1) The point I was originally trying to make, and continue to try to make, which you seem to continually keep missing is DON'T BE SURPRISED WHEN SHIT LIKE THIS HAPPENS, BECAUSE SHIT LIKE THIS KEEPS ON HAPPENING WITHIN THE REALM OF COMICS, ESPECIALLY WITHIN THE LAST TWENTY YEARS. IT IS NOTHING NEW. The point was not, as you seem to believe, about defending first amendment rights, or the nature of obscenity, or whether certain comics should be deemed obscene or not. Like I'd already stated, you're reading far too much into my words.
2) You may not be baiting me, but you keep trying to turn it into a debate that I'm unwilling to participate in. You want to have a debate on what the law defines to be obscene? Fine. You just aren't going to be having it with me.
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3) Admittedly libraries tend to think that anything illustrated has to be for kids; but, in their defense, they are basing that assumption on a lot of material for which that holds true. When was the last time you saw an illustrated Toni Morisson? And I'd love to see the illustrated works of Ian Fleming !
Also, whereas you know something, don't assume that everyone else does, even if it seems obvious. When most people deal with manga and anime, it's still kid stuff, or stuff that looks like kid stuff (mostly thanks to the Waldenbooks rack at the front of the store and Cartoon Network); unfortunately, they're usually not aware of the hentai sub-genre.
Lastly, it doesn't help that there is the legend of Peach Boy (who is a heroic type), which is actually sort of well-known. With the trend of politcally-correct translations, lack of knowledge of hentai, and assuming you were getting requests for a kid's book, I definitely see how the mistake in ordering it was made...But the librarian really should have inspected everything that went into the library...
This is the debate I'm trying to have here. A debate on perceptions, and where those perceptions lead us.
Also, whereas you know something, don't assume that everyone else does, even if it seems obvious. When most people deal with manga and anime, it's still kid stuff, or stuff that looks like kid stuff (mostly thanks to the Waldenbooks rack at the front of the store and Cartoon Network); unfortunately, they're usually not aware of the hentai sub-genre.
I don't make that assumption. That was part of my original point! DON'T ASSUME THAT EVERYONE KNOWS COMICS HAVE GROWN IN SOPHISTICATION. The only people who really have that knowledge are the people who actively seek to read and create comics. Even if comics are gaining in public acceptance, the casual audience still isn't seeking them out past the sunday news pages or grocery store magazine racks.
Earlier, you'd mentioned the titles
Brat Pack, Watchmen, and Return of the Dark Knight. Who were those comics created for? General audiences filled with casual readers, or devoted comic fans looking for meatier fare? It's the same with manga. It takes a certain sort of person to look past the wildly obvious titles, and check into more satisfying reads. After all, last time I was in a Barnes and Noble manga section, it was still filled mostly with titles based on popular cartoons and/or video games. Compare that with store comic racks still only being filled with Marvel, DC, and Archie comics.
The inevitable "oh, those meanies!" drop-jawed reaction of cartoonists to a situation like this is what fueled my original rant. This is not about cartoonists being victimized. It's about us always acting like we are victims whenever this happens. I, for one, rather than waiting for someone else to go down in the face of a "save the children!" crusade, and acting hurt when it happens, would rather work harder to bring to the forefront the knowledge that comics are more sophisticated. I would rather work harder to take the "golly!" tone out of articles about how comics are "growing up", and see the end of the ZIP BAM POW headlines that are almost always attached to comic stories in the news.
Admittedly libraries tend to think that anything illustrated has to be for kids; but, in their defense, they are basing that assumption on a lot of material for which that holds true. When was the last time you saw an illustrated Toni Morisson? And I'd love to see the illustrated works of Ian Fleming !
And when things like this happen, and mature-themed comics land on kiddy shelves in stores and libraries, and news media tries to make a big hooey over it for increased ad revenues, maybe the response from cartoonists and fans alike should be more along the lines of a collective "DUH!", and that response should be squarely aimed at both the store/library, and the reporters who broke the big story. Taking the weight out of a bloated situation does a lot to change the thinking that made it seem important in the first place.
I think that he biggest problem that cartoonists have in the great maturity debate over comics is that they don't voice their own take often enough to people outside of comic circles. They leave it up to other people to make a discovery and spread the news. A little promotion of the evolution of the craft would go a long way, especially if everyone did it.
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