What's In A Rating? Only Rick Knows...

[PhoenixAsper]

There’s been some noise lately on this topic.

Wednesday’s comic elicited a rather strong response on the subject of the comic’s rating. To a lot of us, PG means something cut-and-dry, such as “almost G-rated, but not quite”. There seems to be an unspoken line that PG ratings are not supposed to cross, and for these people, Wednesday crossed it. Then there’s the second group who don’t really have a problem, as they’ve seen this sort of thing — or worse — from older TV shows that one would usually think of as “PG”. I’m sort of in between. Wednesday did bother me a LITTLE, but not a LOT. May I remind people that this sort of thing has happened before? Read “Down At The Farm”, for instance. The comic has crossed boundaries every now and then, but has always maintained a general tone of humor over dramatic/risky/gross business for the most part. It’s for this and other reasons that I say the comic is not rated “PG” OR “PG-13". It’s rated “Rick”.

What goes into the comic is entirely at Rick’s beck and call, and it’s his decision whether or not something crosses the line. This is a bit of a problem simply because when it comes to Rick, most of us do not know him. We don’t really know what goes on in his head, how he thinks, what he’s capable of. A lot of us have expectations when it comes to the comic (some of us higher than others), and contingent on what those expectations are, what happens in the comic has the possibility to pleasantly — or unpleasantly — surprise us. Who could have seen the cosmic game on the horizon? Or Bailey? Or this latest development? What makes one man laugh can make another cry. There are times that I still can't guess WHAT the heck he's going to do and it scares me. Point being: Sometimes it’s hard to put your faith in someone you don’t know. And that's probably true of ANY author.

Having said all that, Wednesday was closest so far Rick has possibly come to pushing away fans, but he DIDN’T. None that I can see at least. I hope he never really does, but I do not know what is in the future of the comic. But Rick knows.

[Kyderra]

[Alastair]

I definately see why some people can be bothered by Wednesday's comic, but IMO, the comic is still PG, even with the suggestiveness of the last strip. I have to say that I did think Rick was pushing the barrier a bit, but it's not like it's passed the point of no return. It didn't show anything bad. I don't know Rick personally, but I believe that I can trust him to keep his comic decent as he's done since he's put it on the web.

[GameCobra]

Here's the thing: You mentioned it scares you because you can't predict Rick. Doesn't that mean you want things to be formulatic?

Give or take, it doesn't hurt when certain things are predictable in a comic, but the unpredictable nature of the comic is actually one of it's best charms. Reason being is because it's actually not unpredictable for no reason or just for laughs, there's a reason for the unpredictability!

I don't think Rick pushed anyone away from his comic on Wednesday. if anything, he should get more readers for it. He mentioned his reasons for it and it expands more on the universe of what Housepets can have done rather than limited by the self-imposed rating. If people get worried about it and quit, they are just not giving the comic a chance.

[Sleet]

The joke on Wednesday still works even if you don't get the sexual meaning, so children will just gloss over it, innocence fully intact. People who are old enough to handle that kind of humor will instead find it funny. Not to mention now that it's no longer the newest comic, it's now part of the archive, and it's not going to be read except with a bunch of other comics. The shock isn't going to be as strong.

[Shirosune]

Here's the thing in regards to the PG rating and this comic that I think should make things perfectly clear where it falls. If you're trying to compare the comics rating to the sorts given for movies, then this comic doesn't even begin to approach the levels it actually could. To give you a prime example of what I mean when I say that, watch the Shrek movies, if you haven't already, and compare the sorts of things you see and then consider that the entire lot of them are PG.

Shrek goes far and beyond anything I've seen in Housepets!, and will likely remain 'worse' over all than anything that I ever will see from this comic. PG is a far broader section of the rating scheme than most people seem to realize, and allows for a great deal more to done or 'insinuated' than you could likely imagine, and it is simply for the fact those things are 'implied' to the mind of a teen or adult while being completely missed by younger audiences as Sleet said, that it is okay for them to be there and have the rating stay at PG.

In all actuality, short of using substantial blood, character death(This one not being a sure increase), an actual curse word or directly showing an explicit act, there is little to no way to break the PG barrier.

[Sleet]

A lot of the reason scenes like this seem so shocking is because it's customary for shows to hug their rating as closely as possible. If you allow yourself to swear, for instance, every character tends to swear like sailors. Rick doesn't do that; he allows himself to make suggestive jokes on occasion, but by and large he does what he wants; he doesn't feel the need to constantly remind people his comic isn't rated G.

[PhoenixAsper]

There's good and bad unpredictability. The bad sort is the stuff that can make me feel frightened or shocked. And what if I DO want things that are more formulaic? The cosmic game weirded me out and the reason I want to see that to its completion is different than most people's.

And in regards to what makes something PG, people have different definitions, and it can also be contingent on a person's values. For some, the aforementioned comic violated them.

[Sleet]

Duchess is a "bad" character. What stories haven't had bad characters that do things against the readers' values?

[PhoenixAsper]

Point.

