Marvel Announces Girl Comics

The Beat has the exclusive on Marvel's newest anthology title, Girl Comics.  The premise is simple - it's a comic created by the best and brightest female creators in the comic industry.

The cast of creators includes the likes of Kathryn Immonen (Hellcat, Runaways), Marjorie Liu (NYX: No Way Home, Dark Wolverine), Devin Grayson (Nightwing), Ann Nocenti (Daredevil), Amanda Conner (Power Girl), Jill Thompson (Sandman, Invisibles), and so many more.  The entire project is being written, drawn, inked, and edited by female creators.

Note, however, that, title aside, it is not a "girl" comic nor is it specifically about female characters or any other preconceived notions the title may imply. It's an anthology much in the same vein as the fantastic Strange Tales that Marvel put out a few months back and this will be no different.  There is no mandate that every story be about a female character nor is it on an agenda of any kind.  All you can expect is some great stories.  Hit the jump for more of my thoughts on the project and anthologies in general.

Girl Comics

I love the concept behind this.  No, not a bunch of female creators working on a comic together.  The concept I am talking about is a bunch of talented creators working on a comic together.  Many of the creators I named in the intro, along with the rest named in original announcement, are fantastic creators who's work I enjoy.

You may remember Ann Nocenti from the recent Daredevil #500 where her backup story overshadowed everything else in the landmark issue.  Amanda Conner is the current artist behind Power Girl and I've loved much of her work over the years.  Kathryn Immonen wrote the charming Hellcat miniseries last year.  Jill Thompson was one of many great artists involved with Neil Gaiman's Sandman series, one of the greatest single pieces of comic book work ever created.

Each and every creator mentioned has something noteworthy to their name and it should make for an inspired anthology book when it releases.

The Name

However, the name is my problem.  I absolutely hate defining works of any kind by the people involved, whether it be their gender, race, affiliations or what have you.  Yes, promote this as an all-female creative effort, but Girl Comics?  Seriously?  They didn't call Strange Tales, an indie creator filled anthology, "Indie Comics".  They wouldn't call an all African American created comic "Black Comics".

Why the need to call this Girl Comics?  It will more than likely turn off many of the male readers that dominate the market with the knee jerk reaction of "Oh, that comic's for girls, guess I won't buy it" when it simply isn't.  It's a comic with female creators for EVERYONE, just like every comic should be.  This is like Marvel Divas naming all over again and shooting themselves in the foot.

More Anthologies

Matt discussed the anthology dilemma in a recent article, but is the onset of titles like Strange Tales, Wednesday Comics and Girl Comics a sign that they may be making a come back or, at the least, the comics industry is attempting to expand its markets and reach new readers?  I know I love anthologies when they are created with a purpose and give talent free rein to tell some fun, creative stories, much like how Wednesday Comics and Strange Tales ended up being.  I'm hoping Girl Comics will be more of the same in that regard.

However, I'd love if this meant we'd see more and more of these types of ventures.  They make great showcases for characters and creators and can act as gateway comics for many people.  If Marvel or DC continue the trend, I'd be all for supporting such ventures.  I'd love to see another Batman: Black & White-like anthology, either with Batman, who lends himself well to black and white, or with other characters.

A manga or European creator spotlight would be fantastic, too.  No, not a return of the Marvel Mangaverse or other nonsense, but an actual spotlight of creators from different cultures putting their spin on comics or offering up unique stories and characters of their own.  With Marvel's partnership with Soleil, it would be an easy venture to commission some of their European creators for a small project like Strange Tales. 

Thoughts?

What do you think?  Are you interested in Girl Comics?  Like the name?  What about anthologies in general?  Would you like to see more of them in the future?  Is the recent successes of these ventuers a sign that people are interested in new and unique offerings again?  What kind of anthology would you like to see tackled next?  Let us know in the comments below!

Related Posts