A Silver Lining From Comic Book Burnings and Censorship in Postwar America: Book Censorship News, December 19, 2025

What is the target? comics.

Last week, the first of a trilogy of posts focused on comic book censorship in America began. Brian Puaka, a history professor and comics censorship scholar, talked about why comic book burning became a fascinating activity in post-World War II America. This week, he returns to offer a more optimistic reading on comics censorship from the same era to the present day.

Brian Puaka, a history professor at Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Virginia, contacted me earlier this year to tell me about a project he was working on called the Comic Book Burning Project. As the title suggests, it’s about how Americans found community through comic book burning in postwar America. This is an amazing scholarly work that includes a timeline, primary sources, maps, images, and more from the era of national censorship.

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In Search of a Sign of Hope: The Flames and Censorship of Comic Books in Postwar America

As the year winds down and we look forward to the holiday season, many people return to the annual ritual that marks the beginning of a new year. One of our annual traditions, and I approach it with a mixture of trepidation and resignation, is the release of the American Library Association’s list of the “Top 10 Most Difficult Books of the Year.”

Almost every year, two or three comic titles rank in the top ten. Last year it was Maia Kobabe. genderqueer and Mike Curato’s flamer. The controversy surrounding these graphic novels reflects larger societal debates about LGBTQ+ identity and politics. 10 years ago, it belonged to Craig Thompson blanket and Alison Bechdel’s fun homeand these works were criticized for their violence, nudity, and “graphic images.” If history is any guide, and as a historian I have to believe, the upcoming list for 2025 will include some comic books. In particular, it’s worth noting that you’ll have to wait a little longer than you did in January for the list to be released as part of National Library Week in April.

Comics have long been the target of zealous censors. Over the past several decades, as has been the case in recent years, comics have been connected to a wide range of American social concerns and anxieties. Most notably, in the years following World War II, a generation of teachers, parents, intellectuals, politicians, clergy, civic leaders, medical professionals, and journalists associated comics with the social horrors of the time: juvenile delinquency, “deviant sexuality,” and violence. To combat these dangerous ideas that are spreading into the hands of millions of young readers, they have organized various efforts to censor content, ban sales, remove publications and, in extreme cases, destroy offensive works.

Arguably the most extreme action taken to protect young readers from the dangers of comics was the burning of comic books. Beginning the same year the United States defeated the most notorious book burner in modern history, similar events have been held more than 50 times across the United States. From California to Massachusetts and Michigan to Louisiana, this movement to destroy comic books gained widespread support across American society. Activists of the anti-manga movement are: men and women. boy and girl. Both young and old. black and white. city ​​and countryside. Devout and agnostic. For some it was a religious mission. For others, it was sincere (if misguided) patriotism. For everyone involved, it was a way to protect this country’s youngest citizens.

This is a dark and relatively unknown chapter in America’s postwar history.

The story of the comic book burning is, unsurprisingly, a story of scapegoating, social panic, and Cold War anxieties. But there was also a display of reason, self-control, and zealous citizenship. Part of the comic book burnings is the fact that some of them have been canceled. In many cases, even at the height of McCarthyism in the 1950s, thoughtful and courageous Americans challenged the idea that physically destroying literature was the solution to this country’s problems. When burning occurred, controversy often arose. For example, many newspapers wrote editorials questioning these scenes. Most media outlets commenting directly on the comic book burnings typically criticized the methods, even if they were sympathetic to the concerns raised by the organizers. And in some cases, organizations like the ACLU and the Book Publishers Council of America have successfully challenged planned burnings as contrary to American values.

When historians look back at the flameout of historical comics from today’s perspective, several developments seem particularly striking. First, it’s hard not to be surprised by the widespread acceptance of comics as a medium by libraries and educators over the past few decades. The fact that graphic novels consistently rank in the top 10 most challenging list is obviously upsetting, but it can also be seen as an indication of how far comics have come in a relatively short period of time. The dramatic growth of comics and graphic novels in public and school libraries is truly an incredible accomplishment. Second, comics continue to serve as a flashpoint for broader social fears in America, from violence, obscenity, and drug use to nudity, sexual promiscuity, and gender identity. But at the same time, manga no longer has the connotation of children’s literature. As has been the case with film for a long time, the differences between genre and medium are now widely recognized. This has played a subtle but important role in responding to critics calling for the removal of particular works. Third, releasing a top 10 list as part of National Library Week highlights the constant threat of censorship. We may not burn comic books anymore, but we regularly read about comics removing access to content they deem objectionable to all other readers. This list is published annually so we can stay informed and vigilant.

