17% Hugh. 100% Hefner. (or is that 83%?)

[thehefner]

An old man called up the comic store today and asked me for recommendations for something Superman-related for his six-year-old grandson. I recommended the Showcase Superman collection of reprints from the 50's, classic fun all-ages stuff.

"It's all right for him, right?" He asked. "It's not like all other comics today, filled with pornography and violence and sadism?"

And of course even though I said yes, I thought about what he said all day. I mean, on the pornography front, I can just discount that as crotchety old man thinking. I remember one old woman referred to the Authority's Engineer as a "pornographic" image. Hell, far as I'm concerned, the only pornographic comics are things like LOST GIRLS, and even that failed as pornography from what I understand. One person's sexy is another person's pornography. Like, I consider Playboy a nudie mag, not pornography, but there are many who disagree with me. So I can discount his thoughts there just fine.

But I was just about to do the same on the violence and sadism part, and what immediately came to mind was all the head-punching, brain-blowing, neck-snapping, Dr. Rapey shock value in superhero comics over the past few years. Crotchety Old Man may be looking at it from a out-of-touch perspective ("Besleeve yourself, strumpet!"), but the kicker is, he's not entirely wrong.

Not that I don't love a good bloodbath, nor do I think superhero comics should be entirely sanitized for all-ages. I like adult (or at least, PG-13) sensibilities in superhero stories, but I also love stories that are a bit more light and fun. The only thing that's a bigger shame than the fact that there are pitifully few superhero comics for kids is the fact that there are pitifully few kids who even read comics anymore, much less superhero comics.

I do sometimes wonder who the next generation of superhero comic readers will be. If there even will be one at all.


Oh, and a quiz meme:

You scored as Steven Morrissey. You're Morrissey, that's pethetic. </td> Dante Alighieri 75% Steven Morrissey 75% C.G. Jung 75% Jesus Christ 67% Friedrich Nietzsche 67% Sigmund Freud 58% Adolf Hitler 50% Miyamoto Musashi 42% Elvis Presley 42% Charles Manson 33% Stephen Hawking 33% Mother Teresa 33% Hugh Hefner 17% O.J. Simpson 8% What Pseudo Historical Figure Best Suits You? created with QuizFarm.com

I've never really listened to any Morrissey, but based on what little I know about him, I'm going to assume this is sadly accurate enough in the eyes of many. At least I'm tied with Dante and Jung, although I can't quite say if it would be more honorable to be either of them.

Honestly, the only reason I took the quiz is to find out what percentage Hugh Hefner I am. And look at that, a full 17%!

It makes me wonder if Hugh will be remembered hundreds of years from now. I don't quite know how to feel about that. Does that mean I'll still exist far in the future as a footnote in the studies of biographers and Playboy Philosophers? Hey, some people are lucky enough just to be footnotes. Still, it makes me wonder.

Whenever I see something about Hugh, it always puts me in an existential frame of mind.

Comments

[kali921.livejournal.com]

Well, I have to agree about the violence part. What was Infinite Crisis rated as? Because I wouldn't want a kid reading that and seeing the image of Black Adam poking his fingers through someone's head and sending brain tissue and eyeballs flying across the room in a bloody corona or Pantha being torn apart and dismembered by Emo!Superboy (that was Pantha, wasn't it?). The same goes for the last issue of The Ultimates, which had some exceptionally graphic gore when Ultimate!Pietro metes out a speed beating to What's Her Name and makes her head basically explode. Mmmm, flying eyeballs!

Or, let's talk about tearing people's faces off again: how about that issue of Moon Knight where Marc did cut off Bushman's face? Jesus, when I think of my nine year old buddies that live down the street from me, I cringe when I think of them coming across that.

Someone asked me the other day what super hero comic I'd recommend for a ten year old, and I honestly couldn't think of anything other than the Power Pack, which isn't a regularly published title, and maybe some of the more saccharine Spidey titles. Maybe the Franklin Richards specials, but they don't publish regularly.

It's odd. I haven't seen a kid under the age of fourteen or so in my LCS except once, and that kid had close parental supervision.

[tompurdue.livejournal.com]

Whenever they reinvent a comic story line, it always gets darker. It's the obvious place to go; it's a more cynical age. And the most obvious thing to recognize is that the Superman of the 40s who beat up Nazis is going to seem dreadfully naive today.

