NYCC '07: CAPTURING FEMALE READERS PANEL

[MattBrady]

by Kevin Huxford

Panelists:

Moderator Jennifer Feigelman (member American Librarian Association)
Megan Bates (Dr. Editor, SHOJO BEAT magazine, VIZ Media)
Karen Berger (Sr. VP & Executive Editor: DC’s Vertigo & Minx)
Audry Taylor (Creative Director, Go Comi)
Wendy Pini (creator – Elfquest)
Victor Gorelick (Managing Editor, Archie Comics)
Julie Taylor (Senior Editor, Tokyopop)

Moderator Jennifer Feigelman (member American Librarian Association) got the panel started off pretty quickly by asking the members their perspective on capturing the female reader.

Megan Bates (Dr. Editor, SHOJO BEAT magazine, VIZ Media)
shared that they are obviously interested in reaching the female audience. In her division, that is their specific focus. There are already a lot of girls reading manga, but they are constantly asking themselves how can they capitalize on that and give the female readers specifically what they want.

Karen Berger (Sr. VP & Executive Editor: DC’s Vertigo & Minx)
indicated that DC has been watching what is going on in manga in the past 6-10 years and decided it was time to go in “whole hog” to create an imprint for the teenage girl (Minx). Plain Janes is the first title for the line, to be followed by book a month for the first two years (as it hopefully goes well). They are trying to use wonderful writers & artists to address a key area that isn’t being fulfilled as it should by American publishers. She thinks their stuff speaks to the American teenage girl.

Audry Taylor (Creative Director, Go Comi) introduced herself and her background during her first time on the microphone, choosing to let her enthusiasm for her product to explain her company’s approach. She co-founded Go Comi with David Weisz because they both were nuts about manga. They feel that is the best reason to start a manga company. Ms. Taylor grew up with super-hero books, like Spider-Man, but they never spoke to her. She kept looking for something that spoke to her until she found Elfquest. She rediscovered manga in her early 20s and is committed to it. She says that manga is just a beautiful art form and they love doing this stuff

Wendy Pini (creator – Elfquest) told the crowd that she has spent almost 30 years in this business and has gotten tons and tons of feedback from their fans (which are just a few more women than men readers). Mrs. Pini provided some of the most direct, unfiltered responses. She feels that female readers are generally attracted to story first…good, episodic stories. In her opinion, women have the kind of minds that can hold every detail and every character. They're attracted to beauty. According to Mrs. Pini, “beautiful artwork will put them in rapture.” Female readers like strongly drawn characters that seem to be ambiguous at first and you “peel the layers like onions”, learning more about them. With the disclaimer that it was not at all sexist, she stated that women love stories about relationships…many different kinds, flavors or shades of relationships. If you can combine all these, you have a hit.

Victor Gorelick (Managing Editor, Archie Comics) told the crowd they have had “the female market for as long as I can remember…since yesterday”. Fifty percent of their audience are girls readers. They try to keep Archie books contemporary and incorporate things readers are interested in (fashion, TV shows, movies, etc). They have found, however, their readers don’t like too much change. Recently, they changed hairdos and got killed by the audicence. They had four different stories and four different hairdos for Betty and Veronica. One of the issues had Veronica with a “Britney Spears do” (i.e. bald). They included a poll to ask what they liked the most and 85% chose to keep the styles they originally had.

Mr Gorelick has noticed over the years that the female market seemed almost ignored. In addition to that, many comic shops are places that scare girls away. There’s a lack of anything to really attract the girls or young readers. Young readers would be future readers, but they (direct market shops and publishers) just don’t seem to get that that is what they need to do. Books that are directed to young children (especially girls) are something they try to do and to keep up with their audience. Updating them to be drawn in more modern ways has gotten them more publicity than they’ve had in years, but most of the response from readers has been that they hated it. Aside from these updates that have been hit or miss, Archie is trying to make something to offer to the girls, because they drop Archie after 14-15 years of age and then just tend to go to regular young adult books.

