Concerns With Comic Books

One of the areas of concern with comic books is the violence. The violence contained in some of the comic books today is common. With more realism being demanded, comic books of today assimilate real life situations into their plots. The perilous undertaking of the hero or villain can be justified with a realistic approach. If people want what is transpiring in today's world then comic books will emulate that. Parents should caution their children with some of the content published in various comic books. The graphics displayed today are amazingly realistic.

Children need to be aware and make responsible choices. With that being said, the content being viewed on television makes children desensitized to explicit situations. The graphic composition of some comic books are illustrated through various categories. The super hero comic books usually will be more graphic than a non-super hero comic book.



The question of reading a graphic comic book can be dispelled when a child's age is taken into consideration. The comic book business has a rating system, but if you make an analogy to the movie companies rating system then the existing question remains. At what age would be appropriate for a person to read a graphic comic book? There is no easy answer to that question because each household embraces different standards. Family A allows their child to watch adult movies but family B does not. They watched the same movie but in different homes with differing standards. Common sense should dictate. However, common sense is not so common.

If a superhero, villain or civilian gets wounded in a comic book, how much should the artist show to illustrate their point? Should blood rush out in steady bursts or would a trickle suffice? Again, it depends on the content of the comic book. What kind of brawl was it? What, if any, kind of weapons were used? The result is dependant upon the battle itself. Therefore, to suggest a toning down of bloodshed would diminish the realism that is being sought.

Ultimately, it is the parent's decision to monitor what the children read while being cautious not to initiate censorship. A delicate balance must be in accord with the parent's belief structure.

A parent raised on comic books might be more apt to let their children read them while a person who grew up in a stricter household would not. What becomes right or wrong is distorted when viewed on an individual basis. Collectively a standard exists with the current rating system in place. Individual bias toward comic books need not render the system obsolete. Individuals should view comic books according to the genre and read within the family's belief structure.

In addition to the graphic content of comic books, a different component surfaces. While it is not widespread, cursing does appear in comic books. The harsher of curse words are not necessarily shown but the more accepted ones are. Children are going to learn derogatory words through friends, school and the parents themselves. Even a great deal of novels contains curse words.

In comic books, the curse words are placed there to demonstrate a point of how the characters are feeling. The anguished faces that are drawn suggest that a curse word would be nestled in there to express their position.

Whatever side of the table you sit on, the comic books graphic content and the colorful metaphors are an intricate part of the experience.