Why is Marvel using bad words in a regular imprint?

[Guy Gardener]

Guardians of the galaxy had a spattering of uses of the words "Shit" and "Fuck" with out a hint of censorship.

I liked it.

About damn time.

But these must be the end of days.

Hello Armageddon!

I have to wonder though about the next reprinting of Next Wave, whether they'll put all the swearing in, because I think the the skull and bone swap outs in themselves are a character all together themselves in that book.

I'm going back to my reading to look for more expletives.

 

[Hermiod]

Why shouldn't they ? They have their own ratings system to tell concerned parents what the book might contain and they don't have to listen to the Comics Code Authority anymore.

 

[Guy Gardener]

It just seems like an evolutionary leap.

The code was abandoned when an early Peter Milligan X-Force had the lead vomit acid on a girls face during a sex act some 7 or 8 years back in nought 2ish.

Max is, was where this stuff was "contained" but... these are not my grandpappy's comics?

i was seriously asking if there has been some editorial shift?

I don't keep track of these things any more.

 

[spocksbrain]

I'm the opposite of a prude, but I actually find the swear words and pokey nipples in regular comic books (i.e., not specifically or adults) a bit distasteful. Just because I'm 35 years old and still read comic books, that doesn't change the fact that the medium is actually for kids.

Graphic novels for adults is one thing, the same way that regular books written for adults contain profanity and sex. But comics for kids, or cross-generational books, don't seem to take their prime readership into account any more. Harry Potter was read by an awful lot of adults, but J.K. Rowling (and/or her publisher) never forgot that it was intended for kids, so there was no sex and no swearing ... and, gosh darnit, that's how it shoud be.

 

[The Mirrorball Man]

Just because I'm 35 years old and still read comic books, that doesn't change the fact that the medium is actually for kids.

Nonsense.

 

[miraclefan]

Just because I'm 35 years old and still read comic books, that doesn't change the fact that the medium is actually for kids.

Oh you poor man. Kids don't read comics anymore, they just play them newfangeld X-boxs and snort krack!

 

[miraclefan]

It just seems like an evolutionary leap.

The code was abandoned when an early Peter Milligan X-Force had the lead vomit acid on a girls face during a sex act some 7 or 8 years back in nought 2ish.

Dude! do you have that issue? and are there any links with more info on this? because this is the first time I'VE ever heard of this.

 

[Nick Ryder]

You can probably find it in TPB form, although honestly I can't fuckin' stand Mike Allred's style especially when they try to do something wacked out like that. It 'sounds' cooler than it looks. But it almost seemed like that "X-Force" title just TRIED its hardest to be controversial and shocking. Its like as if Alice Cooper wasn't content to fake the gore and just started ripping people and things apart for the hell of it.

I don't mind a bit of shock and awe and "holy shit did they really do that?!" but I dunno it seemed like they were trying to be shocking for the sake of being shocking.

 

[C.E. Evans]

I'm the opposite of a prude, but I actually find the swear words and pokey nipples in regular comic books (i.e., not specifically or adults) a bit distasteful. Just because I'm 35 years old and still read comic books, that doesn't change the fact that the medium is actually for kids.

The publishers of both Marvel and DC will be the first to tell you that adults comprise the bulk of their readership and have been for a few decades now.

It's for this reason that Marvel and DC developed all-ages lines for younger readers because their mainstream books had to adopt to an increasingly more mature audience who wanted more mature content.

 

[Nick Ryder]

Yeah but "Mature" shouldn't mean "Hey! Let's say stuff like shit and fuck and piss and all the bad words that George Carlin said we can't say on TV! And let's just show some titties and asses and why not a few schlongs while we're at it! I'm sure the female readers want to know how Spider-Man compares to Captain America in the 'equipment' department!"

Can't "mature" simply mean complex, weighty, maybe a bit more violent and "real" but not resorting to just swearing and cussin and showing stuff that you only see in porno flicks

 

[TheArsenal]

It's for this reason that Marvel and DC developed all-ages lines for younger readers because their mainstream books had to adopt to an increasingly more mature audience who wanted more mature content.

As far as I can see, however, there appear to be very, very few all ages books in the superhero genre.

 

[coolghoul]

The Marvel Adventures line is aimed at all-ages. These are smaller digest-like books with typically 4 stories in each digest.

And it contains some really nice writing that I enjoy reading. The writers really enjoy some of the stuff.

