If you’re wondering why they came up with a Comics Code to regulate funny books for the juvie market, here’s Exhibit A. The signature in the left hand corner says it all: that’s Charles Biro. (You can see the future work of Charles Burns in the shading, no?) There’s a great deal of odd mad violence in this bar room brawl. A man is shooting a Tommy gun with one hand – no recoil problems here – while he grabs a redhead with the other; the gun, a festive pink model, somehow shoots a guy in the background while pointed straight ahead. In the foreground, there's a bitter fight between two colloidal silver enthusiasts – one drops a 3/4 size revolver while his hand is stabbed with such force the blade penetrates it without pinning it to the table. In the background  - well, it's hard to tell how the hell that happened. Or why all this mayhem should surround a case of twisted cigarettes.

On the right: Louis Lepke, the Panther Man, and the Mad Dog Esposito Brothers. They tried to beat a murder beef by acting loco – howling like dogs during the trial, weeping, banging their heads on the table. It certainly had an impact on the jury: without the histrionics, the jury might have convicted them in 30 seconds. As it turned out, the jury was out for a minute. Guilty. They rode old Sparky to their reward, but not until they’d broken out of prison, been recaptured, tried to work the loony angle again with a hunger strike. True fact: they were so thin when executed the state kindly wheeled them to the chair. This kiddie book recounts the fact with scrupulous accuracy.

Damned code! After this it was nothing but giant monsters. Like that helped kids deal with the real world.

The world with the pink guns and blue hallways.