The Marvel Rating System

It’s important to understand the history of comic book ratings if you are a parent and you want to share your love of comic books with your young ones.
First of all, Marvel withdrew from the Comics Code Authority (that we all grew up seeing on the front cover of comics), in 2001 and established its own system when the CCA refused approval of a comic book, X-Force #116 (click the link for the Marvel Unlimited issue).

Marvel implemented its own system, but the page hosted at Marvel.com no longer exists. The only details about it are on Wikipedia here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvel_Rating_System
For your convenience, I’ve copied the text from the Wikipedia entry:

The Marvel Rating System assigns each comic book one of the following ratings: ALL AGES - appropriate for all ages. A - Appropriate for age 9 and up. T+ TEENS AND UP - Appropriate for most readers 12 and up, parents are advised that they might want to read before or with younger children. PARENTAL ADVISORY - 15 years and older. Similar to T+ but featuring more mature themes and/or more graphic imagery. History [edit] The first Marvel Rating System, implemented in 2001, used the following categories: ALL AGES PG (Parental Guidance) PG+ PARENTAL ADVISORY/EXPLICIT CONTENT However, the Motion Picture Association of America complained, as it holds a trademark on such classifications as PG and PG-13 (see MPAA film rating system). Marvel thus switched to the following system (By changing the PG ratings): ALL AGES PSR (Parental Supervision Recommended) PSR+ PARENTAL ADVISORY/EXPLICIT CONTENT Beginning in June 2005, Marvel switched to yet another system: ALL AGES A Appropriate for age 9 and up. T+ SUGGESTED FOR TEEN AND UP PARENTAL ADVISORY MAX: EXPLICIT CONTENT

Marvel’s MAX imprint now contains most of the more “adult” violence, but you will certainly find sexual themes throughout almost all of the regular series. If in doubt, always read a comic book before sharing with the younger members of your family.

Until next time,
Excelsior!!!