History WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids / Comicbooks

* ''WesternAnimation/StaticShock'' has its share of DarkerAndEdgier content with the tackling of gang themes and the struggle of ghetto life, but was still family-friendly and enjoyed by all audiences. The comic book universe Static originated from, Creator/MilestoneComics, not so much. The gang themes are more overt, swearing is common (including both "f*ck" and "fa**ot"), political incorrectness is used to show how bad characters are (for example, Hotstreak in the original comics is a white supremacist), there's a great deal of political satire, and the overall comics are much more cynical than what the animated series would present.

** Originally, when Creator/{{Nickelodeon}} decided this man [[WhatAnIdiot should be put in charge of a children's program]], they wanted him to adapt his comic ''Comicbook/{{Squee}}'' into a cartoon. He refused, on account of the fact that, despite having a [[DeliberatelyCuteChild cute six-year-old protagonist]], the comic was about a HilariouslyAbusiveChildhood involving AbusiveParents, AnalProbing, and ''TheAntichrist''.

* Creator/ArtSpiegelman's comment about his comic book ''ComicBook/{{Maus}}'' sums up the attitude and problem nicely. ''Maus'' features [[FunnyAnimal anthropomorphic animals]] as stand-ins for people (mice for Jews, cats for Germans, dogs for Americans, etc.). This does not mean it is kid-friendly. '''It's about the freaking Holocaust.''' It features drawings of ditches filled with emaciated, dead anthropomorphic mice being burned by cats with flamethrowers and gas masks. The parts that take place in modern day aren't too clean either. Those parts deal with many adult themes like continuing racism, death in your family, abuse, suicide [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and swearing]]. However, it's not at all uncommon to find it in places like elementary school libraries, because school staff decide that the educational content of it being about the Holocaust excuses the graphic content. In 2022 however, the Tennessee school board banned the book because of the aforementioned graphic content. This has sparked controversy, with both the media and children who grew up with the book accussing the ban as a form of Holocaust denial. Even Spiegelman has commented on this, baffled and condemning the ban as "[[Literature/NineteenEightyFour Orwellian]]".

* Creator/ArtSpiegelman's comment about his comic book ''ComicBook/{{Maus}}'' sums up the attitude and problem nicely. ''Maus'' features [[FunnyAnimal anthropomorphic animals]] as stand-ins for people (mice for Jews, cats for Germans, dogs for Americans, etc.). This does not mean it is kid-friendly. '''It's about the freaking Holocaust.''' It features drawings of ditches filled with emaciated, dead anthropomorphic mice being burned by cats with flamethrowers and gas masks. The parts that take place in modern day aren't too clean either. Those parts deal with many adult themes like continuing racism, death in your family, abuse, suicide [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and swearing]]. However, it's not at all uncommon to find it in places like elementary school libraries, because school staff decide that the educational content of it being about the Holocaust excuses the graphic content. In 2022 however, the Tennessee school board banned the book for the aforementioned graphic content. This has sparked controversy, with both the media and children who grew up with the book accussing the ban as a form of Holocaust denial. Even Spiegelman has commented on this, baffled and condemning the ban as "[[Literature/NineteenEightyFour Orwellian]]".

* Creator/ArtSpiegelman's comment about his comic book ''ComicBook/{{Maus}}'' sums up the attitude and problem nicely. ''Maus'' features [[FunnyAnimal anthropomorphic animals]] as stand-ins for people (mice for Jews, cats for Germans, dogs for Americans, etc.). This does not mean it is kid-friendly. '''It's about the freaking Holocaust.''' It features drawings of ditches filled with emaciated, dead anthropomorphic mice being burned by cats with flamethrowers and gas masks. The parts that take place in modern day aren't too clean either. Those parts deal with many adult themes like continuing racism, death in your family, abuse, suicide [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and swearing]]. However, it's not at all uncommon to find it in places like elementary school libraries because school staff decide the educational content of it being about the Holocaust excuses the graphic content. In 2022 however, the Tennessee school board banned the book for it's graphic content. This has sparked controversy, with both the media and children who grew up with the book accussing the ban as a form of Holocaust denial. Even Spiegelman has commented on this, baffled and condemning the ban as "[[Literature/NineteenEightyFour Orwellian]]".

