Ladies: Do You Like Comic Books?

[Nathan Dodge]

When I was a kid and would frequent my local comic book store, I could not help but notice the lack of girls in the store--other than the women rendered on the comic covers and posters, of course. However, as recently as the mid-'90s, I've seen many women who are into comics and who work at said stores. Perhaps this is because of the aging readership of the average comic book collector means that married or otherwise coupled comic fans bring their significant other into the store? Does Sailor Moon have anything to do with the rise of women into the comic book hobby? Was my experience merely the exception and that women have always populated other stores and were just avoiding me when I needed them most? lol

So my question for the ladies--were you aware of the lack of females in the comic book hobby? Were you a comic book collector (when, please specify)? And when did things start to change?

 

[LizzieMaine]

I read comics when I was 10-13 or so -- it was that stretch in the early to mid 70s where a lot of Golden Era material was being reprinted in "100 pages for 60 cents" packages, so I became very fond of that stuff. I was a particular fan of the original Marvel Family (Capt. Marvel, Mary Marvel, and Capt. Marvel Jr.), and their comics that I saved during that era I mostly still have. I can still read those stories today and find them enjoyable -- there was a distinct element of subtle satire in them that went over my head when I was 10, but which I enjoy very much today. Likewise Jack Cole's "Plastic Man," which I enjoyed long before New Yorker articles made it trendy to do so.

I was also very fond of the Batman reprints that were going around then, the ones where the Batmobile was a Nash sedan with a big bat head on the front, and Batman's jaw took up half his face, and I still have a few of those.

I didn't care for Wonder Woman as much -- I thought her current-day stuff was annoying, and her Golden Era material was disturbingly weird, in a creepy middle-aged-man kind of way -- and I thought "Superman's Girlfriend Lois Lane" was even more obnoxious. If she'd spent have the time at her typewriter as she spent chasing Superman, she'd have won the Pulitzer Prize.

I was not really a collector -- I bought the comics, read them until they fell apart or got thrown away, and didn't think much about it after that, other than to save some of the ones I really liked. In those days, you bought comics off the newsstand or the rack in the drugstore, and there were no comic shops.

I peek at comics from time to time if I see them around, and I always get the sense they're being written for someone I cannot begin to understand. Maybe that's why they've become such a niche product nowadays? Would a ten year old girl pick up and enjoy a comic these days?

 

[Lady Day]

I read a lot of comics as a teen. I loved the Marvel universe. By brother was a Spiderman/Iron Man guy/Captain America collector, I was into X Men/Fantastic 4 kinda girl.

Also in the 90s a lot of indie comics came out. Image was a relatively new label and they had Spawn (which I didnt read too much of) and Maxx which I liked but issues were few and far between. Image became more about the artists ego than the actual story, so I stopped collecting them after a while.

DC started a really good line of comics with all characters of color. They were essentially black and hispanic versions of the iconic DC/Marvel characters, and the art was kinda lame, but the stories were fantastic. They tackled gang violence, teen pregnancy, racism, etc. The comic line folded in the early 2000s but I have all the issues. Some of the characters were made into WB cartoons, but never watched them.

I would love to get back into comics but its a pricy hobby. One day, though.

LD

 

[Lady Day]

Does Sailor Moon have anything to do with the rise of women into the comic book hobby? Was my experience merely the exception and that women have always populated other stores and were just avoiding me when I needed them most? lol

So my question for the ladies--were you aware of the lack of females in the comic book hobby? Were you a comic book collector (when, please specify)? And when did things start to change?

Sailor Moon is anime, and generally there are more girls interested in that because when it hits the US market, its generally the cartoon version that comes first then the comic (which is *actually* first).

There are a lot of women behind the scenes than most realize. They often write for comics, and I forget her name (a lot of help I am), but there was one woman writer who helped exponentially in revitalizing the character Nightcrawler.

Also, you have more and more women artists in the indie comic market. Since most comics seem to feature heroines as the lead character, you can find a lot more women writing and creating them.

Also comics arnt the 'boys club' they used to be. I think thats a main reason you now see so many gals into comics. We dont have to be ashamed anymore!

LD

 

[Rhian]

My dad had a decent library of DC comics collections, with a mix from Golden to Silver age, and then later, some of the pivotal early 90s events like Death/Return of Superman and the Knightfall saga. I grew up reading them (and re-reading them), and along with my love of old sci-fi films this was completely atypical for a girl of my age. I never found any classmates interested in my hobbies, and they thought me odd.

I continued to read trade paperbacks all through my teens. I also had a brief flirtation with Japanese manga, some of which I still enjoy, but I think I caught the DC bug too early! Now, in my twenties, I am a very enthusiastic reader and keep up with a good selection of titles.

The current set of writers and artists at DC include many women, probably most notably Gail Simone, and her Birds of Prey title has been pretty revolutionary. I've heard of many women who've been drawn to DC comics because of it. Although I can't point to anything specifically, my feeling is that the standard of writing for female characters is much higher - or at least much more sensitive - than it has been in the past. In fact, this may be true for male characters too... There's a focus on the people behind the masks that was sometimes lacking previously.

