DC Comics launch Minx for female readers

Paul

Paul

Ghost of Animes
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In an attempt to earn back some female readership, DC Comics are to kick start a new comic label aimed directly at young women. The label, known as Minx, has been extensively researched and carefully built to produce original stories that can appeal to female readers not interested in the typical American comic fare of extreme violence and super-heroes. Next year DC intend to pour $250,000 into Minx to market the label.

A few years ago teenage girls and comics were considered a lost cause - but when manga hit North America, the market exploded almost immediately. It remains to be seen whether or not DC's Minx will be capable of producing the next Paradise Kiss - or rather if this just means another try at "My Little Pony".

(Source: aNIme, NYTimes and ICv2)
 
It's quite amusing how all this time and money is being spent on trying to work out the female comic audience. I think the problem is that if you create something aimed directly at say female readers, you end up alienating everyone through such predictable formulas. The great thing about manga is how diverse it is; although there is a lot of manga labeled as shoujo, men can enjoy them too; Honey & Clover being a fine example. Reading these articles, I get the feeling this point is lost on the DC business men.
 
That's stupid, i'm a girl and me and my friend (also a girl) used to read DC comics (and Marvel) alot when we was at school (not too long ago), comics like Impulse, Young Justice sometimes JLA and others, and we only stopped when their story lines got crap, like lets change Impulse to Kid Flash, cancel Young Justice and merge it with Teen Titans. I found that alot of their "young" female characters were like Totally Spies prototypes. And what they wore was most likey for the male reader...cos you can obviously save the world in a swim costume.

there is a difference between Manga and comic books, i like both, but the story is always told differently in a Manga, it's like a continuing story arc within other arcs... i dunno... DC have gone down hill, that's why me and my friend only read Marvel now, cos DC don't have any comics that interest us anymore.
 
I'm not sure how girls felt with regards to this but it always struck me that a lot of the girls' Marvel/DC comics were largely just female versions of their male superheroes, such as Savage She Hulk and Supergirl who were just weaker versions to their male counterparts. I'm sure that girls just found that patronising since that is how I would view it...
 
I agree with Imp, DC's books were much better in the 90s. Young Justice especially had two female teen characters that were very realistic and easy to relate to. I still buy both DC and Marvel comics, but I've found myself buying less these days. I've just grown out of them, I guess.

I prefer to read manga these days, just because I like the characterisation. It's more consistent than in comics because the writer stays the same. The main character doesn't even have to be a girl, in order for girls to like it. In Honey & Clover, the character I related to most was Takemoto.
 
Hey! You know Young Justice? That comic was great, cos we was around the same age as the characters when me and my mate were reading it. Alot of people think DC was better in the 90s.

I confess, i do read Manga more then comics these days, the only comic i collect now is Marvel's Deadpool.
 
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