The new forums will be named Coin Return (based on the most recent vote)! You can check on the status and timeline of the transition to the new forums here.
The Guiding Principles and New Rules document is now in effect.
T for Teens
Bobby Derie
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
It was slim pickings at the bargain bin today. Which is not to say that the bins were anyway depleted, or that I didn't get my quota. For the last several years I've been going to the local comic book store around this time of year, to pick up a hundred or so cheap back issues to give out to trick-or-treaters at Hallowe'en. While you do occasionally get the asshole kid that looks at you like your dropped a turd in his bag that he isn't getting a Mars bar or something, most of those that are of reading age seem at least tentatively appreciative. For my part, I like to do what I can to make that happen - I get the bright shiny chrome covers, the polybagged monstrosities from the 90s, the Image #1s that you can buy fifty of for about three bucks, the Free Comic Book day leftovers with everybody's favorite characters - all good stuff that kids love.
But there weren't many of those this year, and the stuff from the 80s was all weird indie stuff that was looking a little ratty. Which meant that I had to sort through a lot of the contemporary comic book issues, the stuff that was six months to a year old, all glossy covers and overstock...and that's a pain. Because Marvel and DC, Ghost love them, put little ratings on their books these days - and pretty much everything you recognize is rated T for Teens or T+ or whatever. And as I gained a crick in my back and my ass went numb as I was rooting through the long boxes, this occasioned a couple of thoughts.
I don't approve of censorship, in any form. I think that the Comics Code Authority severely damaged the kinds of comics that were made for decades, constraining creativity and helping to lend the overall impression that comics are a medium for children. But at the same time, I appreciate that you could drop a hand on damn near any issue of Captain America or The Amazing Spider-Man from about 1965 to 1995 and be almost guaranteed that it would be appropriate to hand out to any kid age eight to eighteen. That's not to say there might not be a bit of romance or violence, but you're not going to see swearing, nudity, pretty much anything even hinting at sex or drugs, decapitations...basically, nothing that some obnoxious parent might turn me into the police over for corrupting their children.
This was, in fact, a fairly major concern for comic book shops back in the day - and is a large part of the reason why the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is a thing - because even when the CCA was in effect, there were still plenty of comics that had nudity, violence, and bad language in them - they just weren't the mainstream funny books on the shelf, they were the lesser-known indie publishers. Some of these are largely harmless, and even applauded - ElfQuest would be a prime example - others were a bit more adult-oriented period, like basically anything Barry Blair over at Aircel had a hand in. A lot of the early manga adaptations from Viz blurred the line.
Which is part of the reason I found myself taking a lot longer this year to go through stuff. Not just the old 80s comics, which might or might not hide a nipple or a "Damn!" somewhere between the covers, but the more recent stuff especially. What the hell does T for Teen mean, when you get down to it? Is there nudity? Probably not in a Marvel or DC book, unless it's Vertigo, MAX, or labeled as explicit. What about language? What about general content? And sitting down looking at some of those 2013 comics with their 1993 counterparts...it has really struck me how much comics have grown up, not just as a medium, but as far as the expected audience. Or maybe "grown up" is the wrong word, maybe it's just that sensibilities about comics have changed. I came across a couple issues of ShadowHawk, and remembered what a big deal it was that he got HIV from a blood transfusion...would that even be a storyline today? Was it be as edgy as it was back when HIV was basically a death sentence, and carried such a stigma? Hell, remember when Green Arrow's sidekick was a teenage prostitute that shared dirty needles and turned out to be HIV positive? Man, that doesn't seem that long ago, but...I'm digressing, but maybe let me get to the point:
Now that there is no censorship body for comics, it's up to individual companies and creators to decide that kinds of content they want in their work. And judging from my bargain-bin-delving, the companies and creators are both aiming for an older audience, not just with the ratings but with an increasing maturity to the content matter. Comics, by and large, are not "dumbing it down" - I think they're getting smarter, and more willing to tackle issues without resorting to "very special issues" or making a huge deal out of it. Which isn't to say that there might not be some media about such-and-such character being outed as homosexual or such-and-such-character being the first <insert_minority_here> - but that's all par for the course. Remember back when Luke Cage was basically a blaxploitation character, and they teamed him up with a Yellowface character that would make David Carradine wince slightly? But I think it's cool that mainstream comics today can dare to appeal to an older audience without going the full monty.
