Adding A Little Estrogen To The Mix...
The comic industry, much like that of video games, is beginning to noticeably evolve out of the boys' club it's been associated with for so long. I maintain that the mid-to-late 1990s were a particular low point for women in comics, mainly because of the over-sexed looks and criminally underdeveloped personalities they portrayed. As with anything that's gone wrong with comics, I blame Rob Liefeld (remember the horror that was Glory?)
A number of comic companies are launching titles with the specific intent of appealing to female readers, and at least part of this new direction is due to an increased number of female staff members:
Indeed, the surge of women both reading comics and creating them has led some to suggest that the industry is experiencing a new dawn. Simone is perhaps the most public face of the revolution - a highly popular voice, she has been appointed by comics giant DC as the first female ongoing writer for Wonder Woman. "I was actually on a panel in New Zealand recently," she says, "where everyone was female, except for one guy, and nobody asked the question 'what's it like to be a woman in comics?' It was just the same questions that would be asked if it was an entire male panel. I was so excited. It really feels like the tides have turned."
It's always nice to read about how audiences are no longer being perceived as consisting of only awkward teenage boys, though now I want to know why we don't have more non-straight-friendly characters. Oh, wait, we've got John Constantine and Midnighter. Never mind, I'm good.
Brilliantly Drawn Girls [The Guardian]
Boy of Tomorrow
Posted to Hot Stuff, Other on 23 January 2008
Other stuff like this: appealing, audience, dc comics, female readers, women, wonder woman
Boy Meets Hero by Chayne Avery and Russell Garcia
