---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What I need is for comics to not cheapen…"
description: "\"What I need is for comics to not cheapen out and just do what they think a bunch of bloodthirsty 15 year old fans want.\" — Mark Waid"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5d/mark-waid-3704_comic_what-i-need-is-for-comics-to-not-cheapen_1261242.png"
---

#  What I need is for comics to not cheapen out and just do…

![“What I need is for comics to not cheapen out and just do what they think a bunch of bloodthirsty 15 year old fans want.” quote by Mark Waid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5d/mark-waid-3704_comic_what-i-need-is-for-comics-to-not-cheapen_1261242.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5d/mark-waid-3704_comic_what-i-need-is-for-comics-to-not-cheapen_1261242.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5d/mark-waid-3704_comic_what-i-need-is-for-comics-to-not-cheapen_1261242.png)

> “What I need is for comics to not cheapen out and just do what they think a bunch of bloodthirsty 15 year old fans want.”

[Mark Waid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-waid/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Comics should avoid pandering to violent youth stereotypes and instead pursue richer storytelling.

**In simple terms:** Comics need depth, not cheap thrills.

Key Takeaway

Prioritize narrative quality over market trends.

Themes

comics culture media criticism

Mood

concerned thoughtful

Type

critical advice

When to use this quote

- graphic novel publishing
- fan conventions
- editorial decisions
- content rating

Key Concepts

storytelling audience expectations

Questions to Reflect On

- How can creators balance artistic integrity with audience demand?
- What stories resonate beyond sensationalism?

A Different Perspective

Some audiences demand action, risking commercial loss.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Comic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comic/) [Comics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comics/)

## Related quotes

> [I love a nicely designed paper comic but I don't need to own them. To me, comics are about reading them. If I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-forsman/i-love-a-nicely-designed-paper-comic-but-i-don-t-need-to-own-them-to/)

[Charles Forsman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-forsman/)

> [I love 'Archie' comics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-waid/i-love-archie-comics/)

[Mark Waid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-waid/)

> [Maybe this is because I'm a comics historian as much as anything else, but I really have a deep-seated respect for the characters that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-waid/maybe-this-is-because-i-m-a-comics-historian-as-much-as-anything-else/)

[Mark Waid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-waid/)

> [All of us who grew up reading comics love the memory of sitting under an apple tree with a comic book in one hand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-waid/all-of-us-who-grew-up-reading-comics-love-the-memory-of-sitting-under/)

[Mark Waid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-waid/)

> [Twenty-two pages is not a lot of space. Believe me. Having written a bazillion comics, I still find myself more often than nine pages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-waid/twenty-two-pages-is-not-a-lot-of-space-believe-me-having-written-a/)

[Mark Waid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-waid/)

> [I knew I really wanted to work in comics in 1979.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-waid/i-knew-i-really-wanted-to-work-in-comics-in-1979/)

[Mark Waid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-waid/)

> [My time at Bolton was fantastic. I didn't want to go. It's a fantastic stadium with fantastic fans, but I want to disappoint them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-allardyce/my-time-at-bolton-was-fantastic-i-didn-t-want-to-go-it-s-a-fantastic/)

[Sam Allardyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-allardyce/)

> [Houston fans want a high value for their entertainment dollar, and if you don't win, they will drop you and go on to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clyde-drexler/houston-fans-want-a-high-value-for-their-entertainment-dollar-and-if/)

[Clyde Drexler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clyde-drexler/)

> [When it's all said &amp; done only God can judge me. I'm going to go out there on 5/5 to give my fans what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-mayweather-jr/when-it-s-all-said-done-only-god-can-judge-me-i-m-going-to-go-out/)

[Floyd Mayweather, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-mayweather-jr/)

> [Most important to me is to play well and to win. That is what the fans want to see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trina-gulliver/most-important-to-me-is-to-play-well-and-to-win-that-is-what-the-fans/)

Trina Gulliver

> [With social media, you don't just publish a book and figure you've done your part; your fans want to talk to you, have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-bruce-cameron/with-social-media-you-don-t-just-publish-a-book-and-figure-you-ve/)

[W. Bruce Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-bruce-cameron/)

> [Spurs have fallen into a habit of hiring pragmatic managers when fans want to be entertained.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-sutton/spurs-have-fallen-into-a-habit-of-hiring-pragmatic-managers-when-fans/)

[Chris Sutton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-sutton/)

