The marketing-industry trade publication Brandweek cuts to the chase in its coverage of the Marvel Comics-Guiding Light crossover:
Marvel Comics, like the stereotypical buyer of its products, is trying to figure out how to meet women. Tired of waiting for members of the opposite sex to wander in to the comic book store, the company is going where the women are by teaming up with CBS’ long-running soap opera Guiding Light. The comic book publisher this week began placing a special insert into some of its titles that has superhero group the New Avengers visiting Springfield, which is home to the Guiding Light’s characters. Next Monday Guiding Light returns the favor with an episode titled “She’s a Marvel,” in which one of the show’s characters gains superpowers.
“We were really attracted to this as a way to get access to a new audience,” said David Gabriel, Marvel Publishing’s vp-sales and marketing. “The soaps’ audience is all women and ours is all men.”
Sure, the lead is a little pointed, but the article goes on to chronicle Marvel’s recent attempts to woo female readers with titles like Runaways and Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane:
While these titles feature the usual superhero derring-do, they have more focus on romance and relationships, and girls and women who look more like actual girls and women.
But while that seemed like a good idea, that wasn’t really enough. “It’s a hard battle to get girls into comic book stores,” said Gabriel. “We assumed that just because a girl was the main character that it would appeal to them.” Instead, what the company has found is that women are more likely to read a standard comic book title involving writers they already like. So now the company has commissioned work by Joss Wheedon, creator of TV’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Laurell K. Hamilton, author of the Anita Blake series of vampire mysteries.
October 25th, 2006 at 1:42 pm
Imagine how disappointed all those Brandweek readers will be when they turn on The Light next Monday, only to find no one with superpowers because that show’s on Wednesday…
October 25th, 2006 at 2:26 pm
I’m a 23 year old dude and I read Runaways and Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane… I’m not really sure what that means exactly.
October 25th, 2006 at 3:11 pm
They’re not making Marvel better, they’re just making Guiding Light worse…
October 25th, 2006 at 3:22 pm
This is so backwards and, frankly, dumb, that it’s no wonder women (ha, wonder women) have no interest in mainstream comics.
This sort of stunt is an INSULT to women. What’s next, “Baking and Being Quiet” written by John Byrne?
Comic shops ARE a boys club. We don’t like them, we don’t like being in them, they are not run the same way that every other store in the world is run. Compare every store in any mall to any comic shop. The only people who shop there know what they’re looking for.
But most importantly, don’t release titles that are “OK” for us to read. It’s demeaning and you’re making bad choices to begin with. The age bracket of women who watch Guiding Light are not going to come to a comic shop to buy the comics. The corresponding age bracket of men who read comics do so because they’ve been reading since they were kids.
Now we’re on to something! Want to get more women reading comics? Make comics that GIRLS want to read. If they grow up reading comics, they will continue to do so. Then, you can publish a guiding light comic in 20 years when there is actually an AUDIENCE for it.
Scholastic is already doing this of course, publishing The Baby-Sitter’s Club series, Goosebumps, etc. etc. (Not to mention publishing awesome female artists and writers in the process.) If you make comics that girls want to read, those girls will grow up into women who still want comics as a source of entertainment. And guess what — they’ll probably even read some super hero comics.
The 50 year old women at my husband’s office talk about Heroes the next morning around the break room coffee maker. The X-men and Spiderman and Superman movies have made many of these characters household names again AND put them into the mouths of children (boys AND girls) who want to know these characters and grow up with them and spend their disposable income doing so.
If you want women to read comics, it’s going to take years to undo what’s been done. Start with the kids. Publish a wider variety of comics but don’t try to dumb them down for us. Publish more women artists and writers and let THEM help make this happen.
October 25th, 2006 at 3:45 pm
I see the two mediums as apples and oranges….it doesn’t necessarily follow that fans of serialized TV drama are going to “get” serialized drama in comic book form. What a foolish promotion….I’d rather see them spend their marketing dollars on getting more KIDS into reading comics…and not just the pitiful handful of licensed characters and modernized retellings of classic tales.
October 25th, 2006 at 4:49 pm
Um…Lots of women are already reading comics. The biggest thing Marvel could do would simply be to stop driving us away with cheesecake and stereotypes.
Then, make an actual effort to go out and develop female talent so the people telling the stories are a more diverse lot. No Joe, sitting at your desk and waiting for submissions is not an effort.
It’ll be good for everybody, trust me. The more diverse the people telling and drawing the stories, the less tired old clone sagas we’ll have to endure.
October 25th, 2006 at 5:04 pm
I just read the story, and I have no idea who these people are. If you’re not a GL fan you’ll be totally lost.
October 25th, 2006 at 7:27 pm
Crossing over with GL isn’t going to bring in new readers. It’s just a publicity stunt done by a section of the company that has no plan and keeps throwing EVERYTHING at the wall to see what sticks.
October 26th, 2006 at 1:55 am
an effort is an effort
if this brings in 15 new readers,
hurray (not the attitude i’d want an eic having, but really, we should support any effort…in hopes they’ll more things of substance to diversify readership)
October 26th, 2006 at 7:29 am
What Dawn said. I think one of the best ways to get women on board as readers is to get women on board as creators. And not just writers - pencillers and inkers as well!
October 26th, 2006 at 11:20 am
Now I’m totally confused. I saw “GL” and immediately thought of Green lanterns. And yes, looking at Green lantern behinds would defintely get more women into comic book shops. Teehee.
October 26th, 2006 at 8:45 pm
They’re not making Marvel better, they’re just making Guiding Light worse
Based on my brief review of the TV without Pity boards, GL fans might not find it possible to make it worse.
I do think there’s potential in a crossover between Marvel and a soap opera but it’s got to be bigger than this to lead anywhere. An 8-page story and a single hourlong special episode isn’t going to convert anyone. Still, I think there’s some insight shown, like how the GL comic is featured in titles that sell best outside of the direct market.
Though as a soap opera and superhero fanboy, I have to admit I’m thrilled at the idea of Harley Cooper with superpowers. I’m so glad they picked someone Harely’s age.