You KNOW comics aren't for kids anymore when...

...you see an ad for a $24,000 SUV on the inside front cover!

Sure, the primary comic book advertisers are still video game equipment, junk food and comic-related merchandise...but this Jeep ad from DC's Countdown #49 a few weeks ago?

Quite the wake-up call. (Click on the ad to get a better look. Come on...I get 5¢ a click from Jeep.  Kidding!)

Despite the ad's juvenile connect-the-dots theme, it's pretty clear they're not targeting the 13 to 18 year-old demographic...unless allowances and Burger King paychecks have dramatically improved since I was a teenager. You know, back in the day when the big advertisers were Bubble Yum, Charles Atlas, Sea Monkeys, and whoopie cushions.

Of course, it goes without saying that the SUV ad is just the beginning.  As the rapidly aging fanbase continues to...well...rapidly age, I'm sure it won't be too much longer before we see comic book ads for retirement condos, Metamucil, or even Depends!

Comments

[Tom the Bomb]

Yeah, I'm passing on Countdown for a while, but I've seen the ad around. The kid-friendly stuff seems to be limited to the Johnny DC titles like Justice League Unlimited. It makes it very clear who they think their audience is for each title.

[Mark Engblom]

I remember seeing a car to two in comics I read as a kid...but those were models! Now they're shilling the real deal! Obviously the car companies know that more than a few twenty, thirty, and forty-somethings are reading comics.