Say hello to Anya Corazon, the first latina superhero to get her own book from Marvel. Having appeared in Amazing Fantasy lately, she’ll be getting her shot at a solo title.
And is she making a difference? Just ask this comic retailer:
“I haven’t seen a rush of Hispanic girls to buy it. Our regular fans think it’s a good story, and that’s who is buying it right now.”
Wait, no new female hispanic readers? I’m shocked. To boot, she is described, with ever so much originality, as “fiery.”
Seriously, I poke fun, but even as I know this can’t be financially viable to last long, I do applaud Marvel for trying to break the mold somewhat. I could be wrong. I never thought Birds of Prey would last 80+ issues, and I missed the mark on that.
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The difference is that BIRDS OF PREY featured established DCU characters. Comic fans — for the most part — seem to be very reluctant to support new characters.
New comic series nearly always have established characters. It’s usually important that those characters are very popular to merit a series. I can’t imagine that you would argue that any of the characters in BOP were popular in the sense that they would sell books based on name recognition.
And just because some small contingent of perhaps intelligent progressive fans liked those characters, on a whole I can’t imagine they’d sell a lot of action figures.
Barbara Gordon has been around since 1967. Black Canary first appeared in 1947. They were both pretty popular characters when BOP came out, especially Barbara Gordon. She was, and is, one of the most popular Batcharacters of all-time. The reson the book sells is a combinaiton of the characters, the fact that it was an all female book, and its close ties to the stories in the Batbooks.
Do they sell a lot of toys? Probably not.
Was the book a risk? Sure it was.
Was it as big a risk as a superhero book starring a completely new character? Not even close.
I knew you were going to argue that they were important and that they’d been around. That’s a moot point. On what basis would you call Barbara Gordon, in her current state as popular?
Popular as a supporting character is one thing, and being able to carry a book is another.
Being around since whenever doesn’t make a bit of difference. You don’t see comic nerds lining up
around the block for the new Namor book.
My point is moot anyway, since the book is obviously still around. But I tend to credit that to the quality of the work rather than the popularity of the characters. A Wolverine book sells because it’s Wolverine, no matter who’s doing it. A book like BOP, you’ve got to work to make it good. I think in any business situation, the former is a safer, more profitable strategy.
I don’t agree with that, and it rarely produces better work, but in business it’s smarter, making a book like BOP, which while having recogizable characters inside, didn’t even allude to who they were in the title. All marketing risks.
I think the book was nearly as much of a risk as a new character, because even if those characters had fans, it wouldn’t be enough to make a profit. In either case, the publisher has to work to get readers, and can’t rely on tradition, like Wolverine again.
Have I made my point? Probably not.
Was I done typing? You bet your ass.
“Popular as a supporting character is one thing, and being able to carry a book is another.”
Here’s where I think you’re wrong. She is EXTREMELY popular amongst Batfans. Her YEAR ONE mini-series sold well and you have to figure that if you had her starring in the BATGIRL book instead of the new girl, the numbes would have been higher.
“Being around since whenever doesn’t make a bit of difference.”
Sure it does. Completely unknown vs. forty years of history a big difference. It’s all about familiarity with most superhero fans.
“You don’t see comic nerds lining up
around the block for the new Namor book.”
I dunno, I bet you would have if he hadn’t been “the new, hip, teenage Namor”. That wasn’t Namor. Look how rabid people got over Firestorm. There are rabid fans for a lot of characters you wouldn’t expect.
“I think the book was nearly as much of a risk as a new character, because even if those characters had fans, it wouldn’t be enough to make a profit.”
Well, I think most books don’t turn a profit anyway. But like I said before, it wasn’t just “Here’s a book starring chick superheroes!” It was “Here’s a book starring very popular chick super heroes that is intertwined with the Batbooks.” Those are two vastly different things.
Did it work? You bet it did.
i bought that amazing fantasy book, i thought it had something to do with spiderman. i only read issue one but as far as i can tell it has nothing to do with spiderman so far. it’s all magic or something.
i guess i could read spidergirl if thats what i was looking for but i don’t like it’s in another universe. i am glad however that spider woman is coming to join the avengers.
BOP does well cause they are HOT. the cast is amazing hot girls who sometimes wear next to nothing. what i would do for a night with any one of them… yummy
if you want to compare it to something, compare it to the defenders. one is all girls and the other all guys. comic readers are still mostly male and so sex sells. i’d rather look at black canery in a thong than namor in a speedo.
also the BOP stories are usually pretty good. it was alot better when they were just doing mini’s but they have their moments, and have kept me interested.
the bat connection helps too.
also i think barbra gordon is pretty popular. i named my hard drive at home “oracle”. i’m going to guess but i think shes in at least 7 books on and off along with BOP. i’d almost say she is the wolverine of the DCU.
Who knew that Evans was into comics?
“BOP does well cause they are HOT. the cast is amazing hot girls who sometimes wear next to nothing. what i would do for a night with any one of them… yummy. if you want to compare it to something, compare it to the defenders. one is all girls and the other all guys. comic readers are still mostly male and so sex sells. i’d rather look at black canery in a thong than namor in a speedo.”
You know, if I didn’t know you and about your success with real women, I would have been more appalled at this. But I can’t really say anything, having seen you in action.
“i named my hard drive at home “oracle”.”
Oh! Good idea!