Comic Book Resources

Well, the obvious thing is “Adult”, but maybe its “Anyone who wants meaningless crossovers and shock-value events.”

/more choices for you

TINKERRRRRRR

A is the ESRB’s rating for “Adults Only” computer games, so when I first saw the rating on an issue of Fantastic Four I was rather amused by the notion that they’ve reached the point where they finally want to answer those Thing anatomy questions.

And didn’t Marvel get into some trouble for originally using the Motion Picture Ascociation’s copywrited rating system? I’d assume the ESRB’s would be too.

“A” means “All Ages.”

Don’t you realize that having a rating on the comic book is far more important than understanding what the rating MEANS? I mean, nobody complains about TV ratings, and I don’t understand none of them. TV-14LVSAFPDQ? What the hell does that mean? I don’t know, but IT’S RATED SO WE CAN PROTECT THE CHILDREN AND THAT’S WHAT’S IMPORTANT!!

Marvel’s ratings after they abandoned the Comics Code Authority (a dark, dark, evil day for ALL America’s tender, impressionable youth) was never explained on Marvel’s website until they cancelled it and replaced it with the current one, but at least they were RATED so people could know EXACTLY what they were getting.

Next thing, you’re going to tell me that reading a comic book is more important than having a rating on the cover. And that’s just Un-American and Bad for Our Children. Commie.

I’m glad I’m not the only one who is asking. Of course, I asked Marvel, by way of their contact form, months ago and never saw an answer.

I especially like their T+ rating. Apparently I means nine years and older. Maybe it’s just me, but when I see “T+” I think “Older Teens”, not “Teens, plus some younger people.”

Of course, I may be biased by my copy of Book of Lost Souls, which says “T+ Suggested for teens and up.”

Silly me, not thinking that being 9 years old makes you a teenager.

I see that Marvel’s website defines “All Ages” as “8+ years old”, which suggests that either somebody at Marvel needs a dictionary, or Marvel grow their children in clone vats to skip the inconvenient earlier years.

That’s the pre-June 2005 definition of All Ages. The new one just says “Appropriate for readers of all ages.”

But, as I noted above, the do consider 9-year olds to be teenagers, so they do apparently have a bizarre understanding of what kids ages mean.

(And I just noticed that Marvel’s definition of Parental Advisory says “Similar to T+ Suggested for Teen and Up”, while the definition of T+ says “9+ years old”. So even on the same page they can’t seem to agree. Again, unless they consider people ages 9-12 to be teenagers.)

Originally Marvels all ages books were unrated.

The Ultimate line was to be all ages, and considered as such, regardless as to what actually happened in the issues.
Re-read the first Ultimate X-men arc, and tell me that’s all ages (particuarly, but not limited to, mass murder, two characters having sex (starting on page), Ellis-esque use of the word bastard, and one character trying to stick a candlestick up anothers anus).

Marvels ratings back then, and I assume now, are how they want the book rated, regardless of what’s actually in it.

This is the down side to self regulation - every business wants it, very few have proven themselves worthy of it.