Kira Cochrane on kick-ass heroines in comics

[roseembolism]

This is an interesting, positive article on the new wave of female comics writers, characters, and what may be a wave of change in a still very male-dominated industry.  It ranges widely, touching on things like Gail Simone, the old Women in Refrigerators site, manga, and the new girl-oriented Minx  imprint.  While it's not incredibly in-depth, this might be a good reference point for people to start looking at women in the comics industry.

Also, it's nice to hear something positive about comics.

Comments

[britgeekgrrl.livejournal.com]

*nods* it's an interesting article. Alas, the cynic in me is muttering that DC has launched Minx primarily 'cos they want a slice of that manga money-making-pie, not because they want to, y'know, actually encourage women in the industry, or positive role models in the material. Sigh.

And, rather OT, is that a chibi Sandman in your icon? So cute!

[roseembolism.livejournal.com]

Granted that's a viable concern, and one of the worries about the new imprint is that it's designed to "ghettoize" girl-oriented comics.


But on the other hand, I can't fault DC for following the money, or jumping on the manga bandwagon. At least they're trying a new direction than the old, failing focus on male collectors in their 20s. Also, if the Minx experiment is profitable, it's going to be because they actually do good, girl-friendly comics; and that success will definitely have an effect on the rest of the comic company.

As another example, over in Marvel, I found at least the early issues of Runaways to be rather girl-friendly, with a strong, varied cast of female characters (and some boys). That's done well enough that a movie is in development. So, I'm cautiously hopeful that this may be a trend.