Rock n' roll wasn't the only boogeyman blamed for causing widespread juvenile delinquency back in the 1950s.

Comic books were also the culprit.

At least, that what some leading experts of the time thought. They put pressure on the comic book industry to censor itself, resulting in the end of popular comics series like "Tales from the Crypt."

Now that those hooligan baby boomers have grown up, comic books are no longer the "devil's workship" but are regarded as an art form. And Rick Parker (the cartoonist) and Jim Salicrup (the writer) are reaping the rewards of this new thinking with the publication of "Diary of a Stinky Dead Kid" as part of the rejuvenated Tales from the Crypt series.

Salicrup and Parker's bona fides are undeniable. Salicrup has long been an editor and writer at Marvel Comics, where he has edited many titles including Spiderman. Parker has been involved at Marvel and with Beavis and Butt-head and Tales from the Crypt. Before moving to Maplewood, Parker was a Manhattan-based artist who founded Barking Dog Museum on Grand Street. Parker continues to create multi-media art pieces and has exhibited locally.

Parker also teaches cartooning at Geralyn's Art Studio on Maplewood Avenue.

Friday night, Salicrup and Parker entertained a crowd at Words bookstore with their comedy duo patter and offered these insights on the comics/cartooning business:

- Comic books are not bad for kids, even if they are inhabited by dead stinky kids. "Look, it's just comics. It's fun. It's getting kids to read. Lighten up," said Salicrup. "We spent years trying to convince the world that comics are good for adults. Well, they're good for kids too."

-Should you dream of being a professional cartoonist? Yes! said Parker. "Believe in yourself very much and work very hard." Parker noted that you don't need a drawing table or anything fancy. "Just a clipboard will do."

-Parker's inspiration? "I first saw Mad magazine in 57-58. It was a life-changing experience. It was the first thing I saw that challenged the establishment and made fun of advertising, like cigarettes and toothpaste."

"What's wrong with toothpaste?" asked Salicrup.

Parker and Salicrup stayed on to sign copies of the Diary of a Stinky Dead Kid edition of Tales from the Crypt. I took my autographed copy home to my 7-year-old who devoured it--though he wasn't so interested in the "Twilight" parody at the center of the book (titled "Die-lite").

"It should of all been Stinky Dead Kid," he told me.