Waifu's, Gore and Drugs.. Ohh My

Gettings Barragers,

I hope April showers bring you May flowers and not more snowflakes. Oo Seems like the warm weather is struggling to get a foot hold, which is the complete inverse to my topic which is well established in our current comic book market.

When one hears or mentions the term "comic book" the first inkling goes to a children's graphic novel, with classic images of Superman, Spiderman or the Fantastic Four. If you take your children into a comic book store and you start pointing out the big names like DC or Marvel its cool... but then you notice some new brands and titles that aren't quite PG any more. The same way the movie industry evolved into ramping up productions to be more over the top than the last. A clear ever increasing effort to attain maximum monetary sales. Sadly now comic books are changing in a similar fashion in order to adapt to this new generation of 5 second attention spans. It just a natural reaction for mediums to compete for the attention of a reader in a world over run with screen driven sensory / input overload. But there's an issue... how far is too far in this quest to be "louder" than a potential competitor for your product? If we're not there already, I'm almost afraid to know what additional surprises await us around the corner.

Let me start off by mentioning this feels a lot like repeated history, where a similar point in the comic book timeline explored mature content and had a reconning. American values from the 50's ultimately questioned and restricted content lacking in morals. This of course being the creation of the Comic Code Authority (CCA). What exactly is the CCA you ask?

Google Summary (TL;DR version);

The Comics Code Authority (CCA) was a voluntary, industry-wide self-regulatory body established in 1954 that served as a de facto censor for the American comic book industry until the early 21st century. It was created in response to a intense "moral panic" regarding the impact of comic books on children, which resulted in senate hearings, public comic book burnings, and intense criticism from psychologists and civic leaders.

The Pre-Code Era: Following World War II, superhero popularity waned, replaced by horror, crime, and romance comics that featured graphic violence and mature themes.

The 1954 Code: The code was extremely restrictive, prohibiting "excessive violence," "gruesome illustrations," "sympathy for the criminal," "suggestive postures," and the words "horror" or "terror" in titles. It enforced strict moral standards, requiring that good always triumph over evil.

Ref:

https://nerdgeist.com/2026/01/16/the-spider-man-story-that-broke-the-comics-code/

Based no? : "requiring that good always triumph over evil."

Dang this sounds just like we've come full circle. But why? I'd like to focus on how the glorification of these areas: Sex, Excessive Violence and Drugs have yet again begun hammering mature concepts into youthful and middle aged minds alike. Without some form of restrainer it's only going to get worse.

*** Drug Abuse ***

It's pretty clear why the glorification of drugs isn't a concept we want pushed. There is a big difference between drug addiction stories that speak to the damaging life cycle a character might experience and stories that glorify or sensationalize the use of drugs.

A positive example of addiction that was overcome by super hero.

Ref:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowbirds_Don%27t_Fly

Green Arrow (Oliver Queen) runs into muggers who shoot him with a crossbow. Strangely, the weapon is loaded with his arrows. Tracking down the attackers, Green Arrow and his best friend, Green Lantern Hal Jordan, find out that the muggers are addicts who need money, and are surprised to find Queen's ward Speedy (Roy Harper) among them. They think he is working undercover to bust them, but Queen catches him red-handed when he tries to shoot heroin. It becomes evident that the stolen arrows are Queen's, which he shares with Harper when they fight crime together. In the second part (Green Lantern/Green Arrow #86), Green Arrow lashes out at Harper, who withdraws cold turkey out of shame. Queen and Lantern tackle the kingpin of the drug ring, a pharmaceutics CEO who condemns drug abuse, and attend the funeral of a separate addict who died.

I mean any of those old titles where drug abuse takes hold and is overcome is classic and motivating to those who fall victim to addiction. It lets readers know that there can be a way out of something that grips you. A problem arrises when we down play drug use as being for recreation or socially to let loose/relax. Drugs use being glorified by anti-heroes that end up making smart decisions later still leaves gray area that drugs might not be that terrifying. We should never skirt the line of good characters using any form of drugs, fictitious or real. If a story arc compels it, an ending is needed with some form of lesson in the dangers of drug use. I mean this isn't just a message for young children, young adults in college will be exposed to even greater temptations than any other time of their life.

