I'm posting the following to say that Minx Comics may eventually give us the biggest influx of female comics fans since Neil Gaiman's Sandman. Sure they'll start younger but if this works, there will be even younger chicks in comics shops totally ignoring the hell out of fans of the X-Men.
I agree with Sam in sentiment about lousy writers on comics culture in general but I think the MINX line needs to be covered and DC was right to take a stab at it. It's all about market share and anyone who can't see that isn't listening to the hush that falls over the room when you talk comics with non comics fans. They talk about the movies that are out and are amazed at how many of them are about comics and they may mention that one of their kids likes those little japanese comics but then someone else walks up and they start talking soccer practice and circus camp.
It's because the other kid is probably a girl and girls don't do what boys do so if parents want to give the lives of their kids equal weight, they change the subject.
The Minx line is to get those "Tween" chicklets back into the conversation. They are not meant for bitter jaded 30+ men who just want their favorite past time to remain free of the taint of those peripherally interested and solidly post modern.
The other thing is, they really do have to sell the shit. You make comics aimed at girls and how do you get them in front of the girls when most shops look like the bedrooms of either their brothers or their 30+ creepy uncle?
You do it by getting the word out to their parents who control the cash flow for those kids.
Yes, you will have to write a few pandering articles but so what really? As long as you get the info right, there shouldn't be any harm. It's just journalism. Not always at it's finest but it has to be done. You also can't really write a piece on the new happenings in comics without covering some history. People don't write about Barry Bonds without mentioning Ruth, Mantle or Mays. They don't write about LeBron without mentioning Jordan and Bird.
Personally I'm just glad I don't have to read another article all about how comics have grown up because some bitter 30+ tool with a degree in graphic design is drawing comics about a fat loser who sits on his couch mastubating and peeing in his sink, while thinking of what his life could be like if he only choose to use his super intelligence for something other than beating video games.
That stuff is some bullshit but it sure is hip. I can't stand it. If I want to go to a party in Bucktown, wearing a distressed BJ and thr Bear T-Shirt, oily jeans and my Steve Maddden shoes, with bed head while drinking a PBR, those are the comics I'd read. Those are the comics i'd read. I can't wait until Peep Show gets turned into a movie. THEN we'll see some maturity and how much comics have grown up. If you felt betrayed by Spiderman 3, watch out for the hit your image could take in the future.
All I'm saying is that comics publication is a business and I'm ok with the folks at DC approching it that way. Let the girls come in and play and lets stop being so hung up on our image in the eyes of the general public that we aren't willing to take a look at what can improve it.
2 comments:
Am I cynical for wondering why all these Minx "Comics for Girls" are being written by men?
Well yes and no. They are being written by men but some of those men already write this sort of stuff.
The Hernandez Brothers are men. Terry Moore is a guy. Andi Watson...The list goes on.
The issue is that a line aimed at Tween Girls had tobe started because no one could figure out how to take the 12 comics that tween want toread and put them at least in front of the eyes of the tween chicklets in the comic shop waiting for their little brother to finish getting his monthly Wolver-chubby.
DC didn't need to start a MINX line when they probably could have justgotten the folks who are already the best in the biz at this, under the DC umbrella.
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