Monday, June 4, 2012

Ultimate Spider-Man Criticism Censored


It seems like the criticism with Ultimate Spider-Man is starting to get to people in charge of Marvel's Animation division. While I think that I have given this show a fair shake(perhaps fairer than most online given some of the criticisms that have been printed), even I know it is not without its problems. We should have known this happened when Jeph Loeb shut down his Facebook Page. Now Man of Action and Marvel have been censoring negative comments about the series.

I'm sure it is very easy to rather shoehorn the criticism of Ultimate Spider-Man, as a bunch of embittered fanboys and fangirls on the Internet. It is a common tactic used by those who are out of touch. To divert the blame towards a rather vocal minority. Those who blame "the Internet fan base" is rather out of touch with the real world, as those who bother to take the time to post on the Internet are going to be the most passionate fans, the most loyal, and thus the most likely to spend money.


Also the most likely to promote your show, the most likely to get their younger siblings, children, friends, everyone else interested in your show. Obviously, there are people in the field of entertainment who just don't get it. A bunch of middle aged men trying to make something to appeal to children is seldom does end rather well.

There is a fine line of making something that appeals to children and something that "appeals to children." The best animation is where children can watch it but where adults can appreciate it as well. Why alienate one audience, when you can have the entire audience, love your product, buy toys either to play with or correct, buy DVDs to watch, play video game tie ins, buy bed sheets, buy any kind of merchandise.

For years, the stigma that animation should solely be for children has been something that has been the doom of many cartoons. Although to be fair, that was a rather 1980s mindsets, with the cartoon classics that you know and love not talking down to the viewer. Yet in the 1980s, everything was driven by merchandise. Most episodes were a calculated effort to get children to rush off to Toys R Us and buy the latest new action figure or variant action figure.

Yet even the 1980s, in all of their insane glory, seemed to have some respect. Then in the 1990s cartoons such as Batman the Animated Series paved the way for a more intelligent run of cartoons. Where adults and children could sit down and enjoy them.

Yet our one step back, where obviously those who are making the decisions have a rather insulting view of what appeals to children. Children have short attention spans, they don't want to think, you know the drill. Children will be confused by anything that requires them to tax more than a few brain cells.

An unfair statement for many and obviously pandering to the lowest common perception of children.

Obviously with the censoring of any kind of negative feedback, criticism, whatever you want to call it, it is obvious that Marvel Animation may be trying to run undesirables off, as in the long term fans of Marvel Comics. They want to pander for the children.

It is a very short sighted business model that works with a very narrow stereotype. And obviously given that cartoons such as Ultimate Spider-Man is going to be what passes for "mental stimulation" for the youth of this generation, it kind of makes you cringe.

No comments: