Posted in: Recent Updates | Tagged: warren ellis

How To Break Into Marvel? Drop The S-Bomb It Seems

Published Sat, 13 Mar 2010 08:00:24 -0600

Last updated Fri, 26 Mar 2010 18:31:08 -0500

Breaking Into Comics The Marvel Way #1 is the first issue of a two-part comic book purporting to give guidance and advice to aspiring comic book artists wanting to break into the industry, but instead showcasing the work of new Marvel artists who are in the process of doing so. To the extent that certain retailers have expressed the opinion that this book should be returnable – as it doesn't resemble the solicitation copy that read;

But not only will BREAKING INTO COMICS THE MARVEL WAY showcase the work of these up-and-comers, C.B. will also provide an insider's commentary on how these artists got their work seen and what it was that landed them the gig. And with step-by-step submission information and a sample Marvel Comics script, these books are MUST HAVES for anyone interested in doing their breakout work and breaking into the comics industry!

Well, it's possible I might help make that issue a moot point. The book is marked T+, which according to Marvel's guidelines means that it is;

Appropriate for most readers 13 and up, parents are advised that they might want to read before or with younger children.

So you won't expect too much bad language, nudity of sexual content. So when Spider-Man says a naughty word, it gets filtered a little.

Potty mouthed Spider-Man there, but that's the teen level acceptable approach from Marvel it seems. In one story, that is. In another, a hospital staffer facing down Bullseye gets a different treatment.

I understand that in digital preview copies sent to comic book sites, the offending word had been changed, but by then it was too late and the comic was on its way to stores.

Very few people have, however, actually noticed.

When All Star Batman And Robin The Boy Wonder has all sorts of obscentities still visible through black bars, there was a national outcry. A note to an artist from Warren Ellis using the word "fuck" in the all-ages issue of Marvel Spotlight caused understandable retailer concern and returnability. And of course the recent Punisher MAX comic saw Valerie D'Orazio cunting away like there's no tomorrow.

But… just how offensive is the word "shit" these days? Let's find out.

Of course, if anyone is interested in breaking into comics, they're going to hear a lot worse language than that. Especially from their editors when they are late with the pages.

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