Lois Lane, Girl Reporter

Few things annoy me more than DC's complete inability to make use of their many, MANY female- and kid-friendly characters. Marvel is ironically making more of an effort to reach a broader audience, but they've got the geekier, more teenage-male-oriented lineup.

Not to be a dick, but what is it that Marvel is doing that DC isn't doing to reach a broader audience?

Yo Jackknifejohnny, thats pretty awesome.

And I agree, its a great idea to perpetuate and increase the brand of DCs chracters.

And the pitch was great too.

Chicks - Boobs = NO SALE.

At least for the big publishers it seems.

Quote:

Originally Posted by James May 

Not to be a dick, but what is it that Marvel is doing that DC isn't doing to reach a broader audience?

 

 

They're making their key titles family friendly. DC is still in the hands of Geoff Johns, a guy who thinks it's appropriate to have characters be eviscerated in every second issue.

I'd agree on the count about Geoff Johns, I'd disagree on Marvel being that much different. I mean how far removed are we from Sentry ripping Ares in half? For more recent examples see the new Venom comic. It's like Marvel's version of the 2.99 pledge, mostly just lip service.

'Tis a shame they never went forward with this. That is exactly the kind of stuff the industry needs.  We only get so many titles to point out to the young girls set.

Quote:

Originally Posted by James May 

I'd agree on the count about Geoff Johns, I'd disagree on Marvel being that much different. I mean how far removed are we from Sentry ripping Ares in half? For more recent examples see the new Venom comic. It's like Marvel's version of the 2.99 pledge, mostly just lip service.

 

I'm going to admit here that I don't follow the Big Two with a lot of regularity; I tend to get a lot of the info second-hand from comics news sites and review blogs. But it seems like the Ares-ripping moment was the last gasp (aside from the Ultimate universe, MAX, etc.) of that kind of stupidity before Disney started guiding things. I know Dan Slott is in charge of Spider-man, Johnathan Hickman is doing the FF, neither of them are "DUDE GOT HIS ARM RIPPED OFF, SO BADASS" type writers. They've got books like Marvel Age and Marvel Adventures. They generally seem to be aiming at a relatively family-friendly (or at least family-safe) demographic. They just put out a Batroc the Leaper comic, for Pete's sake. They seem to be embracing their fun and ridiculous side, while DC still seems to be ashamed of theirs and is working on making Aquaman badass by cutting off his hand again.
 

I bet they don't want anything stealing the limelight for the YA tie novels for next year's movie...

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Prankster 

 

I'm going to admit here that I don't follow the Big Two with a lot of regularity; I tend to get a lot of the info second-hand from comics news sites and review blogs. But it seems like the Ares-ripping moment was the last gasp (aside from the Ultimate universe, MAX, etc.) of that kind of stupidity before Disney started guiding things. I know Dan Slott is in charge of Spider-man, Johnathan Hickman is doing the FF, neither of them are "DUDE GOT HIS ARM RIPPED OFF, SO BADASS" type writers. They've got books like Marvel Age and Marvel Adventures. They generally seem to be aiming at a relatively family-friendly (or at least family-safe) demographic. They just put out a Batroc the Leaper comic, for Pete's sake. They seem to be embracing their fun and ridiculous side, while DC still seems to be ashamed of theirs and is working on making Aquaman badass by cutting off his hand again.
 

 

DC has some really terrific all ages titles with Art Baltazar's Tiny Titans and Billy Batson and the Magic of SHAZAM not to even mention the Batman Brave and the Bold series which, much like the accompanying tv series, is aimed at younger kids. Don't get me wrong, I think both companies need to do more to attract the young girls. It seemed to be against most folks opinion, but I thought that de-sexualizing of Wonder Woman was a step in the right direction for DC. Mind you, they still have Power Girl running around, but they still need role model type characters if they ever hope to attract that other audience.

Directing this back to the subject at hand, it really should have been a no brainer to green light this Lois Lane series. The big two seem stuck in a rut and with none of the wherewithal to get themselves out of it. Marvel did make an attempt with the Mary Jane series, but that was just more romance girls comic centered around a male figure. Strong female protagonists that are more than just sexual objects are in dire need.

FWIW, I thought some of Marvel's "Year of the Woman" stuff in 2010 addressed some of those concerns, and Kathryn Immonen is one of my favorite current writers (not a comparison with DC, by the way, as I have little idea what they might have been up to).

But, yeah, you'd have imagined DC would/should have jumped on that. Not enough vampires, probably.

If anything Wonder Woman actually needs to be more sexed-up rather than toned down. I'll never understand why so many writers over the years have attempted to not deal with the fact that she doesn't work nearly as well if there isn't this element of kink behind her.

Lois Lane on the other hand? That's exactly the type of character that can be used for one of these books. It's fucking maddening that they've got a great female character that they can so readily fit into something like a Young Adult mystery series, and turn it down. I'd have probably eaten that shit up as a kid.

DC Canceled the Billy Batson series. In fact, they have actually cut back on their books for kids. I picked up the new Shazam book, hoping I could read it to my son. Not going to happen when a few pages in I have characters covered in blood.

Billy Batson went from a cute, scrappy kid to a surly teenager.

And I had an upset 7 year old who couldn't figure out why DC Comics had gotten rid of one of his favorite books. Really, that book was great. Should have had its own cartoon and toy line.

I have just accepted the fact that DC and Marvel don't care for or want younger readers. Marvel is even worse than DC though. They don't have a true kids line. None of their books accept for Super Hero Squad am I able to recommend to other parents or my wife able to recommend to parents of her students.

 For a medium(and I do mean specifically SUPERHERO comics) that was essentially created for kids? They do a terrible job getting that audience at all, and when they do they fuck it up hardcore. Trying to find superhero books for my nephew(because I'm the one in the family with these skill sets) that isn't some obsessive wank-fest or above his age level is extremely hard.

Girls are much worse, and trying to find things for them in this wasteland of mainstream comics is just about impossible. Something with Lois Lane would at least be something.

Then again I am talking about an industry that thought it'd be a good idea to take a good character like Renee Montoya, and turn her into a superhero as part of her character development...so maybe that's not a good idea.

Seriously, turning Renee Montoya into a superhero was capital D dumb.

Well, turning her into a superhero is at least a positive development. Better than having her raped and murdered, like most minor DC characters these days.

Please, that's so wrong. She wouldn't be raped and murdered, her live-in ultra-attractive lipstick lesbian model girlfriend is raped and murdered. This of course would drive Montoya back to the bottle and get addicted to heroin, which she calls "China Cat."

Eventually she recovers, becomes some professional assassin/vigilante who heads to Gotham and clashes with Batman's policy on never taking lives, and IS then killed off when they finally get tired of the character.

Call me DC.