The Comics Code may be dead, but it seems as if DC Comics may have accidentally created its successor. Image Comics has announced today that, beginning with next month’s titles, they will be adopting DC’s ratings system on their own books. Publisher Eric Stephenson explained,
Retailers have been asking us to more clearly define which audiences our various comics are aimed at for some time, and we’re pleased to finally comply with those requests. It’s been nearly a decade since the comics industry began the process of abandoning the Comics Code Authority, but during that time there hasn’t been one consistent rating system. The system DC employs is by far the clearest, so it makes sense to go with that.
DC’s system, unveiled in January to replace the defunct Comics Code Authority seal, runs along similar lines to videogame ratings:
E – EVERYONE (all ages, may contain minimal violence)
T – TEEN (12 and up, may contain mild violence or mild profanity)
T+ – TEEN PLUS (16 and up, may contain moderate violence, moderate profanity use and suggestive themes )
M – MATURE (18 and up, may contain nudity, profanity, excessive violence and other content not suitable for minors)
How long before other publishers adopt the same system, and it becomes the new norm for retailers and publishers?
