NationStates Jolt Archive

Hi all,

There may be many censorship issues already in place, but in my short playing I've not seen too many. But I do love how some of the issues take real life experiences and but a fun twist on them.

With that in mind a couple of years ago Marvel Comics Ultimate X-Men ran a story arc where George W. Bush ended up being stripped naked and was about to be excuted on the White House lawn. He and many other real life celeberties have been used in both likeness and name in many Marvel comics as of late. Personally I love it.

Furthermore, comics have always had hidden political context, which pops up time and again depending upon the writer and editor.

Years ago a comics code authority was created to basically state that newstand comics were essentially harmless. The symbol has been on DC and Marvel comics for years, though sometime in the past few years (2001) Marvel certainly has stopped putting the endorsement on its comics.

Here is the text of the origincal CCA:
http://www.comics.dm.net/codetext.htm

So why is it important and worth of a NationStates issue?

http://www.sideroad.com/comics/column12.html

Well, it or a government's choice to create one, is an issue that defines censorship and obviously could modify our Political Freedoms. It also could have some neat game text.

Anyway, I'd like help to create an issue where you have the choice to: (1) ban all comics since they are subversive, (2) create a censorship "Comics Code Authority, (3) encourage publishers to just deal out their own warnings, (4) create your own government comics to spread govt propoganda.

Does anybody think that this issue: (1) has merit, (2) could be fun, and (3) doesn't tread too closely to something already around?

Thanks
-Michael

That would be a good issue. :)

That's a comical idea. Do it!

That would be a good issue. :)

Well, I'll need help in all parts, but here is kinda what I was thinking:

Name:
Teachers and Parents Advocate A Comic Code Authority

Description:
The internationally popular superhero comic book The Transhumans recently featured a story in which @@NAME@@ declared war against a nation of mutants. Though the transhumans came to the reluctant aid of @@NAME@@, they came too late to prevent the evil mutants from stripping several key government officials naked and humiliating real life @@NAME@@ politicians!

Options:
[option]"See! I've been telling you for years. Comics are subversive!" cried book burner @@RANDOMNAME@@ and leader of the @@NAME@@ Moral Minority. "We should ban future comic books and burn the existing ones."

[option]"And they sell this to our children?" questioned teacher @@RANDOMNAME@@. "Children should read fewer of these comics and they certainly shouldn't see their leaders naked! Let's create a Comic Code Authority and enforce minimal standards on books meant for children. Parents will learn to buy only the comics we've endorsed."

[option]"I don't see what the big deal is," advocated Stanely Kirby, creator of popular comics like the Transhumans, the Fabulous Five, and Ant Woman. "Comic book companies should be allowed to decide what to put in our stories and what not. We are the first to point out that not all of our books are meant for children. If our stories include questioning the current trend in government decisions, so be it."

[option]"This is an excellent opportunity Sire!" beamed your public relations adviser @@RANDOMNAME@@. "@@NAME@@ should publish its own comics and program children to think like we do! While we are at it, we can access a tax on comics that we feel portray our government in a poor light and use the proceeds to decorate your palace! It is a win-win situation Sire!"

[option]"You are missing the point of the stories," remarked genetic research @@RANDOMNAME@@. "Who cares about what children read? Instead of worrying about comic books, we should see if we can make a real team of transhumans! Let's find radioactive ants and force them to bite people!"

---

I have no idea exactly what to do with the effects and stats. Clearly any form of censorship should reduce the Political Freedoms but at the same time, propoganda sadly does work, so I would think there should be an actual benefit associated with that option as well.

Now it goes without say that I want to force the name of the comic book creator to be Stanely Kirby in tribute to Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. I also think that one of the options, such as the book burning option, should be there, as a quick trapdoor for extreme countries to not only have some fun, but stay on whatever fringe they want.

Michael

How do the following stats / effects sound?


