Ilan Strasser of Fat Moose Comics and Games in Whippany, New Jersey read Mark Dudley's recent response (see "Mark Dudley, Illustrator and Sequential Artist, Responds") and had this to say:

Some of Mark's comments in his response make obvious sense.  I can easily extrapolate what Mark says about parental responsibility to say that the publishers are also responsible for making sure that the material in any given book is in line with the rating standards given for that book.  Of course, DC circumvents this by not having any ratings at all.  I certainly thought the Green Lantern line was very subtle, though still unnecessary.  I do disagree with mark about the temporal values of a society or culture at a given time redefines the heroic concept.  Especially when he makes the definition of hero and oppressor interchangeable.  By any set of moral standards, can Ted Bundy be considered a hero?  Charles Manson?  Bernie Madoff?  Adolf Hitler?  I would like to think not.

If you're going to market to kids, many of them impressionable, the responsibility goes beyond even the parents and the publishers.  As a society, there have to some lines that are not crossed because of who a product is targeted to.  Any comics retailer will tell you that very often, parents and grandparents come into the store and just buy the comics their kids and grandkids ask for, without having any idea what's inside them; very often, the kids themselves don't know and are just influenced by a colorful cover that shows off the heroes they see on TV.  A responsible retailer will intervene, but not all retailers bother to do so.

Finally, our society didn't become more sexually permissive and violence obsessed in a vacuum.  Art never reflects the existing culture only -- art is a very strong influence on culture as well.  It's a two-way street and
artists, while being able to say and create whatever they want, need to have their message be consistent with the audience they are striving to reach.  Even in something as silly and unrealistic as comic books.         

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.