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

BobBretall · Post by **BobBretall** » Sat Oct 08, 2011 5:39 pm

Just read the last issue of Vol. 1 of Marineman & was reminded that this is also a great all ages book.

Pick up the Vol. 1 trade or look for the issues, this also has some great profiles of "real life" marine scientists in the back of issues #1-4, not sure if they'll be in the TPB, but I hope so.

keith71_98 · Post by **keith71_98** » Sun Oct 09, 2011 9:57 am

HassanT wrote:
keith71_98 wrote:
HassanT wrote:

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

Why does it have to be "Good review for kids"? I think we underestimate kids. My 9 year old loved the copy I gave him. Did he understand it all? Of course not. But neither did I when I was 10 and buying Sgt. Rock, The Avengers, Detective Comics, etc. But I loved them and they were ALL age appropriate, not watered down for my age at the time.

BobBretall · Post by **BobBretall** » Sun Oct 09, 2011 10:53 am

keith71_98 wrote: Why does it have to be "Good review for kids"? I think we underestimate kids. My 9 year old loved the copy I gave him. Did he understand it all? Of course not. But neither did I when I was 10 and buying Sgt. Rock, The Avengers, Detective Comics, etc. But I loved them and they were ALL age appropriate, not watered down for my age at the time.

I think the point Hassan was trying to make was that the "good reviews" you were citing were generally done from an adult perspective & were not explicitly reviews on how appropriate or how well received the stories would be by kids.

Kids are different and many parents are different.

While one parent does not mind their 9-year-old reading a story with a word like "damn" or something in it, another might be very opposed to that for their child. Same thing with depictions of people boozing it up in bars, or having sexual relations out of wedlock. One parent may say "Oh well, it's everywhere anyway" while another may really want to shelter their kids from that stuff until they're a bit older. Superman #1 had Lois very obviously having rolled out of bed with that Jonathan guy to answer the door. At least they didn't show them IN bed, but that still may be something some parents don't want a 9 year old reading, which is their parental right.

On the kids side, some may be fascinated by a story like the one in FF, but many others would be bored out of their minds by it. My kids are 17 & 21 and won't touch that book with a 10 foot pole. They have NEVER liked those kinds of comics, but will likely mature to like them one day (I hope).

The point is, one size does not fit all, and just because Hickman's FF gets good reviews, I agree that it's a pretty meaningless indicator on how well the book will suit kids in general. A parent should read the stuff and make the call for their own kid based on their knowledge of that kid.