The following guideline constitute the original pre-Wertham Comics Code which was established in 1948. Publisher adherence to the code was voluntary and largely ignored the industry.
Association of Comics Magazine Publishers Comics Code
The Association of Comics Magazine Publishers, realizing its responsibilities to the millions of readers of comics magazines and to the public generally, urges its members and others to publish comics magazines containing only good, wholesome entertainment or education, and in no event include in any magazine comics that may in any way lower the moral standards of those who read them. In particular:
1. Sexy, wanton comics should not be published. No drawing should show a female indecently or unduly exposed, and in no event more nude than in bathing suit commonly worn in the United States of America.
2. Crime should not be presented in such a way as to throw sympathy against law and justice or to inspire others with the desire for imitation. No comics shall show the details and methods of a crime committed by a youth. Policemen, judges, Government officials, and respected institutions should not be portrayed as stupid or ineffective or represented in such a way as to weaken respect for the established authority.
3. No scenes of sadistic torture should be shown.
4. Vulgar and obscene language should never be used. Slang should be kept to a minimum and used only when essential to the story.
5. Divorce should not be treated humorously nor represented as glamorous or alluring.
6. Ridicule or attack on any religious or racial group is never permissible.
Source for the material is Amy Kiste Nyberg’s Seal of Approval: The History of the Comics Code (Studies in Popular Culture Series).