> [The fans, they can do whatever they want. I'm just mostly focused on what's going on on the court and winning games.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dillon-brooks/the-fans-they-can-do-whatever-they-want-i-m-just-mostly-focused-on/)

[Dillon Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dillon-brooks/)

> [Fans would always want us to sign their sneakers. I'd hold the shoes up to my face and stick my nose in 'em and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marky-ramone/fans-would-always-want-us-to-sign-their-sneakers-i-d-hold-the-shoes/)

[Marky Ramone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marky-ramone/)

> [I want to fight the fights that fans want to see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dustin-poirier/i-want-to-fight-the-fights-that-fans-want-to-see/)

[Dustin Poirier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dustin-poirier/)

## More by Mark Waid

> [The nice thing about working with BOOM! on 'Irredeemable' and 'Incorruptible,' man, was they let me have my head. No one said boo about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-waid/the-nice-thing-about-working-with-boom-on-irredeemable-and/)

[Mark Waid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-waid/)

> [Captain America is an interesting character because it makes you ask those questions in yourself as a writer. What do we want as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-waid/captain-america-is-an-interesting-character-because-it-makes-you-ask/)

[Mark Waid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-waid/)

> [I'm a big believer that if you buy a comic, you ought to own it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-waid/i-m-a-big-believer-that-if-you-buy-a-comic-you-ought-to-own-it/)

[Mark Waid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-waid/)

> [Real science is the greatest, most exciting springboard I have available to me as a writer, and I don't feel the least bit constrained…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-waid/real-science-is-the-greatest-most-exciting-springboard-i-have/)

[Mark Waid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-waid/)

> [To my mind, a mix of veterans and rookies is number one on the list of 'things that make a good Avengers team.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-waid/to-my-mind-a-mix-of-veterans-and-rookies-is-number-one-on-the-list-of/)

[Mark Waid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-waid/)

> [I respect people of faith, but I'm not one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-waid/i-respect-people-of-faith-but-i-m-not-one/)

[Mark Waid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-waid/)

> [There have been many days when I have had to work up to writing 'Irredeemable' because I just didn't feel like wallowing in that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-waid/there-have-been-many-days-when-i-have-had-to-work-up-to-writing/)

[Mark Waid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-waid/)

> [I love writing comedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-waid/i-love-writing-comedy/)

[Mark Waid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-waid/)

> [Artists are not helper monkeys; they’re not in it to visualize 'your' story, because it stopped being 'your' story the moment you engaged in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-waid/artists-are-not-helper-monkeys-they-re-not-in-it-to-visualize-your/)

[Mark Waid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-waid/)

> [Serial fiction is a conceit of comic books and soap operas. As one goes, so goes the other in terms of public consciousness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-waid/serial-fiction-is-a-conceit-of-comic-books-and-soap-operas-as-one/)

[Mark Waid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-waid/)

> [In a 22-page comic, figuring an average of four to five panels a page and a couple of full-page shots, a writer has maybe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-waid/in-a-22-page-comic-figuring-an-average-of-four-to-five-panels-a-page/)

[Mark Waid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-waid/)

> [You're a superhero. Shut up and enjoy having superpowers. This makes me crazy. This is why the Marvel movies kick DC movies' asses right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-waid/you-re-a-superhero-shut-up-and-enjoy-having-superpowers-this-makes-me/)

[Mark Waid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-waid/)

> [I knew I really wanted to work in comics in 1979.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-waid/i-knew-i-really-wanted-to-work-in-comics-in-1979/)

[Mark Waid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-waid/)

> [If you go back and look at the first issue of 'Indestructible Hulk,' if you have a sharp eye, you'll catch something that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-waid/if-you-go-back-and-look-at-the-first-issue-of-indestructible-hulk-if/)

[Mark Waid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-waid/)

> [Teaching is good for me. It forces me to articulate ways of doing things or rules of thumb that I've sort of taken for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-waid/teaching-is-good-for-me-it-forces-me-to-articulate-ways-of-doing/)

[Mark Waid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-waid/)

[Explore all 124 Mark Waid quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-waid/)

## More Comic quotes

> [Any incarnation of 'Batman' I am delighted to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-west/any-incarnation-of-batman-i-am-delighted-to-do/)

[Adam West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-west/)