They also did a similar version for DC. Where the characters resemble the look of the Timmverse DCAU cartoons a bit. The Batman ones were really nice. I remember a Batman story where Bruce Wayne goes to a therapist and they do a Word Association exercise. With Bruce saying one thing to the therapist and thinking another (which is Batman-centric). It was awesome in it's simplicity! Just 3-4 pages but really captured Bats.

 

[Myasishchev]

Yeah but "Mature" shouldn't mean "Hey! Let's say stuff like shit and fuck and piss and all the bad words that George Carlin said we can't say on TV! And let's just show some titties and asses and why not a few schlongs while we're at it! I'm sure the female readers want to know how Spider-Man compares to Captain America in the 'equipment' department!"

Can't "mature" simply mean complex, weighty, maybe a bit more violent and "real" but not resorting to just swearing and cussin and showing stuff that you only see in porno flicks

I am faintly curious to see if Cap's steroid overdose had unpleasant side effects.

They also did a similar version for DC. Where the characters resemble the look of the Timmverse DCAU cartoons a bit. The Batman ones were really nice. I remember a Batman story where Bruce Wayne goes to a therapist and they do a Word Association exercise. With Bruce saying one thing to the therapist and thinking another (which is Batman-centric). It was awesome in it's simplicity! Just 3-4 pages but really captured Bats.

Sounds like Rorshach's rorshach test in Watchmen.

 

[Nick Ryder]

Those Marvel Adventures books are pretty good actually, fun, minimal continuity stuff that feels almost like a breath of fresh air when compared to some of the overly convoluted and downright bizarre stuff we're getting. I liked the Marvel Adventures Avengers team book - with Cap, a non jerkwad Iron Man, Spider-Man, Hulk, Wolverine and Storm and some chick as Giant Girl(Woman-whatever) I picked up a couple of those at Target and really kind of enjoyed them, reminded me of the Marvels in the 80s and early 90s.

 

[C.E. Evans]

Yeah but "Mature" shouldn't mean "Hey! Let's say stuff like shit and fuck and piss and all the bad words that George Carlin said we can't say on TV! And let's just show some titties and asses and why not a few schlongs while we're at it! I'm sure the female readers want to know how Spider-Man compares to Captain America in the 'equipment' department!"

Can't "mature" simply mean complex, weighty, maybe a bit more violent and "real" but not resorting to just swearing and cussin and showing stuff that you only see in porno flicks

You need to see more porn.

The bulk of Marvel's mainsteam straddles a line between PG and PG-13. Imprints such as MAX and ICON do frequently cross over into R-rated material, but they either come with a explict material warning or not sold alongside all-ages comics. Some shops even place them in an adults only section, which is pointless in many cases because only adults go to comic book shops anyway these days.

Those Marvel Adventures books are pretty good actually, fun, minimal continuity stuff that feels almost like a breath of fresh air when compared to some of the overly convoluted and downright bizarre stuff we're getting. I liked the Marvel Adventures Avengers team book - with Cap, a non jerkwad Iron Man, Spider-Man, Hulk, Wolverine and Storm and some chick as Giant Girl(Woman-whatever) I picked up a couple of those at Target and really kind of enjoyed them, reminded me of the Marvels in the 80s and early 90s.

And that's exactly what Marvel does. They do aim comics towards particular audiences or age groups. While Marvel Adventures is sometimes regarded as a "kiddy line," it really is more of an "ole' school Marvel" line. In my local comic book shop, the Marvel Adventures line is located nowhere near the stuff aimed at older readers...

 

[Davros]

There are no bad words

 

[miraclefan]

I am faintly curious to see if Cap's steroid overdose had unpleasant side effects.

 

[zakkrusz]

There are no bad words

Exactly, there are only "colorful metaphors".

Anyway, to answer the question, it's probabally because comics are rated now, with a similar system used for videogames. E, T, M, etc.

 

[Kirk's_Tights]

It's about time.


Spock: Your use of language has altered since our arrival. It is currently laced with, shall we say, more colorful metaphors, "double dumb-ass on you" and so forth.
Kirk: Oh, you mean the profanity?
Spock: Yes.
Kirk: Well that's simply the way they talk here. Nobody pays any attention to you unless you swear every other word.


Truth.

 

[miraclefan]

Just because I'm 35 years old and still read comic books, that doesn't change the fact that the medium is actually for kids.

Nonsense.

Agreed! this poor guy does not know the TRUE origin of the comics medium.