While it may seem like dull college work, selling comic books can be more dangerous than expected. This month in Georgia a case was finally dropped against a comic shop owner who let a mature comic fall into the hands of minor back in 2004. The comic in question had a panel of an angry, naked Picasso answering the door in a true story of the artist's life, and was unfortunately put into a box of free comics that were handed out at a local parade. Even more unfortunate, the comic was given to a family of two boys, nine and six-years-old. As soon as the parents saw a penis in their boys' comic, they phoned the police, and the owner was charged with two felonies and five misdemeanors when the parents wouldn't just accept a formal apology. Luckily for Gordon Lee, the owner in question, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, a non-profit group made for just such occasions, came to his rescue to cover all legal expenses, which reached nearly $100,000 in the battle. After plenty of delays and re-trials the case has finally been dropped and Legends Comics is still in business. It hit me pretty close to home for a number of reasons. One, my boss is the director of the CBLDF, a man who I never knew I had anything in common with besides a fondness for comics. Two, I know how easily a mature title can get mixed up with kids books. There's a lot of stuff in storage and it's a mess, and in the years I've worked there and all the parades I've been in, I know I've probably handed at least one "mature" title to a kid, but thank God it didn't have male nudity. Which brings me to my last point.
The legend of "fan-service", up-skirt or down-shirt shots of girls for the teen male audience, is not unfounded, especially in superhero comics that are acceptable for any age. Personally, it's always been amusing to me and it's perfectly harmless as long as you don't mind the demeaning of women. Recently Alan Moore, the eccentric comic-writer god, published a very controversial but highly praised comic called Lost Girls, that he himself has plainly described as pornography, a realm that he explored the same way he did with superheroes in Watchmen, and terrorism in V for Vendetta. And despite the fact that the three girls in the comic are 14-16 years old, no one but the odd kook seems to have a problem with it and it's generally stayed under the public radar. And yet, I can remember a comic that came out less than a year after called Spider-man Reign. The story takes place in the far future, where widowed 80-year-old Peter Parker must wear the mask one last time in a battle against the totalitarian dystopia of New York. The years and Mary Jane's death haven't been kind on him and his glory days are go
ne and forgotten. Yet as he falls asleep in a rat-infested hole, he sees only his angelic wife sleeping beside him. But when morning comes he wakes up alone, cold and naked. As he slowly aches out of bed you see a tiny, non-descript, flaccid 80-year-old lump. Because Marvel received so many complaints, the title became mature and the offending penis was removed from all future prints. The fact that enough people, primarily men, were determined to change a sad old Spider-man into a Ken Doll truly frightens me. I mean, is the human body itself really pornography? Doesn't the context have any say? Would we take off David's penis if we got the chance or clothe the Spirit of Justice without giving thought to why she's naked to begin with? (That last one was a trick question, John Ashcroft already did!)Sex is normal. And not just normal but natural and beautiful and pleasurable. The human body is a marvel of engineering and architecture, and another sign of the beauty of nature or God's own image. Most children see a naked member of the opposite sex before middle school, whether it's their sibling, parent, or just from playing doctor. Nearly everyone already knows the story of the Birds and the Bees before their parents actually tell it. And unless you're married, you probably lost your virginity before your parents accepted it, even if you were 40. These are all universal moments of discovery that cannot be stopped or unlearned, so kids should be allowed to experience it and talk about it, especially with their parents. But the only way that's ever going to happen is if all taboos are open for discussion and not judgment. I know because my parents were on opposite sides of the spectrum. My dad was a paranoid schizophrenic born and raised Baptist, while my mom was a self-confessed nymphomaniac. My dad talked to me once about sex and once about homosexuality, the entire context of which can be summed up in 3 words, "Don't do it." So I'd talk to my mom instead, and while her openness would probably bother others, I'd say it's one of the reasons I'm as normal and fairly well-adjusted as I am. I could talk to her about anything, and I did, something that a lot of parents only wish they could say. Because my mom taught me about sex and all it's benefits and risks, I never had unprotected sex or got anyone pregnant or anything stupid. But because of my dad's overt reactions to sex, I spent years of confusion and pain trying to come up with any answer to my sexuality other than the simplest, I'm just gay. Luckily, because of my mom's open mind, I was able to slowly chip away at years of hatred to reveal my true self. And while the thought of a gay son may terrify some, at least I'm also a happy, loving, and trusting son.
It may just be my perception, but anti-porn rules usually end up being used to enforce anti-gay sentiment. My first encounter with this was in my home town of less than 30,000. The only real book store was two miles from my house, but well worth the trip. It was huge, had a coffee house to read in, and a more diverse selection than the local library. Around the same time that Pokemon Tournaments filled the cafe every Saturday some new titles were added that got the attention of the church and myself. In the Erotic section were two books about homosexuality. Books, meaning with little or no pictures. A week later in church we got to hear about the "pornography" that was being peddled by the Books-A-Million, and urged to boycott them until they removed it. Just think of the children! And Books-A-Million did, they moved the Erotic section to an area of the store that could be roped off for adults only, but it turns out that wasn't enough. That's when the real ugliness came out. It wasn't ever about the Erotic section, they just wanted those faggot books out of their town. But the book store didn't budge. They refused to be bullied or censored. They defiantly stood up for their customers, even if they were hated in this tiny town. So, of course, they shut down a few years later. It was the first time I can ever remember actually hating a church. Books were my lifeline, and all because of one belief they took them away from me and everyone else, just to protect us from the gays. In Indiana a new law has been passed that makes it a felony to sell "sexually explicit material" to anyone under 13. Not just pornography, but theoretically sex-ed books, books on Greek mythology, the law has no concrete definition. Nobody's been hit with it yet, and the local booksellers are already taking it to the Supreme Court, but you can bet that if some kid sees a penis, some heads are going to roll.
I can't force anyone to accept sex as a normal part of life. And I would never want to, it should be something you discover on your own. But on the same side, don't tie up our courts over trivial bullshit and start a witch hunt over people who appreciate literature and respect individual choice. If you're really worried about what your kids are reading then why not talk to them about it. Explain to them with solid arguments why something is unacceptable and then let them defend it. If it's forbidden it'll just be more tempting to defy you and read behind your back. I suppose if your goal in life is to raise sheltered, naive, sexually-neutered children that's your business. But it's not the government's job, it's not the publisher's job, it's not the clerk's job, it's your job. And if you find your son looking at a penis despite all your efforts, it's your own damn fault.
