James Kite of Serenity Studios in Australia joins the discussion regarding recent "adult" depictions of classic comic book characters (see "Confessions of a Comic Book Guy--The Most Unexpected Black Lanterns of All"):

The problem with classic superheroes commenting on their sexual exploits, the use of foul language, graphic imagery and super-saturated violence that does not otherwise fit the character that it has been deemed by the writer/artist as edgy is this...  LACK OF CONSIDERATION FOR THE FANS (and their parents)!

While it certainly doesn't affect myself and others who choose their reading material as we can take it or leave it as we see fit... no, the problem comes about when the younger market of the 13-40 demographic is refused access by their parents for that particular issue (and potentially issues beyond that specific problem-child).  I'll tell you what, as a fan, I would find it extremely problematic to care for a character/comic that I was only allowed to read part of a series of.

Such 3-dimensional character portrayal should be relegated to the appropriate imprint and not be used to (potentially) disrupt the enjoyment of fans of a specific series.

In a Spider-Man comic you have a certain obligation to modify characters that are portrayed to the standards of the comic to maintain a level of consistency that will allow fans of the series to enjoy said series without fear of reprisals.

You want Spidey to face off against the vile poo-spewing, massively hung sexual deviant who gang rapes small puppies for fun so that Spidey can dismember him out of moral indignation while spouting uncensored expletives then you do so away from the main comics within a miniseries or comic series specifically set up to deal with just such stories.  Bad enough seeing the Wasp fly through the heads of Skrulls in Secret Invasion, splattering Skrull brain matter for all to see because it makes a "better" visual story (or from my point of view... when all the heroes are psychopaths, then the likes of Wolverine and Lobo are no longer needed)... directly after that issue, I dropped all Avengers titles.

There is a time and place for everything and just because you can do something doesn't mean you should.  The Comic Code Authority may have been restrictive, but it kept a sense of consistency.

Publishers have since opted for self-censorship with their own ratings.  One month they might have an open to all ages issue followed the next month with a 15+ issue. This just seems a tad self-defeating if your disrupting the enjoyment of your future market, and run the risk of parental backlash as they decide that a publisher who is so inconsistent should be completely avoided.

By all means, bring on the edgy stories.  But give me a little more substance than simple shock value.  Otherwise your not proving your merits as a writer/artist... just that you have very little in the way of imagination and a sense of over-indulgence of a highly inflated ego.  Anyone can shock with pointless violence and uncensored language.  But make me care for the character as they reach breaking point that leads to such usage and then I may not simply roll my eyes and turn the page (or worse yet, as I did with the Avengers, find my reading elsewhere).

The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff of ICv2.com.