* Woe betide anyone who thinks that Franchise/{{Batman}}'s rogues gallery consists of only the colorful, largely {{Harmless Villain}}s they saw on TV, along with the odd mobster or two. Many of the dozens of minor Bat-Villains from the comics (like Cornelius Stirk, Mr. Zsasz, and Jane Doe) haven't made it into the cartoons for a reason. Hell, even the ones that ''have'' been shown on television generally have at least one or two "absolutely under no conditions show to little kids" scenes in the comics. Exhibit A: [[http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120222185545/villains/images/f/fe/Victims_of_the_Joker_Venom.jpg victims of the Joker's Laughing Toxin when they've gotten a BIT too ripe.]]

* Creator/ArtSpiegelman's comment about his comic book ''ComicBook/{{Maus}}'' sums up the attitude and problem nicely. ''Maus'' features [[FunnyAnimal anthropomorphic animals]] as stand-ins for people (mice for Jews, cats for Germans, dogs for Americans, etc.). This does not mean it is kid-friendly. '''It's about the freaking Holocaust.''' It features drawings of ditches filled with emaciated, dead anthropomorphic mice being burned by cats with flamethrowers and gas masks. The parts that take place in modern day aren't too clean either. Those parts deal with many adult themes like continuing racism, death in your family, abuse, suicide [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and swearing]]. ''Not'' helped by the fact it's not all uncommon to find it in places like elementary school libraries because school staff decide the educational content in being about the Holocaust excuses the graphic content enough to make it kid-friendly. In 2022 however, the Tennessee school board banned the book for it's graphic content. This has sparked controversy, with both the media and children who grew up with the book accussing the ban as a form of Holocaust denial. Even Spiegelman has commented on this, baffled and condemning the ban as "[[Literature/NineteenEightyFour Orwellian]]".

* Creator/ArtSpiegelman's comment about his comic book ''ComicBook/{{Maus}}'' sums up the attitude and problem nicely. ''Maus'' features [[FunnyAnimal anthropomorphic animals]] as stand-ins for people (mice for Jews, cats for Germans, dogs for Americans, etc.). This does not mean it is kid-friendly. '''It's about the freaking Holocaust.''' It features drawings of ditches filled with emaciated, dead anthropomorphic mice being burned by cats with flamethrowers and gas masks. The parts that take place in modern day aren't too clean either. Those parts deal with many adult themes like continuing racism, death in your family, abuse, greed [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and swearing]]. ''Not'' helped by the fact it's not all uncommon to find it in places like elementary school libraries because school staff decide the educational content in being about the Holocaust excuses the graphic content enough to make it kid-friendly. In 2022 however, the Tennessee school board banned the book for it's graphic content. This has sparked controversy, with both the media and children who grew up with the book accussing the ban as a form of Holocaust denial. Even Spiegelman has commented on this, baffled and condemning the ban as "[[Literature/NineteenEightyFour Orwellian]]".

* Creator/ArtSpiegelman's comment about his comic book ''ComicBook/{{Maus}}'' sums up the attitude and problem nicely. ''Maus'' features [[FunnyAnimal anthropomorphic animals]] as stand-ins for people (mice for Jews, cats for Germans, dogs for Americans, etc.). This does not mean it is kid-friendly. '''It's about the freaking Holocaust.''' It features drawings of ditches filled with emaciated, dead anthropomorphic mice being burned by cats with flamethrowers and gas masks. The parts that take place in modern day aren't too clean either. Those parts deal with many serious themes like continuing racism, death in your family, abuse, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and greed]]. ''Not'' helped by the fact it's not all uncommon to find it in places like elementary school libraries because school staff decide the educational content in being about the Holocaust excuses the graphic content enough to make it kid-friendly. Did they forget about the other kid-unfriendly parts which are included because the comics are intended for adults, like the swearing?

