I ran across the following while browsing through the California Codes on
the World Wide Web (at URL http://www.law.indiana.edu/codes/ca/codes.html,
for anyone who's interested). As far as I know, it's a real, actual,
enforceable law. I swear I'm not making this up.
pax version 1.2
CALIFORNIA CODES
BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONS CODE
SECTION 16603
16603. Every person who, as a condition to a sale or consignment of
any magazine, book, or other publication requires that the purchaser
or consignee purchase or receive for sale any horror comic book, is
guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by imprisonment in the county
jail not exceeding six months, or by fine not exceeding one thousand
dollars ($1,000), or by both.
This section is not intended to prohibit an agreement requiring a
person to purchase or accept on consignment a minimum number of copies
of a single edition or issue of a magazine or of a particular book or
other particular publication.
As used in this section "person" includes a corporation,
partnership, or other association.
As used in this section "horror comic book" means any book or
booklet in which an account of the commission or attempted commission
of the crime of arson, assault with caustic chemicals, assault
with a deadly weapon, burglary, kidnapping, mayhem, murder, rape,
robbery, theft, or voluntary manslaughter is set forth by means of
a series of five or more drawings or photographs in sequence, which
are accompanied by either narrative writing or words represented as
spoken by a pictured character, whether such narrative words appear in
balloons, captions or on or immediately adjacent to the photograph or
drawing.
(From the "Rest" of RHF)