Two glaring examples of drug abuse in comics, given excessive yet still extremely hard to say in the end that a lesson was not learned, was in the "The Boys" and "Jupiter's Legacy".

Drug abuse is a central theme in The Boys comic series. It is portrayed as a rampant issue among "Supes" (superheroes) and is used to critique the hedonistic and irresponsible nature of celebrity culture. Substance abuse in the comic series includes both traditional hard drugs and the misuse of the superpower-granting substance, Compound V.

Drug abuse is a significant plot point in the Jupiter's Legacy comic series, particularly concerning Chloe Sampson. She struggles with addiction to a substance referred to as "alien cocaine" (or "blue crystals") to cope with emotional turmoil and pressure from her famous parents, leading to a severe overdose.

Now turn these into movies OR a series.... ohhhh they did.... nuff said but I'll say it. Influence ... that came from a comic book.

*** Excessive Violence / Gore ***

The good old (I say that loosely) EC Comics and their creepy titles. They pushed the level of realism so much people were afraid the methods depicted in the comics could be replicated.

"The EC Comics series that heavily featured stories about murder, often with the killer initially or completely getting away (sometimes facing supernatural retribution later), was primarily Crime SuspenStories."

Interesting note : "Mad Magazine was the only surviving title from the EC Comics line after the controversy surrounding comic books in the mid-1950s."

It's not so much the rise of more grand scale violence, it's been the shift from unrealistic villainous figures to sadistic evil that tries to operate in a believable manner. Battles and torture that include the graphic use of imagery like disembowelments, beheadings, explosions that leave fragments scattered about a scene. Stuff that a human mind doesn't really need to see in detail (much less a young one), long lost is the ability to elude to an outcome with angles and good story telling. It simply comes down to standing out and a willingness to push the level +1 to grab that audience. Which in turn only leads to the next title goin +2. We don't need to revel in violence and gore via hobby level reading material. We as people are what we ingest. That doesn't mean we're bound to go out and perform egregious acts we've read about but it will implanted forever in our minds, stuff we can't unsee, stuff that children or young adults might have dreams about. Once again a certain degree of morals led to the first CCA to safeguard people from excessive debauchery. I think this is a word unliked as a descriptor but also has an unrealized relatable meaning.

"Debauchery refers to extreme, habitual indulgence in sensual pleasures, such as excessive drinking, drugs, or sexual immorality. It implies a lack of inhibition, immorality, or wild, decadent partying. Examples include "drunken debauchery" or "a life of debauchery". Synonyms include depravity, excess, revelry, dissipation, and vice."

So I found this interesting :

"The phrase "as it was in the days of Noah" refers to a biblical prophecy spoken by Jesus regarding the state of the world before his return. While "days of Noah" implies high levels of violence, wickedness, and corruption, the specific saying focuses on people being unaware of impending judgment because they are fully consumed by daily pleasures and normal routines"

It's said that the Earth was filled with these things and was wiped clean by the flood to start anew. Even if these things aren't something we are taking part in physically, are we not still taking part in all the same things mentally. Is there really a difference how you live out the experience, given both allow you to partake in the act. I know this is a come to Jesus type moment but if your finding satisfaction from this kind of content and looking for the next level, your walking a dark path. The world is a darker place than most understand and some of us have been sheltered from real world scenarios that potentially play out in the stories we read. Some people in the world aren't as lucky. Now imagine yourself in one of the scenarios you read, imagine your child or someone you love. One thing I came to terms with a long time ago was, anything being thought of today* has already been tried by someone at some point. Keep that mentality when you read or see a title attempting brutal realism. If this one paragraph makes you think that's going too far, ironic right?

I mean plenty of samples of violent comics. Once again the line is drawn and crossed when we need the details graphically depicted to sell it. Visually selling imagery as the outcome of a struggle is permissible. Simply adding panels for the glorification of a villain's character... come across out very differently.

