Soapbox rant: Marvel/Joey Q and Smoking- The Horror!

[Darthphere]

I could've brought this up in the New Joe Friday's thread, but I wanted an open discussion about this. This week, someone asked Joey Q about the ban on smoking in Marvel comics:

Q: “scrubby" - Didn't Marvel quit "smoking" on your watch as E-i-C? I couldn't help but notice Jay Anacleto's upcoming artwork for Marvels 2 or Eye of the Camera or whatever you decide to call this project. I love Jay's work, but I'm curious if you will edit the panel with the cigarette artwork or make an exception to your "no smoking on my watch" position. Just curious…

JQ: Yo, yo, scrubby, wazzup, bro! You are correct on all fronts and a pretty observant dude. The no smoking ban is always in place as long as I’m here and while there are times when a piece of art will slip by because we missed it within the crunch of all the work we have to do, the Anacleto pages aren’t amongst those. I’m very aware that there is smoking in Eye of the Camera as I’m aware of many things happening in that story and the reasons behind them. The short answer is that the art on this project will not be altered. We can talk more about this when the book comes out but for now I have to remain tight lipped.

So I don't know, I may be alone on this, but the ban IMO seems, well: Stupid. Smoking is bad, ok I think we all get it by now. But friends pummeling each other over a law is a-ok socially? The anaolgy may be off base but when you think about it, whats the big deal. I think Joey Q himself has acknowledged the lack of kids reading comics today, so its not like we're really protecting them are we? If a kid is going to start smoking, he's going to start smoking regardless if Wolverine does or not. And at last check, we still had Wolverine guzzling down beer in all his comics. Why not ban that? When put up against all this, the smoking ban seems simply put, hypocritical. Smoking bad, drinking beer good, fighting your friend to the death over trivialities, AWESOME!

That said, do I really need people smoking in comics? No, I frankly don't care if they do or don't. It all just seems silly to me.

Discuss.

 

[Apprentice]

I have to agree with you. Trying to convince kiddies that smoking is bad by banning it is 1) kinda bizarre when they still print a universe with The Punisher caving villainous heads in and superhuman violence is an everyday occurrence, 2) ineffective, as they still see it and are more influenced by it in real life anyway, and 3) could be insulting to the more mature readers (although you'd have to be kinda tetchy).

Is this ban in place in the Ultimate Marvel imprint as well?

 

[Darthphere]

I have to agree with you. Trying to convince kiddies that smoking is bad by banning it is 1) kinda bizarre when they still print a universe with The Punisher caving villainous heads in and superhuman violence is an everyday occurrence, 2) ineffective, as they still see it and are more influenced by it in real life anyway, and 3) could be insulting to the more mature readers (although you'd have to be kinda tetchy).

Is this ban in place in the Ultimate Marvel imprint as well?

I believe so, though I'm not sure.

 

[wobbly]

It is a bit silly...banning smoking by ignoring it's existence in the books is a token gesture at best. If Marvel really want to send a message then have a character known to smoke contract cancer or heart disease or something...show the long painful death, warts and all.

 

[Spade]

Wait a sec- so (if I remember correctly) Drax can pull out Thanos' heart and Gwen can be shown mid-orgasm with Norman Osborn, but the real issue here is whether characters smoke? Someone care to fill in the link of logical thought I seem to be missing?

 

[The Leaguer]

Weird, the date on the first post in this thread is "Today" instead of "two years ago." Funny that the Hype systems would screw that up so bad.

 

[Darthphere]

Weird, the date on the first post in this thread is "Today" instead of "two years ago." Funny that the Hype systems would screw that up so bad.

Oh that Leaguer!

 

[The Leaguer]

That should be a show about me owning everyone around me.

 

[Darthphere]

It be cancelled, in an ultimate act of pwnage.

 

[The Leaguer]

Only because I pwnt my producers, directors and fellow actors. There was just no one left.

 

[BrianWilly]

Anyway, yeah, I think smoking is pretty bad and you should possibly shoot yourself if you do it haha but this ban is still pretty stupid and Quesada's masculinity should be in question for even thinking of it. We get to see people stabbed through the stomach, shot through the face, blasted through the heart, mangled, broken, decapitated, abuse women, abuse children, abuse animals, and lest we forget the foremost heroes of this universe are acting like utter prcks what with the cloning and the fascism and the redneckification...and Quesadilla, in his infinite wisdom, is concerned that lighting up a cigarette will make them bad role models? Yeah, good logic there, Joe.

 

[deemar325]

I hate smoking with a passion, but hey I'm not gonna lose sleep over a character lighting up one.

In a way I think certain characters are their most Iconic with a stoogie in their mug (Nick Fury for one.)

 

[Not Jake]

Why not just ban smoking in the A-rated books and for the T and higher, allow it?

 

[BrianWilly]

Psh. That would be logical.

 

[deemar325]

Sounds simple enough.


yet no one at Marvel has thought of it.

 

[Tropico]

I'd prefer if they have the ban, that way they're not tempted later on to insert their advertisements. I know, I know, I think there's a law against that, I just couldn't resist.

I'd have to agree with how shallow this seems when they're still displaying drinking in their comics. Especially since it's been mostly shown as a way of some characters to try an cope with their problems. It might make for dramatic storytelling and flawed heroes, but it's still substance abuse. Why shouldn't it be "measured" with the same "ruler"? That said, I don't mind if they keep the ban or not.

I can remember when Kitty stole a stogie from Wolvie's mouth because it was making her cough and tried to smoke it herself to see why he almost always was smoking one. It gave her a coughing fit and almost made her throw up as tears streamed down her face. To be honest, it made me curious. Not to try it, but I rather wanted to know if smoking a cigar could really cause such a strong reaction (I've been told it does). In a way, I understand Quesada's position, but it still seem shallow to me.

 

[deemar325]

Tropico I agree.

 

[PhotoJones]

So I don't know, I may be alone on this, but the ban IMO seems, well: Stupid. Smoking is bad, ok I think we all get it by now. But friends pummeling each other over a law is a-ok socially? The anaolgy may be off base but when you think about it, whats the big deal. I think Joey Q himself has acknowledged the lack of kids reading comics today, so its not like we're really protecting them are we? If a kid is going to start smoking, he's going to start smoking regardless if Wolverine does or not. And at last check, we still had Wolverine guzzling down beer in all his comics. Why not ban that? When put up against all this, the smoking ban seems simply put, hypocritical. Smoking bad, drinking beer good, fighting your friend to the death over trivialities, AWESOME!

That said, do I really need people smoking in comics? No, I frankly don't care if they do or don't. It all just seems silly to me.

Discuss.

on the one hand, i can see where he's coming from, seeing as how he lost his dad to lung cancer. but on the other hand, yeah, it's pretty stupid. i agree.

 

[Dread]

Darthphere sometimes jokes about how wordy I am, so I'll just paste this bit on the subject that I typed in another topic, because I am lazy.

- The smoking ban at Marvel is stupid, and this is coming from a non-smoker. I mean, really, showing Wolverine slaughter people is fine, but heaven forbid he lights up? Silly. It's the same double standard of wacky morality that shows up in their animated DTV's: graphic violence is fine for 13 year olds, but nudity or the use of even PG level language like "hell" or "damn" is not (especially considering I've never met a kid 13 and under who didn't watch far worse on his/her own via WWE, music videos, etc).

I understand the intention, but it comes off as really ludicrious when you consider all the things that Marvel does deem "appropriate".

 

[deemar325]

^ Ditto