I'd like to see what everybody out there thinks about this. Looking at comics today there are times when the subject matter just isn't exactly for kids. Comics deal with adult sex subjects. They have blood and people getting their heads cut off. For adults its not that big a deal, but are comic companies shooting themselves in the foot with all this adult artistic type content?
Comics companies try so hard to be socially relevant and deal with adult subjects, but would the average parent feel comfortable buying a comic for their 8 year old? There goes another generation of comic readers that never were. I started reading comics around 7 or 8 I guess maybe younger.
I know there are comics out there specifically marketed for kids that a parent can get their kids, but should they really have to think twice about buying a kid Batman or Superman comics?
I know the average die hard comic fan out there today is going to say comics aren't adult enough. They want more blood, more social relevance, and that's fine, but is catering to their needs helping to sell comics or hurting sales in the long run?
Perhaps the fact that comic creators have always known that a hard hitting story would generate buzz and drive up the collectibility of those particular issues. That kind of thing started back in the day with the Green Lantern/Green Arrow teamup stories of the 70's. Great stories and art there's no denying that. Of course those stories were tame in comparison today, but looking back were the sales very good? Those run of issues didn't last that long.
Should mainstream comics leave the adult stuff to online comics perhaps? We have some pretty tough stories here on our site, and I'll admit and I've put a little blood in my own stories from time to time too, but would Marvel and DC do better without it?
Here's my take on it. I think comics are too adult these days. They try to impress the artistic side of the readership which is about all that's left. Marvel and DC have lost the average kid reader of years ago. I know they do have lots of toys these days to play with including cell phones, video games, 24 hour cartoons, and all that but still. Comic sales keep going down and down, and it seems the only way they have to get extra sales are huge stunts like rebooting. Sure that works for a time, but most of the readers out there are people like me that have been reading for years. Not always I know, but still.
I think it's time comic companies have one eye on business and one eye on art. Having both oars on the same side of the boat doesn't usually get you anywhere.
Make comics that parents are ok with their kids to read. It will take time to build up that kind of trust again, but they can do it. The best comic story is one that is good enough for an adult to enjoy, but not written that a kid couldn't pick it up without scaring some mom to death.
Second get comics back into drug stores, gas stations, Walmart, etc. Make them cheaper and get them back into the hands of kids so comics will be around for the next generations to enjoy.
Posted: 22 Aug 2011 19:24 Last Edited By: wayne clayton
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I found a little something that relates to this. From 20 odd years ago. Gosh I feel old now.
This is a interest clip as Pat Mills talks about age groups and comics and the issue of adult themes. But first there's a little snippet of a Stage Play based on Halo Jones. Yes there was one.
Posted: 22 Aug 2011 20:25
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I agree as far as getting the cost down and getting them back on the store shelves. I like the darker grittier stories myself but I also miss the old school stories that were just fun to read. Especially the old Spiderman issues where he was just a funloving wisecracking hero duking it out with the badguys instead of all the death and issues that seem to plague heroes today.
Here's another thought Maybe have two versions of the same story? One rated PG and one rated R or what have you. I know that would be more work for the writers/artists but if its just the addition of swear words and/or sexual references it wouldn't be a major adjustment. __________________
I agree as well, but I'm more concerned with sex in comics than violence. I think they should stop showing who's sleeping with who and just show them dating. We don't need to know any more than that. I'm a Christian and I don't agree with sex before wedlock, so I don't think superheroes should be treating it as OK if kids are reading it. Take Sharon getting pregnant with Steve's kid. He's Captain America, and to me he's the ultimate role model.
Posted: 23 Aug 2011 04:28
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i agree with tim comics arent really for kids any more i think alot of it started in the 80s with stuff like watchmen and sandman im only 13 right now and ive been reading comics since i was like 9 or 10 so i can apricate a good comic without all the sex and drugs i dont really mind all the violence i mean even adam west wasent scarred to throw a punch in the sixties so yeah. i also think they should be WAYYY cheaper i think the only kids comics right now are like archie and mickey mouse sex and drugs more kid friendly and cheaper
Posted: 23 Aug 2011 11:59
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If it weren't the most profitable way to go, Disney or Warner Brothers would have stopped Marvel or DC right in their tracks a while ago. But they both have plenty of other stuff to sell to young kids, so it wouldn't make sense to dilute their already existing profits in those markets by creating their own competition, and it would make less sense to lose the adult customers (the ones with their own money to spend) by taking away not only the more mature literature(mature as in not catering specifically to children) but all the associated merchandise with it, as well as all the movie opportunities with all their associated merchandise and marketing.
I disagree that all of it is 'too adult' now. These comics haven't been in any major way for children for a long time now and as always, if they're not to your liking, don't read them and leave them there on the rack for someone else. If enough people stop buying a certain thing, the companies adjust. A polite letter (or tweet these days) to the appropriate editor might not hurt either. __________________
For all your days be prepared, and meet them ever alike. When you are the anvil, bear - when you are the hammer, strike.
~Edwin Markham
Posted: 24 Aug 2011 13:59
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what if they brought back the comics code
Posted: 24 Aug 2011 14:42
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Quote: Warner Brothers would have stopped Marvel or DC right in their tracks
I have heard that the reboot of DC is in response to Warners telling DC to start making a profit.
Quote: what if they brought back the comics code
That might be a great idea especially for comics that sold in the general marketplace.
Quote: I like the darker grittier stories myself
My personal taste is a mix between dark and gritty and just plain good old fashioned sci-fi. I like Batman to be gritty and Superman to be fun, and the type of gritty I like is more of a stylized version you might have found in Batman back in the 70's. It's still works for kids, but the stories were intelligent enough for adults.
Quote: I'm more concerned with sex in comics than violence.
I'm old fashioned too, I think superheroes should be like role models to kids especially characters like Superman or Captain America.
Quote: Gosh I feel old now.
I feel like I just woke up in a time warp and found out the last 20 years were gone. When you think about how fast time flies it does feel like I'm in the Twilight Zone. __________________
Quote: In the 1990s, there were 7,000 to 9,000 retailers that sold comic books, including newsstands and drugstores. Today there are a little more than 2,000, most of which are specialty shops.
Sales of comic books have been in a long-term decline. They have dropped steadily for the past three years, and are down an additional 7% so far this year.
The reboot is helping a little though.
Quote: In the short run, it seems everyone in the comic-book industry will benefit. DC's flagship title, "Justice League No. 1," has pre-orders for more than 200,000 print copies, which would make it the bestselling title of 2011. Six other new DC No. 1's already have more than 100,000 pre-orders.
Quote: DC has found a way to reverse that slump for a month, but the big question is whether it can bend the declining sales curve or if it will find itself in the same difficult position next year.
I specifically do not want the Comics Code to return but I would like to see an MPAA or ESRB-like standard rating for comics. It would be nice to see which comics are family-friendly, which are a little more adult and which are a lot more adult, just by a rating (rather than having to know which line the company publishes each under).
And a company can publish main continuity books in varying levels or ratings. For instance, Detective Comics is a place where DC can place the gritty, adult Batman stories while Batman could be a little lighter and Batman and Robin culd be the kids' series. All could be canon but wih different feels to them. Characters with single books could have their on directions Helblazer is assuredly adult, while Wonder Woman could be geared towards teens and, toug I can't think of anyone explicitly kid-friendly at the moment, I'm sure DC has them. __________________
All the bad things in life only help you appreciate the good even more.
more kid friendly and cheaper 