Manga tends to have a different audience, and while I hesitate to generalise, my experience is that the readership does not cross over very much unless there is already an interest there. The internet has been widely responsible for bringing manga to a western audience, and I also think it's responsible for the growing number of women reading western comics - the old stereotypes about comics and their readers are being blown away and fans are able to gather to share their interests so much more easily than before.

My dad would take me with him on trips into London as a young girl, and inevitably we'd visit Forbidden Planet, one of the main sci-fi and comic shops of the city. Then, there were few women. Now, there are many more, although men certainly do still dominate. (Last time I went into the comics section I was absolutely the only woman there.) I think things are changing, and possibly more quickly in the US - I get the impression that the female readership is greater over there.

 

[Nathan Dodge]

Sailor Moon is anime, and generally there are more girls interested in that because when it hits the US market, its generally the cartoon version that comes first then the comic (which is *actually* first).

There are a lot of women behind the scenes than most realize. They often write for comics, and I forget her name (a lot of help I am), but there was one woman writer who helped exponentially in revitalizing the character Nightcrawler.

Also, you have more and more women artists in the indie comic market. Since most comics seem to feature heroines as the lead character, you can find a lot more women writing and creating them.

Also comics arnt the 'boys club' they used to be. I think thats a main reason you now see so many gals into comics. We dont have to be ashamed anymore!

LD

Heck, we wanted girls to like comics!


Ann Nocenti, Mary Jo Duffy, Louise Simonson, and Linda Grant were writers I remembered from the 1970s-'80s. Jeannette Kahn was the head honcho over at DC.

DC and Marvel both started addressing real issues in the early '70s, so indie comics doing it was nothing new. There was the Spider-Man Harry Osborne's "LSD freakout", Green Lantern-Green Arrow had a very memorable scene where an elderly black man asks a tough question that was more directed to the readership than our heroes.

Here's that Green Lantern panel

 

[Lady Day]

DC and Marvel both started addressing real issues in the early '70s, so indie comics doing it was nothing new.

Duh!
Comics have always been a political platform for that type of stuff, but seeing comics written by/drawn by/ and all the main characters being people of color *was* new. s'all Im sayin'.

LD

 

[AmateisGal]

In college 13 years ago, I really got into the X-Men comics. But other than that, I just enjoyed reading Archie, Veronica, Betty, and Jughead.

 

[Nathan Dodge]

If this thread is any indication, then very few women are comic book readers.

 

[Fleur De Guerre]

I read comics... sort of...

I used to buy the odd TPB that caught my fancy in comic shops, though I've never been a comic reader per se. I liked Tank Girl, Jhonen Vasquez, Sin City and various Marvel universe stuff, and I own a lot of Alan Moore collections like V for Vendetta, Watchmen, From Hell etc. My ex boyfriend is a comic artist and started out at Image. We used to go to SDCC and pick up lots of freebies so I have quite a few TPBs from them there, my favourite was Invincible when it started but I got really far behind.

I'm not really into Manga but I have read Death Note and enjoyed it. I've also never read any older Marvel/DC stuff, only the fairly recent things.

 

[cherry lips]

If this thread is any indication, then very few women are comic book readers.

This thread is an indication of no such thing! I enjoy comics, some of my favorite authors are: Nina Hemmingsson, Liv Strömquist, Julie Doucet, Daniel Clowes, Craig Thompson, Coco Moodysson, Tove Jansson, Jan Stenmark, to name a few.

 

[Tenuki]

I have been reading Wonder Woman for a longo time, started in junior high, through high school, skipped several years in college and then picked back up over the past...uh...well, you'd have to ask my comic book partner how long he's been subscribing to WW for me.

He gave Gayle Simone quite a big build up just before she took over (telling me all about her She Hulk days) and I have not been impressed with her WW run, but the poor woman was left with a terrible mess. My favorite WW to date has been the John Byrne years. I am looking forward to JMS taking over WW. As a *huge* Bab5 fan, I am hopeful that WW will once again be worthwhile reading.

Other than that, I've read a few other titles... Milk & Cheese, a few old Savage Dragons, Dark Knight from long ago, Watchman (still a little angry about the lack of squid but that's for a different thread), From Hell...long before the movies were in theaters. And whatever titles my lad thinks I'll find interesting. Oftentimes, I will flip through whatever pile of comics are on the couch to admire the artwork.

 

[Nathan Dodge]

I read comics... sort of...

I used to buy the odd TPB that caught my fancy in comic shops, though I've never been a comic reader per se. I liked Tank Girl, Jhonen Vasquez, Sin City and various Marvel universe stuff, and I own a lot of Alan Moore collections like V for Vendetta, Watchmen, From Hell etc. My ex boyfriend is a comic artist and started out at Image. We used to go to SDCC and pick up lots of freebies so I have quite a few TPBs from them there, my favourite was Invincible when it started but I got really far behind.

