Marvel & DC's dismissal of young readers...

[keith71_98]

With that in mind, I am not sure if you can really make an all-ages book that would be widely like by all ages. I am sure that it can happen by accident, but it is very difficult to do by design.

Oh yes you can. I recall a couple of Hickman's Fantastic Four/FF books fell into the All Ages rating but the story continued without missing a beat. Both books maintained the same good reviews as the series has enjoyed.

[HassanT]

With that in mind, I am not sure if you can really make an all-ages book that would be widely like by all ages. I am sure that it can happen by accident, but it is very difficult to do by design.

Oh yes you can. I recall a couple of Hickman's Fantastic Four/FF books fell into the All Ages rating but the story continued without missing a beat. Both books maintained the same good reviews as the series has enjoyed.

Good reviews for kids? I really like Hickman but I don't think Hickman is really writing for young kids but for teenagers/adults regardless of the rating. I don't think young kids would really find his stories interesting. That was my point about demographics.

That said, I don't think Marvel's all-ages rating is consitent with DC's or even the MPAA's. Based on that Ben and Johnny going to a bar and drinking I don't considered it all-ages. There are other things as well. It doesn't mean I wouldn't give the comic book to my kids, but I wouldn't consider it all-ages.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motion_pic ... ing_system

[Danscomics]

Buy Gladstone School for World Conquerors and Reed Gunther from Image comics.

both good examples of ALL ages reads. Both Adults and kids will equally enjoy 'em.

Two more GREAT examples, I should have remembered these myself! Thanks, Paul!

Now you have 6 books you can share with your son:
Atomic Robo
Gladstone's School for World Conquerors
Reed Gunther
Spider-Man (by Paul Tobin)
Super Dinosaur
Super Heroes (Marvel all ages)

Plus Sonic, Sonic Universe, Sponge Bob, Chip N Dale, Mega Man, Darkwing Duck, Simpsons, Futurama, and Young Justice titles

Sadly Chip N Dale and Darkwing Duck have both been cancelled by Disney pulling their licenses from Boom. (Darkwing Duck has 2 issues left but is ending on 18 ). Those were losses that have saddened me, I was enjoying them

[Paul Nolan]

Roger Langridges SNARKED #1 came out just this week from Boom!'s Kaboom! imprint.

[IanG]

One of the things I was hoping for from DC's New 52 was that they may open the door wider to young readers.

That ship has sailed a long time ago. Mainsteam superhero comics stopped being for little kids back when comics went out of newsstands and in to the direct market/comic shops. I think the new 52 has shown that DC wants more of Marvel's type of market with their "edgier" tone. I do agree with you, if DC could take out one or two swear words per issue to make Green Lantern "PG" instead of "PG-13," then why not be more inclusive. I wouldn't mind. I don't remember any swears in Green Lantern #1. Were there any? I'll have to go back and check. I have to admit if all mainstream superhero comics were all like DC's "Johnny DC" line or Marvel's "Adventures," then I woudn't read them. I think there has to be a middle ground somewhere. DC probably doesn't want to take a business risk on trying to find that middle ground.

[jkarguth]

I hate to say it but back issue shopping might be your best bet. Turning back to things like the Batman, Superman and Justice League Adventure lines. Another fun option might that Spider-Man PSA collection in Previews this month. The villains are usually hokey enough you both might both have a good laugh about it, but pull away some good lessons too. I always enjoyed Marvel Tales growing up. I think there are Spider-Ham collections too. It takes some digging and trial & error but there is material out there.

[Paul Nolan]

couldn't help but notice this Diamond Previews update

Marvel

• Disney/Pixar Presents Toy Story (AUG110631, $5.99) will feature two movie adaptation stories and not two all-new stories.

why on earth did Disney not renew with Boom!

[spid]

couldn't help but notice this Diamond Previews update

Marvel

• Disney/Pixar Presents Toy Story (AUG110631, $5.99) will feature two movie adaptation stories and not two all-new stories.

why on earth did Disney not renew with Boom!

