By 1954, horror comics were doing good business, with the example above a somewhat tame version of the sort of thing which youngsters might be bringing home from the drug-store. Such books had drawn the attention of Dr Fredric Wertham, a psychiatriast, who contended that comics such as these were unsuitable material for kids. The comic publishers of America, pressed to take action, hastily threw together the Comics Code, which among other things, did away with most of the horror and crime books, putting more than one publisher out of business in the process.
Elsewhere in 1954, the first Burger King was opening its doors. At the movies, one could relive the heroic adventures of the Dam Busters, or, if one were in Japan, could choose between watching Gojira terrorise Tokyo or the Seven Samurai saving some oppressed villagers. On television, viewers could see future Catwoman, Lee Meriwether, winning the Miss America pageant. Book fans could enjoy William Golding's first novel, Lord of the Flies, or Richard Matheson's I Am Legend. Young fans could thrill to Horten Hears A Who. Oh, and the first two volumes of Lord Of The Rings were available in all good bookshops.
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