The Washington DC affiliate WTTG released a report that took a look at the new DC 52 re-launch. The report cites that teen comic books have sex and violence in it. Is that shocking? The movie Twilight is aimed at the PG13 market and it has both.
The reporter then showed the teen books to kids under 13 to add shock value to the report.
This reporter definitely had an agenda to shock, because her main point of doing the story was an old one. Parents should parent and watch what their kids read and then make the call.
I wonder if some people who watch the report want the government to regulate these books or close a comic store for selling these books. I ranted a bit, but lets open this up to debate in the comment section.
Relaunched Comics Using Sex and Violence To Sell: MyFoxDC.com
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I know what you’re getting at, Two-Bit. The sarcasm isn’t needed to try and make your point.
@Wheatcakes – By my logic, a parent that wants to buy his children a toy with a comic book character theme will most likely find an ad for it in a comic book.
Shocking, I know.
@ BD
OK, I concede that point. However it would have been a pretty hard sell to try and say why this was all an OK thing and people should get over it. I’m of the thinking that the type of material they were showing there is entirely inappropriate for teens as well as children.
@ Two-Bit
By your logic then, toy ads should be appearing in Popular Mechanics, Maxim, and Readers Digest. It doesn’t work that way.
@Wheatcakes,
Some people who buy comic books are parents (like BD), so yeah, it makes sense to put toy ads there, because parents might want to purchase them for their kids.
Wheatcakes,
If you don’t think this story was one-side then where was the person that supported the books or stood up for the book saying they’re aimed at teens? It was very one sided with an agenda.
I didn’t have a problem with any of this report. I don’t think this was being one-sided, what “other side” could they have offered? That this material is vague and up for interpretation? We here on message boards have debated this for a long time, that there is content in these comics that isn’t appropriate for teens and especially little kids, so why should anyone feel indignant that someone has simply pointed this out?
I agree, there is too much garbage in these comics. And I agree with Donovan that it appears they’re trying to be “mature” for “maturity’s” sake. I’m not saying they should be grouped in with Playboy or that ilk, but it’s very sad that Marvel and DC thinks it’s acceptable to have this material so blatantly displayed in their books. And she makes a good point, if they aren’t for kids, then it makes no sense that kiddie toys like Lego are advertised in there. Obviously that is how Marvel/DC is presenting their target audience to these companies, so they obviously want it both ways (saying it’s not for kids yet including ads for kids). I’m glad that comic shop employee makes the effort to point out to parents that they shouldn’t be buying these issues, and instead redirects them to the kids section, good on him.
“The comics are rated T for Teen, or Teen +. So what we did was put them in the hands of children who clearly weren’t the target audience for such adult content.”
Idiots.
That being said, while the general report is in congruence with a lot of smoke and mirrors on comic books’ compaitbility with a young audience, in this particular instance I agree 100%. The sex and violence in DC specifically as well as Marvel has gotten to the point where it supercedes necessitation for story content. It’s just trying to be “mature” for “maturity”‘s sake. Comparing the 60s Batman show to the Dark Knight is completley moronic, as it infers a type of trickery with the target audience. But where the comics are concerned, the report is unfortunately accurate in showing how freaking stupid the adult content has gotten lately. It’s honestly about time Catwoman and Red Outlaws have reached the news networks, because this is a problem. A problem that probably lies in deeper sociological issues, but a problem nonetheless.
Hey, I’m in the age demographic these comics are meant for! I’m a A/B student, and I have many friends! I’m so corrupted!
Good. there ought to be a huge gulf between “Vertigo”-style magazines and newsstand comics, not the modest crack-in-the-sidewalk that exists now. Media producers also have responsibilities to society, not just parents trying to fend off tsunamis of crap.
I think its up to parents to know what their kids are reading/playing and I think this story is blowing things a bit out of proportion. That said, I do think DC could stand to tone down the sex and violence in some of their titles.
Sigh
As BD said it’s the parent’s job to make sure what the kid is reading is appropriate. Beside fox news reports of military engagement are pretty violent from what i heard. Maybe they should get a M rating too, so teenagers can’t watch it.
Fox News? Are they associated with 20th Centruy Fox, the movie studio that put out FIVE X-Men movies with half naked characters and Wolverine slashing people to death and dropping F bombs in a PG-13 movie?
I agree with most of you commenters above, even though I think that they´re actually right on one part, being the oversexualization of the characters, but they did put a pretty unfair angle on the whole thing.
Kids can play Call of Duty or Halo, which are clearly marked with an M, but they shouldn’t read comics, which also have a clear T rating?
“Hey, kids! COMICS!”
Yawn. ANOTHER sensationalist news report about how comics are corrupting our children? You know what? I’m not gonna bother with an outrage.
I could tell you every way how this report twists facts. You guys know every way how the report twists the facts. It ain’t the first time, and it won’t be the last.
“The reporter then showed the teen books to kids under 13 to add shock value to the report.”
Hmmm… sounds like she’s part of the problem, doesn’t it?