The Business of Superheroes Part 1: The New Breed of Female Fans

by Jill Nagel
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Comic book writer, Paul Dini, made headlines last week by encouraging “a new breed of female fans” to read his upcoming graphic novel, Black Canary and Zatanna: Bloodspell. Both Newsarama and The Mary Sue covered the story and the internet has been buzzing with chatter. The phrase “new breed of female fans” is certainly problematic in the comic book industry and begs the question: If you have to announce that a book is for women, does that mean the rest of the books are only meant for the eyes of male readers?

Dini’s attempt to generate buzz about his new project seems genuine enough. His book, Black Canary and Zatanna: Bloodspell, features two low-profile female characters from DC Comics’ catalogue. In a recent interview with Previews magazine, he explained his meaning of the “new breed of female fan” and what readers can expect in this new work:

I think there is a new breed of female fan that has grown up with superheroines over the last twenty years and continues to embrace them. I don’t think they are inspired just by comics, but by the TV shows, movies, and cartoons they watched, and games they played when they were younger – so many tell me they were fans of Batman: The Animated Series, or anime, or Dr. Who or Star Wars, the list is endless. And they bring a great sense of humour and play to things like comic conventions. I saw an article on cosplay in Entertainment Weekly last year and almost half of the two page spread were dressed either like Harley Quinn or Zatanna! It seems to me if they identify with the characters that much, there’s an audience there that would appreciate some comics that reflect their sensibilities. I just hope our little GN [graphic novel] strikes the bullseye.

For an industry whose target audience has always been male dominated, it’s interesting to see a shift even if it’s a small one. Many of our childhood upbringings included superhero television, anime, fantasy and science fiction films. Cartoons such as Batman: The Animated Series and X-Men held (and still holds) a special place in the lives of many young adults. I remember rushing home from school and waking up early on weekends to make sure I never missed an episode of my favourite cartoon. While working at my local comic book shop, I’ve encountered many cartoon fans just like me and the debates we had in the store were endless! What was your favourite story arc? Why did the nineties insist on making everything lime green and purple? When new comic book versions of our childhood favourites (i.e. Batman Beyond, Darkwing Duck, My little Pony, The Smurfs) were released, they flew off the shelves. Nostalgia or not, we gravitate towards things we know and have enjoyed in the past. Zatanna and Black Canary have both been featured in other popular mediums. Dini saw something women were enjoying, realized that he could expand on that, and created a product that could appeal to them. Incorporating that into marketing decisions is a solid first step.

The New Breed of Female Fans - Fresh Print Magazine

I don’t even read Zatanna and I’ve drawn her!

The entire landscape of the comic genre has changed within the past 15 years. The comic book movie trend  has created a world where everyone knows the identity of characters such as Iron Man. This wasn’t true before Robert Downey Jr. donned the red and gold suit. There are Batman fans who have never picked up a comic, Thor fans who don’t know that Donald Blake is one of his aliases, and X-Men fans who think the original team was Mystique, Beast, Banshee, and Havok. That’s okay, or at least it should be.

This new generation of fans has been met with stigma. Last year, the term “Fake Geek Girl” was splashed everywhere and created a debate about what makes a true fan. Girls were forced to prove their “geek worth” and some were even ridiculed by die-hard fans and creators. This negative reaction would hinder a potential comic fan from learning more about a specific character and their story.

The expectation of knowing the entire comic’s back story is a consistent problem for new readers. Intricate plot lines, years of character development and continuous stories are some of the things that comic book fans love, but can be extremely overwhelming for new fans. The sequel to X-Men First Class will be released later this year and the film franchise has gained a large female online fan base. Where do they start in delving into the X-Men world? The current X-Men books have few (or none) of the characters represented in the movie. The Days of Future Past storyline is the basis of the film but again holds little resemblance to the actual story. Characters have grown, changed and died since the original sixties run. There are fifty years’ worth of continuity to dig through—some good and some bad. Without guidance, it is nearly impossible to know where to start. I have had wonderful experiences at many different stores but unfortunately, that’s not always the case.

The popularity of trade paperbacks have definitely made it easier to find a starting point and the internet allows people to research and purchase more freely than ever. Dini’s new graphic novel was created as a stand-alone book and not part of a series. The book can be read without prior knowledge of the characters’ back stories. Other self-contained stories (Batman: Year One, Superman: Red Son, etc.) continue to sell well years after publication. Still, sometimes paying $25 on the chance you might enjoy something isn’t possible. DC’s drastic 2011 restart of their entire universe (The New 52) and Marvel’s Ultimate Universe were supposed to create starting points for new readers, but after a few years, the continuity problem remains the same. Both Marvel and DC try to create jumping-off points by creating #1 issues but most fall into the same trap. If you don’t already know the characters, it’s harder to become invested in them.

Believe it or not, comics are very much like soap operas. They go on forever, you eventually love the characters, people die and come back, and after years of not paying attention, a storyline can still draw you back into the show. They can look daunting and derivative from the outside, but once you’re invested, it’s hard to let go. Paul Dini’s attempt at exciting a female fan base may not seem like much, but he’s at least listening and catering to the female fan. There’s a long way to go, but the industry is going in the right direction. The comic book industry has a terrible history of trying to pander to the female demographic. Stay tuned for The Business of Superheroes Part 2: How Not to Market to Women.

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