Product placement comes to comics

The Wall Street Journal had an article yesterday on product placement in comics. Marvel, for example, has been putting the Nike “swoosh” logo in scenes in some of its titles. And in “Rush City,” a miniseries coming from DC, the hero will be shown driving a Pontiac Solstice in a deal with General Motors.

The story quotes Chuck Rozanski, founder of Mile High Comics, as saying such hidden ads “taint the experience” of comic-book reading. If such deals mean perhaps stalling the next comics price increase — and as long as the product placement doesn’t interfere with the story — I don’t have a big problem with it. In a way, it’s nice to know the advertising world recognizes comics are still around and are a way to reach a young audience. But we better not see the spider symbol on Spider-Man’s costume replaced with a swoosh.