They sought to head off the censorship of the Comics Code Authority by voluntarily prohibiting stories dealing with sexuality, drugs, or criminal behavior.
They introduced characters such as Superman and The Spirit.
They unintentionally laid the groundwork for the transition from the Golden Age of comic books to the Silver Age.
They focused increasingly on flashy artwork and less on well·developed stories.
They responded to the competitive pressure from horror comic books by increasing the amount of violence in their stories.