> [I always loved as a kid reading 'Spider-Man,' and the 'Fantastic Four' would show up... it was all about that larger universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peyton-reed/i-always-loved-as-a-kid-reading-spider-man-and-the-fantastic-four/)

[Peyton Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peyton-reed/)

> [One of the key characteristics of the comic book medium is that it is not brought to life by just one voice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-lee/one-of-the-key-characteristics-of-the-comic-book-medium-is-that-it-is/)

[Jim Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-lee/)

> [I identify with Superman. I am adopted, I am an only child, and I love the idea that he comes from another world, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-singer/i-identify-with-superman-i-am-adopted-i-am-an-only-child-and-i-love/)

[Bryan Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-singer/)

> [Before World War II, I was living a very cloistered existence, as most cartoonists do. The work I was pouring out did not come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-eisner/before-world-war-ii-i-was-living-a-very-cloistered-existence-as-most/)

[Will Eisner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-eisner/)

> [If you look at Marvel Comics, there are very few Marvel characters I would like to write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-ennis/if-you-look-at-marvel-comics-there-are-very-few-marvel-characters-i/)

[Garth Ennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-ennis/)

> [The big problem for comic art is you don't want to overwork it. If a drawing is overworked it isn't funny. It's the spontaneity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-sorel/the-big-problem-for-comic-art-is-you-don-t-want-to-overwork-it-if-a/)

[Edward Sorel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-sorel/)

> [Leslie Stein's comics give readers privileged access to a complete and wholly original world of gently skewed wonders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-woodring/leslie-stein-s-comics-give-readers-privileged-access-to-a-complete/)

[Jim Woodring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-woodring/)

> [I've certainly seen a lot of my cartoonist friends embrace 'Little Lulu' in a much deeper way because their kids love it so much.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth/i-ve-certainly-seen-a-lot-of-my-cartoonist-friends-embrace-little/)

[Seth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth/)

> [Batman doesn't have any superpowers. He's not superhuman. He's not super. So therefore he can't be a superhero.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-silvey/batman-doesn-t-have-any-superpowers-he-s-not-superhuman-he-s-not/)

[Craig Silvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-silvey/)

> [When I was writing 'Black Panther,' on one level, I was angry because DC would never let me write 'Batman,' so I was doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-priest/when-i-was-writing-black-panther-on-one-level-i-was-angry-because-dc/)

[Christopher Priest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-priest/)

> [I was really into the first 'Spider-Man' films with Tobey Maguire, so it's pretty cool how it all came full circle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-batalon/i-was-really-into-the-first-spider-man-films-with-tobey-maguire-so-it/)

[Jacob Batalon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-batalon/)

> [Most men are secretly still mad at their mothers for throwing away their comic books. They would be valuable now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-rudner/most-men-are-secretly-still-mad-at-their-mothers-for-throwing-away/)

[Rita Rudner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-rudner/)

> [I'll only diet for a Marvel movie. I will give up bacon and waffles to be Storm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janelle-james/i-ll-only-diet-for-a-marvel-movie-i-will-give-up-bacon-and-waffles-to/)

[Janelle James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janelle-james/)

> [You've seen the first issue and what happened in the last page. Some pretty awful stuff. I don't know why I seem to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/declan-shalvey/you-ve-seen-the-first-issue-and-what-happened-in-the-last-page-some/)

[Declan Shalvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/declan-shalvey/)

[Browse all 5,841 Comic quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comic/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "What I need is for comics to not cheapen out and just do what they think a bunch of bloodthirsty 15 year old fans want.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Mark Waid"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-waid/what-i-need-is-for-comics-to-not-cheapen-out-and-just-do-what-they/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Comic"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-waid/what-i-need-is-for-comics-to-not-cheapen-out-and-just-do-what-they/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5d/mark-waid-3704_comic_what-i-need-is-for-comics-to-not-cheapen_1261242.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5d/mark-waid-3704_comic_what-i-need-is-for-comics-to-not-cheapen_1261242.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5d/mark-waid-3704_comic_what-i-need-is-for-comics-to-not-cheapen_1261242.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“What I need is for comics to not cheapen out and just do what they think a bunch of bloodthirsty 15 year old…” — Mark Waid",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Mark Waid",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-waid/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "What I need is for comics...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-waid/what-i-need-is-for-comics-to-not-cheapen-out-and-just-do-what-they/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-waid/what-i-need-is-for-comics-to-not-cheapen-out-and-just-do-what-they/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
