Publisher William M. Gaines made the above statement over twenty years ago during a Senate subcommittee hearing investigating charges that the crime and violence portrayed in comic book literature were the principle causes of juvenile delinquency. But because of loud critical outcries from opponents of comic books, Gaines was ignored. Within six months congressional legislation authorized the creation of the Comics Code Authority—an independent body with censorship powers that soon ripped the comic book industry apart and forced Gaines and many other publishers to suspend their magazines. Supposedly this action was intended to eliminate juvenile delinquency. But for some reason, the problem did not disappear in 1955, nor in the 1960s, nor in the 1970s. Evidently, Gaines's summation seemed correct.

What did disappear, however, was the original art form of the comic book—something that had thrilled millions of youngsters of previous generations. Except for comic books that featured family humor and animal fantasy, the entire genre was discarded as 'trash." Where there may have been some elements within the contents of certain comic books that justified criticism, the other side of the coin that revealed the positive aspects of this highly creative art form was completely overlooked.

No other medi[um] captured and held the juvenile audience as much as the early comics did. Unfortunately, their fascinating history prior to becomes more obscure with each passing year. Generally speaking, there are two kinds of "comics:" the so-called comic book "trash" that was published in magazine form for juvenile consumption and entertainment, and the socially constructive "comics" that appeared as newspaper strips and were published for adult entertainment. This encyclopedia emphasizes the T;Ut category, and attempts to cover the rise and fall of the comic book industry from the 1930s through the 1950s and explore the relationship of comic books to other forms of American entertainment, including the former movie serials, animated cartoons, radio drama and television, and fiction in the once-popular pulp magazines. The second category, the newspaper comic strip, which has a separate history of its own, is also included here but is generally defined and described as it relates to the history of the comic book.

H. H. Crawford, Crawford's Encyclopedia of Comic Books, New York: David, 1978, p. vii.