How can I warn readers about mature content in my comic?
One of the questions we received recently dealt with drafting a rating system for comics whose subject material might be a little too graphic for younger audiences.
Not all comics are appropriate for all audiences or age groups. If your comic contains material that is of a mature nature you may want to consider giving it a rating. Many online comics follow this rating system:
C – Children (an all-ages comic)
SFW – Safe for Work (may contain some mild language or violence, but safe to read at work)
NSFW – Not Safe for Work (may contain language, violence, and possible some nudity)
A – Adult (for adult readers only, usually pertaining to pornographic material)
Creators can insert their rating label in the header of their website and on promotional banners. If your comic has an About section you can use it to shed more light on the mature content of you comic. Additionally, some hosting sites allow you to implement a mature warning pop up.
This question was asked by Rubim Bros in Tokyo.
This question was answered by Michael Yakutis.
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Wow… I should insert a banner of some sort for this rating. In my case I have to make it very clear my comics are very kid friendly.
That’d be a good idea, Illya. I would say there are more non-kid friendly webcomics out there, so yours would stand out in that regard. I’ve seen banners state “an all ages comic!” which might be good for you.
You know there was a company that actually helps with this very thing. Unfortunately i cannot remember the name. It was at a current comic convention, i thing NC Comic con NYCC, LBCC, i’m just not sure. I only remember it was booth because the tweet said to brink your book and submitt it for a rating.