Official Press Release

Hey, heroes!

As you know, things are hoppin' here in The House. From Ultimate Spider-Man to X-Force to the MAX line, we're offering a wide selection of creators the chance to spread their wings and unleash their imagination. And in doing so, we realize that with great power, we also have the great responsibility to provide more information to our readers and retailers concerning the content of the comics they select for themselves and/or their children. Therefore, The House has developed a brand-new ratings system that will adorn our magnificent mags!

All Ages: These titles will carry no label and are appropriate for readers of all ages, whether they're 9 or 90! Titles such as Ultimate Spider-Man, Ultimate Marvel Team-Up, and Ultimate X-Men will fit in this catagory.

MarvelPG: These titles are fine for most readers, but if you're a parent you may want to read them with your younger children. After all, who's going to explain what "invulnerable" means? Titles you can expect in this catagory will be Fantastic Four, Thor, New X-Men, Uncanny X-Men and Amazing Spider-Man.

MarvelPG +: Similar to MarvelPG, but with a kick. In these titles you can generally find the violence and language turned up a notch. Recommended for our teen and adult readers. Look for titles like Punisher, Elektra, Marvel Knights: Double-Shot, and Banner to carry this label.

Parental Advisory: Explicit Content: This will be very important part of Marvel as we move forward and explore new territory. These comics, falling under our new MAX Comics banner, will contain what you'd experience in an R rated movie. Some harsh language, intense violence, perhaps even some partial nudity. To avoid confusion, the MAX titles will be designed to look very different from our mainline Marvel titles. They will not carry a Marvel logo on their covers, they will not be sold on the newsstand, and they will not be marketed to younger readers. So far, Alias, Fury, and U.S. War Machine have been offered to retailers, with more titles joining them in the near future.

Each title will have its rating listed in its solicitation in the Marvel section of the next issue of Diamond's Previews.

'Nuff Said!

Bill Rosemann

Marketing Communications Manager

Marvel Comics

Source: Marvel Comics