Dr. Werthless

Dr. WerthlessBy: Harold Schechter, Eric Powell Illustrator: Eric Powell He Studied Murder And Nearly Killed the Comics Industry! From the team behind the award winning Did You Hear What Eddie Gein Done? comes a nonfiction graphic novel examining Dr. Fredric Wertham, of one of the most polarizing figures in pop culture history. Wertham wrote Seduction of the Innocent (1954), asserting that comic books were a cause of juvenile delinquency. His testimony before

By: Harold Schechter, Eric Powell | Illustrator:  Eric Powell   

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He Studied Murder And Nearly Killed the Comics Industry!

From the team behind the award-winning “Did You Hear What Eddie Gein Done?” comes a nonfiction graphic novel examining Dr. Fredric Wertham, of one of the most polarizing figures in pop culture history.

Wertham wrote Seduction of the Innocent (1954), asserting that comic books were a cause of juvenile delinquency. His testimony before Congress about the supposed dangers of comics helped lead to the creation of the Comics Code Authority, and to Wertham being reviled by comic book fans as a witch-hunting zealot who stirred up a panic among parents for his own self-promoting purposes.

Wertham was also a renowned psychiatrist who, among other accomplishments, opened a clinic in Harlem for disadvantaged African-American patients and played an important role in the desegregation of the nation's schools.

Believing that murder could be abolished through a proper understanding of the mental and social roots of criminal violence, he took a genuinely humane approach to some of the most notorious homicidal maniacs of his time, while simultaneously exploiting their stories for his own commercial ends.

Acclaimed true crime author, Harold Schechter, and multiple Eisner award-winning cartoonist, Eric Powell, present a graphic novel that takes an unbiased look at this flawed and complex man, whose obsessive dream of freeing the world from violence nearly murdered the comics industry.


Featured in Booklist's Top 10 Graphic Biographies & Memoirs: 2025!


"Brutal, beautiful, and brilliant."—Matt Fraction (Hawkeye)

“A compelling biography that challenges readers to reconsider their assumptions and poses provocative questions about censorship and the influence of popular culture...a rich, layered portrait of a man commonly viewed as a villain. ”—Library Journal

“Dr. Werthless is an indispensable look at American history and the battle against censorship.” —David Walker (Bitter Root, The Black Panther Party: a Graphic Novel History)