RESULTS: How Young is Too Young For Comic Books?

RESULTS: How Young is Too Young For Comic Books?

The results of the poll that asked at what age you did allow or will allow your kids to read comic books. The responses I received were quite intriguing, but at the same time, not too surprising.

Editorial Opinion
By ecksmanfan - Oct 04, 2011 01:10 PM EST
Filed Under: Other

Not long ago, I posted and editorial that asked "How Young is Too Young to Read Comics?" With the youth of the world being bombarded by influences these days, whether it be television, films, school or even comic books, I think it's important for parents to play a part in that influence, even if it's on a small scale. So, in the article mentioned above, I asked at what age you did or would allow your kids to tackle comic books. Not unexpectedly, the majority of the voters would leave it up to the kids to make that decision, with most of those also stating that they would want to approve of the material first. Like I insuated in the article, you wouldn't let your 8 year-old head off to an R-Rated movie without at least viewing it for yourself (usually), so the same could be said with comic books.

From there, the results just took an expected route with the different age groups; with a few really twisted folks out there who would never allow their kids to even touch comic books. Obviously, a lot of this depends on the upbringing of the parents and the environment they are trying to provide for their children, therefore the amount of parenting and involvement the parents want to have in their children's lives.

As for myself, I am kind of stuck in the middle of setting an actual age limit, so to speak, or just letting them choose when to read comics. Naturally, the kids would have to show an interest in them before I'd try to get them involved. What's the point if they hate the idea of comic books (God forbid)?! I'd definitely think twice before placing Watchmen or a Punisher book in front of my kid without knowing it's content. But overall, I don't see the harm in letting my child, no matter the age, sitting down to read Spider-Man or the Justice League, as long as he/she enjoyed the idea and was able to comprehend the goings-on of the story.

Anywho, here are the official results from the poll:

Whenever THEY want to: 47%
Between 8 - 12 years old: 27%
Between 12 - 16 years old: 17%
Under 8 years old: 7%
Never! They have warped me too badly and I don't want them to be as twisted as I am: 2%
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BooYah
BooYah - 10/4/2011, 1:33 PM
LMAO! The next generation of kids will be [frick]ing crazy!
Optimus1983
Optimus1983 - 10/4/2011, 1:35 PM
I think if a child can read and wants to then let them,, if they cant I say read to them.
Optimus1983
Optimus1983 - 10/4/2011, 1:36 PM
@booyah What do you mean the next Gen? They are crazy now, have you seen them tight as pants they wear lol?
MovieMaster
MovieMaster - 10/4/2011, 1:37 PM
lol, so thats why im crazy!
ManofSteel23
ManofSteel23 - 10/4/2011, 1:45 PM
Reading comics is a brilliant thing to do what ever age,because kids will want to act like say clark kent,and he does good things all day and protects people,so if a kid read that and acted like clark kent *in his mind* he will probably grown up being a good guy,you never hear of chavs reading comic books
plasticman
plasticman - 10/4/2011, 1:55 PM
I'll let my kids read comics, but I'm the one buying them so it is my job to make sure that it is something appropriate for them to read AND something I want to read.
plasticman
plasticman - 10/4/2011, 1:58 PM
@ Spideyboy91- What the heck is a chav?

Maybe me with you have dialect wall to jump on. (SARCASM ABOUND IN THE LAST STATEMENT.)
thatcoldblackcloud
thatcoldblackcloud - 10/4/2011, 2:00 PM
@ BooYah: YES. THEY. WILL.

