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Monday, January 24, 2011

Not Your Father's Comic Code

In a statement released last week by co-Publishers Jim Lee and Dan DiDio, DC Comics will put ratings that are all but identical to the ESRB video game ratings system on all of its comic books. New issues of Booster Gold will be brought to you by the letter "T."

The Comics Code Authority seal was affixed to the cover of each issue of Booster Gold Volume 1. The preamble of the CCA at the time advised, "This seal of approval appears only on comics magazines which have been carefully reviewed, prior to publication, by the Comics Code Authority, and found to have met the high standards of morality and decency required by the code."
Comics Code Authority Stamp of Approval

The DC "T" rating breaks it down a little differently by simply notifying, "Appropriate for readers age 12 and older. May contain mild violence, language and/or suggestive themes."

Which would you as a parent feel more comfortable handing your child? While the old code represented values, the new code only provides a content disclaimer. How American.

Comments (5) | Add a Comment | Tags: comics code authority

BoosterPowershot posted on Jan. 24, 2011 at 11:14 AM
While I think the CCA seal is more iconic and fitting with comics, the seal doesn't appear too much on DC comic books.
The new rating is also similar to, like you said, the ESRB and video games. Perhaps this is a PR attempt to get kids interested in comic books because it has a similar factor to something that has become the main pop culture revenue.
That said, I'd still prefer the CCA.

Harry posted on Jan. 24, 2011 at 12:19 PM
I found the CCA seal to not be very informative. I found wide ranging material in comics with the CCA, and it isn't on most comics these days. As a parental resource, it was too vague. I find the rating system more informative, but I will still be reading the material to judge for myself. The rating is useful to me because it provides an expectation of what content I might find (assuming the standards are kept consistent).

Boosterrific [Official Comment] posted on Jan. 24, 2011 at 2:54 PM
I don't mean to suggest that I found the CCA a necessity. I suspect that my lingering attachment is primarily nostalgic. (It was on all my favorite books when I discovered comic books: that's a powerful attachment, relevant or not.) The gradual disuse of the CCA certainly made it much less useful in the past decade. (I suspect most readers under 20 have never even heard of it.) I am in favor of any tool that can help spread an appreciation of comics to the uninitiated. If this new rating system can do it, I'm for it.

Boosterrific [Official Comment] posted on Jan. 25, 2011 at 4:44 AM
As a footnote, Vaneta Rogers has an article up over at newsarama.com suggesting that the CCA existed in name only for the past year, and maybe only DC Comics new it. So DC's new scheme would be their solution to the defunct CCA, a bit of a new spin on this story. Read it here: http://www.newsarama.com/comics/comics-code-authority-defunct-since-2009-110124.html

eyz posted on Jan. 27, 2011 at 5:26 AM
I guess I'm okay with these ratings.
They're simple and clear.
The comic code was only there for ol' times' sake, they even said that once or twice over at DC's Source blog.
My question is where will Geoff Johns books fall in? He's known for his over-the-top violence and gore lately. (Red Lanterns, Blackest Night..)

Friday, April 2, 2010

Booster Gold vs The Comics Code

Attentive readers may have noticed that in the most recent issue of Booster Gold, Cyborg Superman blows a huge hole in the Eradicator. My first thought was that that sort of thing wouldn't have been allowed if the new Booster Gold series had been submitted for Comic Code Authority approval as the original series was. But when I double-checked Superman #80, the scene is shown very graphically on the cover of the issue which also bears the Comics Code Stamp of Approval! Comics Code Authority Stamp of Approval
DC Comics still promotes the fact that their Johnny DC line is approved by the Comics Code Authority. But if the modern Code allows for the sort of graphic violence as one man shooting another in half, I can't imagine that the Code is really providing much assurance for parents looking for kid-friendly books. If that's the case, we might as well get the Code back on Booster Gold if it would encourage anybody to buy the book. Then maybe DC could start promoting the time-traveling adventures of Booster Gold as edutainment: a history lesson with staples!

Comments (0) | Add a Comment | Tags: comics code authority

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