Why can't horror comics be imported to the UK?

[drwho]

I was actually looking through a list of prohibited mailing items and it specifically states that horror comics can not be imported into the UK. Does anyone know why, or the story behind this?

[Tater]

They are considored obscene material by the government.

[Guest_1001]

They are considored obscene material by the government.

Seriously? That's possibly the most annoyingly ludicrous thing I've ever heard.

[Charles RB]

I was actually looking through a list of prohibited mailing items and it specifically states that horror comics can not be imported into the UK.

Since horror comics are imported into the UK on a regular basis and have been for decades now, it's hardly a law anyone's bothered about enforcing (if it hasn't already been scrapped or if anyone in authority remembers it's still a law).

[king mob]

I was actually looking through a list of prohibited mailing items and it specifically states that horror comics can not be imported into the UK. Does anyone know why, or the story behind this?

They can be imported. The only stepping block is a 50 year old plus bit of legislatation that was brought in to ban EC Comics in the UK (and worked for a few years in the 50's) & the obscene publications act which is finally repealled next month, sadly it's replaced by lots of Labourite bollocks.

The only time the horror comics act was used in recent history was in regards to Lord Horror published by Savoy Books (oh, there's a story), and I believe it's been used to fuck over Knockabout when they've imported the the likes of S. Clay Wilson.

[Charles RB]

The only time the horror comics act was used in recent history was in regards to Lord Horror published by Savoy Books (oh, there's a story)

Heard of the comic - what was the act-related story?

[BoosterBronze]

In sympathy for the injustice being perpetrated on my UK brethren, the next time there's a boatload of horror comics in Boston harbor, me and some other colonists will dress like zombies and throw them all into the water.

[mgs]

that's odd considering some of the best horror comics I have are from the UK. So they can make them, but not let them in? O.o

[That Yellow Bastard]

It's because the UK love to ban anything that they can, while living in England I noticed that the Pom's are a bit ban crazy

[king mob]

Heard of the comic - what was the act-related story?

For those who haven't heard of Lord Horror, it was a very infamous comic published in the UK in the late 80's that suffered from being banned, prosecuted & generally hated by the establishment, not to mention most mainstream comics fans of the time.

The biggest critic was James Anderton who was cheif constable of Manchester & was wildy homophobic. As pointed out in the Wiki link, Anderton succeeded in banning the comics & throwing one of the creators in prison.
One of the things they used was the horror comics act from the 50's as a back up in case the prosecution under the obscene publications act failed. Luckily for Anderton, etc the obscenity prosecution succeeded & Lord Horror is the last book to be banned in the UK.

[king mob]

that's odd considering some of the best horror comics I have are from the UK. So they can make them, but not let them in? O.o

Yes we can. The legislation was only effective in the 50's while the whole fuss over EC Comics & their imitators was in it's prime. It's one of those laws that nobody has ever got round to getting rid of because nobody's bothered using it effectively in 50 years.

[Tobias March]

The Video Nasties act (I don't know if that was the actual name of it...) of the 80's resulted in a British distributor of Evil Dead sent to jail I believe.

[king mob]

The Video Nasties act (I don't know if that was the actual name of it...) of the 80's resulted in a British distributor of Evil Dead sent to jail I believe.

Several people went to jail during that time because of the 'moral panic' over video nasties. The Tory government found the Obscene Publication Act was fairly useless to outlaw these films, so they introduced the Video Recordings Act in 1984.

Worth searching out is an excellent book called The Video Nasties by Martin Barker which goes into great detail & is the best book you'll read about the subject.

[jobies201]

In sympathy for the injustice being perpetrated on my UK brethren, the next time there's a boatload of horror comics in Boston harbor, me and some other colonists will dress like zombies and throw them all into the water.

Huzzah! The world shall know our comic dumping fury!

[Aaron Kashtan]

Worth searching out is an excellent book called The Video Nasties by Martin Barker which goes into great detail & is the best book you'll read about the subject.

I assume this is the same Martin Barker who wrote A Haunt of Fears: The Strange History of the British Horror Comics Campaign.