Comics Interview — Issue #043

Miller spoke at the 1986 Mid-Ohio-Con on censorship and ratings, arguing firmly against any ratings system for comics, warning that the industry "did not act courageously last time there was a threat" (referencing the Wertham era when Bill Gaines was left alone). He stressed that ratings would change the way creators think, causing them to shoot for specific ratings rather than telling the stories they want, and that the notion of ratings, once accepted, never goes away.

Byrne distinguished his position from Miller's, stating he has no philosophical objection to a ratings system per se, viewing ratings as "a hedge against censorship" rather than censorship itself — allowing creators to label content rather than restrict it. He objected specifically to DC's ratings being implemented without input from freelancers. Byrne discussed keeping SUPERMAN a universal book while acknowledging characters like Batman inhabit darker territory.

Turner, founder of Last Gasp, gave an expansive oral history of underground comics from their origins in 1967–70 through the economic downturn caused by the Vietnam War and inflation that collapsed the underground market in the mid-1970s. He discussed Last Gasp's current publishing slate (ZIPPY, WEIRDO, ZAP reprints, R. Crumb), their three-tier distribution model reaching international customers, and expressed concern that the current black-and-white alternatives glut mirrored the oversaturation that had killed the underground market before.

Griepp explained Capital City Distribution's operations and the explosion of black-and-white titles in 1986 (61 new #1s in a single month's order form). He described the MIRACLEMAN #9 controversy — where Eclipse shipped a book with graphic content not disclosed in solicitations, leading to retailer complaints — and emphasized that the distributor's key role in the adult-content debate is ensuring publishers disclose content in advance so retailers can make informed decisions.

Perles, Marvel's former general counsel and longtime friend of publisher Martin Goodman, provided a detailed oral history of Goodman's publishing empire from the 1930s pulp-Western era through the sale to Cadence Industries. He recounted litigating the original CAPTAIN AMERICA lawsuit brought by Louis Silberkleit and working with Stan Lee and other key Marvel figures. On the current censorship debate, Perles was unequivocal: "It's censorship, pure — or not so pure — and simple," opposing the Comics Code historically and the Meese Commission presently.

A lengthy, rigorously argued editorial distinguishing "labelling" (voluntary, creator-applied) from "ratings" (mandatory, industry-enforced), using the MPAA film ratings system as a cautionary model. Bissette documents how the film ratings system evolved into covert commercial censorship and argues that a comics ratings system would inevitably produce the same results.

A transcript of a November 1986 industry panel featuring retailers, publishers (Eclipse, Marvel, DC, First Comics), and distributor Milton Griepp debating whether a ratings system is needed. The panel reached no consensus — retailers wanted advance information from publishers; publishers opposed formal ratings for varying reasons; and the distributor advocated for consistent content disclosure.

Two substantial letters on the censorship debate: one from Richard S. McEnroe arguing DC's new ratings signal the end of mature work at the major publishers and urging creators to find independent publishers; and one from T.M. Maple engaging in a philosophical debate over whether criminal law restrictions on extreme content constitute censorship.