Julie Taylor (Senior Editor, Tokyopop) reminded the audience that their first hit was Sailor Moon. Tokyopop is constantly trying to develop for this target market. They bring a lot of Original English Language (OEL) manga to the market and use a lot of artists in their late teens to early twenties, telling stories that they hope resonates with their target. They license stuff…a lot of Shojo stuff…that has been known to appeal to the demographic. She echoed that comic shops are not comfortable for women and young girls, which is why they have pushed to get their books into mall type of outlets (like bookstores), instead. They have established a partnership with Cosmo Girl to have manga in their periodical every month, which helps bring more girls into their audience.

Ms. Feigelman then asked the panel what projects they are planning on or working on now that might help to capture this reader.

Ms. Bates pointed to Shojo Beat magazine serializing four stories for girls and forty pages of editorial content aimed at young women. That is currently their way of trying to pull in female readership, hopefully appealing to the readers of women’s and gaming magazines. They’re “trying to build a constellation of wonderful creators from Japan” that they think do excellent work that will appeal to the American female reader. They chose to publish Na-Na, which is popular with 16 year old young women. The focus on female readers is kind of the next big push with Viz media. Shojen-Jump was a big push previous, now they are hoping to accomplish the same success with Shojo Beat.

Ms Berger suggested that Minx is looking to carve a niche for DC in young adult publishing by trying to be something to the left of manga and to the right of regular Y fiction. They’re looking for people that read Persepolis as their market. They find that girls read up, as in they read books intended for older readers. They’re setting their sites on the 13-17 years of age for their readers. With Plain Janes, they are shooting for a lot of what young girls are facing in a post-9/11, the new normal. A lot of the material in Young Adult fiction can be fluffy guy- or shopping-centric but they are going for something more well-rounded.

Audry Taylor indicated that she’d like to tell the audience so much, but they have to save it for their other anime panels and Anime Expo. She can say that it has to do with deliciously sexy men drawn by Wendy Pini (and it isn’t ElfQuest). They aren’t directly going for OEL, but they are going for stuff that will appeal more to girls and older women…people who would like to see a little more meat on their representative bones. They feel female readers need more complex stories and subject matter. They are trying to listen to what fans are looking for and hope to deliver.

Wendy Pini indicated she didn’t have much more to add. Her work has never been aimed at very young teens, normally the older teens and young adults. She will be aiming for that with Go Comi. She thinks that girls/women can better relate to a degree of sexiness in their books. She is excited to be doing something with this because she doesn’t think it has been delivered in this super-hero-centric market.

Mr. Gorelick said that Archie is working on putting together a new, modern continuing storyline. They want a whole new look that is more realistic with a meatier story, but you won’t find anything out of the Archie code of decency (no drugs, foul language, or inappropriate behavior, though it will come close). Audry Taylor interjected to say there is a market for that, because some people love the language in manga and some are turned off by it. Mr. Gorelick continued to clarify that parents are often the buyers of Archie…or grand parents…so it is important to them that they know it is safe. Even to young girls it is going to be a little “sterile....ummmm…safe….(offered by panel and accepted) comfort food”. All of this is why they feel everyone has read an Archie.

Julie Taylor piggybacked on this to advise that they are revamping their ratings to specify age and give the reasons for the ratings (sexual content, violence, etc) to offer better guidance to their audience and/or parents. In terms of what they are doing for females. they have trouble reaching college age or older females. They have tried offering things (like the original TWELVE DAYS). They just traditionally have trouble reaching the older demo (though they are hopeful that they will retain the younger demo.