* The Italian comic ''ComicBook/BiancaLittleLostLamb'' is about a [[SweetSheep female anthropomorphic lamb]], despite the cover and artwork looking innocent. It's actually about the lamb [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge seeking revenge]] [[YouKilledMyFather for the death of her flock]] by a [[SavageWolves pack of wolves]] and other predators. Eventually the female protagonist starts losing parts of her sanity as the story progresses. It contains a lot of gore, violent imagery, and [[MatureAnimalStory heavy subject matter.]] The graphic novel is aimed at teens and young adults as a result.

** In an interview in Amazing Heroes #119, writer Max Allan Collins said that, in reference to a Creator/FrankMiller written story which had ComicBook/{{Catwoman}} as a former prostitute, he found that inappropriate--the equivalent of doing Literature/PeterPan and having them face [[ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything historically accurate pirates]]. Collins felt that Catwoman was derived from children’s entertainment, appearing in a series that had turned into a much more overtly juvenile version of Radio/TheShadow (Catwoman debuted soon after the début of the KidSidekick with shaved legs, short shorts and elf shoes) and therefore people should keep that in mind when handling her. Apparently, certain things about Catwoman that have always existed (the fact that she was directly modeled after Creator/JeanHarlow, the Music/{{Madonna}} of her day, or that she carries a ''whip'') do not enter into the equation.

* Creator/ArtSpiegelman's comment about his comic book ''ComicBook/{{Maus}}'' sums up the attitude and problem nicely. ''Maus'' features [[FunnyAnimal anthropomorphic animals]] as stand-ins for people (mice for Jews, cats for Germans, dogs for Americans, etc.). This does not mean it is kid-friendly. '''It's about the freaking Holocaust.''' It features drawings of ditches filled with emaciated, dead anthropomorphic mice being burned by cats with flamethrowers and gas masks. The parts that take place in modern day aren't too clean either. Those parts deal with many serious themes like continuing racism, death in your family, abuse, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and greed]]. ''Not'' helped by the fact it's not all uncommon to find it in places like elementary school libraries because school staff decide the educational content in being about the Holocaust excuses the graphic content enough to make it kid-friendly. Did they forget about the other kid-unfriendly parts which are included because the comics are intended for adults, such as swearing and non-sexual partial nudity?

* Creator/ArtSpiegelman's comment about his comic book ''ComicBook/{{Maus}}'' sums up the attitude and problem nicely. ''Maus'' features [[FunnyAnimal anthropomorphic animals]] as stand-ins for people (mice for Jews, cats for Germans, dogs for Americans, etc.). This does not mean it is kid-friendly. '''It's about the freaking Holocaust.''' It features drawings of ditches filled with emaciated, dead anthropomorphic mice being burned by cats with flamethrowers and gas masks. The parts that take place in modern day aren't too clean either. Those parts deal with many serious themes like continuing racism, death in your family, abuse, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and greed]]. ''Not'' helped by the fact it's not all uncommon to find it in places like elementary school libraries because school staff decide the educational content in being about the Holocaust excuses the graphic content enough to make it kid-friendly. Did they forget about the other kid-unfriendly parts which are included because the comics are intended for adults, such as swearing?

* Creator/ArtSpiegelman's comment about his comic book ''ComicBook/{{Maus}}'' sums up the attitude and problem nicely. ''Maus'' features [[FunnyAnimal anthropomorphic animals]] as stand-ins for people (mice for Jews, cats for Germans, dogs for Americans, etc.). This does not mean it is kid-friendly. '''It's about the freaking Holocaust.''' It features drawings of ditches filled with emaciated, dead anthropomorphic mice being burned by cats with flamethrowers and gas masks. The parts that take place in modern day aren't too clean either. Those parts deal with many serious themes like continuing racism, death in your family, abuse, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and greed]]. ''Not'' helped by the fact it's not all uncommon to find it in places like elementary school libraries because school staff decide the educational content in being about the Holocaust excuses the graphic content enough to make it kid-friendly. Did they forget about the other kid-unfriendly parts which are here because the comics are intended for adults, such as swearing and non-sexual partial nudity?

