I recently read a post over at Pappy's Golden Age Comics where the ever knowledgable Paps noted that this scene - the dead chick in the forground - was repeated again and again in comics throughout this era. The above panel originates from Crime Smashers #1, 1950 and was singled out in the infamous Seduction of the Innocent as an example of how amoral comics had become.
But the imagery didn't originate in 1950. The same basic picture is found in 1948's Pay-Off #1...
...and then again in Straight Arrow #13, 1951...
... as Pappy said, "For being dead, the girl sure gets around!"
So, I thought I'd scavenge around a little to see more examples of this theme. The idea interested me because, if something is repeated this often over decades, there is generally an underlying reason for it - something in our collective subconscious.
Anyway, have a look at other variations of this theme... all remarkably similar. There are disturbingly many of them, and not hard to find.
Well, now I'm depressed. I guess that's enough to prove my point Any sociologists out there maybe can shed some light on this pervasive theme. What does it say about us - maybe it's just a form of the age old "damsel in distress" motif. Who knows.... oh well, on to the next post.
