Trying to establish that comic books are not just for kids
has been a long time crusade of mine. The medium of comics has matured greatly
since it first officially debuted in the 1930s. But no matter how much it
matures, the image most people have is that of immature male fantasy. Comics
are for young boys or mentally impaired adults seems to be the opinion of many
people in the media and public, most of whom have never read a comic at all.
Currently we are enjoying a glut of comic book adaptations
(see my entry here), particularly of the super hero variety. And yet while so
many comic properties are being developed into the big screen, the concept of
embracing the adult side of comics seems to be stagnant among the major
Hollywood studios. Only a scant few comic book films have been developed over
the past couple of years with an R rating.
Now I know the main reason why there are so few R rated
super hero movies is initially a financial reason as opposed to a
misunderstanding of the genre. It is just a fact that movies rated PG-13 or
lower tend to earn greater box office than R rated films (NC-17 is considered
by many studios to be the kiss of death for a film’s box office so I doubt
there will ever be an NC-17 super hero film). But just because low rated movies
tend to earn more, does not prevent studios from making such films. R rated
films can sometimes dominate the market, leaving few choices for families and
young viewers.
But like I said, there are a lot of R-rated super heroes.
The Punisher, Spawn, Powers, The Boys, just to name a few. Of those four, two
have been adapted to the big screen, one of them three times (The Punisher).
The big screen adaptation of Spawn, by all accounts an R-rated comic, was
PG-13. This led to having much of the dark tone of the comic be toned down, making much of the film just
cartoonish and almost satirical of what a super hero film should be. The
Punisher was granted an R rating in theatres, but in many ways the Punisher
isn’t any different than a number of other hard hitting street vigilante films,
much in the vein of Death Wish. Not a true super hero movie. I can only hope
when they get around to the film adaptation of The Boys that they will stick to
the heavy violence and sex that makes the comic what it is.
What really the future of R-rated super hero movies hangs on
right now is Kick-Ass. Watchmen was another attempt at an R-rated superhero
film but sadly never got the Box Office or critical acclaim to launch the
trend. Now the first Kick-Ass did well enough to warrant the making of a sequel
(while the comic it is based on is currently finishing up a trilogy). So as
long as Kick-Ass 2 does enough business to satisfy the Studios, there could be
a huge development binge to get R rated super hero flicks into production (see
my feelings on super hero films here).
Honestly my hopes are not high as most audiences are probably burnt out
on super hero films, and even the addition of gratuitous sex and violence might
not change that trend.
As comics mature it seems inevitable that adaptations of
comics will mature as well. But as long as the stigma of comics being for kids
remain, any attempt to bring comics to a wider audience will be aimed at the
widest audience possible and that means films that are kid friendly. That’s
just good business. And Hollywood is a business. As much as people in the
entertainment industry want to talk about art and entertaining, at the end of
the day people are most concerned about the dollars and cents, not whether or
not a particular fanbase is entertained.
Trying to establish that comic books are not just for kids
has been a long time crusade of mine. The medium of comics has matured greatly
since it first officially debuted in the 1930s. But no matter how much it
matures, the image most people have is that of immature male fantasy. Comics
are for young boys or mentally impaired adults seems to be the opinion of many
people in the media and public, most of whom have never read a comic at all. 
Currently we are enjoying a glut of comic book adaptations
(see my entry here), particularly of the super hero variety. And yet while so
many comic properties are being developed into the big screen, the concept of
embracing the adult side of comics seems to be stagnant among the major
Hollywood studios. Only a scant few comic book films have been developed over
the past couple of years with an R rating.
Now I know the main reason why there are so few R rated
super hero movies is initially a financial reason as opposed to a
misunderstanding of the genre. It is just a fact that movies rated PG-13 or
lower tend to earn greater box office than R rated films (NC-17 is considered
by many studios to be the kiss of death for a film’s box office so I doubt
there will ever be an NC-17 super hero film). But just because low rated movies
tend to earn more, does not prevent studios from making such films. R rated
films can sometimes dominate the market, leaving few choices for families and
young viewers.
But like I said, there are a lot of R-rated super heroes.
The Punisher, Spawn, Powers, The Boys, just to name a few. Of those four, two
have been adapted to the big screen, one of them three times (The Punisher).
The big screen adaptation of Spawn, by all accounts an R-rated comic, was
PG-13. This led to having much of the dark tone of the comic be toned down, making much of the film just
cartoonish and almost satirical of what a super hero film should be. The
Punisher was granted an R rating in theatres, but in many ways the Punisher
isn’t any different than a number of other hard hitting street vigilante films,
much in the vein of Death Wish. Not a true super hero movie. I can only hope
when they get around to the film adaptation of The Boys that they will stick to
the heavy violence and sex that makes the comic what it is.
What really the future of R-rated super hero movies hangs on
right now is Kick-Ass. Watchmen was another attempt at an R-rated superhero
film but sadly never got the Box Office or critical acclaim to launch the
trend. Now the first Kick-Ass did well enough to warrant the making of a sequel
(while the comic it is based on is currently finishing up a trilogy). So as
long as Kick-Ass 2 does enough business to satisfy the Studios, there could be
a huge development binge to get R rated super hero flicks into production (see
my feelings on super hero films here).
Honestly my hopes are not high as most audiences are probably burnt out
on super hero films, and even the addition of gratuitous sex and violence might
not change that trend.
As comics mature it seems inevitable that adaptations of
comics will mature as well. But as long as the stigma of comics being for kids
remain, any attempt to bring comics to a wider audience will be aimed at the
widest audience possible and that means films that are kid friendly. That’s
just good business. And Hollywood is a business. As much as people in the
entertainment industry want to talk about art and entertaining, at the end of
the day people are most concerned about the dollars and cents, not whether or
not a particular fanbase is entertained.
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