CBR: But Marvel, What About the Children?

[CBR News]

With Christmas shopping for his nephew and the ever-widening gap between Marvel's kid-friendly titles and the main Marvel Universe on his mind, Brett White wonders openly, what about the kids?


Full article here.

[Kelly Davis]

Nice article, but why the disrespect to Quasar? I read Quasar as a kid. In fact, it was Quasar #1 that got me into comics when I was 11 years old. That was my X-Men #299, you dig? I know Quasar wasn't the point of your article, but I could not let that comment stand unchallenged. I loved Quasar's book as a kid and I still love it today. You want to know why? Because Quasar is one of the greatest comic books in history. Maybe you should actually read the book. I bet you will be pleasantly surprised.

[Zombie Uatu]

This paragraph concerns me:

Should kids read a story where Wolverine unknowingly kills all of his adult offspring? Should they see the extreme violence and, again, child murder in "Uncanny X-Force?" The images in "Swamp Thing" and "Animal Man" disturb me, so what do they do to someone a third my age? Do kids understand the foreign policy in "Uncanny X-Men" and are they bored by the decompression in "Avengers?

Breaking it down, no child should be reading Uncanny X-Force, Wolverine, Swamp Thing, or Animal Man. They are not comics for children; that is simply not their target demographic. They are written with adult readers in mind, both from the point of view of their graphic content and from the way they are written with continuity in mind. That said, to hold Uncanny X-Men or Avengers to that same rule because they deal with complex issues or tell the story in a certain way is doing children a massive disservice. One should never, ever, avoid giving a child a comic (or any other form of entertainment such as a book or video game) simply on the grounds that it is too complex for them. This assumes that the child will not understand or make the effort to understand without giving them a chance; it takes the choice away from them without considering their views on the matter. At its heart, Uncanny X-Men is still an exciting superhero story, and will appeal to kids on that level even if they don't get the political sub-text. Perhaps they will enjoy, and as they grow up come to recognise that, or perhaps they actually will get it from the get-go and enjoy that.

It's undeniably true that comics in general do themselves a disservice when including massive levels of gratuitous violence. My eight-year-old cousin loves the idea of all the different coloured lanterns in Green Lantern, but actually giving him Blackest Night is something I'd have to think long and hard about. However, if Blackest Night was simply a story about scary undead superheroes coming back from the dead, retaining all of its philosophical undertones and complexity of plot without any of the violence and gore, I would not hesitate to give it to him. It's up to him to decide whether he gets it or not.

Marvel Adventures is a great idea for the young child who is just starting to read comics, but the notion that simplicity of plot is necessary to make a product suitable for a child is, in my opinion, grossly patronising. We should be encouraging our kids to think. I would expect a five or six year old who has just learned to read to enjoy Marvel Adventures, but I'd be hoping he'd move pretty quickly on to Amazing Spider-Man (or better still, Ultimate Spider-Man). The truth is that children are stimulated by intricate, complex stories, not confused by them.

[Nite-Wing]

I didn't know kids still read comics
By my understanding the medium has shifted to a hobby for 20 or 30 somethings rather then something that was supplemental reading for kids or teens who watched a Saturday morning cartoon.

I think Mark Millar made it his job to make sure Marvel comics never had to worry about children readers again.

[Vic Vega]

Pet Avengers
Power Pack
Franklin Richards: Son of A Genius
Howard The Duck
Avengers Next
Marvel Adventures Spider Man
Marvel Adventures Avengers

THAT is the basis for a prospective kids line.

I fail to understand the hand wringing about kids being alienated from the main Marvel line as if kids are regulars customers at comic shops.

Or have been in the past decade.

When Marvel starts putting more than a token effort in getting Adventure line in Magazines and Digest they'll begin to start adressing the problem.

[lilyinblue]

I didn't know kids still read comics
By my understanding the medium has shifted to a hobby for 20 or 30 somethings rather then something that was supplemental reading for kids or teens who watched a Saturday morning cartoon.

I think Mark Millar made it his job to make sure Marvel comics never had to worry about children readers again.

It's sort of a self-feeding cycle, in a way.

Most of us in our 20s and 30s fell in love with these characters as kids. (Yes, I'm sure there are plenty of exceptions.) I was maybe 11 when I first turned into an X-Men fan. (Late 20s, now.) There was plenty of content available for us when we were kids.