* Creator/ArtSpiegelman's comment about his comic book ''ComicBook/{{Maus}}'' sums up the attitude and problem nicely. ''Maus'' features [[FunnyAnimal anthropomorphic animals]] as stand-ins for people (mice for Jews, cats for Germans, dogs for Americans, etc.). This does not mean it is kid-friendly. '''It's about the freaking Holocaust.''' It features drawings of ditches filled with emaciated, dead anthropomorphic mice being burned by cats with flamethrowers and gas masks. The parts that take place in modern day aren't too clean either. Those parts deal with many serious themes like continuing racism, death in your family, abuse, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and greed]]. Not to mention Art says "shit" 3 times in Part 1. ''Not'' helped by the fact it's not all uncommon to find it in places like Elementary School libraries because school staff decide the educational content in being about the Holocaust excuses the graphic content enough to make it kid-friendly.

* Creator/ArtSpiegelman's comment about his comic book ''ComicBook/{{Maus}}'' sums up the attitude and problem nicely. ''Maus'' features [[FunnyAnimal anthropomorphic animals]] as stand-ins for people (mice for Jews, cats for Germans, dogs for Americans, etc.). This does not mean it is kid-friendly. '''It's about the freaking Holocaust.''' It features drawings of ditches filled with emaciated, dead anthropomorphic mice being burned by cats with flamethrowers and gas masks. The parts that take place in modern day aren't too clean either. Those parts deal with many serious themes like continuing racism, death in your family, abuse, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and greed]]. Not to mention Art says "shit" 3 times in Part 1.
** Not helped by the fact it's not all uncommon to find it in places like Elementary School libraries because school staff decide the educational content in being about the Holocaust excuses the graphic content enough to make it kid-friendly.

* Creator/ArtSpiegelman's comment about his comic book ''ComicBook/{{Maus}}'' provides the current main page quote. ''Maus'' features [[FunnyAnimal anthropomorphic animals]] as stand-ins for people (mice for Jews, cats for Germans, dogs for Americans, etc.). This does not mean it is kid-friendly. '''It's about the freaking Holocaust.''' It features drawings of ditches filled with emaciated, dead anthropomorphic mice being burned by cats with flamethrowers and gas masks. The parts that take place in modern day aren't too clean either. Those parts deal with many serious themes like continuing racism, death in your family, abuse, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and greed]]. Not to mention Art says "shit" 3 times in Part 1.

* The Italian comic ''ComicBook/BiancaLittleLostLamb'' is about a [[SweetSheep female anthropomorphic lamb]], despite the cover and artwork looking innocent. It's actually about the lamb [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge seeking revenge]] [[YouKilledMyFather for the death of her flock]] by a [[SavageWolves pack of wolves]] and other predators. Eventually the female protagonist starts losing parts of her sanity as the story progresses. It contains a lot of gore, violent imagery, and [[MatureAnimalStory heavy subject matter.]]

* The Italian comic ''ComicBook/BiancaLittleLostLamb'' is about a [[SweetSheep female anthropomorphic lamb]], despite the cover and artwork looking innocent. It's actually about the lamb [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge seeking revenge]] [[YouKilledMyFather for the death of her flock]] by a [[SavageWolves pack of wolves]] and other predators. Eventually the female protagonist starts losing parts of her sanity as the story progresses. It contains a lot of gore and violent imagery and [[MatureAnimalStory heavy subject matter.]]

