Is Marvel's "Minority"/PC Month trying too hard?

[Kasper Cole]

I doubt it. Frankly, this woman sounds exactly like one of my sisters. Despite my decades of enthusiasm for comics and my retailing/other experience with them, this sister has never seen a comics movie, couldn't tell you the names of any of the Norse gods, and only knows the big three DC comicbook characters on sight: Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman.

For too many years than I can count, when I mentioned my love of comics to some of female friends and acquaintances, I heard the following: 'Comics are for boys or nerdy single guys,' or 'Gross, look how they draw women. They look like hookers. How can you read those?' Clearly this is changing. More females are reading comics now than ever before. I think the movies and tv shows have a lot to do with this, as does the ease of buying digital comics.

I don't think think it's woman thing or a "not reading comics' thing though. it's a head in the sand thing. Odds are a person will learn about Thor in school. Given the very nature of media in this day and age it's very hard not to know about some things when they reach a certain level of popularity.

*edit*

To be clear i'm not saying the average person will know about comic book Thor or know all the details of the comic book or Norse mythology. I'm saying I find it VERY hard to believe that someone, let alone someone who uses twitter wouldn't know who Thor is.

[Trident]

The whole thing is incredibly lame, lazy, and unnecessary. Give us new or minor characters that illustrate 'minority' characters can achieve success without hijacking other titles. Some examples:
- the movies show Heimdall is a black dude, played by one of the greatest actors of his generation. Run with it.
- Hogun the Grim is Asian. He is a bad-ass who I would love to read about. Run with it.
- If Falcon is such an interesting character, make a solo book successful. Doubt it can happen, but give it a shot.
- Considering most Marvel heroes are Americans, make Alpha Flight, MI:13 or Excalibur actually WORK. They are fantastic characters on teams with minorities. Take the ball and run with it!

Stop changing iconic characters to try and sell books. It doesn't have any longevity, and never has. Iron Patriot is proof of that.

....you do know that both Heimdall and Grim comic counterparts were both white males? The fact that their nationality was changed in film were for reasons of getting good talent and to add more diversity to the film.

[gwangung]

For too many years than I can count, when I mentioned my love of comics to some of female friends and acquaintances, I heard the following: 'Comics are for boys or nerdy single guys,' or 'Gross, look how they draw women. They look like hookers. How can you read those?'

Hm...and people wonder how oversexualizing female characters could ever hurt....

[Tiamatty]

Hm...and people wonder how oversexualizing female characters could ever hurt....

But the guys are sexualized too! So that means it's totally OK to sexualize the women! Namor used to not wear a shirt, so giving women boob windows and hooker boots is just keeping things equal! Why do you hate equality?

[Pat Thomas]

NPR has an article up today about the new female Thor and female comics readers:
http://www.npr.org/2014/07/27/332615...ntent=20140727



More proof that Marvel's marketing campaign for this event is drawing the attention of the mainstream audience who had previously brushed off comics as being solely for 'nerdy white guys.' I do think that the 'nerdy white guys' image is still out there but it's got to change if this medium is going to survive, IMO.

Sadly, few people really seem to care about the fate of the medium if it isn't how they want it to be. Society has become so self-centered that people only see things in relation to how
circumstances affect them personally. Other viewpoints are unimportant. Even the oppressed and different minorities bicker over who has the right to have things their way. All you have to do
is read over these boards to see it. It's basically everybody for themselves; to hell with everybody else. Nothing survives in a climate like that.

[saiths]

But the guys are sexualized too! So that means it's totally OK to sexualize the women! Namor used to not wear a shirt, so giving women boob windows and hooker boots is just keeping things equal! Why do you hate equality?

*straight white male voice*
well, i don't sexualize women so who is it really hurting? i don't believe in feminism, i believe in human rights because everyone matters and it's not like women aren't getting what they want. thor is going to be a WOMAN. do you think they'd allow that if women weren't equal?

[Spider-Chan]

Well, there's no Anya ongoing and she hasn't come out as queer, so no, they're not trying hard enough.

