Earlier in the week in the midst of the whole Disney/Marvel buyout thing I had seen a post on FaceBook about the idea that it might be a good thing for Disney to buy Marvel because it might mean there would be more all-ages comics. This is most assuredly true, however is this a completely good thing? I think this is more of a “yes and no” thing myself.
Why? Well you have two sides on this. On one side you have the truth that there defiantly are not enough all-ages comics. Now I do a ton of all-ages things. My concept of all-ages is not necessarily just for children so much as safe for children to read yet not make an adult feel embarrassed or bored to take on, hence all-ages…from five to fifty.
Children’s books are something, in my mind and I think in proper definition, are something that just speaks to children where the age of readership cuts off at the tweens or maybe teens and have nothing to do with adults whatsoever. No challenging concepts that only an adult would know of. Nothing heavy in the realm of gore, horror or sex.
Now that being said I think that we could use a batch of comics that speak to all. However when most corporate folk seem to think that all-ages means material for four year olds. Think of the now cancelled “Spidey Super Stories” from Marvel… well from Marvel and The Electric Company. No challenging plot, concept or action. And this is perfectly fine for the kindergarten set, but is sheer death for comics in general.
In America comics has a horrible image problem. We have the dreaded “funny pages syndrome”…. Basically most people think that comics are for kids and not for adults. They think they are not proper literature and if you’re an adult reading them you are a submoron or a socially deficient person. That you’re a comic “geek”…and please don’t get me started on the geek label…another day for that one.
Comics in this country have a terrible time being taken seriously. Now I know there are a few out there that think that comics are just fine on reputation. That all of the people they meet know of and respect comics. “Hey Watchmen was a major motion picture that was taken seriously…and it, thee graphic novel, won praise and awards…. and what about Maus or Persepolis?”
Yes wonderful examples, lovely work…but guess what…not everyone knows them. And those that do who aren’t fans don’t really care. Mainstream America, Joe Blow Everyman has yet to put any comic next to Huckleberry Finn as far as importance or literary level. And a major, "put it on every supermarket shelf", company like Disney making comics that will serve just very young children under the guise of normal comic books will be a large nail in the coffin of comic book's literary reputation. A large league back…. not a step back…a league…
