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Elizabeth Sandifer

Elizabeth Sandifer created Eruditorum Press. She’s not really sure why she did that, and she apologizes for the inconvenience. She currently writes Last War in Albion, a history of the magical war between Alan Moore and Grant Morrison. She used to write TARDIS Eruditorum, a history of Britain told through the lens of a ropey sci-fi series. She also wrote Neoreaction a Basilisk, writes comics these days, and has ADHD so will probably just randomly write some other shit sooner or later. Support Elizabeth on Patreon.

7 Comments

  1. timber-munki
    August 22, 2014 @ 1:00 pm

    Didn't the Comics Code Authority end up just been a husband & wife and it would depend on which one read the issue as to whether it got approved or not?

    And of course the irony is that the CCA logo design is now owned by the CBLDF.

    Reply

  2. Jordan Murphy
    August 22, 2014 @ 7:54 pm

    That DC went ahead and published the issue without Code approval was a really big deal at the time, as I remember. The advent of underground comix, followed by the rise of the direct-sales market (comic stores) and indie publishers meant there were already plenty of non-Code approved comics for sale in 1984. But for a major publisher like DC to defy the CCA on such a high-profile book was still significant. The Comics Code Authority lived on (much longer than I would've expected), but the absolute and arbitrary authority it had previously assumed was shattered, irrevocably. Kudos to Karen Berger for sticking up for Moore, Bissette and Totleben.

    Reply

  3. Anton B
    August 22, 2014 @ 10:07 pm

    Hadn't Marvel already breached the code in the 1970's and published the non CCA approved The Amazing Spider-Man #96–98?

    Reply

  4. timber-munki
    August 23, 2014 @ 3:21 am

    Yep, it did get relaxed in the seventies, particularly in respect to the titles comics could use under the code (which was pretty much drawnup to drum EC out of business), hence the arrival of Werewolf by Night, Tomb of Dracula etc.

    Reply

  5. BerserkRL
    August 23, 2014 @ 8:39 am

    Despite not violating any of the Code’s stated rules

    I suppose making the astronaut black makes the story an even more explicit criticism of u.s. segregation laws, and thus a more explicit negative depiction of existing legal authority.

    Reply

  6. BerserkRL
    August 23, 2014 @ 8:45 am

    The Spider-man story, dealing with drug abuse, had been specifically requested by the FBI (IIRC), so Marvel could say they were appealing from the CCA to an even higher authority.

    Reply

  7. Jeff Heikkinen
    April 14, 2015 @ 1:59 pm

    Exactly. No-one's saying this was the first such incident, but it was the highest-profile one up to that time that didn't have some sort of government backing.

    Reply

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