When the Comics Code Authority seal began appearing on comic book covers in late 1954, it brought an end to the most controversial period in American comic book history. The era punctuated by Fredric Wertham's anti-comics campaign and Senate hearings about comics was composed of thousands of crime and horror comics from dozens of publishers who pushed the limits of comic book art. By the end of the era, little-known publishers ranging from L.B. Cole's Star Publications to Aragon, Gillmor, and Co