Tokyopop is working on this to a degree through their partnership with Harper Collins as distributors. They are, also, doing some co-publishing work with Harper Collins’ writers on properties like Bad Kitty, Warriors, Avalon High, and Vampire Kisses. They aren’t just “manga-ifying” the stuff, but are getting original material for it. They want and are working to get the Cosmo reader right now, more than anything else. They already know they have the Otaku, which they value highly but don’t have to do as much to retain that target audience as they need to do to bring in the new readers. New players (i.e. publishers) are coming in every day. Tokyopop feels there is room for that…but they need to grow the market. Stu Levy’s motto is that he wants “a manga in every backpack”.

Megan Bates thinks we’re still dealing with people still having the opinion that the comics market is for younger people. She related a story where a bunch of cheerleaders found their way into a focus group they did and they commented on this stuff being for kids, even though they still watch Sailor Moon. Through the focus group, they were able to actually come to the realization that the medium speaks to more than kids.

Audry Taylor asked, in response, “How do we get the cheerleader on Heroes to read comics?” She went on to say that they’d like to do something like Dramacon...something that doesn’t try to pretend to be manga.

Ms. Berger commented that the ICuV2 showed that GN sales are increasing and, apparently, are increasing greatly with women. With her other “hat”, the Vertigo line, Sandman back list sales are selling well and they know it is a half-female audience or so…and sales on stuff like Y the Last Man and Fables, as well.

On that note, Audry Taylor says we have to keep in mind that women still read comics that are supposedly “guy” comics…as long as the story has depth to it…a “heart and soul”…women readers still will read books with action and violence.

Wendy Pini feels it is really tough to bust the misconception that women shy away from high drama, violence, issues of the day, and confrontation. Women can enjoy that and eat it up. On Elfquest, the worse they put the characters through, the more their female readers seemed to enjoy it. As long as the conflict is meaningful and has a reason for being, women are not just accepting of it, but excited to see how it turns out. “Girls don’t just like cotton candy or foo-foo or fluff”, as evidenced by the darkness of Sandman that still appeals greatly to women. Audry Taylor chimed in to share that women have the biggest problem with books that show women as doormats, rather than strong female leads.

With a bit of comic relief, Mr. Gorelick added that they’ve “cut down on the violence in Archie Comics” (met by thunderous laughs). "Moose isn’t beating up Reggie as much anymore!" was shouted out from the audience to further laughs. Seriously, though, with real world violence on the news showing more jealous boyfriends shooting girlfriends or people approaching their girlfriends, they don’t feel as comfortable with that stuff. Audry Taylor agreed that Archie needed to address such concerns because they are a family comic. Mr. Gorelick stressed that, “Yeah…it is…and we have to keep it that way.”

He added that he gets letters from people who work on Wall Street who come home after a tense day to read a comic. Julie Taylor countered, “Some people have a drink, some read a comic,” with Mr. Gorelick adding, “Some use the Archie comic as a coaster,” for their bottle.

Ms. Feigelman opened the panel to questions from the floor.

An audience member that is part of a small studio suggested that what they are doing, combining photography with freehand artwork, helps bridge the gap for some of the people that have problems with comics.

Ms. Bates suggested that they feel having their stuff appear in places like Cosmo Girl helps with the perception. But, also, more manga is coming across the ocean that is more realistic (i.e. female proportions are in check). This stuff is making it easier for them to work with.

Julie Taylor expressed that, as far as photorealistic stuff, they have met with studios about the same sort of thing. They are always open to different styles. Sometimes, they get backlash from certain fans that say, “This doesn’t look so Japanese to me”. As Stu says, though, manga is just a lifestyle. “We embrace looking for diversity.” They’d never reject a photorealist/art combo.

Audry Taylor thinks it depends on what a company’s goals are. No matter how broad your audience is, you have a pretty specific audience. Stuff that works for DC or Go Comi or Tokyopop might not work at the other.

Julie Taylor wondered aloud to Audry Taylor as to why girls/women seem to embrace books with just boys. She thinks it is part about eliminating the competition (woman) from the story and focus on the two boys. Part of it is about the mystery that male relationships are to women…how is it that two guys can bond and get along so well without speaking a word. They get to roleplay as a boy.