Options:
[option]"See! I've been telling you for years. Comics are subversive!" cried book burner @@RANDOMNAME@@ and leader of the @@NAME@@ Moral Minority. "We should ban future comic books and burn the existing ones."


[effect]a new ministry of publication holds comic book burning rallies
[stats]happiness decreases to almost zero, political freedoms decreases to almost zero, intelligence decreases, book publishing decreases, retail sector increases a bit, public apathy increases


[option]"And they sell this to our children?" questioned teacher @@RANDOMNAME@@. "Children should read fewer of these comics and they certainly shouldn't see their leaders naked! Let's create a Comic Code Authority and enforce minimal standards on books meant for children. Parents will learn to buy only the comics we've endorsed."


[effect]sales in comic books dramatically decrease, children hours everyday glued in front of television sets,
[stats]book publishing decreases, intelligence increases a bit, government funding of education increases a bit, compassion increases a bit


[option]"I don't see what the big deal is," advocated Stanely Kirby, creator of popular comics like the Transhumans, the Fabulous Five, and Ant Woman. "Comic book companies should be allowed to decide what to put in our stories and what not. We are the first to point out that not all of our books are meant for children. If our stories include questioning the current trend in government decisions, so be it."


[effect]comic book sales and the bust sizes of comic book heroines reach all time highs
[stats]book publishing increases, happiness increases, political freedoms increases a bit, government corruption level increases a bit, compassion increases a bit


[option]"This is an excellent opportunity Sire!" beamed your public relations adviser @@RANDOMNAME@@. "@@NAME@@ should publish its own comics and program children to think like we do! While we are at it, we can access a tax on comics that we feel portray our government in a poor light and use the proceeds to decorate your palace! It is a win-win situation Sire!"


[effect]the ministry of publication releases a series of new comic books featuring the spandex wearing Teen @@NAME@@ Squad who fight crime and injustice in the name of all things good,
[stats]tax rate goes down, size of government increases a bit, book publishing decreases a bit, public apathy decreases a bit



[option]"You are missing the point of the stories," remarked genetic research @@RANDOMNAME@@. "Who cares about what children read? Instead of worrying about comic books, we should see if we can make a real team of transhumans! Let's find radioactive ants and force them to bite people!"


[effect]incidents of spandex clad vigilantes increases after a new government program to create genetically modified super heroes is announced
[stats]size of government increases, tax rate goes up, public apathy decreases,

Thoughts?

Michael

Does this apply only to dictatorships :?: I couldn't help but notice such terms as "Sire" and "Most esteemed leader". I think that a comic code could also apply in many other goverment types. If it is supposed to apply to all nations, the wording might need a little tweaking.

Does this apply only to dictatorships :?: I couldn't help but notice such terms as "Sire" and "Most esteemed leader". I think that a comic code could also apply in many other goverment types. If it is supposed to apply to all nations, the wording might need a little tweaking.

Thanks for the input!

I threw those silly phrases into the replies thinking that no self respecting democracy would even be tempted to hit reply on those options ... but my intent was that everybody, democracies, dictatorships, monarchies, even anarchies, can have a comics code authority. :)

Rewording those would be fine -- I'll get to it on Friday or later today as I'll be away for a few days.

What about the book burning? I wanted that to be a trapdoor into a very unpleasant place, but I wanted a more comical description / effect.

I'm guessing most people would choose not to create a comics code authority, but I also thought the idea of comics taking an anti-government spin might make people think about it for a minute.

Cool Issue :D, are you going to submit it? :wink:

Woo, very nice issue. I also think an option could be a requirement of warning labels... kind of like when CDs are labeled, they have to go through a council or something. Or maybe I'm dreaming that. But very very interesting issue.

-Toast

Woo, very nice issue. I also think an option could be a requirement of warning labels... kind of like when CDs are labeled, they have to go through a council or something. Or maybe I'm dreaming that. But very very interesting issue.

-Toast

Thanks, and yes, once some of the finer details are worked out (group think means less work for the overloaded mods), I certainly want to see a nod to comic books and their political value in NS.

I was thinking that warning labels kinda cut close to the very idea of the CCA ... i.e. the little funny symbol you see on late 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, and early 90s Marvel and DC books. With that in mind, even if the CCA was not really active in the late 1990s (remember Magneto was a villian who was portrayed has having a somewhat right cause), it still is a form of censorship. I'm thinking even the teacher endorsed option should result in a political freedom hit.

And I'd like a way to say that giving the power to mock the government or not into the hands of the authors should be a larger step up for political freedom.

I was honestly surprised with the amount of mocking of US policies that Marvel has gotten away with in its mainstream / popular titles like the X-books, Avengers, Cap. America, and Ultimates.

One more question, obviously a government using comics as propoganda works. What is the attribute for "loyality" to the government. While book burning is a bit extreme and might not endear people to a government, a more subtle program might actually work. That is the option where the government releases its own hero team.
I'll be unable to check up on this til Thursday night ... but it has been a fun issue to craft so far. =)

-Michael

George Jr. being stripped and mocked by Magneto on the WH lawn, that made me laugh for 5 minutes straight. Ahhh, good times.

Love the issue. Remember that the comics code was also very strict about any mention of any drugs, so even an anti-drug stories would be denied, so perhaps creating a CCA should increase crime a bit too, since children won't be getting [b]any[b] moral lesson from comics with it in place?

I support the last option of getting superheroes...

George Jr. being stripped and mocked by Magneto on the WH lawn, that made me laugh for 5 minutes straight. Ahhh, good times.

Love the issue. Remember that the comics code was also very strict about any mention of any drugs, so even an anti-drug stories would be denied, so perhaps creating a CCA should increase crime a bit too, since children won't be getting [b]any[b] moral lesson from comics with it in place?

Thanks, I wanted to put some more effects into the comics code authority, though the real CCA originally considered addiction off limits, in the 1980s Yellowjacket - Dr. Hank Pym, a hero, was beating his wife and committing crimes, while Iron Man - Tony Stark had turned to the bottle (or was Tony's driking period in the 1970s). The CCA turned a blind eye to a lot of things.

My thought was that a CCA clearly limits the creativity and quality of comics, which in turn means that kids are probably less likely to be entertained by them. What if I increased soda sales to match the game text description of them just becoming couch potatos instead? It is a minor game stat and only people peaking here would ever suspect that by creating government sponsored censorship that you just push people into a new activity? (Which was your point with crime, right?)

-Michael

George Jr. being stripped and mocked by Magneto on the WH lawn, that made me laugh for 5 minutes straight. Ahhh, good times.

Love the issue. Remember that the comics code was also very strict about any mention of any drugs, so even an anti-drug stories would be denied, so perhaps creating a CCA should increase crime a bit too, since children won't be getting [b]any[b] moral lesson from comics with it in place?

Yeah I did love that issue, though I wouldn't be surprised if a CCA and a good old fashioned 1930s-1940s styled book burning isn't in the future. ::sigh::

Anyway, just a FYI, I did finally submit the issue. Though I understand it takes a long time for something to get through the queue. Understandable, but still such a long wait.

A good name for the issue would be "Subduction of the Innocent"
In the fifties, when there was comic paranoia in the US, a man(can't remember who) wrote a book with that name to show everybody how dangerous it was for children to read comics.

This is a really good issue. I've only got one suggestion:

The Comics Code Authority (the meatspace one, not the suggested issue) was created because a) Some wackjob who surveyed a juvenile prison found kids reading comic books (because it was the only reading material they were given, and b) People started pointing fingers at the comic book industry, with the words 'communist' and 'brainwashing' being thrown around quite a bit (despite the onset of Captain America).

My suggestion? I think it'd be a good laugh to add in another option, presented by a zany, communist-fearing, jingoistic... person. Ya?