WOMEN OF MARVEL: Appreciation for all the heroines in comics (and behind the scenes)

[Shinglepants]

I currently only buy Captain Marvel. I had a mild interest in Elektra and Black Widow but not enough to add them to my pull list. I've ended up reading them box through code trades and they are very good. I hope they both get the oversized treatment because the art on both is phenomenal.

With the future of the Invaders uncertain and AU already confirmed to be ending I'll probably be looking to add to my pull. Maybe Storm? I dunno, never found her interesting.

[Tiamatty]

I'm buying Captain Marvel, Ms. Marvel and She-Hulk. Ms. Marvel's probably my favourite of that bunch. I also buy X-Men. I'll be getting Storm's solo, at least initially. She's not really one of my favourite characters, but considering how much I demand diversity from Marvel, it would feel hypocritical of me to skip it. And I've never disliked Storm, she just isn't one of my favourites.

[Myetche]

I consider the Marvel Universe to be divided into two sub-sections: what's directly involving the X-Men and what isn't. So my take on the poll is...

*Storm for X-Men (most visible and loyal lady of the X-Men)
*Sue Richards for the rest of the MU (she's pretty much the First Lady of Marvel)
*Mystique for the villains (because everybody in both sub-sections of the MU has a reason to hate her)

[tsaimelemoni]

I buy Elektra (surprise!) and She-Hulk (for my wife, I don't read it).

I tried BW, didn't really enjoy it. That art tho...
I don't get Captain Marvel, didn't enjoy KSD's take last time.


Yes, of course I'll be trying Storm's solo!

[PwrdOn]

Now seems like a good time for Marvel to bring Jean Grey back, preferably in her own title which she alone out of all the major X-Men has never had. The X-Books seem to be really unfocused and directionless right now, and their sales have been faltering across the board with All-New and its Jean-centered story line being one of the few consistent sellers going back to the beginning of Marvel Now.

I feel like Jean is often short-changed by fans who see her only as a love interest for Wolverine or Cyclops, but that is more just a product of an unfounded assumption that the man must always be the senior partner in any relationship. If you read the actual stories, she is the one driving the plots and making things happen, while they are mostly just along for the ride, not the other way around as is often perceived.

[Tiamatty]

Now seems like a good time for Marvel to bring Jean Grey back, preferably in her own title which she alone out of all the major X-Men has never had. The X-Books seem to be really unfocused and directionless right now, and their sales have been faltering across the board with All-New and its Jean-centered story line being one of the few consistent sellers going back to the beginning of Marvel Now.

I feel like Jean is often short-changed by fans who see her only as a love interest for Wolverine or Cyclops, but that is more just a product of an unfounded assumption that the man must always be the senior partner in any relationship. If you read the actual stories, she is the one driving the plots and making things happen, while they are mostly just along for the ride, not the other way around as is often perceived.

Actually, come to think of it, none of the original X-Men have had self-titled ongoing solos before. Cyclops is the first. Beast had a solo feature, but it wasn't in his name. They've all had minis and one-shots. But Cyclops is the first to get an actual ongoing.

Of other major X-Men, Kitty's never had an ongoing, though she's had plenty of minis. Colossus has only had a couple minis. Psylocke's had minis.

[comicfan298]

She-Hulk is my favourite but I am also reading Black Widow, Captain Marvel, Ms Marvel, Elektra and I will be getting Storm's solo.

--
By Richard Cox



The list of who's who in the picture.

Emma Frost
Scarlet Witch
Jean Grey
Elektra
Rouge
Captain Marvel
Wasp
She-Hulk
Invisible Woman
Mary Jane Watson
Black Widow
Storm
Kitty Pryde

[PwrdOn]

Actually, come to think of it, none of the original X-Men have had self-titled ongoing solos before. Cyclops is the first. Beast had a solo feature, but it wasn't in his name. They've all had minis and one-shots. But Cyclops is the first to get an actual ongoing.

Of other major X-Men, Kitty's never had an ongoing, though she's had plenty of minis. Colossus has only had a couple minis. Psylocke's had minis.

Jean has never had so much as a solo miniseries before, which is a bit odd since basically everything she appears is in a guaranteed sales hit.

[Tiamatty]

Jean has never had so much as a solo miniseries before, which is a bit odd since basically everything she appears is in a guaranteed sales hit.

The question is whether that's causation or correlation. Do they do well because of her, or does she just get put in books that do well? Her last one-shot, back in 2011, sold less than 14 000. (The one before that, in 2008, sold 28 000, which was over twice was a Beast one-shot sold a month or two later, though only slightly above a Colossus one-shot around the same time.)

