Seduction of the innocent

“Seduction of the Innocent” by Max Allan Collins is book 110 in the superb Hard Case Crime imprint from Titan Books and is based around the 1950s anti-comics witch-hunts. Set in the 1954 New York comics business, the story stars Jack Starr who appeared in two previous comics industry books: 2007s “A Killing in Comics” and 2008s “Strip For Murder”. Jack is the son of the Starr Comics founder and is a general “troubleshooter” for the company, which is now owned by his stepmother and recently retired stripper, Maggie Starr. The comics industry is a thriving multi-million dollar industry but it is under significant threat from psychiatrist, Dr. Werner Frederick, whose recent anti-comics book, “Ravage the Lambs” show more associates comics with juvenile delinquency and has led to a set of congressional hearings into the morality of comics and their supposedly negative impacts. When Frederick is murdered in a fashion strangely reminiscent of a murder shown in a recent horror comic there are no end of potential suspects and Jack soon finds himself in the middle of a double-dealing, paranoid case where everyone seems keen to attack blame to each other. Will Jack be able to solve the murder and at the same time save Starr Comics and salvage the reputation of the industry? Max Allan Collins has an enviable reputation as both a skillful novelist and excellent comic book writer and that shines though in this thoroughly enjoyable and impossible to put down book. The plot unspools in a relaxed fashion that ensures the tension is kept ramped up and the suspense is maximised. The story-telling and dialogue is suitably hard-boiled and the action is tough and pulpy throughout. The story is, however, beautifully constructed with the historical aspects blending seamlessly with the fictional giving the story a real and insightful feel for the comics book industry and the cause célèbre that comics became during the period. Adding value to the book are a set of new illustrations by comic book artist Terry Beatty in the classic EC style, which open each chapter. Collins also provides an excellent postscript (or “Tip of the Fedora” as he calls it) that outlines the research that he did into the 1950s comics scandals and helps readers unfamiliar with the nuances of the controversy to understand the background and the ciphers he used. show less

My biggest beef with this book is that it was published under the Hard Case Crime label, and no crime takes place in the first half of the story! How is that "hard-boiled crime fiction"? What this book is is a fictionalized account of comic book trials in the 1950's. And reading the "Tip of the Fedora" after the story made me think that an actual non-fiction book about the same topic might actually be interesting! But this book just seemed like an author taking a subject of interest to him, and trying to make a "crime" story out of it. Unsuccessfully, in my opinion.

Enjoyable story about a murder set in the comic industry in the early 1950s. Collins mixes in the Kefauver hearings about the supposed corruption, or as the title says, seduction of the innocent (children, supposedly) in the lurid comic industry of the time. The politics and milieu seem very true, and well-researched (the acknowledgements page is detailed about this). The murder, which doesn't happen until half way through the book, is a clever locked-room scenario that fits in with the scene and the characters. A very nice touch are chapter-opening illustrations that are of the style of the comics the book is about.

Seduction of the Innocent is a title taken right from Frederic Wertham's book crusading against the evil influence of comic books. Dr. Wertham's book challenged the comic book industry for its
depictions of violence, drug use, etc. and argued that it was a cause of juvenile delinquency. Wertham eventually appeared before Senator Kefauver's Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency.
Collins' book is a fictionalized account of that time and of Wertham's fight with the comic book industry. It is a clever parody of Wertham, who in Collins' book is Dr. Werner Frederick. Collins takes the
fictionalized story and expands it into a novel that is not only set in the fifties, but conveys the feel and tone of a hardboiled novel of the time.

Jack Starr show more and his father's widow, Maggie, run a publisher that syndicates comic strips for newspapers across the country. One of the comic writers that they work with has volunteered to testify before the
Subcommittee following Dr. Frederick. Jack, who is a private eye with a
license to carry, has as part of his functions, getting his writers and
artists out of trouble. So he accompanies the witness. The first part of the story is a little slow in getting going as it is
concerned with the minutiae of who is who in the comic book industry. The second part really gets going with murder, mobsters, femme fatales, and bare-knuckle brawls. The book is great, although it varies a bit from the usual Collins' work. show less

Book Review & Giveaway: When the publisher approached me about reading and possibly reviewing Seduction of the Innocent by bestselling author Max Allan Collins, I took one look at the book cover and thought, “Oh no. This is sooo not my kind of book.” Luckily, I stepped back from that first impression long enough to read the concept, to recognize the author’s name, and to realize the cover was a perfect take on pulp fiction.

A lot of people may recognize Max Allan Collins as the person who penned Road to Perdition but he’s also written a long list of bestselling mysteries under his own name, and cozy mysteries as Barbara Allen. Then there is the subject of Seduction of the Innocent, and that’s what really sold me. The 1950’s show more were a time when the government saw Commies under every flower pot and censorship became an ugly threat to all kinds of creative people. This novel is all about censorship, couched in a fun hardboiled mystery. And you could win a copy at http://popcornreads.com/?p=5491. show less

Murder mystery that takes place in the 1950's during the height of the war on comics. This is a good mystery by the always reliable Max Allan Collins. It mixes history with a mystery and is very successful. Highly recommend.

Found as 2014 Shamus Award Finalist. Large series. Stopped reading. Unexpected and uninteresting. Subject of comic books influencing children.