Are comics for kids or adults?

the Marvel Adventure line is some really good quality writing and it's geared for kids

" Subjective. "

This is more a general discussion, doesn't really belong in the Batman forum.

Subjective how?  Are you saying that all comics and the movies based on them are acceptable to some parents while others are not?  I understand that there are degrees to what is considered violent or appropriate but there are defiantly two extremes here.  The only problem is when the same character is in both extremes.  I know there are great books and movies geared for children and that is great, but the same characters are in much more violent books and movies.  Should they make Freddy Kruger dolls for five year olds?  I know that is not likely but isn't that what you are saying by "subjective"?

honestly  im 21 and when i was younger a learned about the characters throught the cartoon series. i would start there.

then when i wanted more i went to the comic store and wanted all the comics of BATMAN  and realized things were way way darker then i previously thought.

so i guess i would go with older comics maybe like old Justice leauge , old Batman, old superman, old spiderman ? thats what my parent did ..... and it helped me learn why the character like Bats became so dark later on in the comic. I understood it way better and did not currupt me on any level to my knoledge. haha

honestly i would stay away from new comics of characters like wolverine, deadpool, even Cap America has become more for adults  
  
anyway thats my best idea for you

Depends on the comic, honestly. Stuff like Watchmen is obviously not for kids. The majority of events (Blackest Night, Siege) aren't either. Ongoing titles can be, but it really depends.

Comic books make are set up to make money over time. If they can sell to both kids and adults they will. If a Batman cartoon sells to kids it'll keep getting made, if a Batman comic arch written by Grant Morrison will sell then it will be sold. 
 
How can you be sure you kid doesn't read Batman Gothic when he's 11 like I did: engage with him what he's into. I don't want to give parental advise, as I currently have no desire for kids what-so-ever, but you, and to some degree your local comic store owner, need to act as a filter because there is no clear answer to what parts of comics are for kids and what aren't.

Just be sure to keep kids away from Garth Ennis

" Just be sure to keep kids away from Garth Ennis "

nowadays i'd say the mainstream universe of marvel is geared towards a more mature audience cough *ares guts* cough. but their marvel adventures line is great for all ages. dc i'd say they're the more mature side too catering to a smaller group of young readers

"   A parent can;t buy something with Batman in it and know that it's safe without examining it.   "

Wow fantastic response.  I have to thank you for such a thought out intelligent  response.  I honestly agree with you on almost everything.  I obviously agree that a parent should do all they can to examine what there children are watching/reading.  Before I became a parent I have read books about parenting.  Several of them said that parents need to watch the same thing the children watch for just this reason.  Obviously with my comicvine wiki points and level as far as comics are concerned I know more than the average parent so I am better equipped but I still run into problems when dealing with this issue.  A couple examples would be friends and relative buying gifts for your child who may not be as knowledgeable as I.  They know they like Batman and buy any old thing with his face on it.  Then the parent break the kids heart when they take their present away.  They also have school and other activities where a parent is not around.  I know that is part of growing up and let's face it there are worse things but kids can not just see Batman and know it's safe and I think that is disappointing.  
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You are also rright about the cigarette comment.  It is more difficult to make a point in this form rather than a face to face debate and I was using it as an extreme example to make my point.  I do not really believe they are at the same level.  When i go to a store and see something with Jason, Freddy, Saw, or Chucky  I know right away that it is violent.  Something like Batman (and again just using as an example) is not as clear.  
 
Lastly, and this is more of a separate issue but our rating system in the US is very flawed.  I have found out quickly that there are some things that are rated R that are fine and some things rated PG-13 that are not for children.  I would not let an eight year old see the Dark Night movie rated PG-13 but Spider-man with the same rating was fantastic! You may not be a parent but you sound like you would be a good one.

 
"There’s no such thing as comics for adults.  There are just comics for kids and comics for kids that they have to hide from their parents because they contain drawings of boobs." 
 
I don't think that's true, but I think that quote is hillarious XD.