They own Marvel. Why would they not keep the money in house if the can?

[Paul Nolan]

couldn't help but notice this Diamond Previews update

Marvel

• Disney/Pixar Presents Toy Story (AUG110631, $5.99) will feature two movie adaptation stories and not two all-new stories.

why on earth did Disney not renew with Boom!

They own Marvel. Why would they not keep the money in house if the can?

Because Marvel are atrocious at publishing and marketing children's comics. Boom! would arguably have earnt them both money and a increased Disneys library had they kept control. Marvel haven't produced a single new piece of work based on the licenses in the 7 months since the original Pixar / Marvel announcement.

[BobBretall]

I do agree with you, if DC could take out one or two swear words per issue to make Green Lantern "PG" instead of "PG-13," then why not be more inclusive.

This is a good point. I don't think the swearing adds any value to the stories, and doubt their absence would be noticed by people who don't mind them, but would REALLY help with people who do mind them.

The more problematic thing is toning down the dismemberment (which there was a lot of).

[boshuda]

But I think my greater point is being missed. So much of the content added to give these books the Teen or Teen+ adds nothing to the stories. Again, remember the books that many of us grew up on? They didn't have loads of profanity, gory beheadings and dismemberments, and gratutious sexual content yet they were still solid books that weren't dumbed down just to be age appropriate.

I would like to see the mainstream books tone it all down quite a bit. There's something nice about escaping to a world where the violence is a little more cartoony, when someone swears it's censored out (and only happens every 3-4 issues at most), and death is handled as a very serious event.

I think this is could be an opportunity for the big two. If editorial/management decides all of the books from this point forward are going to be cleaner it will set a new ceiling. Then, once people are accustomed to the cleaner stories some more graphic events can be allowed to pop through that ceiling for story emphasis. I think it would give more impact to those events if they were out of the norm. The industry feels like it's in one of those spirals where everything needs to be bigger and more shocking than before to get an impact. If the ceiling were set lower that wouldn't be necessary. And it would force creators to focus on telling good stories, as opposed to simply setting things up for shock value.

[abysslord]

Do you think the market could handle a "classic" version of the major superheroes that are new comics but written in the style and art of the silver age? I know I'd buy Spider-Man if they did that.

Did DC do that a month ago or so? I remember seeing something like that in the solicits but maybe those were reprints.

[spid]

couldn't help but notice this Diamond Previews update
why on earth did Disney not renew with Boom!

They own Marvel. Why would they not keep the money in house if the can?

Because Marvel are atrocious at publishing and marketing children's comics. Boom! would arguably have earnt them both money and a increased Disneys library had they kept control. Marvel haven't produced a single new piece of work based on the licenses in the 7 months since the original Pixar / Marvel announcement.

By doing it in-house they could do anything Boom was doing with the property. Marvel has a wider reach, and better name recognition than Boom. And just because nothing has been announced does not mean nothing is being done with the license.

[spid]

Do you think the market could handle a "classic" version of the major superheroes that are new comics but written in the style and art of the silver age? I know I'd buy Spider-Man if they did that.

Did DC do that a month ago or so? I remember seeing something like that in the solicits but maybe those were reprints.

It did not seem to work with when Kurt Busiek tried it with "The Untold Tales Of Spider-Man" which seemed to be constantly under the threat of being cancelled.

[abysslord]

Do you think the market could handle a "classic" version of the major superheroes that are new comics but written in the style and art of the silver age? I know I'd buy Spider-Man if they did that.

Did DC do that a month ago or so? I remember seeing something like that in the solicits but maybe those were reprints.

It did not seem to work with when Kurt Busiek tried it with "The Untold Tales Of Spider-Man" which seemed to be constantly under the threat of being cancelled.

But didn't that try to tell stories between the older issues? Maybe brand new stories would work better ... maybe not though.