You bring up a good point regarding TBPs. They're often the best and least-expensive way to dig into classic stories from books that have become far too pricey. The first TPB I ever bought was in 1981, AMERICA AT WAR, which was a compilation of DC Comics' classic battle stories. I never would've discovered the tale of Superman failing his US Army physical! Nowadays, bookstore chains have entire sections of Graphic Novels with hundreds of titles. If comics are to reach a larger audience--comic characters, though well known, are still a "cult" item in a way--then the trades are a great introduction.

 

[vwdolly]

I have never been a reader of comics, just too busy as a teenager. However I have enjoyed many of the films made from comic book stories.
Denise

 

[DigThatBeat]

I love comics, especially 50's - 70's horror and sci-fi.

 

[Miss sofia]

OOh yes, i love Diabolik, my sister who lives in Italy sends them to me and my stepmother has been collecting them since they were first published in 1961 so i always read them when i go there to visit. I don't know if anyone else likes him or even if you can buy them in the Uk or the States, he has just always been my guilty pleasure!! The artist based the look of thecharacter of Diabolik on Robert Taylor and he is an anti-hero, master thief who drives a black e-type, they have changed the character a little as in the older editions i have read, he would indiscriminately kill anyone who stood in his way, now he is a little kinder and just ices the bad guys! I like the fact that they are pocket size and always have a portrait of the heroine of the particular episode drawn on the back. Brilliant!

 

[Idledame]

I guess you're not talking about old Mickey Mouse and company, Little Lulu and those kind of comics? They were the only ones my friends and I read. The "boy" comics never interested us at all.

 

[lindylady]

I read comics from time to time, my favorites being The Flash (don't know, now, since they revived Barry Allen and got rid of Wally West), Wonder Woman, and She-Hulk. Due to the expense of keeping up with the monthly issues, I opt for graphic novels. They might not be exactly up to date with the hero's current story line, but at least I can read the whole saga in one collection.

 

[Edward]

I started with The Beano back about 1977, and was through a lot of different titles over the years - Topper, Beezer, Whizzer and Chips.... I remember buying the revived Eagle for a few months in 1983/84, before moving on to The Victor for years. A lot of WW2 stuff in that. Later there was Oink, Transformers, Action Force (the UK spin on GI Joe, it was a more internationally focussed thing rather than 'All American' - I think more like the feel of the recent film, though I only saw the trailers for that). Around sixteen, I was reading every available title involving Judge Dredd.... then some time after that I dropped out of comics as they had simply gotten too expensive - both in terms of individual issues, and the way some publishing houses, especially Marvel, would really rip the pee-pee by obliging you to buy several different titles at once in order to be able to follow a story.

Last three or four years, I've gotten back into picking up graphic novels and TPBs, a much cheaper way of doing it. The 2000AD folks have issued a complete set (or as near as law allows, in case of Judge Dredd, the Burger Wars story having gotten them in trouble back in the day) from the off, and (presumably) carrying on until they complete the set, as it were. Current favourite is Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead. The basic inspiration for this series is the point at which the credits roll on one of the old Romero zombie films - what happens to these people months, years down the line? Of course, as with all good zombie epics it's far more about how the living survive, stripped of their modern comforts, than about the undead specifically. It's good stuff. I also have a complete set of the mid 90s run of The Shadow, from around the time of the Baldwin film, though I've not yet sat down to read them.

All this talk of comics has put me in the mood for a trip to Forbidden Planet when next I can afford it.... From Hell in particular has been calling me for a long time, that and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. I like Moore's stuff (Moore, not so much ), though personally I'm a Watchmen fan that preferred the lack of squid.....

The Marvel "Ultimate" series are a great way to pick up on some of the very early stuff from the big name heroes, going right back to the start. Be warned if you're not of that generation of original fans, though.... you may find your heroes less likeable than the later incarnations with which you are familiar. I was horrified with Tony Stark's origins as an arms dealer supporting the Vietnam War..... and some of the early Iron Man stories in which "the Commies" are the chief villains, well..... let's just say Senator McCarthy would have been proud! lol

My dad would take me with him on trips into London as a young girl, and inevitably we'd visit Forbidden Planet, one of the main sci-fi and comic shops of the city. Then, there were few women. Now, there are many more, although men certainly do still dominate. (Last time I went into the comics section I was absolutely the only woman there.) I think things are changing, and possibly more quickly in the US - I get the impression that the female readership is greater over there.

Sounds about right. I agree that Manga has a very different audience (and one in which women seem to be more represented, in my experience at least).

 

[marxalot]

I was really into comics when I was a kid (9-15), but kind of fell out with all the spandex super types and put them down for a few years. In my second year in college, though, one of my friends passed me vol 1 of Transmetropolitan (Warren Ellis et al) and I started getting back into graphic novels and sequential art, largely independent of super heroes and their ilk. These days, I've got a respectable (and diverse) collection of TBPs- V for Vendetta, Persepolis, Maus I and II, a few books of Strangers in Paradise, a good chunk of The Sandman... The list goes on, and it's not all western comics, either. But, to put it shortly: YES.