Comic Book Candy

“You have a generation of girls who have grown up with this stuff and view it as a natural part of culture. You’ve had three ‘Spider-Man’ movies and ‘X-Men’ movies since they’ve been growing up. You’ve had ‘Harry Potter’ books and movies. And this generation has gotten it in a more concentrated level than I had as a kid. I might have had a ‘Superman’ movie every few years. But it was still a bit of a learning process.” - Jeff Katz, former Fox movie executive And yet here we are, readership shrinking and no closer to expanding our niche market. Hollywood has been quicker to recognize the mass appeal of various "nerd culture" properties, but the comic book industry itself is taking its time creating products for the growing female market. There are many creators, fans, and retailers that don't treat female readers like an elusive / non-existant unicorn , but when it comes to the big two, the driving force behind production is short term sales. In an interview with Comics A...

When one starts a conversation concerning women in comics, they are bound to be met with various reactions: "Yes, please!" "What now?" and "What women?" are just a few. The growing number of articles on the subject indicate the times may in fact be changing. Oh please comic book gods, say it is true! Could more and more comic book readers be seeing the giant female elephant in the room? It comes in a few shapes and sizes, but the main ones currently gaining visibility include the depictions of women in comics, the lack of female creators, and the lack of female readers. My blog does not focus on the various topics of women in comics (there are already plenty of wonderful ones out there like DC Women Kicking Ass , Girls Read Comics , The Mary Sue , and Comic Book Grrrl just to name a few) but as a female fan, my perspective is influenced by my experience. Being a woman informs my opinions as much as having worked in local comic shops, too. Even my time li...

Since the beginning of 2012, I have been working on a new look of my rather young blog, and though it is a work in progress, I am pleased with the new direction. It may still be a pre-packaged template, but it does have some comic book related imagery thanks to the wonderful Digital Comic Museum . Open to anyone willing to register, you may browse and download images from a large selection of Golden Age comic artwork that is now part of the public domain. The website does accept donations as well, so if you feel appreciative of their work, do consider making a contribution. The images used for my current background come from Love Lorn #3 . From that same comic, here is just one example of the hidden treasures awaiting discovery in their vast archive: