“Before the comics were beset by the prolonged crackdown that is described [in David Hajdu’s The Ten-Cent Plague], they were created in a spirit best summarized by Mickey Spillane, one of Mr. Hajdu’s many colorful interviewees... . ‘If it’s any good, somebody will pay for it,’ Mr. Spillane said, ‘and a kid’s dime buys the same cup of coffee.’” Indeed.

The preceding is excerpted from Janet Maslin’s review of David Hajdu’s new book, The Ten-Cent Plague: The Great Comic-Book Scare and How It Changed America, which appeared in Monday’s edition of the New York Times. Mr. Hajdu will be appearing at the Central Library’s Montgomery Auditorium this coming Tuesday, March 18, at 7:00 p.m. (This event is free--no tickets required.)