Battlerock Comics Announces Rating For “Future’s Guardian”

The return of “Future’s Guardian” at the end of November will include something new for the comic series… a content rating.

The MMO Comic Index Content Rating System is a voluntary rating system set up by the City of Comic Creators as a way to provide an easy-to-understand advisory of the content in fan-made comic book.  It is similar to the voluntary content employed by major comic publishers, as well as the content advisory used by game publishers of multiplayer role-playing games such as “Champions Online”, “DC Universe Online”, and “Worlds of Warcraft”.

Comic Creator and publisher David 2, who also developed the MCICRS, says that using the rating system is a matter of responsibility.

“The rating system is useful tool for publishers, especially when it comes to fan-made comics.  Fan-made comics are under no obligation to hold themselves to any kind of content limits when it comes to things such as violence, nudity, and profanity.  So to include any kind of advisory about the content that people can see that indicates whether or not a comic is made with adults or children in mind cuts down any potential outrage.”

The first rating system for comic books was imposed on publishers in 1954 as an alternative to government censorship.  The Comics Code Authority was an independent body that certified content on comic books that would be published and sold in stores and newspaper stands.  The CCA would issue a stamp that would be displayed on the cover of that publication to certify that the content inside met their standards.

The CCA was discontinued in 2011 and, in a twist of irony, all rights and the stamp became the property of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, one of the strongest critics of comic book censorship.  The CCA’s code was replaced by the various content advisories employed by major publishers, including DC Comics and Marvel Comics.

The MCICRS was released in 2014, after “Future’s Guardian” went on its prolonged hiatus.  With the return of new issues, though, David 2 made the decision to include the series with the advisory system starting with Issue #13.

“Even though the content more or less remained the same content level as the MMO it’s based on, I didn’t want to take the chance that people would assume this publication was similar to the content in other comic series published here.  I want to reassure people that the content hasn’t changed, and the best way to do that is to include the content advisory.”

The MCICRS has four levels of advisory based on content, mirroring the content advisory used by the game publishers.  The lowest is “E for Everyone”, and the most extreme is “M for Mature”.

Battlerock Comics has given the “Future’s Guardian” series the second-lowest rating, “T for Teens”, which matches the content advisory for the Champions Online MMO.  This means that the content can include mild violence, censored language, and suggestive themes.  This can include zombies, sorcery, and suggestive attire and dialogue.

The MCICRS icon will appear on all future covers of “Future’s Guardian“, starting with Issue #13, which goes online on November 30th.