Here’s another 1950s horror story which raised concerns with the Comics Code Authority when Marvel chose to reprint it during the 1970s, as revealed by documents I found among my sister-in-law Ellen Vartanoff’s papers. The original appeared in Uncanny Tales #3 (October 1952).

When it came time for the three-page “Crazy” — scripted by Stan Lee and drawn by Jerry Robinson — to be republished in Where Monsters Dwell #34 (March 1975), the CCA had a question about the tale of a hit-and-run driver. (Note: neither time was the story considered cover worthy.)

But before I point out the CCA’s problem — a tangential aside. The Bullpen Bulletins page in that issue of Where Monsters Dwell #34 took note of my move from the company’s British reprint over to the U.S. titles. I can still clearly remember the day it happened!

Another reason that Bullpen Bulletins page invokes nostalgia in me — it also advertised the 1975 Mighty Marvel ComicCon — a project I helped pull together. It still astonishes me they’d put a 19-year-old in charge of such a thing!

But back to the Comics Code’s suggestions …

Here’s the panel which raised a red flag for the CCA, as it appeared back in 1952. Before taking a look at the sheet sent to Marvel about this image, can you guess their concern? (HINT: It comes from a complete and shocking misunderstanding of the visual language of comics.)

So this is what administrator Leonard Darvin wrote: “There appear to be large splatters of blood coming from the man who was stuck by the car. If this is blood, please reduce it substantially.”

On the photocopy of that panel, he scribbled: “If this is blood, please remove it substantially.” Those jagged lines are of course not blood, but represent the force of the impact — which seems obvious to me. That a Comics Code censor would be unclear on the concept is baffling.

After an explanation was given, no change was required, and here’s the panel as it was republished in 1975, with only the coloring altered from the original.

Another peek into how the mid-’70s Marvel Comics sausage was made!