Girls and Comics

[The Grumpy Celt]

Monkey See, a columnist over at NPR, has a recent entry about comic books and their relative – though not absolute – failure to appeal to women and girls. Aside from some funny snark (“elephant seals”) he has some insight.

NPR: Monkey See

 

[Ranger REG]

Monkey See, a columnist over at NPR, has a recent entry about comic books and their relative – though not absolute – failure to appeal to women and girls. Aside from some funny snark (“elephant seals”) he has some insight.

NPR: Monkey See

Heh. I wonder if the next article will be about "Guys and Dolls." Oh wait, they prefer to call them "action figures."

Actually, I agree with BeaucoupKevin: it's marketing or lack thereof.

So, how do you make comic books appealing to girls and women, without putting out pink covers (unless it's for a cause)?

 

[frankthedm]

So, how do you make comic books appealing to girls and women, without putting out pink covers (unless it's for a cause)?

Uhm, it has to be more than just a pink cover and no amount of marketing will change that. Without the elements that appeal to females over males the comic/manga will not sell.

The company then will have to accept they will not have the dominant share of the girl's manga market. A money hungry megacorp that expects immediate windfall profits won't give the imprint the chance to take hold. The MINX imprint started just in 2007.

Also some buyers may avoid an imprint because they know who really is the boss.

 

[Ranger REG]

Uhm, it has to be more than just a pink cover and no amount of marketing will change that. Without the elements that appeal to females over males the comic/manga will not sell.

And what are those elements?

 

[Relique du Madde]

So, how do you make comic books appealing to girls and women, without putting out pink covers (unless it's for a cause)?

That is the 100 million dollar question. I know of few girls/women who are interested in the whole super-hero genre but for some reason almost every girl/women that I know who are into comic books all like Sandman (though serveral of them are not interested in anything that wouldn't be in the Manga aisle at Barnes and Nobel).

So...

I guess the answer is "good writing" and "decent or good art."

 

[Darth Shoju]

That is the 100 million dollar question. I know of few girls/women who are interested in the whole super-hero genre but for some reason almost every girl/women that I know who are into comic books all like Sandman (though serveral of them are not interested in anything that wouldn't be in the Manga aisle at Barnes and Nobel).

So...

I guess the answer is "good writing" and "decent or good art."

The only comic that I've ever seen held up as widely appealing to women is "Love and Rockets". Other than that it's hard to really point to any other titles that women consistently dig (to my knowledge anyway). I'm sure there are women who like X-men, or Batman, or Spider-Man, but I somehow doubt any of them are pulling in the women-folk in large numbers.

Beyond that, like you suggested, I'd say focusing on writing and art and avoiding the big-boobs/spandex g-string image that most female heroes are stuck with would help.

EDIT: Also, give them a female super hero who isn't lame as hell. Wonder Woman is close, but she needs work. Warbird could be good for Marvel too, but she isn't exactly well known.

 

[Mistwell]

You guys think women do not read comics, because they are reading different comics than you.

In 1995, DC had a reader survey that showed just 8% of their readership was women.

In contrast, ARCHIE COMICS reports approximately 55 to 60 percent of their audience is female.

In addition, women account for about 60 percent of Manga readership.

So it's not that women do not read comics - it's that they do not read superhero comics. And given the growth rates of Manga, they may well at some point catch up with men as far as readers of comics in general.

 

[frankthedm]

And what are those elements?

Whatever is in the high selling female targeted manga at the megachain bookstores is a place to start.

 

[Ranger REG]

You guys think women do not read comics, because they are reading different comics than you.

I know they're reading comics. I just don't see an equal number of females reading comic books as males. Is it because the majority of them view comic books as a male thing as we view Barbie Dolls and Bratz as a female thing?

(Not that I'm rushing out to buy a Ken doll soon, mind you.)

 

[Ranger REG]

Whatever is in the high selling female targeted manga at the megachain bookstores is a place to start.

So, what sort of manga superheroes would appeal to females? Or do they like non-hero format like Archie? [High-School] Romance novel with pictures, perhaps?