An audience member asked Archie about whether they have been censoring things for digests. It was explained that there is some stuff that was published in the 50s that would be offensive today (a vague example was brought up that Native Americans were in an issue from that time in a way that would be deemed offensive now).

Another member of the audience asked anyone had done market research on what percentage of the young female reader is reading manga. No one has that sort of research on the panel…it is the kind that needs a large company (i.e. deep pockets) to fund. It is clear that manga hasn’t fully penetrated the young female reader market.

Yet another audience question was addressed to Karen Berger. The Minx line decided to enter this market but not go manga. Why? Mrs. Berger indicated they publish American works for American readers. They wanted something that speaks directly to the American girl. Manga is great and it has had a huge impact on getting teenage girls to read comics; the last time so many were reading was when there were romance comics. Manga is great, but it is just one flavor. DC wanted to tell stories that they have experience telling, and that isn’t manga.

Megan Bates noted for the previous question there is a study on the Young Adult Library Services that might deal with the attendee’s question. Audry Taylor suggested that the ALA has a great list for graphic novels as suggested reading.

The last audience question wondered about Cosmo Girl: how has that worked out? Tokyopop feels it is hard to tell. If we use Dramacon as a barometer, as it is done by the same artist as does the Cosmo Girl stuff, it is doing very well. They feel this placement in the magazine has been invaluable.

New York Comic Con 2007 coverage brought to you by Comicraft's ELEPHANTMEN #7, on sale right now from Image Comics!

[The Guvnor]

Thanks for the report.

No representative from Marvel...oh dear.

[Jason1749]

Did anyone ask Karen Berger about her response to the recent DCNation column begging girls to read Supergirl?

[tiso_spencer]

The female audience has to want to read American comic books to begin with. I am sure there is a nice percentage of females who read comic books, but no way in the level that do with manga. It is a sad truth but anime and manga appeal more to a girl than say some girl dressing up in some costume fighting some monster.

[Samy Merchi]

Originally Posted by tiso_spencer

It is a sad truth but anime and manga appeal more to a girl than say some girl dressing up in some costume fighting some monster.

That's interesting considering a lot of anime and manga feature some girl dressing up in some costume fighting some monster.

Julie Taylor (Senior Editor, Tokyopop) reminded the audience that their first hit was Sailor Moon.

[Cray_ws]

On the surface the Super-heroing/Crime-fighting theme just isn't something most girls get into, but even those that do like that type of story have very particular opinions about it. Otherwise Supergirl would've drawn in a mass amount of girls. I agree with Pini's train of thought that girls have tendency to be attracted to story first and if they are hooked if its good episodic stories. Sounds simple, but execution of how its conveyed is under a microscope when it comes to most girls because Just as Pini says girls have the kind of minds that can hold every detail and every character. Wherein men the focus is character....then the story.

I think if American comics are going to succeed with girls they are going to have to try new things. I think the Minx line is a step in the right direction, now the other publishers need to follow suit. I think Manga is great but we can't let it get where Manga is exclusively appealing to girls and the only way a girl will buy a comic is if its Manga. This why the Minx line is vital to the overall success of this industry.

[foolretailer]

Droves of females of all ages are already reading comics. The comics that they are reading are called Manga! Duh! And don't forget Yaoi. Yaoi is the hottest thing ever invented to get women into reading comics. I sell tons of Yaoi Manga to women of all ages and ethnicities! Most females just do not want to read US comics anymore. My store sells Manga and Yaoi Manga like other comic stores sell Civil War. (We sell lots of US comics also, but almost all US comics are sold to males.) I saw Manga as a way to entice mainstream readers into crossing over into US comics, but it is just not happening. In fact, the opposite is happening, US comic fans are crossing over into the world of Manga. The Minx line sounds all well and good, but at the end of the day I fear that the Minx line will have very weak sales just like all of the other Manga style comics created by Americans. US comic publishers lost the female audience decades ago and I do not think they will ever get that audience back no matter what they do. I wish that wasn't the case, but I feel that is just the way it is.