The publication of the Top 10 list as part of National Library Week is particularly noteworthy in that it highlights the dramatic changes in the library science profession. In November 1954, an anti-cartoon movement was organized at an elementary school in Newport News, just three miles from my campus, led by students, teachers, and the PTA. Together, these organizations collected offensive cartoons, encouraged local businesses to put up posters supporting the campaign, and held a pageant featuring characters from the “good book.” The week’s festivities culminated with comic books being burned outside the school and ignited by a student council officer and an assistant fire chief. The saddest part of all is that these events took place as part of the school’s celebration of National Children’s Book Week.

So librarians who once assisted in comic book burning efforts in many schools across the country are now on the front lines, working to ensure that comics remain in collections. There is certainly a glimmer of hope there.

Book Censorship News: December 19, 2025

As the end of the year approaches, we expect this roundup to be a little shorter than usual. This does not reflect a slowdown in extremism regarding book censorship or library attacks. This reflects US holidays and school holidays.

• Below is an example of a great letter to the editor about the lies being spread about why a book is inappropriate and should be banned.
• Want to know what’s going on with the lawsuit over Iowa’s “Don’t Say Gay” book ban? Latest, still invalid, but the case remains in the Court of Appeals.
• “Dozens of parents and community members have signed up to track book bans across the state by learning how to file public records requests and monitoring school districts. The Texas Reading Freedom Project launched a grassroots campaign this month after the state Legislature passed a new book ban policy. The goal is to get a more up-to-date and accurate picture of what kinds of books are being banned and where they are being banned. There are 1,200 books in Texas. “This organization has assembled a team of community volunteers across the state to help gather information.” Great article about what the Read Texas Freedom Project is doing to track book bans across Texas.
• Bellbrook-Sugarcreek School District (Ohio) latest information and its book ban policy (see here).
• Teens write great editorials about how they feel about New Hampshire’s school ban the perks of being a wallflower After a complaint from one parent. “I’m open about my sexuality to anyone who asks in the hallways of Merrimack Valley, so I wonder: Should I be kicked out of school if my parents decide that the topics I talk about are inappropriate? Is eliminating LGBTQ+ talk in schools a way to keep students ‘pure’ or a way to ensure that those who feel morally superior maintain absolute control?” ”
• Iowa Republicans could try again to deny funding to public libraries for not banning books they don’t like. Read this editorial. It’s really amazing. Republicans don’t like not being able to make everyone bend to their whims.
• Families in the North Little Rock School District (Arkansas) are unhappy that the district simply removed 50 books from one of the district’s reading apps. Of course, most of them are LGBTQ+ books.
• how ulysses It was almost banned by the state of New York.
• Here are the top 52 books that have been banned since book censorship began in earnest in 2021.
• Check out the public libraries of Mesa County, Colorado. The board just confirmed the appointment of two extreme conservatives with little notice to the public.
• What happens when two rock star librarians, Suzette Baker and Amanda Jones, collaborate? This really important article in Time magazine is about what the Supreme Court’s decision not to hear Little v. Llano County means for public libraries in three U.S. states.
• Even though New Hampshire Republicans thought they were trying to override the governor’s veto of the book ban, they found no support to reinstate the bill. Freedom to read continues in the state.
• The West Shore School District Board (PA) attempted to pass a book ban bill before the far-right members who lost their seats were replaced by newly elected members. This was a fail because it would be placed on the table when a new board came in.
• The Garfield County Public Library District Board of Trustees (CO), a district with a long history of book censorship and attacks on reading freedom, has four vacant seats on the board. Below are responses from prospective candidates regarding their reasons for candidacy and their beliefs regarding library book limits. Some of these are very concerning.
• PEN America has released a report on the top 52 books banned in American schools since coordinated book bans began in 2021.

Don’t miss the news from this week’s Book Riot, including the censorship of “gender ideology” at York Public Library (SC) and our joint article on book censorship trends in 2025.