Still, it's probably worth giving her a mini. One option might be to give Teen Jean a mini, and see how it does, since ANXM is the top-selling X-Men title right now. If a Teen jean mini does well, then it would probably be worthwhile to bring back Normal Jean and possibly give her an ongoing. Though if Jean does come back, I'd keep her away from Scott and Logan. Keep her out of the whole debate. Let her form her own team. She could grab a bunch of other under-utilized X-Men - there's no shortage of them; you could get a mix of current and graduated students - and function as more of an outreach team. Instead of living in a mansion in a suburban area, they could actually live in a major city - I'm thinking maybe Detroit, just because New York's got a ton of heroes already - and try to actively help people, rather than just punch Evil Mutants.

The other option is for her to join the Avengers. Either the main team, or replacing Wolverine on UA.

[butterflykyss]

QUESTION: which of the current female solo series do you buy, which is your favourite, and will you be buying Storm's new solo series?

I haven't bought any honestly but will be getting storm and multiple copies of the first issue.

I will be buying this issue because we as fans have been asking for this for so long. I honestly didn't think Marvel would ever do it; however, they havr and I want to support this and hopefully see some much needed growth in her character. I am hoping this title creates or generates a new era of storm fans and reignite a lot of fans who dont think she embodies what she was when was written under Claremont. Im excited and I hope the series is around for the long haul.

I am also hoping this solidifies her as marvels leading lady

[PwrdOn]

The reason she sells well is that she doesn't usually appear all that much, skipping an issue of any given Wolverine comic isn't a big deal, but for a die-hard Jean Grey fan every single comic that she's in is a must buy.

[Tiamatty]

The reason she sells well is that she doesn't usually appear all that much, skipping an issue of any given Wolverine comic isn't a big deal, but for a die-hard Jean Grey fan every single comic that she's in is a must buy.

Which would make sense if it was established that Jean herself does sell well. My question is whether we know for sure if that's the case. For most of her history, she was in either Uncanny X-Men or adjectiveless X-Men - flagship titles that were pretty much always going to get great sales. She was in Grant Morrison's New X-Men, which replaced X-Men, and was written by Grant Frigging Morrison.

Jean's never really had a chance to be on her own, and that complicates things. She's always been part of the X-Men ensemble. So the question becomes: Is Jean popular, or are the X-Men popular? Do books do well because of Jean, or would they do just as well even without her? That's not really something that can be answered right now. I think about the only way to answer it would be to take a book she wasn't a part of, and add her to the cast, and see if the sales go up. Or, of course, give her a mini and see how it does.

Even with ANXM, as the highest-selling X-Men title, it's still fair to question whether it does well because it's Jean, or if it's because it's the original X-Men.

[butterflykyss]

Which would make sense if it was established that Jean herself does sell well. My question is whether we know for sure if that's the case. For most of her history, she was in either Uncanny X-Men or adjectiveless X-Men - flagship titles that were pretty much always going to get great sales. She was in Grant Morrison's New X-Men, which replaced X-Men, and was written by Grant Frigging Morrison.

Jean's never really had a chance to be on her own, and that complicates things. She's always been part of the X-Men ensemble. So the question becomes: Is Jean popular, or are the X-Men popular? Do books do well because of Jean, or would they do just as well even without her? That's not really something that can be answered right now. I think about the only way to answer it would be to take a book she wasn't a part of, and add her to the cast, and see if the sales go up. Or, of course, give her a mini and see how it does.

Even with ANXM, as the highest-selling X-Men title, it's still fair to question whether it does well because it's Jean, or if it's because it's the original X-Men.

Hmmm I disagree with some of these points mainly the question is jean grey popular. Most of the xmen stories have revolved around jean/aka phoenix/aka dark phoenix and still impact the direction of stories that are told today. I think those questions would be more appropriate for Storm (though I dont think one could question her popularity) but definitely not for Jean.

[The_Greatest_Username]

The last time there was a Jean-centric story, Phoenix: Endsong, it did extremely well in the sales charts. Then when Marvel tried to cash in on it with a Jean-less follow-up, Phoenix: Warsong, it didn't perform nearly as well. I'd say there is a quite a bit of interest in the character.

[PwrdOn]

The last time there was a Jean-centric story, Phoenix: Endsong, it did extremely well in the sales charts. Then when Marvel tried to cash in on it with a Jean-less follow-up, Phoenix: Warsong, it didn't perform nearly as well. I'd say there is a quite a bit of interest in the character.

More to the point, not only was Endsong a completely pointless and irrelevant side story, it also had an absolutely wretched story with some of the worst art seen in comics thus far, Greg Land not having become a household name yet. Yet it still sold well simply because they slapped some fiery graphics of Jean Grey on the covers, her actual limited involvement in the narrative notwithsanding. And I'm sure Marvel still makes more off Dark Phoenix Saga reprints than they do from any trade they've put out in the last ten years, even the recent second volume of the Uncanny omnibus features Jean prominently on the cover even though she dies about six issues in and barely appears within the collection itself.