Via their weekly retailer newsletter Image Comics announced they would be adopting the same ratings system DC uses. Here’s the full text:
[quote]Greetings, retail partners!
We have some exciting news this week and we wanted you to hear it first: As of July 2011, Image Comics titles will adopt a rating system consistent with that instituted by DC Comics in January of this year. This rating system will be used for both print and digital releases.
Beginning with July 2011 titles, all Image titles will use the following rating system:
- E – EVERYONE (all ages, may contain minimal violence)
- T – TEEN (12 and up, may contain mild violence or mild profanity)
- T+ – TEEN PLUS (16 and up, may contain moderate violence, moderate profanity use and suggestive themes )
- M – MATURE (18 and up, may contain nudity, profanity, excessive violence and other content not suitable for minors)
As Image Comics Publisher Eric Stephenson explains in an upcoming press release: “Retailers have been asking us to more clearly define which audiences our various comics are aimed at for some time, and we’re pleased to finally comply with those requests. It’s been nearly a decade since the comics industry began the process of abandoning the Comics Code Authority, but during that time there hasn’t been one consistent rating system. The system DC employs is by far the clearest, so it makes sense to go with that.”
Given the wide range of comics we publish, our goal is to make it as easy as possible for our retail partners to determine what material is best suited for customers of all ages. The less guesswork involved on your part, the fewer problems for everyone.[/quote]
Our own Anthony Falcone called for just this kind of self policing recently and it’s great to see the industry listening.