LOL
MassExecutions
MassExecutions - 10/4/2011, 2:01 PM
Content, content, content. You've got Marvel Adventures, and you've got The Boys. You've got The Incredibles, and you've got Crossed. Some comics you can let any age read. Some comics, well, maybe nobody should be reading them. Its debatable.
brewtownpsych
brewtownpsych - 10/4/2011, 2:05 PM
The same people who worry about the sexual contact let them watch or read any old violent thing (cartoons, wrestling, etc). Again, what is a little titty going to do to a 5 year old. Seriously. Best way to make sure ur kid makes bad decisions about sex is to shelter them.
brewtownpsych
brewtownpsych - 10/4/2011, 2:06 PM
content I mean
BlueMex
BlueMex - 10/4/2011, 2:17 PM
its up to the parents !
headlopper
headlopper - 10/4/2011, 2:19 PM
Actually I can't read , that's why I buy comics.
@brewtownpsych- Good point man.
Oarsis
Oarsis - 10/4/2011, 2:25 PM
I am 16...I have been reading comics since I was 7...hhahaha! I don't care what age you are honestly. If you like them you like them. why should anyone change that?
headlopper
headlopper - 10/4/2011, 2:31 PM
@tweeeeenkies3- Well Mr. 16 year old...you've got good taste in women- nice avatar!
level1paladin
level1paladin - 10/4/2011, 2:51 PM
I started seriously reading them when I was quite young, like 10 or 12. So that seems a natural time.
Gose
Gose - 10/4/2011, 2:55 PM
Remember d "electric company" quote, "Easyreader say this comicbook is easy to read " ...
alekesam
alekesam - 10/4/2011, 3:31 PM
@wittysupername: Same here. I've been reading comics since I was seven and no one ever censored me into reading "kiddie" comics. X-men was one of the first series I started reading back in the 80s and it was violent, sexy, and you knew what was going on, shadowed parts or not. But honestly, some of the comics I read growing up paled in comparison to the anime and movies I watched. So really, for me anyways, I pretty much let my kids read what they want for the most part but tempered with an active participation with my kids and what they read/watch to help with the processing. lol.
Archaon
Archaon - 10/4/2011, 3:32 PM
@plasticman- I'm pretty sure he meant chaos.
ComicBookMoron
ComicBookMoron - 10/4/2011, 3:59 PM
How come mainstream books dont get this kind of censorship?
logunvadercap
logunvadercap - 10/4/2011, 4:05 PM
i started reading HUSTLER way too young! i am a warped fvck-tard!!!!!!!
themayer88
themayer88 - 10/4/2011, 4:08 PM
If your kid is so [frick]ing stupid that he cant even distinguish between whats reality and whats just ink and paper....then he has a completly different set of problems
BabyGroot
BabyGroot - 10/4/2011, 4:18 PM
The Next Generation
comicb00kguy
comicb00kguy - 10/4/2011, 4:18 PM
Personally, I think this decision should be up to the parents. Some kids mature faster than others.
GreendaleHumanBeing
GreendaleHumanBeing - 10/4/2011, 5:04 PM
as an education major it is now being encouraged to let your students read comic books and graphic novels. boys tend to avoid typical books and letting him read the uncanny x-men allows him to continue to improve his reading skills, which are fundamental to his further development. if it has words and good values, let them read.
logunvadercap
logunvadercap - 10/4/2011, 5:19 PM
@GREENDALE- now we know. good job!!!!(loud golf claps!)
Fishandchips
Fishandchips - 10/4/2011, 5:49 PM
Chavs = british slang for the sort of people who wear tracksuits, but dont play sports, and are always stoned/drunk, cant talk properly and delinquents who have no intention of working and scum off the goverment. Not all chavs are bad but most are [foo foo]s.
Fishandchips
Fishandchips - 10/4/2011, 5:54 PM
And also I was on about this sort of thing at work the other day, you know manhunt got band because some lad from england butchered another lad and blamed it on the game? Well I know some people who knew him before and apparently he was always a bit [frick]ing tapped. It wasn't the game that made him that way, he was just a psyho, and I think it is the same for any media, if someone does something bad because of something they've read/watched/played it isn't because of said media, its the individual having a screw loose.
marvelsnkcapcom10
marvelsnkcapcom10 - 10/4/2011, 5:58 PM
I believe children should be allowed to exercise judgment in certain areas in there life based on parental upbringing. I would allow my children to read comic books especially Spider-man but I would have also had the talk to them about reality and fiction. Obviously the more violent comics wouldn't be administered to them until I felt at a certain age they could handle that kind of material.
RunDTC
RunDTC - 10/4/2011, 8:49 PM
if kids read comics, they'll end up like this:
Jer3miah
Jer3miah - 10/5/2011, 12:58 AM
That's why this world is gone to hell. People like y'all who voted that kids can read it whenever they want. You're the bad parents and human beings who FAIL at logical existence.
Gutts81
Gutts81 - 10/5/2011, 6:17 AM
@jeri-curl up there^ Dude do you have any kids? If you could see how illogical that answer of your is. Comics if introduced at a young age not only increases the imagination but also has a healthy dose of scientific fact and scientific fiction,As well it has the ability to increase a child's vocabulary and make them want to find all these things out on their own. And for the record sir bad parents make bad parents comic can not help that.
Ichaos
Ichaos - 10/5/2011, 6:24 AM
Comics are generally fine for any reading age. It is just another reading medium.

