Publications]

It is also interesting to note that Budger also says that it costs a publisher "$100,000 a year to set up the machinery for this…".  That's probably why United Features Syndicate, who'd been publishing comic books since 1936, just got out.

Comics on Parade #104 (February 1955) [United Features Syndicate] - final issue

It is interesting to note that, in the article, no one wanted to be seen as censoring magazines, but it seems that using pressure to do that to kids comics was ok.

Some before and after covers:

Dick Tracy #85 (March 1955) [Harvey Publications]

Dick Tracy #86 (April 1955) [Harvey Publications]

Crime and Punishment #71 (February 1955) [Lev Gleason Publications]

Crime and Punishment #72 (April 1955) [Lev Gleason Publications]