There's more I could go into, but it might derail my own thread. I'm just still not that experienced or sure with rated-"Rick" material.

[Wanderer]

It is fine. Sexual innuendos are common in PG works and G rated disney movies. It is not breaking the rating because nothing is explicit. We do not actually see King being handcuffed and whipped, yes? It is only an allusion, an indirect reference that elicits an inappropriate image to us because of our knowledge of the subject.

[Foxstar]

Repeat to yourself, it's just a cartoon, you should really just relax.

Out of 400+ comments, only one was not suitable and had to be modded. I think that says something.

[IceKitsune]

Foxstar I think a better saying here would be "Its Ricks comic he can do what he wants with it." rather then the Mantra, because it doesn't fit for this discussion and I've seen people abuse it way to much and its kind of annoying me now. Even if, on the off chance, he where to break the rating who cares its his prerogative to do so.

[Sleet]

Out of 400+ comments, only one was not suitable and had to be modded. I think that says something.

I'm actually extremely surprised by that. Usually there's a lot more.

[IceKitsune]

Out of 400+ comments, only one was not suitable and had to be modded. I think that says something.

I'm actually extremely surprised by that. Usually there's a lot more.

Same here actually

[ChewyChewy]

It is fine. Sexual innuendos are common in PG works and G rated disney movies. It is not breaking the rating because nothing is explicit. We do not actually see King being handcuffed and whipped, yes? It is only an allusion, an indirect reference that elicits an inappropriate image to us because of our knowledge of the subject.

I don't think it matters that we don't see him being handcuffed and whipped. We see the whip (and hear it referred to by name) and we see the handcuffs, and (in the unlikely event of young children reading this) I think it's conducive towards children asking about them.

Don't take me wrong, sometimes potentially objectionable material can exist in a work and it's harmless because children aren't going to ask questions. I mean, Maurice Sendak's book In the Night Kitchen shows a naked boy (you know what I mean) but that's harmless because children know about that and don't connect that to anything "adult" in their minds. I've even heard outright double entendre in movies I saw when I was little and it didn't occur to me that it wasn't meant literally, and that was in movies that were obviously for adults.

But I can't really see a kid who might be reading this comic NOT asking about the whip and handcuffs.

"It is not breaking the rating because nothing is explicit." I think that's the excuse a lot of people use to put the ideas into people's heads without actually crossing the line in terms of what we SEE or HEAR. That's why I think that "PG" as a rating has little meaning anymore. For that matter I've seen "G-rated" stuff that I would consider "PG". Also, I don't care to have those images put into my head, thank you very much.

I'm not trying to condemn Rick here, or the comic, just to give my honest opinion.

[Sleet]

I think if the joke didn't work without understanding what was being referenced, it'd be another story. I expect kids would just gloss over it.

[ChewyChewy]

I think if the joke didn't work without understanding what was being referenced, it'd be another story. I expect kids would just gloss over it.

I don't think I would have--I was a curious sort who asked questions a LOT, unless I assumed I knew the answers.

[RandomGeekNamedBrent]

and in that case the kids will ask their parents and the parents can find a way to explain it away. Rick isn't informing kids about anything they don't know about, only hinting at it, which is fine for the rating.

[ChewyChewy]

and in that case the kids will ask their parents and the parents can find a way to explain it away. Rick isn't informing kids about anything they don't know about, only hinting at it, which is fine for the rating.

...And how would you, as a parent, explain that away?

[Sleet]

"Son/daughter, Duchess is a sadist."

Well that was easy.

[KJOokami]

As comics don't have an official rating system, I'll just toss this in here:

PG – Parental Guidance Suggested – Some Material May Not Be Suitable For Children.

Having content that may not be suitable for children is what makes material "PG". If there are things that need to be explained or explained around (which is at the discretion of the parents), it's the parents' responsibility to do so.

[Dissension]

Out of 400+ comments, only one was not suitable and had to be modded. I think that says something.

I'm actually extremely surprised by that. Usually there's a lot more.

Same here actually

I handled more than that, but it wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been. I'm proud people didn't take things too far.

[rickgriffin]

Erm, PG is not an absolute threshold; there are some things that are too harsh to go in a PG rating whatsoever, but certain things that could be indicative of a PG-13 can happen in a PG film, with the only difference being they happen rarely. You're allowed to swear in PG movies, having a swear doesn't make it 'cross the line', but having swears consistently does. You're allowed to have blood in a PG movie; it doesn't become PG-13 until there's a lot of it. And you're allowed to have some suggestive material in a PG movie; it doesn't become PG-13 until it's all the movie focuses on.

In the comic it only looks like it's become a central focus because a lot of the joke hinged on it. But it's one comic in a sea of comics, and there will be comics after this one.

[ChewyChewy]

Erm, PG is not an absolute threshold; there are some things that are too harsh to go in a PG rating whatsoever, but certain things that could be indicative of a PG-13 can happen in a PG film, with the only difference being they happen rarely. You're allowed to swear in PG movies, having a swear doesn't make it 'cross the line', but having swears consistently does. You're allowed to have blood in a PG movie; it doesn't become PG-13 until there's a lot of it. And you're allowed to have some suggestive material in a PG movie; it doesn't become PG-13 until it's all the movie focuses on.