*** POR... not quite yet but... sooooonnN ***

And here's where the struggle bus for so many of us begins. Yes, the majority of those out there buying comics now days are middle aged males that have had long time waifu crushes and AI has allowed for all the barriers to come down. So much so we've started going to our top artists asking for commissions of our favorite waifus to be seductively drawn. It comes down to one aspect.... sex sells... and it's rampant. It's most prominent on cover art. You can't eBay search any of your favorite marvel or DC heroines without getting back a naughty or cosplay variant. But this is what our favorite... skilled.... followed whatever artists have to resort to in order to make that easy cover money. Nobody likes doing the hard work of panel art, it's all about that bulk paycheck from covers. What really showed me how bad this phase has become happened during my trip to Heroescon last year. Dave Dorman, one of the best OG cover artists there is, drew a cover of rogue with a huge ass and had it out for sale on his table. I told him it was comical that he would draw that and he simply said it's what sells. When I came back by later, it was gone. I really think someone bought it from having a similar shock factor.

Ok easy example time here, lets do an eBay search for 'Psylocke'.

No manipulation, top 'best match' with 10 watchers. Then scroll down and look at the now trending list, then look again at the prices. People are crazy over this stuff and paying for it, thus it translates into our favorite artists course correcting into this kind of art.

FYI the way to ignore stuff like this is to use an eBay search like this:
("psylocke","psylock") -Cosplay -Naughty -Figure

Ok Ok I hear you that's eBay, of course you'll see smut on there right. Let's have a look at some real comic book covers and then ask ourselves... is it really necessary.

The saddest of all is an artist I completely dig became known as a a hot waifu artist. He kinda led the way being one of the first more prominent ones from what I can tell. Ale Garza use to work so many big name titles like, Spider-man, Batgirl, Teen Titans, Supergirl, E.V.E, and my personal fav Gen-13. Hes all but fell off drawing main stream title covers and draws by commission, provided his site sells old signed pages of his early work. BUTTTT happy to say there's hope, Ale recently did a Youngblood 5 cover so lets hope hes coming around!

The Spyder Wytch cover speaks for itself, if you've seen it then you know it pushed well past the level of appropriate. I mean it was an Image title... Tigress Island is a throw back to 80's/90's Nerd's like flair. Then you have Penthouse.... not the magazine... the comic. These are titles your kids could potentially walk into a comic store and pick up. To buy a magazine like Playboy or Penthouse from a store you have to be at least 18, I don't know if checks are enforced for a kid to buy a comic book. The point I'm trying to make is the line between pornography and comics is quickly being erased. Comics like Saga are so overly vulgar I'd not want my child reading any issue of that series. Worse is how many Indy books get sold at Cons that go all in with explicit freedoms. I don't want to support smut, if your start up title needs pornographic content to sell? I'd rather title's with no true creative passion flop.

Right, with all that said... I've purchased waifu covers. I own Jupiter's Legacy #1, I own the main Key issues of The Boys. I almost bought that issue of Penthouse Comic because that cover is just really well done. However when we justify that one purchase, it's taking place in a genre of media that's synonymous with children's reading. If you want to look at porn create it with AI or get your ID checked at a store. If you want to be immersed in excessive violence go read a history book. If you wanna see the effects of drugs, drive around and look at all these homeless encampments that still litter our streets.

Everything has a limit before it breaks, I'm (mostly) not saying this as a personal rant, I'm looking at the comic book industry as a whole and the ages of those around me at conventions. I'm not seeing a next generation getting into comics. All this collecting we've done and the effort we're ohh so proud of, who's going to want it all when it comes time to sell. Let's create material KIDS can get into and allow them to explore material that's age appropriate. We need a next generation else were a bunch of nerdy hoarders....

I enjoy talking about comics but it's weird when you're standing in line at a con and an old dude wants to show you all his Zenescope covers.

But to end on a light note, here's that Ale Garza Youngblood cover. Its dope, do more Ale!

Respectfully,

DD