[ShinAkuma666]

Thanks for the article, it was a great and informative read.

I will give the Plain Janes a try in the Minx line, like they said, where girls are fascinated about relationship between boys and want to read about it, the same is true for some of us wanting to read about relationship between girls.

Thats why I will give the Minx line a try, and I think the most important thing in all thats been said is getting not only girls to read comics but MORE people in general; theres something from everybody, young or old and its not true that girls will only read romance stuff and not Preacher and the opposite is also true I think.

[Ms.Raygun]

like everybody else, all girls are different. i have absolutely nil interest in manga, and i think "pulling in" the grrl readership depends on each person's individual taste. i certainly wouldnt be attracted to something just because they [i]tried[i] to appeal to females, it seems contrived. just my two centz

[zeraze1]

Originally Posted by The Guvnor

Thanks for the report.

No representative from Marvel...oh dear.

Well, Marvel does have a reputation for not being female friendly. So, this is not surprising though still disappointing.

To be fair, I think DC won't be that visible at this year's Black Panel. DC is perceived as being less "Black friendly" compared to Marvel.

The bottom line is that comic publishers overall need to do a better job appealing to readers outside the White male geek demographic.

zeraze

[Scavenger]

This is so not what I thought they would be talking about...I was picturing whips and cages

[nightwingoracle]

Originally Posted by zeraze1

Well, Marvel does have a reputation for not being female friendly. So, this is not surprising though still disappointing.

To be fair, I think DC won't be that visible at this year's Black Panel. DC is perceived as being less "Black friendly" compared to Marvel.

The bottom line is that comic publishers overall need to do a better job appealing to readers outside the White male geek demographic.

zeraze

hopefully that will change. DC just put Vixen and Black Lightning on the JLA - first time the JLA has had two active Black characters ever, I believe. Cyborg continues in Teen Titans; Thunder in Outsiders; Mr. Terrific in JSA and Checkmate; and Steel has had a strong role in 52.

[The Guvnor]

Originally Posted by zeraze1

Well, Marvel does have a reputation for not being female friendly. So, this is not surprising though still disappointing.

To be fair, I think DC won't be that visible at this year's Black Panel. DC is perceived as being less "Black friendly" compared to Marvel.

The bottom line is that comic publishers overall need to do a better job appealing to readers outside the White male geek demographic.

zeraze

At least Marvel are making inroads on getting black talent into comics. They will have Hudlin, McDuffie and Grevioux on ongoing titles. That can only be a good thing.

But yeah I agree. Comics definitely need to appeal to a broader audience.

[Fan4Fan]

Seems like they could have come up with a friendlier, less agressive panel title than "CAPTURING FEMALE READERS".

For all anyone knows, they had a lot of disappointed lonesome fanboys wandering around after learning about the panel's real topic...

[zeraze1]

Originally Posted by Fan4Fan

Seems like they could have come up with a friendlier, less agressive panel title than "CAPTURING FEMALE READERS".

"APPEALING TO FEMALE READERS" would be a better choice of words.

zeraze

[LaughingJak]

Originally Posted by foolretailer

US comic publishers lost the female audience decades ago and I do not think they will ever get that audience back no matter what they do. I wish that wasn't
the case, but I feel that is just the way it is.

Yup - that's the type of attitude I'm looking for! It's broke, so why bother trying to fix it!!

[zeraze1]

Originally Posted by The Guvnor

At least Marvel are making inroads on getting black talent into comics. They will have Hudlin, McDuffie and Grevioux on ongoing titles. That can only be a good thing.

But yeah I agree. Comics definitely need to appeal to a broader audience.

Indeed.

