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Who's Who
In the SBCU Update 2003
In his dreams Alan Donald is a multi-award
winning writer of comic books, animation, theme park shows and rides, children�s
books, novels, television, internet animation and more.
In real life Alan writes this column,
which has been described as more than a lifestyle than a weekly column.
He used to write SBC's All The Rage.
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Tuesday,
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Tuesday,
September 23
Why
Don't "Chicks" Dig Comics?
Tuesday,
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Why
Don't "Black Books" Sell?
Tuesday,
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Health
Insurance In The Comics Industry
Tuesday,
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Why
Don't "Chicks" Dig Comics?
By Alan
Donald
Print
This Item
This
week�s first question comes from �Seven-year-old Nick from Christchurch,
New Zealand� and the second from my wife, Dawn. The questions are:
�Why
don�t chicks dig comics? Why aren�t there more women working in the comic
book industry?�
Mike
Collins: �Women do read comics. Tons of them. Some female artists (like
Lise Myhre) are feted as big as pop stars, their latest volumes getting
two-page coverage in national newspapers. They can headline monthly books
(Nemi) that sell in excess of 80,000 copies.
Oh,
you mean in America?
Ah.
Vertigo aside, the mainstream US & UK comics are boys adventures. They
appeal to blokes.
Witch
(has this made it to the States?) sells phenomenally well with the teen
and pre-teen female audience throughout Europe - it's adventure strips
featuring young witches (well, duh). It's artistically not a million miles
away from Humberto Ramos / Carlos Meglia big foot style but importantly...
no super heroes! But that's OK... it's fine to work in a style that appeals
-majorly- to one gender!
(and
a note to creators who hedge their involvement in the super hero field-
let's drop the 'deconstructed', 'ironic', or any other intellectual justification/excuse
for doing'em! They're still super heroes, be proud of doing what you do!)�
Bill
Rosemann: �Chicks do dig comics...we just need to concentrate on getting
the right books into their hands in order to increase the number of those
that do! There's plenty of great comics that female readers would appreciate�titles
such as Optic Nerve, Alias, Sandman, Route 666, Y: The Last Man, Ultimate
Spider-Man, Strangers In Paradise--and manga is growing the female readership
week after week! So I have to disagree: chicks do dig comics...but we just
have to make sure that we make more titles that they'd appreciate (characterization
+ humor + action + drama), while delivering them in the format they want
(graphic novels) in the locations that they frequent (bookstores, libraries,
etc.). As for why there's not more women in the industry, I'll say that
one big factor is that because more boys read comics when they were young,
more of them pursued entering the industry when they grew up! But with
the popularity of manga increasing, watch for that trend to change!"
Alan
Grant: �The most dedicated Strontium Dog fan I know is a woman. Judge
Anderson's biggest fan is a 21-year-old lady. Generally speaking, women
found our "Shit The Dog" comic much more amusing than men did. Neil Gaiman
has a huge female fan following. My newsagent carries a wide range of girls'
material, from comics about ponies to comics about dating, make-up and
soapstars.
I
suspect what the questioner really wants to know is "Why don't chicks dig
superhero comics?" I guess it's because they're written and drawn by males,
for males. Usually the lead characters are male, with females in
underdressed secondary roles. Often the plots are exotic--invasions from
outer space--rather than the more domestic stories often (though not always)
favoured by female readers.
In
a way, that answer covers the second question, too. If girls aren't attracted
by superhero comic books, why on earth would they want to work in the business?�
Terry
Moore: �They read Strangers in Paradise. More than half my readers
are women. They read Sandman when it came out. I think the question should
be, why do women read books like Strangers In Paradise and Sandman but
not (fill in blank with fave superhero title). And I need to stay out of
that discussion. You don't want to hear the answer from me.�
Devin
Grayson: �The second part of the question is answered by the first
part. If more females were interested in comics, there'd be more females
working in the industry.
As
for the first part of the question, as a female who does dig comics, I
can only offer a few speculations.
I
think this biggest detriment to females reading comics is distribution.
Many girls don't know about or are not enticed by local comics stores.
Even if a female happens to wander in to one, the chances of her finding
something she's interested in are slim -- not because there's nothing she'd
be interested in, but because she won't be able to find it. As a small
specialty market, comic shops have very unique browsing displays. How is
a newbie supposed to know what to make of the rows of long boxes, or the
alphabetical listing by publisher?
It's
really bizarre and confusing is you're an outsider. I remember walking
into a comic store early on in my love affair with Nightwing and trying
to find books with Dick Grayson in them. Nightwing as a title did not yet
exist, and instead of just handing me a few relevant Batman and Teen Titans
issues, the clerk started going on about some "wizard" I should be consulting.
I left baffled and empty handed.
