Someone in a LinkedIn group that I belong to posted a rather interesting question. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since I first read it. “Has Creative Media Become Diluted?” He goes on to describe a villain from an older issue from the “Distinguished Competition”. In essence, the villain was a cross dresser. That had so many people in arms that the writer had to issue an apology.

“Basically throughout making art should we be afraid to offend on the pursuit of great a story that could open up dialogue among readers? “

I don’t personally see that this writer was doing anything out of the ordinary. True, his character didn’t fit into the “norm” but all the writer was trying to do was create an interesting character, one that would stand out. Had he made the villain black should all African Americans lash out at this title? Being black myself, I say no. I could understand if your name just happened to be “Dagger Type” and you happened to be a crossdresser (by the way, that was the name of the villain). At that point I would be upset if they took my likeness and turned me into a villain. Come on, they didn’t set out to say that the idea that men dressing in women’s clothing are deceitful and mentally unstable. This is also the same company that took one of its oldest heroes and made them openly gay. (Bad example, people freaked out about that too.)

My point is this, as a creator, there are really 2 types of artist. Granted, there is a sliding scale to see where you fit into all this but in the end, only really 2 types; those that want to tell a story and get their message heard, and those that want to sell and make money. I’m not saying that you can’t tell a remarkable story and make money at it. Look at Kingdom Come or Marvels (both by the legendary Alex Ross), Dark Knight, Dark Knight Returns, The Killing Joke, Watchmen, Death of Superman. The list goes on, but you get my point.

Then there have been some very powerful stories where you can tell the creators sad “To hell with sales, this story needs told.” On very rare occasions, the editors and censors will stay out the way and let the artist and writer make history. Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 2 Issue #36, Superman Vol. 2 Issue #121, Batman: Death of Innocents. There is something genuine in these stories where you can tell, these were not written for the fans but because there was a story that needed to be told.

Not every story has to have this deep heartfelt message. I myself have written slapstick comedy, and rather “low brow” humor. One of my idols is Kevin Smith. There is no way that you can convince me that there is a deeper message to all Jay and Silent Bob’s misadventures.

That being said, as a writer and editor, where do I draw the line on my own work? I personally look at my own children. Would I be comfortable with them reading this? If the answer is no, I simply wouldn’t market it to children. What about those controversial topics? Are we allowed to touch on them? Isn’t it our responsibility as storytellers to create interesting stories, situations, and characters? How do we do this and not offend some people?

Of course, our mission with Crypto Comics is to market all comics submitted to us. It is because of our readers that we have come up with our rating and grading systems. This way you have the chance to make an informed decision before reading it. We even have an Adult Section for the more “Mature” titles. If there is controversy to it, then it will never be marketed towards children, but we assume that older readers would take a mature approach to this. We will also never allow comics that promote hate, or segregation. But would a transgender villain be acceptable?

Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.