The Four Color Media Monitor

This is something few may have known about one of California's most notable cities, but Sacramento, until now, as reported by KCRA-3, though not throughly enforced, prohibited sales of comics to children under 18, something their local council looks to repeal:

Did you know that it has been technically illegal to distribute most comic books within the city of Sacramento — from Batman to the Marvel Universe — to children who are under the age of 18?

That is why two Sacramento City Council members proposed the repeal of an antiquated, 76-year-old law that was still on the books.

"For me, it's a slam dunk," said Sacramento Councilmember Phil Pluckebaum. "It's been sitting on the books since 1949 pretty much unenforced and we are looking to clean up bits of code we don't need anymore."

Passed in 1949, City Code item 9.12.010 states that "it is unlawful for any person to distribute...for use by persons under the age of eighteen years any book...commonly known as 'comic book' in which there is prominently featured an account of crime, and which depicts... the commission of the crimes of arson, assault with caustic chemicals, assault with a deadly weapon, burglary, kidnapping, torture, mayhem, murder, rape, robbery, theft or voluntary manslaughter."

The ordinance essentially jeopardized comic bookstores, libraries and conventions held in Sacramento.

"There are so many things across the country in terms of book banning and freedom of speech and this is our opportunity to reaffirm freedom in this fun space," Pluckebaum said. "While this maybe isn't the highest priority issue facing the city right now, but it is definitely an easy one for us to support."

While repealing and canceling the law is in itself welcome, it can only be hoped PC advocates won't suddenly take advantage of any reversal so they can deliberately market stuff to children that's inappropriate and explicit. Considering what a disaster California's become over the past decade, what if they don't modify the law with a requirement that age ratings should apply to anything explicit, and then, what if any corrupt merchants exploit the opportunity to sell adult-themed comics to children that're unsuitable for younger ages? If the law isn't changed with consideration for what's appropriate for children from an adult perspective, then repealing the law from 1949 will end up in failure.

A city resident wrote an op-ed in the Sacramento Bee giving his thoughts on why the law should be canned:

It’s wild to think this haven could ever be threatened by something as bureaucratic as a city ordinance banning the sale of comic books. Thankfully, that’s not the story’s ending for Big Brother Comics or any shop like it in Sacramento. In 1949, the Sacramento City Council banned the sale of comic books that depict acts such as arson, burglary, murder, torture, mayhem, and assault with caustic chemicals, to be sold to young adults under the age of 18. It has been in the city code ever since. This was back when crime-fighting comics like Detective Comics were all the rage—those pulpy, action-packed stories that made adults nervous and kids dream bigger. Like anything that shakes up the status quo, comics took the heat for daring to be different.

Well it could partly explain why USA animation was ghettoized for many years, and few producers made any attempt to encourage adults to consider otherwise. Of course, another problem is doubtlessly that exploration of themes like communism were considered anathema to a certain crowd as well, which is why as time went by, less comics took issue with communism, if at all, and now look where we are in a time where communism's actually being normalized in the west.

I never quite understood why loving comics made me a target while growing up. Stories about Superman and Green Lantern sparked my imagination and filled my heart, but to most kids, that just made me “nerdy” or worse. In high school, a bully once thought it’d be hilarious to steal my brand-new Suicide Squad vs. Justice League comic, drag it into the bathroom, and ruin it in the grossest way possible. I tried to save it, but the pages were soaked and the smell was unforgettable, in all the worst ways.

“Grow up,” the guy said as he left the bathroom, laughing with his friends.

Something tells me that despite what the creepy bully did, he wasn't against any violent content a comic like that might've contained, and who knows? He might even consider comics like Image's Spawn the most brilliant ideas ever conceived, not to mention repellent video games like Mortal Kombat. Which would suggest the bully only did that for fun, not because he really bought what he thought. Obviously, that's a terrible thing. But it makes clear double-standards can be as bizarre as one might think.

But here’s what he never realized: that comic, and so many others, helped me grow into the person I am today. Comic books helped me make sense of my emotions, face grief, and strive to be my best self in a world that made me feel less than heroic. They have evolved alongside us, leaping from newspaper pages to blockbuster movie screens that rake in billions.

For the council, this vote is an easy lift, a simple bit of housekeeping. But in a climate where it sometimes feels like any book could be banned at the drop of a hat, clearing this old ordinance out is a powerful move. For the comic book lovers in Sacramento, the ones who travel throughout the city going to places like Big Brother Comics or The Cave to find the great stories found in glorious illustrated pages, it means the city finally sees it as art.

Well I hope he doesn't think children should be encouraged to read the nastiest of mayhem and gore that could be concocted in adult-themed comics, including the aforementioned Spawn. Or that LGBT stories are literally appropriate for children. It's one thing to repeal a stupid law. It's another entirely to encourage children to read products that are inappropriate for them at young ages. It reminds me how for years already, G-rated movies become less and less, and the PG-rating from the MPAA was in use far more, because filmmakers concluded even children couldn't dig a story that's far from violent. That kind of thinking is also why children aren't encouraged to become accustomed to drama and romance, which could actually be a great way for them to grow up. If modern kids don't take interest in Shakespeare, no matter the content level, that should be telling something too.

So repeal this crummy law in Sacramento, yes. But any art advocates who're planning to exploit the occasion for exposing children to what isn't suitable for them won't be doing any favors for the medium, and then we'll all be right back at square one sooner than we think. Also, that part about blockbuster movies making billions is awfully dated now, seeing how the comics movies are losing more than they're making at this point, no thanks to wokery involved.

Labels: censorship issues, conventions, history, libraries, msm propaganda, politics, sales, violence