Why? I agree that it’s very good, I was touched by it, but I don’t see what’s surprising about letting it run in the least. This is a company that was willing to retcon the Captain America origin to make America look more racist in it by experimenting on blacks first and covering up the death of a black test subject.

True, but that was its own book, with the subject matter clearly solicited. The Mini Marvel strip was included in every Marvel comic that came out that month.

"Why? I agree that it’s very good, I was touched by it, but I don’t see what’s surprising about letting it run in the least. This is a company that was willing to retcon the Captain America origin to make America look more racist in it by experimenting on blacks first and covering up the death of a black test subject."

I'm sure the Tuskegee Experiments [url]http://www.npr.org/programs/morning/features/2002/jul/tuskegee/[/url] was the basis for that plot/story in Captain America: Truth in Red White and Black mini-series. Also consider that for WWII, Negro/Black/African-American troops were not initially slated for combat (though there was Th 442nd RCT Japanese-American Combat Unit in Europe and (ironically enough) The Tuskegee Airmen aka The Red Tails Air Force unit.

Mini Marvels Rocks!

Peace.

I'm glad to hear that they're continuing. Thanks for the info, Jeph.

I am, however, delighted that the Mini Hulk one page stories he does in the
back of HULK will continue (and are collected in the two HULK trades that
have been published -- unabashed plug, True Believers!).

They are written by the most talented writer in comics these days (imho),
Audrey Loeb, who just happens to be my daughter.

I look forward to anything Chris does -- he's enormously talented and
a great guy.

That's my dork contribution of the week:)

Alas, there's also an obscene meaning to it (a habitue of anal sex), and if that usage is as old as this story, that may be why it was changed.

I disagree. Adult readers are able to enjoy comic books with a more realistic/ hyper-realistic tone/ darker tone and also enjoy a more light heartedness with the all ages comics -- Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures ... and Tiny Titans are great examples of this that have a lot of humor and a lot of nods to the characters' history, as well as just someplain ol' fashioned fun. The all ages comics are a way that comic book readers are able to share their passion with their children or children around them and keep the interest in the medium alive. It also is a great way for parents who aren't schooled into comic book lore to find something safe for their kids to read.

Again referencing Supergirl or Teen Titans, it's great that there can be comic books that are aimed for a more mature audience and ones that are all ages. I may want my niece or nephew to get to love Kara Zor-El or Raven but I have an option as to what level I want to expose them to. I read all sorts of comics as a kid, and there were a few times the violence bothered me, but for the most part I didn't understand or care about some of the more adult situations in front of me, and I loved Spider-Man and Spider-Ham equally. Today I lke a nice gritty story, but sometimes I want something more lighthearted ... and so it's nice when there's that balance available.

In today's world, it is difficult not to have a child see a superhero somewhere and wnat to emulate them. Recently I heard a toddler go on about his hero Peter Parker, and so it's nice that there are comics that are geared for more their levels in both reading and maturity. It means everyone can enjoy their favorite hero!

I do agree that Marvel is more about licensing than actual comic books anymore ... and it's sad that there couldn't be room for both Mini-Marvels and Superhero Squad. Why could they not simply have Mini-Marvels as Direct Market only if they are so concerned that children and parents may get confused and buy one instead of the other? I can understand that when series like The Batman has been off the air for some time, it makes more sense to go with the new 'toon version instead, but Mini Marvels is more of a Fred Hembeck style than simply "All Ages," so it just seems like another lame excuse from Marvel. Hmmm ... I wonder if there will be "hidden" Nike ads and "Join the U.S. Army" ads placed in Superhero Squad? They might as well start young!

It think it's inappropriate that Marvel and DC want to market cute versions of their characters to little kids when the regular comics featuring those characters are full of violence and sexuality.

You have the advantage over me. All the pages I've seen encourage the reader to identify with the mice, so I didn't buy the book (for the reasons Bernard gave). Are you saying that a reader is just as likely to identify with the cats?

> I dunno about your (b), especially since the original Hitler quote Spiegelman is riffing on makes the opposite assumption…one reinforced by a simple comparison of the number of people who own cats and those who own mice. (I’ve had mice in my house, but not as pets; trust me, mice aren’t cuter than cats when they’re leaving infectious doody all over the garage floor at night.)

Bernard's point was that "By making the Nazis cats, Spiegelman is portraying them as a monstrous other - the reader can despise them, safe in the knowledge that they would never behave in such a way themselves." In the context of a mouse story, a cat is definitely the monster.

This may be worse, though - Mini Marvels was based on a lot of inside humour and targeted at the typical comics reader, and was only rarely its own book. Killing off a bullpen strip to avoid confusing the marketplace? That's just cold.

But they only caught on recently and were named "Superhero Squad".

What a stupid move, but Marvel is in the licensing business, not the comic business.