On a related note, Toon Zone has an in-depth report on this year's Black Panel:

http://news.toonzone.net/article.php?ID=15501

zeraze

[gwangung]

Originally Posted by The Guvnor

At least Marvel are making inroads on getting black talent into comics. They will have Hudlin, McDuffie and Grevioux on ongoing titles. That can only be a good thing.

But yeah I agree. Comics definitely need to appeal to a broader audience.

Hm. The one thing that gets ignored is marketing and distribution. For example, there are stores and venues that cater to and appeal to black patrons. Working to get distribution there would increase black readership (see Priest's rants on the matter).

I think marketing and distribution solutions will be just as powerful (if not more so) as content solutions.

[Fan4Fan]

Originally Posted by gwangung

Hm. The one thing that gets ignored is marketing and distribution. For example, there are stores and venues that cater to and appeal to black patrons. Working to get distribution there would increase black readership (see Priest's rants on the matter).

I think marketing and distribution solutions will be just as powerful (if not more so) as content solutions.

Reminds me how much I miss his Black Panther!

Heck... I've even thought about hunting down his Deadpool just to get some more of that Priesty goodness..

[Yaw]

Originally Posted by foolretailer

Droves of females of all ages are already reading comics. The comics that they are reading are called Manga! Duh! And don't forget Yaoi. Yaoi is the hottest thing ever invented to get women into reading comics. I sell tons of Yaoi Manga to women of all ages and ethnicities! Most females just do not want to read US comics anymore. My store sells Manga and Yaoi Manga like other comic stores sell Civil War. (We sell lots of US comics also, but almost all US comics are sold to males.) I saw Manga as a way to entice mainstream readers into crossing over into US comics, but it is just not happening. In fact, the opposite is happening, US comic fans are crossing over into the world of Manga. The Minx line sounds all well and good, but at the end of the day I fear that the Minx line will have very weak sales just like all of the other Manga style comics created by Americans. US comic publishers lost the female audience decades ago and I do not think they will ever get that audience back no matter what they do. I wish that wasn't the case, but I feel that is just the way it is.

yaoi manga is gay-themed manga right? If so how and why does that attract female readers?

[zeraze1]

Originally Posted by Yaw

yaoi manga is gay-themed manga right? If so how and why does that attract female readers?

Actually, yaoi does attract lots of female readers, who like seeing gay guys making out. It's similar to how lesbian porn attracts male fans in large numbers.

zeraze

[khuxford]

Originally Posted by gwangung

Hm. The one thing that gets ignored is marketing and distribution. For example, there are stores and venues that cater to and appeal to black patrons. Working to get distribution there would increase black readership (see Priest's rants on the matter).

I think marketing and distribution solutions will be just as powerful (if not more so) as content solutions.

One of the things that Toon Zone missed on their great coverage of the Black Panel was that the Guardian line has a deal with a company that will get it distributed into more traditional black businesses. I may have heard incorrectly, but I believe Michael said he had actually sold the business to that distribution company.

They also missed the controversy about the name of the panel. I'll discuss that and more on a blog later...but this thread is about Capturing Female Readers, not the Black Panel, so I'll get back on topic.

The title of the panel was unfortunate? Well...it might help to remember that this panel was at 2:30pm when the con wasn't open to the public until 4pm...meaning this was for industry insiders and press...hence the strictly business phrasing.

[khuxford]

Originally Posted by zeraze1

Actually, yaoi does attract lots of female readers, who like seeing gay guys making out. It's similar to how lesbian porn attracts male fans in large numbers.

zeraze

I believe that was sort of what Audry Taylor was going for on the panel but it wasn't 100% clear enough for me to state it that way.

If you read through the article, there is a quick mention of how she says women like the "competition" being out of the way...which was part, I believe, of her saying that seeing a woman with the man comes across as competition, but seeing two men allow the female readers to roleplay as a guy through the story and keeps some competing "bitch" out of the way. Which does match up a bit with guys that like seeing girl-on-girl stuff.

