Comments on: 52Q | #58: Sex & Violence

By: John Withers

John Withers — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 16:08:46 +0000

I find the use of “historically we had a comics code…” to fairly dating. Comics had a long history before Wertham’s code and authority came into play.

By: Laura

Laura — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 16:42:37 +0000

I totally agree. It’s not their responsibility to appeal to anyone in particular. They’re a business, like any other. If a business doesn’t want to appeal to more than 50% of the population, so be it. Their choice to lose money.

Marvel is definitely taking that route. Killing their only female lead title (X23) and I can’t think of any teams led by women either. Their choice, but their sales will reflect if it works for them.

Most of our female customers are buying Gotham books right now, which has the largest group of female fronted books. Coincidence? Maybe. But I doubt it.

By: Wm Brian MacLean

Wm Brian MacLean — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 05:19:27 +0000

All I know is I grew out of Comics Code superheroes at 15 or so, & abandoned them at the end of high school because they didn’t keep up with me (that was 1987). It was Marvel’s Ultimate line that got me reading superheroes again. I’ve never been a DC fan (aside from Vertigo & Elseworlds), so this news makes me want to check out the reboot.

What I’m saying is this may go a long way in bringing back older readers; why can’t this be a way for parents & kids to hit the comics shop together, if there’s material in the shop for both? (The books for kids just happen to be non-DC, & that’s fine.)

Gender divide is another issue; I’m not convinced it’s DC’s responsibility to appeal to women, but I also can’t imagine how it’s a good business practice to ignore half of the human population. What about gay/lesbian characters? There’s another 10% of the general population gone.

By: Charlie

Charlie — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 22:48:08 +0000

Historically, we had the comics code as a guide but as kids grew up, they gravitated toward more adult content. Guys like Miller and Moore recognized this and was a first mover into this arena… so in a way they closed the door to the younger audience while helping to break new ground artistically. Although they were successful, a lot of it was just dumb luck based on timing and pent up demand. If not them, someone else would have came a long. Guys like Byrne, a legend in his own right, who used to mentor Miller failed to recognize this shift and after all these years, he’s still doing the same stuff.

This is actually a very complicated question and there are a lot of good points being made here. As a parent I would love to share my love of comics with my kids but I don’t… not yet. It’s not just the sex and violence… the Beast calling Reed Richards a “bitch” is out of character for scientific minds and unnecessary to the story. But “copy cat” writer Bendis (if memory serves) is just trying to be “edgy”… like everyone else in this medium.

Personally, I don’t mind sex and violence as long as it’s tastefully done. I also understand and sympathize with publishers… they need to do what they can to survive but my criticism is that I don’t believe corporate DC or Marvel loves comics. These are business people… their motivation is money and their needs are immediate.

Considering current social trends, it may be that there is no answer. DC and Marvel have to sell books and the majority of their audience are old like me. So comics still remain unable to reach new readers, specifically younger readers. The DC 52s where hopeful but executionally, it’s more of the same.

What would I do if I was CEO of comics? I really don’t know…