Then... the genre sort of grew up with my generation. It became more mature and adult friendly as a lot of us were growing up. So now, they've accomplished one victory in that they are keeping their audience as they age... but at the same time are losing in that there's not as much material to pick up the younger audience that could hypothetically stick around for a decade or more like we have.

There needs to be comics for adults. There also needs to be comics for kids in order to reinforce the future of the industry.

[dougiemccoy]

here my idea buy them books from the Marvels Essentials line...
less harder than the new stuff, and not as kiddies as Marvel Adventures line...
plus you get about two years of books...

[MattBearPig]

You can't go wrong with Thor:The Mighty Avenger.

[Nik]

This article makes me feel reeeeeeally old.

Gotta say, not worried about kids and comics. When I was 9, if Wolverine wasn't nude, smoking a cigar, and gutting somebody, I wasn't interested. But my 4 yr old son is much smarter than me. He loves the new Swamp Thing and Animal Man comics, and he totally gets them.

The kids are alright.

[Nite-Wing]

You can't go wrong with Thor:The Mighty Avenger.

Until it got cancelled

[RDMacQ]

I read an article once that actually encouraged more mature content in comics, and to reinforce the fact that they were not meant for kids, which would then increase kid's appetite for them since they were "forbidden."

It does make some sense- there is some thrill in doing something you know you're not supposed to do or to essentially skirt the rules.

[Wolf_Leader]

This article makes me feel reeeeeeally old.

Gotta say, not worried about kids and comics. When I was 9, if Wolverine wasn't nude, smoking a cigar, and gutting somebody, I wasn't interested. But my 4 yr old son is much smarter than me. He loves the new Swamp Thing and Animal Man comics, and he totally gets them.

The kids are alright.

Not all kids are like your son. I know my 4 year old would not be interested in either of those books, not the stories or the depictions. This is a topic I always like to read views on because my 4 year old does have an interest in superheroes and is at least interested in the notion that I collect comics. He has a handful of issues himself of Young Justice, Batman Brave and Bold, Scooby-Doo, Spiderman Adventures. Only one of those is Marvel. Is that going to be enough to carry his interest until he really can appreciate the more mature stuff (at whatever age), or will he have found something else other than comics and not look back?

[Starleafgirl]

I agree with the sentiments in the article.

I used to wander into comic book shops from the age 12+ as a girl and really started getting into comics somewhere around the teens and I remember there being plenty someone "my age" back then could read safely, in the mainstream universe of various comic lines.

It seems like mainstream comics have gotten more graphic and more mature since I was a teen and that there isn't really anything for the post-pubescent/not-yet-20 crowd. I guess right now you could stick them with "Wolverine and the X-Men" and I'd hope that there will always be a mainstream comic that's about teens for teens without being as "obviously kiddie" as the Marvel Adventures line (which is a godsend for the young kids, I'm sure).

It's surprising there isn't more of a range between kiddie and adult in comics, since the teen years are when kids really solidify their comic book habits for their 20s and 30s.

[shadowpdf]

Marvel pretty much gave up on kids actually (ages 8 to 14) reading new super hero comics about 25 or 30 years ago. Same as the rest of the industry.

All of those grown up fans wanted adult themes and situations and "realism" in their comics and the industry wanted to escape the stigma of being kiddy fair, so by-by youngsters, hello grumpy old men. The industry also said goodbye to high sales in favor of rationalizations for the lower sales figures and acceptance of ridiculously high cost for a single comic book.

You want there to be SOME titles within the mainstream, with the mainstream characters, for kids? Throw out the We're-So-Cool-Everybody-Loves-Us creators and bring in some people who can write and draw and create books that younger people will pay for. You know ... something that shows a little pounding and smashing instead of just 12 pages of head shots of a character talking about stuff that happened.

[Captain Planet]

Pet Avengers
Power Pack
Franklin Richards: Son of A Genius
Howard The Duck
Avengers Next
Marvel Adventures Spider Man
Marvel Adventures Avengers

THAT is the basis for a prospective kids line.

I fail to understand the hand wringing about kids being alienated from the main Marvel line as if kids are regulars customers at comic shops.

Or have been in the past decade.

When Marvel starts putting more than a token effort in getting Adventure line in Magazines and Digest they'll begin to start adressing the problem.

Because comics aren't known for grabbing 30 year olds who have never read comics and making life long customers of them.

It makes sense to want to grab kids for comics. Over their life time they will spend more and there is a greater chance of building loyalty. Its a mistake to not only forget its roots but to narrow its market.

No comic fan should be okay with that.