[keeen]

So far this month:
Thor now uses the Ladies Room
Captain America became Captain African American
Nick Fury became a geriatric and his jobs will be filled by Shaft and PTSD patient
Deadpool showed us that the offspring of a Canadian and a Latina is Rudy from the Cosby show
The one established female African character gets her own solo title
A teenaged girl of middle eastern decent hangs out with "that guy they marketed so hard they have to kill him off for a while now" and becomes a Moon Person
A rodent that you can't call a rodent became an insatiable womanizer
And the rich guy in the Iron suit is set to become a bigger d-bag than Kanye West

I genuinely don't see how these events are supposedly connected. To me it looks like the usual bs shifting status quo of comics.

Also, these are some genuinely stupid and revealing jokes there.

[PwrdOn]

More proof that Marvel's marketing campaign for this event is drawing the attention of the mainstream audience who had previously brushed off comics as being solely for 'nerdy white guys.' I do think that the 'nerdy white guys' image is still out there but it's got to change if this medium is going to survive, IMO.

The thing is, Marvel has been trying for quite some time now to ditch the old guard of sweaty basement dwellers and bring in more of the hip, young readers to make comics something "cool," but it hasn't really worked because those people tend not to have the same level of insane brand loyalty that most geeks do. The reason movie success hasn't really translated to comic sales is because most viewers generally forget the movie immediately after they watch it, it doesn't become some lifelong obsession for them like it is for a lot of the Marvel zombies, and certainly isn't something that's worth spending the amount of cash that Marvel is asking for their product.

[ed2962]

The thing is, Marvel has been trying for quite some time now to ditch the old guard of sweaty basement dwellers and bring in more of the hip, young readers to make comics something "cool," but it hasn't really worked because those people tend not to have the same level of insane brand loyalty that most geeks do. The reason movie success hasn't really translated to comic sales is because most viewers generally forget the movie immediately after they watch it, it doesn't become some lifelong obsession for them like it is for a lot of the Marvel zombies, and certainly isn't something that's worth spending the amount of cash that Marvel is asking for their product.

I think it's more a case of the movie fans being more fans of the movie rather than fans of the character. I've heard retailers say that say if Iron Man film is a hit, the movie fan might come in and buy a couple of IM comics, but that's it. They don't buy other comics and don't return month after month for Iron Man comics. When the movie's gone after a few months, that crowd is never seen again.

[aja_christopher]

"Chris Hemsworth Battles Chris Evans at Comic-Con! Plus, What Does He Think of Female Thor?"

"The actor's appearance came 11 days after Marvel Comics announced that a woman will be the new Thor. Though there's been some backlash, Elsa Pataky's husband said he's down with the change.

"I think it's fantastic," Hemsworth told E! News. "There's too much testosterone in the superhero world."

To find out which other character he'd like to see gender-swapped, watch the video [in link]..."

http://www.eonline.com/news/563660/c...of-female-thor

[gwangung]

I think it's more a case of the movie fans being more fans of the movie rather than fans of the character. I've heard retailers say that say if Iron Man film is a hit, the movie fan might come in and buy a couple of IM comics, but that's it. They don't buy other comics and don't return month after month for Iron Man comics. When the movie's gone after a few months, that crowd is never seen again.

This might suggest that the format of comic books (constrained distribution, multiple part arcs, having to wait to get a complete story, etc.) doesn't appeal to movie goers. Graphic novels might be more attractive, which sorta works against direct market shops.

[dregj]

i found these changes to be abominable and counter productive.
changing characters that are popular and been around for decades is insulting to all the fans.and shoe horning PC changes into already established characters is clearly a publicity stunt.
If they wanted to have a more representative pantheon of character they should just create them,except they know they wont do well and they need to look good NOW
rather than have to come up with a new idea and a interesting believable minority character and wait years before this minor player takes off with the fans.

will they have a big fan fair when they have to bring back steve rogers and man thor?

[ed2962]

will they have a big fan fair when they have to bring back steve rogers and man thor?

Um, yes? And don't be surprised when they give those titles brand new #1's.

[ed2962]

This might suggest that the format of comic books (constrained distribution, multiple part arcs, having to wait to get a complete story, etc.) doesn't appeal to movie goers. Graphic novels might be more attractive, which sorta works against direct market shops.

I think this partly why comics are having a hard time is general.