DC's fledgling imprint Minx Comics, a graphic novel line designed to target the YA literature/female readership, has failed to garner enough interest to continue production. So, it has been axed. The Beat covers the story pretty well, as does Comic Book Resources.
But let's face it, this is probably the first time you've ever heard of Minx, right? I have a few of the samplers, and while the stories weren't terrible, they weren't exactly earth-shattering either. But, then again, they weren't being marketed to me. But, then again, apparently they weren't too popular among those to whom they were being marketed, either.....
It is worth noting that the imprint marked a strong effort from a major comics publisher to offer multiple graphic novel titles to young female readers. Though there are plenty of women who enjoy super-hero comics and plenty of strong super-heroines out there, the perception is prevalent that the form -- or at least the super-hero genre of it -- is a man's domain.
But there are some excellent female graphic novelists out there. I don't care for Alison Bechdel's writing style, but I do respect her work. Jessica Abel is a rising star, and Marjane Satrapi makes my top 4 most important current graphic novelists list (the others are men: Art Spiegelman, James Sterm, and Chris Ware). Lynda Barry also has a growing opus of interesting sequential art. They tend to focus on the same sorts of genres all great graphic novelists seem drawn to -- autobiography, memoir, autobiographical fiction, coming of age in turmoil - rather than capes and tights, of course.
The market is out there, but it looks like it'll take future efforts to solidify it.
But let's face it, this is probably the first time you've ever heard of Minx, right? I have a few of the samplers, and while the stories weren't terrible, they weren't exactly earth-shattering either. But, then again, they weren't being marketed to me. But, then again, apparently they weren't too popular among those to whom they were being marketed, either.....
It is worth noting that the imprint marked a strong effort from a major comics publisher to offer multiple graphic novel titles to young female readers. Though there are plenty of women who enjoy super-hero comics and plenty of strong super-heroines out there, the perception is prevalent that the form -- or at least the super-hero genre of it -- is a man's domain.
But there are some excellent female graphic novelists out there. I don't care for Alison Bechdel's writing style, but I do respect her work. Jessica Abel is a rising star, and Marjane Satrapi makes my top 4 most important current graphic novelists list (the others are men: Art Spiegelman, James Sterm, and Chris Ware). Lynda Barry also has a growing opus of interesting sequential art. They tend to focus on the same sorts of genres all great graphic novelists seem drawn to -- autobiography, memoir, autobiographical fiction, coming of age in turmoil - rather than capes and tights, of course.
The market is out there, but it looks like it'll take future efforts to solidify it.
1 comment:
Quick contest: can you write the phrase "out there" in a blog post more than I just did??? ;)
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