Comic books are for kids

The argument

Proponents of this position accept at the outset that it may be impossible to write a comic book completely free of all political ideology; every story carries some view of the world. The claim is narrower: that the amount of politics in comics should be limited, because both the industry and its fan base are better served that way. The commercial case rests on that fan base. Comic book sales have plummeted in the past couple of decades, and on this account the rise in the number of comic books with strong political undertones is part of the reason. A reader who picks up a comic for leisure and finds an argument instead has been given something they did not come for. Take the politics out, as much as possible, and the argument runs that business returns to the comic book companies — because what draws a varied readership together is a shared love of fictional characters, not a shared ideology. Politics sorts an audience into camps; a character everybody loves does the opposite. Where one unifies fans, the other alienates them, and an industry in decline can least afford to divide the readers it still has. The second strand of the argument concerns who is reading. Comic books are predominantly targeted at children and young adults, an audience proponents describe as not yet equipped to weigh political argument critically. On this view a medium aimed at children carries a duty of restraint that a medium aimed at adults does not: keeping politics out of comics protects children's and young adults' innocence, leaving them free to enjoy the story rather than absorb a position they cannot yet evaluate. The concern is not a new one — it is the idea explored in depth in Fredric Wertham's book "Seduction of the Innocent" — and proponents hold that it applies with equal force to comics today.

Premises

Counter-arguments

While comic book sales have plummeted in the last couple of decades, politics are not entirely at fault. All print media is hurting financially, comics are no exception. Limiting the amount of politics in comic books may bring back some of the readership, but it won't make a significant difference to the comic book publisher's profits. Further, comic book fans can still connect over their love of the characters and stories even if politics are present. They just have to ignore the politics. Wertham's book, "Seduction of the Innocent" has since been questioned by scholars who have debated the accuracy of the evidence presented.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P2] Political ideas in comics do not limit the extent to which they can be read for leisure. [Rejecting P4] Limiting the amount of political ideas in comics would not increase sales to an extent that would be meaningful to comic book publishers.