Superman Burning heralds back to a time when young people looked to the comic book for their hours of entertainment. Such books ranged in content from the mildness of Superman to the violent debaucheries of Crime Doesn't Pay and were considered by many "learned minds" to be a direct cause of juvenile delinquency. The true stories of Superman Burning include that of young pre-teen Howard Lang who committed a truly terrible crime and was later acquitted due to his claims that he had been influenced by violent comic book characters. Also included is the account of David Mace, who captained the efforts suggested by his teacher to gather and eventually burn all the town's comic books. The third and final story, chronicles the United States Senate who created the Comics Code of Authority and the efforts of a young publisher, William Gaines, who fought for the idea that comics should remain unmolested by the censors.