“Dr. Werthless” by Harold Schechter and Eric Powell
Dark Horse Comics (July 2025)
Reviewed by Blu Gilliand
If you read comics, you’ve likely heard the name Dr. Fredric Wertham. His 1954 book Seduction of the Innocent had as big an impact on the comics industry as, say, the first appearance of Superman in Action Comics, or perhaps the work of Stan Lee.
In fact, Wertham’s book was so impactful, it nearly killed the entire comics industry.
Seduction of the Innocent outlined Wertham’s theory that horror comics that relied heavily on graphic, gory imagery — the kind popularized by EC Comics at that time — were a major factor in transforming juveniles into criminals. Wertham, known for his work on behalf of notorious serial killer Albert Fish, as well as for his efforts to provide mental health care to young African-Americans, was a respected professional, and was invited to testify before the Senate Committee on Juvenile Delinquency, where he continued to blame comic books for the “downfall” of the country’s youth.
The resulting outcry led comics publishers to create The Comics Code Authority, a censorship panel that eventually banned graphic imagery, certain words and phrases, and the idea that evil might, sometimes, go unpunished, from the pages of American comics. While the industry survived on a steady stream of superhero comics, the self-inflicted damage wrought by the Authority was nearly crippling.
“Dr. Werthless,” a graphic novel by true crime writer Harold Schechter and Eisner Award-winning artist Eric Powell, does not focus entirely on Wertham’s notoriety within the comics industry. Instead, it is a thorough, meticulously researched examination of the man’s entire career. It gives us a glimpse of a complicated man capable of wide swings in reputation and behavior. He was characterized as being nearly impossible to work with (he was known to state that the only “right” opinion was his opinion); yet, he was known to treat clients that the public viewed as monsters with deep compassion and empathy.
This is a dense read, packed with information that sometimes threatens to crowd out the art. Credit must go to Schechter for tackling this subject matter in such a straightforward manner, packing in a tremendous amount of detail without letting things get mired down. Powell works expertly with the prose, tying it into his illustrations in a way that enhances it and brings it vividly to life.
Schecter and Powell previously collaborated on “Did You Hear What Eddie Gein Done?”, so they are no strangers to gruesome subject matter. Be warned: some of what is shared in this book, including details about the crimes and motivations of men like Fish and Robert Irwin, is presented unflinchingly and is very disturbing.
“Dr. Werthless” is a portrait of a fascinating man, one who was both respected and reviled. Hero? Villain? A little bit of both? Read this book and see how you feel when it ends.
