Creepy public service comic book about bike safety (1972)

In 1972 the Highway Safety Division of Virginia published a comic book for kids about bike safety called Danny and the Demoncycle . It stars a young sociopath named Danny who enjoys riding his bike in such as way as to cause the death of innocent people. He changes his ways after having a dream involving Satan and a "demoncycle" that takes him on a ride so wild that even Danny can't handle it. After that, he becomes an exemplary lad, following bicycle safety rules to the letter and admonishing anyone who doesn't.

This is the latest addition to the "Comics with Problems" library, curated by Ethan Persoff.

Mark Frauenfelder is the founder of Boing Boing and the editor-in-chief of MAKE and Cool Tools. Twitter: @frauenfelder. Come and hear Mark speak at the ALA conference in Chicago on July 1.

MORE: Comics

More at Boing Boing

The technology that links taxonomy and Star Trek

Hackers prepare for first "national holiday" in their honor

Anonymous

…and yet, believe it or not, this is not the creepiest PSA about bicycle safety out there by a long shot.
http://www.boingboing.net/2008/02/05/one-got-fat-1962-bik.html
Chris Tucker

Apparently, this is the plot to the new Star Trek movie.

The evil “Mirror Universe” Spock goes back in time and crosses over to our universe to save the kid who’s Kirk’s great^10 grandfather, by gluing some fake devil horns to his head and giving Danny a high tech future bike.

Or something.
tikal2k

“Like suicide and murder!”

That last drawing of old man Danny is awful!
debg

So it’s Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride from Disneyland, only with a car. We used to call the ride “Mr. Toad Goes to Hell.”
mdh

And young little Danny grew up to be …

President W!

FYT
pduggie

“especially those new international signs that will help make our highways safer!”

He’ll learn all the signs.

The international signs are supposed to be intuitive to help non-english speakers know what to do when they see a sign, right?

So what do you have to “learn” about an intuitive sign?

Unless they’re not really intuitive….

Things to ponder…
pduggie

Letting the devil mess with you is the way God teaches valuable lessons. Seriously.

See the Book of Job.
Samurai Gratz

“Hey, what’s a guy like me doing in an antiseptic dump like this?”

Man, if I had a nickel for every time I’ve said that.
Mark Frauenfelder

Anonymous@27: “Who was the artist? Its damn familiar stuff.”

It has a Charlton vibe, I think. But I am not too familiar with the artists in that particular bullpen.
schr0559

One of the Nightmare on Elm Street movies has a “demon bike” death. Well, it’s with a motorcycle, but I guess Wes Craven really read his safety manuals as a kid…
bjacques

I’d say Hank Ketcham had grounds for a lawsuit.
Belabras

Sometimes Danny is kind of a dick.
pauldrye

And young little Danny grew up to be … Ghost Rider!
InsertFingerHere

When does “Danny The Ricer” comic come out?
se7a7n7

best line from Danny after he gets all wise:

Sorry Pal, no passengers! Doubling on a single bike is like suicide and murder!
yri

Wow, sounds almost like a Chick tract…
The Unusual Suspect

So Critical Mass is the tool of Satan?

[smacks forehead]
JJR1971

Demoncycle, otherwise known as a Harley Davidson… ;-)
noen

“After that, he becomes an exemplary lad, following bicycle safety rules to the letter and admonishing anyone who doesn’t.”

So basically, no change.

Do they still make Demoncycles?
ericdrummond

The absolute best part is towards the end, when we see Danny sporting a bad-@$$ beard and heading to meet up with his best pal Charlie Manson, eyes lit up like a kid at Christmas.

Fact.
padster123

Yep – the proto fixie dick.
franko

i like the part where he’s a hippie at the end.
Shelby Davis

“Say, you look like the Devil!”

EXACTLY what I’m going to say when I see someone that looks like they could pass for Satan.

And the suicide/murder line is pretty great too.
mcgringostarr

It’s “funnier” when Bam Margera does it to his parents, says Viacom.
dragonfrog

PDuggie @20

The only intuitive interface is the nipple; everything else is learned.
cstatman

daddy, I want a DEMONCYCLE and I want it NOW!
ThreeFJeff

I love how Satan taught Danny the valuable life lesson.
Anonymous

Okay silver age DC Comics nerds. WHo was the artist? Its damn familiar stuff.

Nick Cardy? Frank Springer?
holtt

I like the V for Vendetta face on the bike…
Gloria

Don’t do as Danny Don’t Does.
Boeotian

Afetr riding with the Devil and his Demoncycle, he changed his name to Evel Knievel!
ridl

“I’m not Satan, I’m Santa!”

That last page portrait of grown-up Danny the Homeless Junkie Biker make me wonder what the Highway Safety Administration REALLY thought about cyclists…
nanuq

So this whole “killing people with the bike” thing is just youthful hijinks that Danny outgrew thanks to the Devil? Do the fundies know about this?
Anonymous

The sequel is “Danny moves to Portland Oregon”.