The problem seems mainstream comics are pushing comics to be darker. The new Superman is a good example. He use to be a character of high ideals, character etc fighting for truth and justice etc. Now they have him acting like Batman or worse. His eyes are glowing red half the time for no reason, the government captures and torchers him, he terrorizes suspects. There are elements of his mistrust for humans generally which is racist mentality. This was a character that was always safe for kids to read and people of all ages.

There just needs to be a clear age ratings on them. When I was a kid they were fine, they were even sold everywhere. the issue these days the mainstream comics are pushing R ratings if they were movies even mainstream Superhero comics. For Superhero comics there is a lot less entery level comics than when I was a kid. Now they have mainstream hero comics with borderline soft porn between Batman and Catwoman, Superman has racist thiking towards "humans", and complicated subject matter thats best left for parents to guide their kids through. There were always comics for older people like Heavy Metal, Horror Comics, etc. Most comics were always meant to be read by young kids on up. Comic companies have forgotten about that.
Ichaos
Ichaos - 10/5/2011, 7:40 AM
@Gutts81 good points except the part of comcs offering science fact. A good amount of comic book science are just convienent and VERY loose explanations why superhero X can fly. Sorry no matter how much gama radiation your exposed to or how many radioactive spiders you are bitten by your not going to get superpowers
ciscokid56
ciscokid56 - 10/5/2011, 10:54 AM
I was lucky. I read very early. A direct result of wanting to read comics. My parents took the stance that my wanting to read ANYTHING that early was a good thing.

'Course, it was 1960.
Gutts81
Gutts81 - 10/5/2011, 1:04 PM
@Ichaos Yes,yes. We all know that as adults that have been through high school and college(for some of us.)But the point is even an average kid will test some sort of theory or find out his/her self just for the sake of knowing. And yes most of all comics are sci-if fiction but it is all built on the fundamentals of real science.
logunvadercap
logunvadercap - 10/5/2011, 3:06 PM
@jer3whatever- go fvck yourself. is that logical enough? wanna talk some shit? WE CAN TALK SOME SHIT THEN!
logunvadercap
logunvadercap - 10/5/2011, 3:07 PM
what Gutts81 said!
Fastestmanalive
Fastestmanalive - 10/6/2011, 10:22 AM
Like u said it depends how u were brought up.

Personally for me, myself and my brothers got interested in comics at the age of 5 on our own, and my father who was a comic fan as a kid and teenager but lost interest when he entered his 20's, saw us and got nostalgic for his childhood and started collecting for us and giving it to us for allowance, thats right we dident get any money, we did well in school? got some comics, someones birthday? got some comics. So my dada got back into comcs and tuaght and brought us up on them.

So it was cool that we, my dad and us, (me and my bros) fueled each others interest in comics.

And yes every comic my father would give us he would skim thru to make sure there wasent anything in it he dident want us to see. (or if it was a good comic he would read the whole thing, which was alot of them) ;)
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