Another
contributing factor, at least where mainstream superhero comics are concerned,
is the very nature of the product, which at its inception was a male power
fantasy. I was watching Smallville last week with two eleven-year-old boys
and a thirteen-year-old girl. The boys were riveted every time Clark used
his super-strength, sometimes going as far as to cheer out loud. Invariably,
the girl and I would talk through those scenes, or get up to refill our
drinks. Clark stammering in front of Lana, however, earned the girl's full
attention, and I wouldn't let any of them so much as cough when Lex was
on screen.
Fight
scenes in comics are, to this day, a staple of the superhero genre. I guess
it makes sense, but I gotta tell you, if Batman gets in a fight in a book
called "Batman," well, I'm generally not too worried about the outcome.
It's a thrill when a hero or villain does something truly unexpected or
brilliant, but as the thirteen-year-old girl commented when I showed her
a handful of contemporary comics, "they're good except for I feel like
all that fighting just takes away from the stories. Are there any where
people just talk?" She flipped past the fight scenes to get to the subplots.
The eleven-year-old boys flipped through the subplots to get to the fighting.
Most of my editors will let me forego a subplot or two. The fight scenes,
on the other hand, are mandatory.
I
do think there are more "chicks" getting into comics, though, and see no
inherent reason why they shouldn't enjoy them.�
Peter
David: �Possibly because those in the industry think of them as "chicks."�
Markisan:
Honestly, I don�t think I�m qualified to answer the question, �Why don�t
chicks dig comics?� because well.. I'm not a chick, Donald. So, I asked
my woman, Nicole, to write this week�s answer for me. Here she is:
Why
I like comics, even though I am a girl.
I
really don�t know much about comics except for the interesting stories
that get filtered through to me by my significant other, Markisan. I read
my first comic book during a Holocaust class I took in college. It was
Art Spiegelman�s Maus. I remember thinking that there was an innocence
and vulnerability to the genre, the way the images revealed more than the
words could. This type of honesty was very appealing to me. As it turns
out, I became fast friends and spent much of the latter part of my college
years hanging out with comic geeks, like my friend, Elisa -- a girl! She
introduced me to Neil Gaiman�s Sandman series. For someone studying
religion, philosophy, and literature, the Sandman fit in quite nicely to
my repertoire of reading material. Neil Gaiman is pretty deep. Of course,
when I met Markisan, I became exposed to the wide, wide world of comics.
I�ve read the famed Dark Knight Returns, by Frank Miller, which
I quickly learned after spending time around him and his comic buddies
is treated with great awe and respect. I can�t say I completely understand
why, even though mention of the book among fans can turn into an hour long
rant on the subject.
Since
then I have had the opportunity to read some interesting comics written
by women. Markisan introduced me to XXX Live Nude Girls by Laurenn
McCubbin and Nikki Coffman and Cheat by Christine Norrie. These
both spoke intimately to the experience and psyche of women. There should
be more like this. I would definitely read them. I think the reason most
women don�t get into comics is because of the stereotypes that comics are
all about superheroes dressed in tight, silly costumes. I mean, come on,
little kids adorn themselves in such for trick-or-treating on Halloween.
There�s
also the thinking that when women do appear in comics, it�s all about big
tits and ass, pornographic eye candy for the man-child stuck in adolescence.
And then there is the belief that comics have given new meaning to the
words �gratuitous violence.� I have seen some of this nastiness -- bodies
torn asunder in ways you could have never imagined, mass explosions, genocide.
Most women just do not get into that shit! And I know for a fact that women
correlate violence with comics because just this summer I was speaking
with my women colleagues on the matter. These stereotypes are not altogether
fair, as I am told and given multiple examples to the contrary, and I believe
it. Comics are a very artful and sophisticated form of storytelling which
could be enjoyed by women as well. But the problem is, like with all stereotypes,
they have their basis in reality.
You
only have to go to Wizard World Convention to see the strange conflagration
of the over-sexualized and macabre with the breathtakingly beautiful. And
perhaps this is the true appeal of comics, in that they mix the ugly and
the beautiful as we see it occur in everyday life, except, of course, in
comics it�s on a more magnified scale.
Women�s
lives are also filled with the ugly and the beautiful, it�s just of a different
sort, and if we could have more women (or men) speak to this we�d have
more women reading comics.
Alonzo
Washington: �Why don't chick dig comic book? That's an easy one. I
talked about this in our last panel discussion. The comic book industry
is basically the universe of the fantasies of White nerds that are male.
Most female characters are just objects of the White male's ego. That's
why some of the female characters (Lois Lane, Mary Jane & Jane) in
comic books just exist to be saved. Other female super heroes are usually
portrayed as tough gals that dress like strippers (Vampirella, Witch Blade,
Danger Girls, Wonder Woman, Cat Woman, Lady Death, Lara Croft, etc.). They
can be good girls or bad girls, but they all dress like ho's. Moreover,
many of the female characters start out as back half's of the main male
characters. Like Supergirl, Batgirl, She-Hulk, Spider-Woman & Spider-Girl.
These characters are doomed to never reach the level of their male counterparts.