In about a 5 sentence statement on the subject, only about 1 sentence seemed to clearly suggest there was a sexual element to what she was talking about...which wasn't enough for me to feel comfortable putting that in the article without a lot of involved explanation to make sure I didn't misrepresent anything.

[Ayo]

Originally Posted by Yaw

yaoi manga is gay-themed manga right? If so how and why does that attract female readers?

Yaoi is FOR female readers. Yaoi was never intended for a gay male audience. Like the other poster said, it's analogous to so-called "lesbian" material for a straight male audience.

Both types have little in common with the people they depict. It's fantasy.

Yaoi is as unrealistic as stories/images marketed as "lesbian."


I'm not knocking it, I'm glad that people are getting into something.

[zeraze1]

Originally Posted by gwangung

Hm. The one thing that gets ignored is marketing and distribution. For example, there are stores and venues that cater to and appeal to black patrons. Working to get distribution there would increase black readership (see Priest's rants on the matter).

I think marketing and distribution solutions will be just as powerful (if not more so) as content solutions.

I remember reading the Priest commentary. This part was really relevent to this discussion:

Places where blacks are whispered about and followed not so much because they are black but because they are new, because they are not regulars, so there is this awkward tribal introduction where the retail staff tries to bridge that gap. But, to many blacks, surveillance is surveillance, and this awkwardness feels one step away from a police call, handcuffs and Rodney King. The hair on the neck going up because the comic shop, by inadvertent design, often represents white culture in an intensely megalomaniacal way. To many blacks, he is not Superman so much as he is SuperWhiteMan. There's no sign on the window that reads WHITE POWER, but the sensibility is implied: these are power fantasies for whites. white power fantasies. And, whatever the reason for the polarizing discomfort in many comic shops, the fact is the black kid looking for copies of Icon tends to stand out because he is outside of that shop's regular customer stream, outside of their tribe. And they instantly know this kid is outside of their tribe because he's black. The retailer is damned if he does and damned if he doesn't reach out to the newbies because ignoring these kids is just as bad if not worse. The tension continues to build as the retailer chats up his regulars while giving the new black kid room to browse, an action the new black kid could take as racist as, surely the retailer knows he's a new customer. But if the retailer reaches out, that could be taken the wrong way, as a lot of retail sales help have been traditionally instructed to shadow blacks in stores (as recently as last year I was followed around a trendy department store here while I was looking at, ghah, ties. This moronic sales guy, ignoring everyone else in the department, was never more than three feet from me, pretending to fold things and constantly asking me what I was looking for. I said, "This is... the tie department, yes? I'd like a toaster." Then I handed him my business card, REVEREND CHRISTOPHER J. PRIEST, and encouraged him to run a background check while I wrestled with the eternal struggle of paisley or not paisley). However well meaning the comics retailer, the truth is most comics stores are ill-equipped to service the very community Marvel and DC are trying to lure in.

You have to go to them. You have to find out where Q-Tip and Dirty Ol' Bastard buys their kicks (shoes) and get the product in there and make it appealing to and non offensive to that audience. The black community spends an AWFUL LOT OF MONEY. Not all of it on malt liqueur and chicken wings. But, right now, they are not spending it on comic books. Comic books have traditionally had a limited appeal to minorities because we see so little truth in them, so very little of who we are. Inaccurate and transparently indifferent approaches, exploitative rip-offs and, at best, well-meaning cluelessness.

And Priest is hardly the lone voice in the wilderness regarding how the comic industry seems unable or unwilling to explore new, effective means to tap into the Black market, which is worth hundreds of billions of dollars. Arvell Jones, Khary Randolph (Daughters of the Dragon), Reggie Hudlin, Kyle Baker, and the MadTwiinz (Mark and Mike Davis) have been similarly baffled by comics' ineffectiveness in reaching Black consumers who regularly watch comic-based TV shows and movies.

So, you're correct that "banal" issues like marketing and distribution matter as much as content in hooking Black readers if not more so.

zeraze