The point is, film (and other) companies want to capitalise as much as possible on what they're making. By saying something is made solely for adults, they alienate the younger generation - no money from them. So the way they do it now, they get to have their cake and eat it too. It's just the business of the industry.
Like @Liberty said, film ratings (and other ratings) are annoying, flawed, and imprecise (and also terribly subjective). Here in the UK, it's the same. The Dark Knight was rated 12A - meaning any child under 12 is allowed to see it with adult supervision. The BBFC suggests that the absolute minimum age is 8, which some might see as being too liberal. A useful website that the BBFC set up was the PBBFC, which is the Parents' BBFC - containing all the issues and topics concerning ratings and such that parents need to know.
But then, social context changes - things that were controversial 20 years ago are seen as normal now (just take a look at A Clockwork Orange which was banned for a long time before receiving an 18 certificate. The "brutal" scenes in that film look tame compared to something like those in the Hostel or Saw films). In the same way, things that are seen as controversial now might not be in the future. 
I've just noticed I haven't actually mentioned comics, which was the main issue here. I think drawing a firm line drawn between children and adult content is difficult, and particularly risky in business terms. A lot of comics are marketed with children in mind (for example with the merchandise), because children are a profitable demographic, it's as simple as that. So if those children were to stop having stuff aimed at them (and hence, wanting their parents to buy it for them), companies would be losing a bunch of money they would otherwise have had. That's not to say they couldn't start investing in other audiences (they could alter their lines into more collectible adult-oriented merch), but especially now in the recession, it's unlikely that they'd ever do that.
 
On the other hand, I grew up with a very lenient background. My parents let me watch pretty much what I wanted (I was on Buffy by the age of 9), and hey, I turned out just fine. What is the issue here - is it that children should be shielded from the material because it might disturb them? Or that they might copy it? I guess that's where the 'subjective' thing came from.
 
And regarding the parenting: an an ideal world parents would check everything through but the fact is that people just don't do it.

Good question considering that Comics were that in the beginning and were viewed as that for awhile why? Because it had that kid safe look but as time progressed the comic book industry started to get more serious with it's writing and started took take on a more darker tone and anyone who has followed Batman comic since day one as I have know this to be true but that doesn't mean that Kids can't handle it no, i'm not gonna suggest Watchmen to a Seven year old but that's not the point the point is they're are Comics for Adults and Comics for Kids how these lines get blurred.. well that's another story

marvel has a rating system and most comics geared specifically toward adults have the sugested for mature readers sign on them but the best way to see if they're fit for your child to read is to read it yourself before giving it to them dc and marvel both have lines specifically for children as well

it depends on the comic,simple as that

" @speedlgt:   I do like how much batman hates guns in the DCAU of cartoons.  I'm not against owning guns as an issue but his hatred is a reminder that guns are dangerous in a cartoon where the bad guys shoot all over the place. "

I think Batman comics are geared for all ages. Depending on your age and comprehension, you can get different thing out of reading a comic..

Both, depends on the comic.

Holy gravedigging, Batman.

You can't get a real consensus for this because people have different views on what is or is not acceptable (and society grows ever more relative with each passing year). That said...

I always get really angry when I see the media reporting on how video games played a role in [insert violent crime perpetrated by minor here]. Part of that anger is derived from the fact that the games they point to are invariably designed for adults, rated "M" for mature, and only marketed towards mature audiences. I can be righteously indignant, and in good conscience defend the industry, because the fact that young people play these games is entirely on their parents' failure to, well, parent.

But with comics, it's not so black and white. The industry sends incredibly mixed messages. And yeah, profit's their bottom line, but intentionally marketing inappropriate content to minors (or willfully creating confusion in that regard) has been recognized as unethical and, typically, illegal. That's why mature-rated games don't get daytime advertising time, why fruity cigarettes are banned in the US, why you'll never see a redband trailer in a theater except before an R-Rated movie. Sometimes the law goes beyond what my libertarian sensibilities deem reasonable, but the fact remains: it's in the best interest of kids, parents, and the industry to make it as clear as possible whether a product contains material unsuitable for children. I don't really think they do a good job of that. Maybe they were doing it worse two or three years ago (when this thread was created), but I still think there's room for improvement.

I think it's alright having different age categories for comic characters as long as you make sure they're being used correctly. If you enjoy Batman when you're little, you can continue to enjoy his adventures in new ways as you grow up. If you do it gradually, it'll not be too damaging to your mind, I imagine. As long as it's an age appropriate version, things should be alright.

I watched the Batman Animated Series when I was younger, and had toys from it, and liked the two Joel Schumacher Batman films(don't judge me, I was young). When I was a bit older I saw the Tim Burton films, which indeed were darker than my previous Batman experiences, but I was old enough to appreciate them. It was only last year that I started buying comic books and realised that they often are for an older audience, and not for children, as I've had to explain to my dad quite frequently who thinks they're all for children. The Christopher Nolan films do seem a bit grown up too.

Now that I'm talking about this, I'm wondering if my parents deliberately kept my Batman viewing age appropriate. I remember wanting a Batman figure I'd seen in a shop, and it must've been based on one of the Tim Burton films as I was told that I couldn't have it because it was from a grown up film. I can't remember if I managed to convince them or not, but I didn't see the films until I was at least thirteen anyway.

Anyway, if something's too mature for the children, just keep it away from them and things should be fine. :)

By the way, I'm not a parent, if that makes any difference to what I've just said.

depends on the comic.Certain characters like superman and flash are okay for anyone to read others like wolverine and batman tend to sway back and forth from more adult oriented to okay for all ages

Even during the golden age when comics were for kids, they were enjoyed by adults such as soldiers. Nowadays, comics are mainly for teens but they can be enjoyed by kids and adults. Even kids can appreciate adult themes bec. kids are not dumb. Even cartoons for kids or comics for kids can have too much violence if you look at those Looney Tunes cartoons where the characters are seriously hurting each other.

Is there a reason comics can't be for kids and adults? One of my earliest memories of comic reading was a Wolverine miniseries that my brother had bought that most adults would probably say I shouldn't have been reading for several more years. But that's part of growing up. It's how kids learn and develop. They see new things and have to find ways to process it. The "what about the children?" line is never one I've been good at stomaching.

Wait a minute here ain't there an age rating for comic books. If not than I think they should.To me it just seems a little odd that publishers are not giving ratings to comics when other forms of literature do.

@LordMaverick: @time: @akbogert: @Eternal19: @colonyofcells: @roboadmiral: @blackwolf0925: Akbogert said it best. Perfect post. right down to the "Holy Grave Digging Batman" I did not think I would see what I think was my first blog pop up again. What others missed however is the mixture of making a movie like Dark Knight for adults and having action figures of the movie sold with kids as the target consumer. It is not about rating when you make an R movie and then gear the merchandise for kids. Some stuff is rated but only the savvy consumer knows what it appropriate for their child. It often happens that a well intentioned Grandparent buys the wrong product thinking it is alright not knowing the content. When a comic fan on a comic website like (blackwolf0925 in the post just above) does not know if there is a rating on comics how are parents who have no idea expected too?

Comics are for adults now...and that's killing the industry due to lack of growth.

Comics are priced out of the range of children and are sold in places that kids don't go to with their parents.

Comics are increasingly graphic in all regards and the number of all ages books is shrinking.

If a real move isn't made to bring in new readers (availability, price, format) the comic market is only going to continue to shrink.

Gimmicky tweaking, reboots and .1s serve only to shuffle adult readers from one company are title to another. The market needs to grow again rather than just keep fighting over the same 30-40 year olds.

@Crash_Recovery said:

Comics are for adults now...and that's killing the industry due to lack of growth.

Comics are priced out of the range of children and are sold in places that kids don't go to with their parents.

Comics are increasingly graphic in all regards and the number of all ages books is shrinking.

If a real move isn't made to bring in new readers (availability, price, format) the comic market is only going to continue to shrink.

Gimmicky tweaking, reboots and .1s serve only to shuffle adult readers from one company are title to another. The market needs to grow again rather than just keep fighting over the same 30-40 year olds.

Wow this blog is getting better posts now I think than when it was posted 2 years ago. I agree with you completely.

@CylonDorado said:

"There’s no such thing as comics for adults. There are just comics for kids and comics for kids that they have to hide from their parents because they contain drawings of boobs."

THIS

@The_Lunact_And_Manic: That's silly. Yes there are certainly comics that are "mature" because they're gratuitous (like Many TV shows or Video games) but there are also great examples in all of those mediums where a story is thoughtful and well put together and contains mature themes.

@Crash_Recovery: I was joking ,but, I'm not going to read Birds Of Prey or Hellblazer at my grandmother's house..

@Liberty: I don't really read comics myself, I am more of an outsider looking in. I am interested in the general outlook of comics. I am more of an Manga reader than anything and I know for fact that Manga has age ratings and genre's for the targeted audiences. I was just wondering about the fact if comics do this. The only current comic book series I own is Empowered and that is an Mature book by age rating standards. I checked out comics at my local library to see if this was something that the mainstream publishers did. I was surprised to find that really only some of them did have age ratings on them. The more recent the comics have this but a lot of the older ones don't.

@blackwolf0925: My bad. I made an assumption. Sorry. I do think my overall point is valid but then that would be obvious. I'm glad to posted here. Thank you.