Like most Black characters most female characters have no agenda of their
own. The comic book industry is racist & sexist and the characters
of most comic book companies reflect this. If comic book creators wanted
be less sexist in developing independent female characters they should
watch Buffy The Vampire Slayer & Xena. Keep in mind chicks dig those
shows.
More
women are not in the comic book industry because it has not been promoted
to them. Much like it hasn't been to African Americans you barely see them
in the comic book industry either.�
Shawna
Ervin-Gore: �I think the first important distinction to make is between
the format of comics and the genres of comics that are most popular and
in the public eye. In one respect, there's ample evidence that shows that
chicks DO dig comics -- as a medium. I know a lot of women who LOVE comics
in various forms (mini-comics, syndicated strips, etc.), but
who
don't read comic books very often because they're not aware of comics that
have subjects they're interested in.
I've
been a fan of comic books for literally all of my reading life, but I definitely
had a few years as a teenager when I was, for the most part, not terribly
into comics. The exceptions at that time were Swamp Thing, Concrete, and
a few random indie titles. But, at least as far as I was aware, there weren't
a lot of titles widely available at that time that made 14 year-old me
want to read them. I didn't get off looking at big boobs in spandex, and
the typical superhero stuff was really wearing thin for me. I know now
that there were other, better comics being produced then, but they certainly
weren't carried at the rural comics shop in my hometown.
Fast
forward 16 years, and things have changed quite a bit in terms of comics
content. But with all the competing forms of entertainment, we're not getting
a lot of new readers period, much less new FEMALE readers. However, I do
think the manga explosion has done a lot to woo female readers (there are
so many different genres within manga -- lots more opportunity to appeal
to all kinds of people, but especially girls). Some people note that there
aren't a lot of women working in comics, either, especially drawing them.
Again, if you look outside the mainstream, this isn't exactly accurate.
I'd wager that there are just as many female indie comics artists as male.
And there aren't a lot of us girlie comics editors probably because there
aren't that many girls who would ever even THINK of working in comics,
much less aspire to help create them.�
Evil
Rick: I think for years there weren't that many female readers because
there weren't too many books that would keep them entertained. Hell, a
big percentage of male readers only stuck around on their titles out of
momentum rather than because they were enjoying them. I know everyone thinks
that Manga seems to be the only thing bringing in female readers, but these
days there are so many great titles to capture any readers tastes, male
or female, young or old.
Books
like Y the Last Man, Fables, Strangers in Paradise, Runaways, Alias, 1602,
Sandman, Preacher, Sojourn, Ruse, Route 666, Johnny the Homicidal Maniac
and so many others are bringing in new female readers every day. We barely
carry manga because the chain stores have brought too much competition
on that stuff, but try to point out Vertigo or CrossGen books to manga
fans with our money back guarantee.
I
think the same thing goes for so few female creators. Because there weren't
many female readers, very few female creators realized the unlimited potential
of the comic book medium. More readers will lead to more creators who have
something interesting to say, so over the next few years, I'm sure we'll
see more female creators as well as readers.
Alan
Donald: �Chicks do dig comics but the trick is to get them to read
them. I�ve always found Terry �Batman�s biggest fan� Moore�s Strangers
in Paradise to be a good one for getting girlies hooked, just one issue,
any issue, it works ever time. Of course Neil Gaiman�s The Sandman works
pretty damned well too as does most of the output from CrossGen and quite
a bit of Dark Horse�s stuff too (especially Sock Monkey and What�s Michael).
As for female creators etc� I imagine if you did a demographic survey of
comicbook readers you�d probably find that the ratio of creators match
up with that of the fans. The same proportion of males, females, homo and
bisexuals, white folk, black folk etc. The comic industry needs to expand
its fanbase not just numerically but demographically too.
Summary:
Get them to try the right stuff, make comic shops less intimidating and
generally get people to stop thinking �superhero� when they hear �comic
book�.
This
Week�s Panel: Alan Donald (Columnist, SBC), Shawna Ervin-Gore (an editor
at Dark Horse), Alonzo Washington (creator Omega Man and founder of Omega
7 comics and toys), Markisan (All the Rage), Alan Grant (Batman, Judge
Anderson), Terry Moore (Strangers in Paradise), Devin Grayson (Gotham Knights,
Nightwing), Peter David (Captain Marvel, Supergirl), Bill Rosemann (Publicist,
Crossgen), and Mike Collins (Star Trek, 2000AD).
Next
Week�s Question: � What is the hardest part about creating a new
character, and why is it that these new characters have such a hard time
sticking in universe's featuring older characters?�
Previous
Questions: Check out the message board where I�ve put up a list of
every question the Panel has faced so far (neatly linked to the column
it appeared in) to inspire you and let you know what to avoid.
SBC
reserves the right to edit questions for reasons of consistency and inclusivity.
Have the Panel
gotten it right?
Have your
say on the hot topics of the day at the Panelology
message board.
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