David Bigas of Wyldstar in Oshawa, Ontario saw Michael Tierney's comments on comic ratings (see 'Michael Tierney of the Comic Book Store on Outsider #8') and shared his reaction:

I started writing this e-mail yesterday after I read Michael Tierney's comments on a comic rating system.  At first I was going to agree with Michael, but I felt that I should speak to both my staff and my customers before jumping the gun. 

Here is what my staff said.  Having a rating system based on a recognizable standard (i.e., the video game codes or the Motion Picture ratings system) would be a great help.  Lots of times parents just come in, grab whatever they see and hand them to their kids without even taking the time to look inside.  If there was a universal standard rating system that everyone recognized then that would take a lot of pressure off us (the store staff).  I personally am always worried that some mother is going to pick up Conan or Spawn and get very upset when she sees the level of violence in these (and other) books.

Now having said that, here is my opinion.  It is the responsibly of every ethical storeowner to know what they sell!  You heard me.  You may not want to agree, but on this I am standing firm.  If you sell the book, you better have an idea what it's about.  Let me ask you something, would you sell Playboy to a 7 year old?  Would you sell a copy of Legend of the Overfiend to a mother for her 8 year olds birthday party?  Hopefully the answer to those questions was a resounding NO.  Then why would you sell a copy of Y the Last Man or Fallen Angel to those same people for the same reasons?  Let me tell you why - because you have knowledge of what is inside Playboy and you have knowledge of what Legend of the Overfiend is about.  That knowledge allows you to properly sell and display that item.  When you go into Borders or Media Play or any of the big box stores - they have everything labeled in sections and departments, which is something that a lot of the smaller stores like ours do not do.  They also have made a concise decision to not carry offensive items such as hard core porn or adult material of any kind (and yes, I know that this may go against my belief in the freedom of speech but lets be honest here - we have made a commitment to deal in a medium which attracts children of all ages - what would you say if your local ice cream truck also sold Penthouse).

Now, I admit that I do not read every copy of every comic that comes into my store - BUT I DO READ over 80 percent of all those books.  I read every Marvel and DC comic, I read every Image and Dark Horse book we carry and I read all the Indy's.  I do NOT read all the Tokyopop because they TELL me who to sell to and what they are about.  The secret to being a successful comic retailer is knowing what you sell.  You have to know what type of comics you carry in case you are asked to suggest a title to a new reader.  How many of you get asked every week to recommend a new comic to someone?  Kind of hard to do if the last comic you read was MAUS!  Back in the day you could be a MARVEL / DC ONLY store and not have to worry, but those days are long gone with the emergence of such lines as Vertigo and MAX.  While I agree with Tim that ALL comics should have a SUGGESTED TAG, it has to be something that will be universally recognized and accepted.  And while I further agree with Tim that this medium (comic books) is finally getting the respect it deserves, I think it's equally important the publishers remember where we come from.  Comic for kids seems to have been forgotten by all but two publishers (thanks DC and Archie for keeping comic books in the hands of the young!).

In closing I just want to add one final personal comment: if you do not read it then don't sell it!  Know your stock!  Love your stock!  If you cannot be bothered to read the comics - GET OUT OF THE BUSINESS.  Its stores like this that do NOTHING to advance the respect and love for the medium that TRUE comic stores do!