I haven't finished yet but I must sing the praises of The Ten Cent Plague by David Hajdu. It's an examination of the various comic book scares that the media, religions, and government got whipped up into, particularly the one in the 50's regarding the horror and crime comic books exemplified by EC Comics titles such as "Crime SuspenStories" and "Tales from the Crypt". The book is extremely well written and gives an interesting examination of how comics came to have severed heads on their covers.
A minor quibble: Hajdu tends to make his point multiple times. For example, we're treated to a thorough recreation of comic book burning organized by various groups. This is a very valid example of the fervor brewing in the public, however, he puts in about three or four recreations of these comic book burnings. I understand he's done research and is citing examples to back up his thesis, but at a certain point it's just repetitive and doesn't add to the narrative.
I will say, I really love how he doesn't instantly buy into the self-mythology that a lot of the comic book writers, publishers, and artists have created around themselves when reflecting back on that time. He'll print what they said to him or an interview and then undercut with some fact or reason why that might not be entirely the case. It's not done with any malice but just to make sure he's being fair and not idolizing these men and women too much.
As a result, I found a way to read a bulk of the EC comics of this time period and so far, I'm enjoying it. It's hard to read them from a modern view point as they seem kind of hacky and tame. The art is fantastic in some spots and they're just a really fun read.