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DC and Archie Drop the Comics Code

Comicscape: DC and Archie Drop the Comics Code
© Mania

Last week saw Jim Lee and Dan DiDio, co-publishers of DC Comics, announce that the company will no longer submit comics to the Comics Code Authority and will instead implement their own ratings system, similar to the ones used by video games, manga and Marvel Comics. When the news broke, it was widely reported that only Bongo and Archie Comics continued to bear the seal of the Comics Code but further investigation revealed that the seal hadn’t been seen on a Bongo comic in over a year; they just didn’t make a big deal out of it as it’s probably common sense that a company which publishes naught but children’s books probably doesn’t need to tell people their books are safe for all ages.

This shocking trend of common sense continued as Archie, the last bastion of Code-endorsed comic-bookery, quickly announced that they too would be dropping the code, though their content would not be altered in any way, shape or form. Archie Vice President/Managing Editor Mike Pellerito remarked that “The code never affected us editorially the way I think it did other companies. You know, we aren’t about to start stuffing bodies into refrigerators or anything. We have to answer to Archie fans.”

So what does all of this mean? In many ways, it seems largely irrelevant, as the 1970’s and ‘80s proved that comics don’t need Code approval to find an audience and less and less comics are found on newsstands. DC submitted very few of their books to the CCA in recent years and Marvel hadn’t used it in a decade, proving that the Code doesn’t matter much to advertisers either. It probably means that a few people are out of a job, but they had to know that was coming anyway. And we don’t feel that bad about it either. Unlike some of our geek brethren, we don’t have any sympathy for the contractors who bought it when the second Death Star was destroyed. They knew what they were getting into when they signed on to work for the forces of evil.

We can imagine a dank, cobwebby room occupied by three or four geriatric ladies sitting in rocking chairs with red Sharpies, reading through advance copies of Spider-Man and making notes in the margins about ladies showing too much leg or Peter Parker’s sideburns being “of a questionable length”. As of this week, those ladies will be out of a job and will likely wither away into dust, much as the CCA has finally breathed its final, gasping breaths. The dragon has been slain and the final vestiges of the darkest age of the medium we hold so dear has finally come to an end. Good bye and good riddance!

While Archie Comics aren’t going to see any changes, we wonder what the future holds for DC Comics? It has been stated that Vertigo will not be part of the new DC ratings system and will continue to be labeled “For Mature Readers” so we’re betting they won’t see any changes either – we’re guessing it’s the main line of DC books that will likely see some revisions. But before we continue, here’s how the new ratings system breaks down:

• E – EVERYONE: Appropriate for readers of all ages. May contain cartoon violence and/or some comic mischief.
• T – TEEN: Appropriate for readers age 12 and older. May contain mild violence, language and/or suggestive themes.
• T+ - TEEN PLUS: Appropriate for readers age 16 and older. May contain moderate violence, mild profanity, graphic imagery and/or suggestive themes.
• M – MATURE: Appropriate for readers age 18 and older. May contain intense violence, extensive profanity, nudity, sexual themes and other content suitable only for older readers

It’s probably safe to say that the vast majority of DC’s superhero line will be rated T or T+ and we’ll see few changes other than the possibility of a few more curse words here and there. The long-lamented “sonova” might see the popular term for a female dog tacked on the end in the T+ titles, but for the most part, things probably won’t change too much.

Now the “Big M” label… well, we have to admit that it strikes us as a little funny to see the word “mature” used, as we fear these books will be anything but. Remember when Marvel launched the MAX line as a way to tell stories of an adult nature? It was a line intended to tell stories of a supposedly mature nature, but what did we really get? With a few exceptions, it just boils down to a lot more blood, a lot more nudity and Luke Cage having sex with his girlfriend in a very uncomfortable place… like the back of a Volkswagen. It’s a lot like saying that Rambo or Piranha are “mature” films. Yes, they are rated R and no, they probably aren’t suitable for children. But mature? Hardly.

Watchmen, Sandman, Sweet Tooth, Strangers in Paradise… these are mature titles. These are titles with subject matter that might require a bit more life experience and contemplation to fully comprehend. And yes, some of them also feature violent subject matter and nudity. But putting a bunch of sex and violence in a comic doesn’t make it mature. It certainly doesn’t make it all-ages either, but maybe there’s a better word to describe stories of this type? Titillating? Exploitative? Awesome?

For the record, we at Comicscape love gore and violence. We hope it goes without saying that we love sex too (and for the record, we don’t live in our mom’s basement and we don’t have to pay for it!). We love exploitation films – the gorier and more offensive, the better! And yeah, we know we’re really just arguing semantics here: we obviously don’t think that DC or Marvel should put a big R on their comic book covers and we honestly can’t come up with a better word than “mature” either. We’re just wondering if this new ratings system is really just going to be an excuse to feature more boobies and blood in DC comics the way it has been in many of Marvel’s MAX comics? And if that’s the case, we’re cool with that too, being big fans of The Punisher and having no problem with Luke Cage and Jessica Jones acting in… shall we say “a rather Greek manner”?

But in all honesty, this whole thing probably isn’t going to matter one bit. It’s not as though DC, Marvel, Dark Horse or any number of publishers can’t do whatever they want, however they want, whenever they want. This new ratings system is just a way to protect the companies from backlash and with so many eyes on DC and Warner Brothers, they had to address the situation, unlike Bongo, who did away with the code with no fanfare. It lets advertisers know what type of content will be in the book and it keeps DC and Marvel safe from any legal reprecussions should some unsuspecting parent purchase an issue of Cry for Justice. Speaking of which, will there be a rating for books that “may contain unsuitable and/or offensively poor dialogue and characterization”?

All-in-all, we just hope that DC is consistent and honest with their ratings system. We’ll save the arguments for whether or not a ratings system is really even necessary for another column (though we invite you to discuss it in the comments section) because we’re all out of room this week. Though we have no love for the CCA and lament the fact that the growth of our beloved medium has been stunted for years due to the Code’s restrictions, we’ll do the honorable thing tonight and pour a little of our 40 oz. on the sidewalk out of respect for our fallen enemy before popping in a DVD… hmmm, who wants to watch I Spit On Your Grave tonight?

In addition to writing Comicscape and various other feature for Mania.com, most of which aren’t peppered with nearly as many Kevin Smith quotes or references to anal sex, Chad Derdowski also takes part in a couple of swell podcasts. The Zod Complex features a weekly discussion on a variety of geek-related topics and Geek Fights… well, that should be fairly self-explanatory. Intelligent discussion of inane topics. Find them at ZodComplex.com and GeekFights.net today and follow them on Facebook and Twitter!