At least, it would to an adult. They still know how to write naive children's stuff over on television.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Well, naive is a bit of a strong word. Look at Pixar, and especially THE INCREDIBLES, which really was one of the best superhero movies ever made, if not the best. It's not impossible to write an intelligent, "adult" (or story that can appeal to adults, or even children) story without resorting to cheap tricks like shock value or dark cynicism.

It's just not bloody easy to do. But it can be done. It has been! If only more people followed those examples. Or gave those examples their money.

[jellied.livejournal.com]

What about any of the Ultimates titles? Granted I haven't read anything other than Ultimate Spider-man or Ultimate X-Men.

I point younger readers in the direction of Marvel Teamup, Teen Titans Go!, Mouse Guard, etc.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Ultimate Spider-Man, I think so. Yes, that does work well, although then again, for this old guy's standards, even that might be too much.

That said, I would never recommend the Ultimates to a young reader for a number of reasons. For one thing, it's very violent (see the fight with Quicksilver last issue), and also, it's so damn cynical and bombastic. Everyone is a jerk. It's a fun book, but there's no soul, no heart. These aren't what I'd want kids to be reading, if only because... well... these aren't the Avengers.

For much younger kids, hell, I recommend the Essential and Showcase editions of the original, classic comics. The Marvel ones especially hold up, while the DC ones are fun and often cracktacular. I'm amazed by how silly yet how sincere (and therefore actually quality) classic Superman stories can be.

But then, I'm an idealist. And I'm an idealist because I was raised by superhero books, so I'd like the same ideals instilled in kids too. That's just how I see things, lord knows if that's right. But Ultimate Spider-Man definitely nails that, even if it isn't my favorite book.

(And if only more kids read SPIDER-MAN LOVES MARY JANE, I just think that's a really underrated all-ages book)

[jellied.livejournal.com]

I'm just not a big fan of Mary Jane to be honest. I started reading those two Ultimate titles when I heard about Kitty and Pete (what is this? a recurring joke now?).

I'm actually very snotty with anyone who tries to read either manga or manga based works, in terms of style-- mostly because I can't stand the demographic who comes in and tries to read those.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

While manga-esque styles bother me too, I find the MJ artist to give the characters, even the most nasty, a strange endearing quality. When a more normal artist drew a fill-in storyline, I actually lost interest. She may not always be a sympathetic character, but I'm more interested in her high-school goings-on than the ones in Ultimate Spider-Man. I do get kinda sick of Bendis'... Bendisness.

And I'm with you on the manga fans. Have you ever noticed that folks who are pretty much straight-comic-fans are kinda normal folks, people who could pass you on the street without you noticing? Manga and anime fans, on the other hand, I can spot a mile away. And I love my manga-loving friends, but still, hoo boy, they are a hyper and frightening bunch.

That said, I started catching FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST on Adult Swim, and was actually amazed by how powerful and watchable it is. So even I dip into the other pool occasionally (TRIGUN is also loverly, but on the other hand, I'm the only person I know who doesn't like COWBOY BEBOP).

[holli.livejournal.com]

I've been doing my best to intorduce my 11-year-old sister to comics, but I find there are very, very few current DC books I'm willing to let her read. Instead, I track her down Young Justice and Impulse backissues (this far, Impulse is her favorite DC character), and non-superhero stuff like Polly & the Pirates and Bone. I'm giving her Runaways for Hanukah this year-- I think she's old enough for it.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

YJ is excellent, yes. I'd also track down the Batman and Superman animated series comics (the Superman stories by Mark Millar? Surprisingly excellent!).

Also, DC-wise I'd recommend NEW FRONTIER, JLA YEAR ONE, and FLASH/GL: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD, BATMAN: STRANGE APPARITIONS (with the Laughing Fish story!) and SUPERMAN: MAN OF STEEL (or maybe BIRTHRIGHT, but I dunno, it feels a tad bit more advanced). Not much else comes to mind, sadly. I just wanted to get a mental note of which books might be good for younger folk to check out.

[kali921.livejournal.com]

...did I type something that upset you? Why no response?

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Because you said what you said beautifully, and I had nothing to add!

Be not so neurotic, all is well, all is well, and all manner of things will be well!

[kali921.livejournal.com]

ALL IS NOT WELL I AM A PESSIMIST AND I CRAVE POSITIVE AFFIRMATION, SIR

There.