But, one reviewer, while giviing the book five stars, cautioned those looking for the "more mature stories" to be found in modern comics to stay away. This tingled my spider-sense, as such references often do.

Are the stories in modern comics REALLY "mature"? Mostly, when I look at books I am told I will find "mature" I find instead faux sophistication targeted, it would seem, at readers who themselves lack the necessary maturity and sophistication to appreciate how truly shallow the works really are. And this is not even considering those books that depend upon violence, sex and profanity to earn their "mature" ticket.

I'm reminded once again of Roger Stern's old anecdote, about the friend of his from college days who wandered into an "adult" book store in search of the latest issue of SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN. Also of when someone up at Marvel said that the books labeled "Mature" should really be labeled "Sophomoric".

Reviewing the marketplace as it stands today, it seems as tho the books that really deserve to be called "mature", in the true meaning of that word, are few and far between.

- CONCRETE: THE HUMAN DILEMMA (late 90s)
- THE THING (1983)
- GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY TPB VOL.1 (nuMarvel)

Guess which one contained the expression "booty call"?

Same one I lost interest in.

Maybe the term should be "adolesent". 

As a self-proclaimed expert in smut and material that is masterbatory, I can promise that the current market of comic books is neither.

That said, I do think that "mature" labels should not indicate what material is inside but rather should indicate the mentality of the reader. I believe that my children need a certain level of maturity to handle an episode of CSI and at the same time they need a certainl level of maturity to handle a Garth Ennis Punisher story. In no way do I believe these stories to be similar. The maturity allows an individual to enjoy either for their own merits, and then walk away back into their real life.

I'd say "mature" in today's comics means "content not appropriate for young people"--sex, extreme violence, profanity, etc.

And those who seek such stories out are usually embarrassed by the material and the genre, and want "adult" stories of the like one would seen on cable or in R-rated movies. Y'know, stuff that's clearly NOT for kiddies. We wouldn't want to be fans of kiddie stuff, now would we?

That's the whole point--when stories feature "mature" content, that keeps them from looking like kiddie stuff, and so fans don't run the risk of being mocked.

But that sure as heck doesn't mean that the stories are sophisticated and/or adult! They just have elements inappropriate for kids shoehorned in.

I, for one, am a champion of the old style of superhero comics, and will defend it in public! If we all are weak enough to be embarrassed by what we love (to the point of wanting it twisted into something not-embarrassing), then what we love will truly die and fade away.

I've found that our son LOVES comics! He has been looking at the Cars comics I've bought him (and to our surprise has been treating them respectfully - they're still bound in one piece, although beat up a bit). I'd love for him to have the same fun I did with comics at his age, but the outlet for that isn't there. When I was in grade school I read Spider-Man, Star Wars, and G.I.Joe. Today I wouldn't let him get any of them, with the exception of maybe Star Wars...except they're so steeped in the "ultra-realism" that's prevalent that they're boring and I dropped them awhile back.

There are the "kid friendly" comics, but I think many of those talk down to kids. They assume because they're children they can't rise up a level (but they can read The Red Badge of Courage in class...go figure).

I believe some of the same stories we have today could still be told without the graphic violence, overt sexual situation, and R-rated language. We don't have to see the entrails spraying through the air. The imagination can do that work for us. There were quite a few Spider-Man comics I look at these days and find some things slipped in. But as a 7 year old I didn't get them, and I didn't miss out on anything because of it.