Re: Elfquest, Marvel and CCA

On Fri, 29 Aug 2003 22:19:22 -0400, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
>Ralf Haring wrote:
>> 
>> The CCA is the Comics Code Authority. See
>> http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comics_Code_Authority
>
>*shrugs*
>
>"The Comics Code Authority is an organization founded in 1954 to act as
>a de facto censor for American comic books."
>
>I do not know of any media that follows a code that old, certainly not
>some comics.

As mentioned it was revised in 1971 and again in 1989. Membership is
voluntary. All the largest comics publishers were members. Most
independants are not. It helped run EC Comics out of business in the
50s. Marvel stopped being a member in 2001 and instituted their own
internal ratings. It is supposed to be a tool for the comics
publishers to help sell their product to large family-friendly
retailers like Wal-Mart and to preempt McCarthyism. Instead it has
helped hamstring the medium into the public perception that it is
kiddy fare. It has been *incredibly* flexibly applied over the years.

>As for if elfquest followed version 1 in the first place
>that might be debated.  It is posible that EQ was written under version
>2 or ignored the censor code fully.

EQ has almost certainly never submitted its books to the Code, unless
Marvel did it for them. This is highly doubtful as I don't think any
of the Epic books of the time were submitted, much like Vertigo at DC.

-Ralf Haring
"The mind must be the harder, the heart the keener,
 the spirit the greater, as our strength grows less."
                    -Byrhtwold, The Battle of Maldon