⏱️ 6 min read
Comic books have been a beloved form of entertainment for nearly a century, captivating readers with colorful heroes, dastardly villains, and imaginative worlds. While many fans are familiar with the adventures of Superman, Batman, and Spider-Man, the history and production of comic books contain numerous peculiar and fascinating details that often go unnoticed. From bizarre censorship codes to unexpected character origins, the world of sequential art is filled with surprising anomalies that reveal just how strange and wonderful this medium truly is.
Peculiar Tales from Comic Book History
1. The Comics Code Authority Banned the Word “Zombie”
In 1954, the Comics Code Authority was established as a self-regulatory body in response to public outcry about violent and horror-themed comics. The code included bizarrely specific restrictions, including an outright ban on the word “zombie” appearing in any comic book. This led to creative workarounds by publishers, with Marvel Comics famously referring to zombies as “zuvembies” in their Tales of the Zombie series during the 1970s. The restriction also prohibited werewolves, vampires, and ghouls from being presented sympathetically, fundamentally altering the horror comic genre for decades.
2. Superman Couldn’t Fly in His Original Stories
When Superman debuted in Action Comics #1 in 1938, the Man of Steel couldn’t actually fly. Instead, he could only “leap tall buildings in a single bound,” essentially performing powerful jumps. The ability to fly wasn’t added until the 1940s Superman radio show, where producers found it easier to say “Up, up and away!” than repeatedly describe him jumping and landing. The change proved so popular that it was incorporated into the comics, permanently altering one of superhero fiction’s most iconic abilities.
3. Fredric Wertham’s Crusade Almost Destroyed the Industry
Psychiatrist Fredric Wertham’s 1954 book “Seduction of the Innocent” claimed that comic books caused juvenile delinquency and contained hidden inappropriate messages. Wertham infamously suggested that Batman and Robin’s relationship promoted homosexuality and that Wonder Woman represented dangerous feminist ideals. His testimony before the Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency led to public comic book burnings and nearly destroyed the industry, forcing publishers to adopt the restrictive Comics Code Authority to avoid government regulation.
4. Marvel Comics Were Used as Military Training Manuals
During World War II and subsequent conflicts, the U.S. military commissioned comic books as training materials for soldiers. These weren’t propaganda pieces but actual instructional manuals teaching equipment maintenance, combat tactics, and safety procedures. The format proved so effective that the military continued using comic-style training materials well into the 21st century, recognizing that visual sequential storytelling improved information retention among servicemembers better than traditional text-based manuals.
5. DC and Marvel Created a Jointly-Owned Character
In 1996, DC Comics and Marvel Comics, typically fierce competitors, collaborated to create Access (Axel Asher), a character jointly owned by both companies. Access possessed the ability to travel between the DC and Marvel universes and was created specifically for the DC vs. Marvel crossover event. This unprecedented cooperation resulted in a character who couldn’t be used by either company without the other’s permission, making him one of the rarest figures in comic book history.
6. The First Comic Book Cost 10 Cents and Is Now Worth Millions
Action Comics #1, featuring Superman’s first appearance, originally sold for just 10 cents in 1938. Today, copies in excellent condition have sold for over $3 million at auction, making it one of the most valuable collectibles in the world. Only about 100 copies are known to exist from the original print run of 200,000, and finding one in an attic or garage sale remains the ultimate dream of comic book collectors worldwide.
7. Spider-Man Was Rejected for Being “Too Unrealistic”
When Stan Lee first pitched Spider-Man to his publisher, he was told the concept would never work because people hate spiders, teenagers couldn’t be superheroes (only sidekicks), and heroes shouldn’t have personal problems. Lee ignored this advice and sneaked Spider-Man into the final issue of a canceled series called Amazing Fantasy #15 in 1962. The character became an immediate sensation, proving that relatable, flawed heroes could resonate with audiences even more than perfect, untouchable ones.
8. Comic Books Had to Include Educational Content
During the Comics Code era, publishers were encouraged to include educational elements in their stories to make comics appear more wholesome. This led to bizarre insertions of random facts and lessons in the middle of superhero adventures. Many comics included text articles about science, history, or civics that had nothing to do with the stories, simply to satisfy parents and educators who viewed comics with suspicion.
9. The Infamous Swamp Thing Anatomy Lesson
In 1984, writer Alan Moore revealed in Swamp Thing #21 that the title character wasn’t actually a man transformed into a plant monster, but rather a plant that merely thought it was a man. This “Anatomy Lesson” issue revolutionized how comic book storytelling could deconstruct and rebuild established concepts, influencing countless writers and proving that superhero comics could deliver sophisticated, literary narratives that challenged reader expectations.
10. Captain America Punched Hitler Before America Entered WWII
Captain America Comics #1, published in March 1941, featured the star-spangled hero punching Adolf Hitler on its cover—nine months before the United States entered World War II. This bold political statement by creators Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, both Jewish, angered Nazi sympathizers in America who sent threatening letters and even showed up at the publisher’s office. Police protection was required, but the comic became a massive success, selling nearly one million copies.
11. The Death and Return of Superman Broke Sales Records and Banks
When Superman died in 1992’s “The Death of Superman” storyline, the comic book industry experienced unprecedented speculation mania. Comic shops ordered millions of copies, with some issues featuring polybagged collector’s editions with black armbands. The storyline generated mainstream media coverage worldwide, but the subsequent market crash when Superman inevitably returned contributed to the comics industry’s near-collapse in the mid-1990s, forcing numerous retailers and publishers into bankruptcy.
12. Manga Influenced the Direction of Comic Book Reading
Traditional manga reads from right to left and back to front, opposite to Western comics. When manga became popular in the United States during the 1990s and 2000s, publishers initially “flipped” the artwork to read left-to-right. However, manga fans protested this alteration, leading to publishers releasing “unflipped” editions. This movement influenced some American comic creators to experiment with unconventional panel layouts and reading directions, expanding the artistic possibilities of Western sequential art.
The Enduring Strangeness of Sequential Art
These twelve peculiar facts demonstrate that comic books are far more than simple entertainment for children. The medium has survived censorship attempts, industry collapses, and cultural controversies while continuously evolving and influencing global popular culture. From publishing restrictions that banned specific words to characters jointly owned by competing companies, comic books contain multitudes of bizarre stories within their pages and throughout their history. Understanding these strange facts provides deeper appreciation for how comic books have shaped and been shaped by society, proving that truth can indeed be stranger than fiction—even in a medium built on fantastic impossibilities. Whether examining corporate decisions, creative innovations, or cultural impacts, comic books remain endlessly fascinating, with countless more unusual stories waiting to be discovered by curious readers and historians alike.