* The Italian comic ''ComicBook/BiancaLittleLostLamb'' is about a [[SweetSheep female anthropomorphic lamb]], despite the cover and art work looking innocent. It's actually about the lamb [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge seeking revenge]] [[YouKilledMyFather for the death of her flock]] by a [[SavageWolves pack of wolves]] and other predators. Eventually the female protagonist starts losing parts of her sanity as the story progresses. It contains a lot of gore and violent imagery and [[MatureAnimalStory heavy subject matter.]]

* The Italian comic ''ComicBook/BiancaLittleLostLamb'' is about a [[SweetSheep female anthropomorphic lamb]], despite the cover and art work looking innocent. It's actually about the lamb [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge seeking revenge]] [[YouKilledMyFather for the death of her flock]] by a [[SavageWolves pack of wolves]] and other predators. Eventually the female protagonist starts losing parts of her sanity as the story progresses. It contains a lot of gore and violent imagery and heavy subject matter.

** Not helped by the fact it's not all uncommon to find it in places like Elementary School libraries because school staff decide the educational content in being about the holocaust excuses the graphic content enough to make it kid-friendly.

* Similar to the above, ''Wonder Woman '77'', a comic tie-in to the old [[Series/WonderWoman live-action series]], has had several instances of profanity and shown a woman with bruises received from her abusive husband; the kid-friendly show would ''never'' have depicted something like that.

* Nearly all of the off-[[UsefulNotes/ComicsCode Code]] independent imprints dating from the late 1970s onward (such as First Comics, Comico, or Eclipse Comics) were well ahead of the mainstream publishers in being DarkerAndEdgier, with titles such as ''Grimjack'', ''ComicBook/TheBadger'', ''ComicBook/AmericanFlagg'', ''ComicBook/{{Elementals}}'', and ''ComicBook/TheDNAgents'' being only distributed in specialty shops for good reason. Later independent publishers such as Creator/DarkHorseComics and Creator/ImageComics continued this trend for a time, but as the popularity of comic book shops in the late 1980s and early 1990s grew, it led to these more and more often getting into the hands of underage patrons (and/or unwary parents looking for something to bring home to their kids), they tended to back off from this somewhat (the fact that the [[UsefulNotes/TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks Dark Age]] was already underway in mainstream comics also tended to undercut the uniqueness of such titles).

* ''ComicBook/GenderQueerAMemoir'' is frequently put in the "Teen" or even "Children's" section of libraries and book stores. It has a bright art style and is a LGBTQ ComingOfAgeStory, but it's aimed at adults. The comic has received critique from parents who are offended by its sexual references.

* ''ComicBook/{{Fables}}'' is a comic series about a whole community of fairy tale heroes who live in New York and their lives and adventures. The kids are gonna love it, right? Some of those adventures include: A murder mystery with an apartment drenched in blood, [[spoiler: Literature/{{Snow White|AndTheSevenDwarfs}} being raped by 7 dwarfs in the past]], the nice, friendly and charming Boy Blue [[spoiler: going on a trip to murder the Adversary and slaughtering anyone who gets in his way]], a war and so on.

** Issue #15 has a letter from a woman who complains that her son had bought a couple of issues which included "foul language and violence," without specifying any further, and that the company which "prints material for children" should know better. This was shortly after the cartoon started airing, but it's not mentioned at all in the letter. In his response, Peter Laird wonders what language and on-panel violence she's talking about (the foulest thing in the earlier issues being on the level of "let's go kick some ass!"), and points out that just because it's a comic doesn't mean that it's for children. Complaints like this led to the creation of the Franchise/{{Archie|Comics}} series ''ComicBook/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesAdventures'', which was based on the TV show and more kid-friendly.

* Anything from Franchise/ArchieComics has to be family friendly, right? Nevermind that the main comics have been risque in their own right, the spinoff series' like ''ComicBook/ChillingAdventuresOfSabrina'' and ''ComicBook/AfterlifeWithArchie'' are at minimum PG-13 and rather graphic horror series. Even the [[ComicBook/ArchieComics2015 2015 reboot]] is a little HotterAndSexier than the original comics.