In the comic it only looks like it's become a central focus because a lot of the joke hinged on it. But it's one comic in a sea of comics, and there will be comics after this one.

Point, although I don't like the "rarely" stipulation--what COUNTS as "rarely"? How many times does it have to happen before it's no longer "rarely", such that X times means a higher rating and X-1 times means a lower rating?

Also, I take issue with the "it's one comic in a sea of comics" comment, unless you mean one arc. Duchess is still chasing King, after all, and we know why. I count three comics in this arc alone, not just one--and this isn't the first time (I recall the barnyard cats, for example).

It would seem to me that your last words "it's all the movie focuses on", would be the marker, at least between two ratings--but of course there are more. I mean, clearly these kinds of situations are NOT all this comic focuses on.

[RandomGeekNamedBrent]

if "each time" means "each arc", then that means it's happened about twice in 2 3/4 years. I'd say that's rare enough. even if we count each individual strip that is even remotely suggestive when taken in context, it would be 3-4 times in that same amount of time. still pretty rare.
As for the swearing, I think he was just using that as a similar example, and doesn't plan to use any swears in the comic, same with the blood.

[GameCobra]

Also, I take issue with the "it's one comic in a sea of comics" comment, unless you mean one arc. Duchess is still chasing King, after all, and we know why. I count three comics in this arc alone, not just one--and this isn't the first time (I recall the barnyard cats, for example).

pillow fights and chasing boys is completely fine, though. Girl stuff!

When Duchess goes one panel with a whip and cuff and acting girlish towards King though, you can still assume it's young, playful girl stuff still.

[Seth]

This entire backlash is ridiculous.
I'd hate to see your guy's reaction to something that's actually offensive
One joke that goes a little bit past PG and the forum blows up with people whining about it, it isn't your comic, it isn't written just for you, and it's really immature to freak out over the issue. Most of us here are adults or darn close. Act like it.

[Sleet]

It's more that Housepets! being appropriate is something a lot of us like. If someone perceives it shying away from that, it's understandable to be upset.

[Seth]

It's more that Housepets! being appropriate is something a lot of us like. If someone perceives it shying away from that, it's understandable to be upset.

That's understandable, but one joke does not mean that the tone is going to shift dramatically.

[ChewyChewy]

This entire backlash is ridiculous.
I'd hate to see your guy's reaction to something that's actually offensive
One joke that goes a little bit past PG and the forum blows up with people whining about it, it isn't your comic, it isn't written just for you, and it's really immature to freak out over the issue. Most of us here are adults or darn close. Act like it.

....

And how do you define "adults", exactly...?

[Sinder]

words

you are beautiful

[Seth]

This entire backlash is ridiculous.
I'd hate to see your guy's reaction to something that's actually offensive
One joke that goes a little bit past PG and the forum blows up with people whining about it, it isn't your comic, it isn't written just for you, and it's really immature to freak out over the issue. Most of us here are adults or darn close. Act like it.

....

And how do you define "adults", exactly...?

Well 18 is the age at which people are legal adults

[CaptainPea]

I'm not an adult
But I'm also 3 so ya know

But I think the fact that Housepets' audience is so largely adult-ish is part of why there's any hooplah over this.


Suggestive material isn't new to the PG rating scale. I think the reason some people found it off putting in this instance is that most of the audience DOES get the joke, as opposed to kid's cartoons and the like when "adult" jokes are meant as a bonus that the periphery adults can get and the kids won't. Since most of the audience gets it, though, we forget that this is still the same kind of joke that would slip by the kiddies.

[Sleet]

It's more that Housepets! being appropriate is something a lot of us like. If someone perceives it shying away from that, it's understandable to be upset.

That's understandable, but one joke does not mean that the tone is going to shift dramatically.

You'd be surprised how many people don't get that. You weren't around, I don't believe, during the last big fantasy arc where people were crying out "Cerebus syndrome" simply because there's small bits of drama to go with the humor.

[Seth]

It's more that Housepets! being appropriate is something a lot of us like. If someone perceives it shying away from that, it's understandable to be upset.

That's understandable, but one joke does not mean that the tone is going to shift dramatically.

You'd be surprised how many people don't get that. You weren't around, I don't believe, during the last big fantasy arc where people were crying out "Cerebus syndrome" simply because there's small bits of drama to go with the humor.

So what you're saying is people didn't learn their lesson the first time?

[yoyodude]

It's prolly something more along the lines of "freakouts are fleeting".

[copper]

*sighs* I think this has really run it's course.The comic is technically PG, though normally it is G rated material, The jump into pure PG kind of jarred people. That is understandable, but please get over it. It is not that huge a thing. I am locking this, at least for now. It is Rick's comic, and in all honesty, he can do what he wants with it, and we all know he has a good head with ratings, so just trust him on this one. Besides, we are starting to repeat ourselves here. I'd hate for this to become an infinite loop or something...