The cursed York Dispatch, scourge of Central Pa newspapers, uses the launch of the Minx line (and an interview with Cecil Castelucci) to look at the various attempts to get comics into the hands of young girls:
Although superheroes might be the most familiar face of comic books in popular culture, the combination of words and pictures isn’t limited to those stories. In recent years, publishers have broadened their reach with graphic novels that shy away from superheroes, trying to tempt tween and teen girls with familiar names like Nancy Drew and comics based on the popular novel series “The Baby-Sitters Club.” Even DC’s main rival, Marvel Comics, has a girl-friendly twist on superhero stories with “Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane.”
The growth in readership and niche markets for graphic novels has been “explosive,” [York librarian Maggie] Ahrens said. “Once people realize we have these graphic novels, we get swarmed.”
The library system has added nearly 200 graphic novels to its collection so far this year, bringing the total to more than 1,100 copies split among 685 different titles. This year alone, the 1,156 copies already have been checked out nearly 3,500 times. Titles are split into three groups — adult, teen and children’s — and shelved separately near other age-appropriate book.
Oh York Dispatch, I kid because I love. And because they’re my employer’s competitors.
August 13th, 2007 at 11:13 am
Hey - if your employer wants to make news, please drop me a line!
We’d also gladly take donations for books, financial support for otaku and manga clubs, and/or anything else that promotes comics and graphic novels.
Still fighting the great fight to get elitist snobs to accept this as a ligitamite and worthy form of literature
Maggie