Although it does make it hard to decide what's appropriate to buy for tricks or treats.
But there weren't many of those this year, and the stuff from the 80s was all weird indie stuff that was looking a little ratty. Which meant that I had to sort through a lot of the contemporary comic book issues, the stuff that was six months to a year old, all glossy covers and overstock...and that's a pain. Because Marvel and DC, Ghost love them, put little ratings on their books these days - and pretty much everything you recognize is rated T for Teens or T+ or whatever. And as I gained a crick in my back and my ass went numb as I was rooting through the long boxes, this occasioned a couple of thoughts.
I don't approve of censorship, in any form. I think that the Comics Code Authority severely damaged the kinds of comics that were made for decades, constraining creativity and helping to lend the overall impression that comics are a medium for children. But at the same time, I appreciate that you could drop a hand on damn near any issue of Captain America or The Amazing Spider-Man from about 1965 to 1995 and be almost guaranteed that it would be appropriate to hand out to any kid age eight to eighteen. That's not to say there might not be a bit of romance or violence, but you're not going to see swearing, nudity, pretty much anything even hinting at sex or drugs, decapitations...basically, nothing that some obnoxious parent might turn me into the police over for corrupting their children.
This was, in fact, a fairly major concern for comic book shops back in the day - and is a large part of the reason why the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is a thing - because even when the CCA was in effect, there were still plenty of comics that had nudity, violence, and bad language in them - they just weren't the mainstream funny books on the shelf, they were the lesser-known indie publishers. Some of these are largely harmless, and even applauded - ElfQuest would be a prime example - others were a bit more adult-oriented period, like basically anything Barry Blair over at Aircel had a hand in. A lot of the early manga adaptations from Viz blurred the line.
Which is part of the reason I found myself taking a lot longer this year to go through stuff. Not just the old 80s comics, which might or might not hide a nipple or a "Damn!" somewhere between the covers, but the more recent stuff especially. What the hell does T for Teen mean, when you get down to it? Is there nudity? Probably not in a Marvel or DC book, unless it's Vertigo, MAX, or labeled as explicit. What about language? What about general content? And sitting down looking at some of those 2013 comics with their 1993 counterparts...it has really struck me how much comics have grown up, not just as a medium, but as far as the expected audience. Or maybe "grown up" is the wrong word, maybe it's just that sensibilities about comics have changed. I came across a couple issues of ShadowHawk, and remembered what a big deal it was that he got HIV from a blood transfusion...would that even be a storyline today? Was it be as edgy as it was back when HIV was basically a death sentence, and carried such a stigma? Hell, remember when Green Arrow's sidekick was a teenage prostitute that shared dirty needles and turned out to be HIV positive? Man, that doesn't seem that long ago, but...I'm digressing, but maybe let me get to the point:
Now that there is no censorship body for comics, it's up to individual companies and creators to decide that kinds of content they want in their work. And judging from my bargain-bin-delving, the companies and creators are both aiming for an older audience, not just with the ratings but with an increasing maturity to the content matter. Comics, by and large, are not "dumbing it down" - I think they're getting smarter, and more willing to tackle issues without resorting to "very special issues" or making a huge deal out of it. Which isn't to say that there might not be some media about such-and-such character being outed as homosexual or such-and-such-character being the first <insert_minority_here> - but that's all par for the course. Remember back when Luke Cage was basically a blaxploitation character, and they teamed him up with a Yellowface character that would make David Carradine wince slightly? But I think it's cool that mainstream comics today can dare to appeal to an older audience without going the full monty.
Although it does make it hard to decide what's appropriate to buy for tricks or treats.
0