I don’t know about all of you, but I have never really gotten into comic books. I think I liked them as a kid and may have had a few, but I was not really a collector or die hard fan. I also think I know the reason why. It’s not that I didn’t have a comic book shop in my town or that my parents refused to buy them. It was the fact that comic books did not really seem to be made for girls. I know some people may not agree, but go into a comic book shop and tell me how many females (young or old) you see inside. I am willing to bet that the majority of individuals you see will be male.
Now, this is not to say that girls that have an affinity for comics are strange. I am simply stating that traditionally, there has not been a mass market appeal to women. Occasionally you would get your Little Mermaid, Beauty & the Beast, etc., but these were really scarce offerings in a sea of superheroes. Not to mention, that the majority of female characters you saw on the covers of the comics, were usually buxom babes with very little clothing. That probably also scared away the female fan base as that really doesn’t do a lot for your ego.
So the other day I venture into the comic bookstore with my husband. I can sometimes find something that interests me, like the new Muppets comics, but normally I would not go in there on my own. On this particular trip, I started looking around while he was talking to the clerks. Lo and behold, a Marvel comic entitled, “Pride & Prejudice” captures my eye. Now anyone who is a fan of the classics, a great love story or that has been subjected to high school English has probably seen this title before. Being a fan of Jane Austen, I know the story well.
My first thought is confusion – Am I seeing this right? “Pride & Prejudice” in a comic store?
Then I moved on to skepticism – Oh no. I really hope they did not mess with this epic love story. That would be such a tragedy! How would they fit all of this into a comic book any way?
I finally end on curiosity. I picked up a copy and began reading with trepidation – Hmmm. Not bad. It of course moves faster than the novel, but nothing major seems to be missing. The Bennets are all there and accounted for. Bingley and Netherfield are in existence. Maybe this won’t be awful.
So I decided to take the leap and purchase the series which consists of five comics that came out starting in April 2009. And that was all she wrote. I was hooked by the middle of the first comic. The author (Nancy Butler) utilized much of the original dialogue and the artist (Hugo Petrus) worked seamlessly with her to tell this classic story in a beautiful, graphic format. The pictures and emotion along with perfectly synced wording conveyed more emotion and feeling than you could imagine. It is an incredible feat to pull off a story of this complexity in so few (comparatively) pages.
I was so enthralled with it that I purchased the trade paperback to read in the future and the individual comics to preserve as collectibles.
The comic and the way it conveyed the story was fantastic. It not only gave me a greater appreciation for the medium, but it gave me hope that maybe this is the start of things to come. More options for women to enjoy in the comic book realm. I don’t expect a rush of material overnight, but it is refreshing to see some change. If you are a fan of a good love story, literary classics or a woman looking for a good comic, check this series out. Elizabeth and Darcy won’t fail to entertain you and neither will Marvel.
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If you liked Marvel's version of “Pride and Prejudice” (personally, I thought the covers were great, but disliked the interior art), you might want to have a look at Kate Beaton's webcomic “Hark! A Vagrant,” which often features joky versions of historical characters like Jane Austen (http://www.harkavagrant.com/index.php?id=4) and the Brontes. Or try the Japanese manga “Emma.” This is not a manga adaptation of Austen's “Emma,” but a well-researched, though slightly fantasy-tinged, historical romance about a down-to-earth housemaid named Emma and William, the nouveau rich young gentleman who falls in love with her. My favorite character was William's old school friend Hakim, a blithely wacky Indian prince who arrives at William's family mansion complete with a retinue of dancing girls and elephants and cheerfully invites himself to stay for an extended visit.
Margaret
Its interesting that Jackson notices all the crotch shots from Spiderman..lol j/k
To avoid the quagmire that is “how do I get my girlfriend, wife, mother, sister, daughter, etc. to read comics?”, and to avoid listing comics and graphic novels which will inevitably cause small flame wars, my technique:
Ask the person what sort of stories they like. What books do they enjoy? What movies do they love? Television? Then ask a knowledgeable person, either your local shop owner, or someone online, to recommend a graphic novel that would fulfill that specific genre or style.
DO NOT try to force YOUR LIKES on to the other person, ESPECIALLY if they have not read many comics. The idea here is to get them involved in your hobby, so that they understand you better, and possibly share an activity together (and maybe buy you comics as gifts, or let you read what they bought).
The above technique works for all genders and ages.
Its interesting that Jackson notices all the crotch shots from Spiderman..lol j/k
To avoid the quagmire that is “how do I get my girlfriend, wife, mother, sister, daughter, etc. to read comics?”, and to avoid listing comics and graphic novels which will inevitably cause small flame wars, my technique:
Ask the person what sort of stories they like. What books do they enjoy? What movies do they love? Television? Then ask a knowledgeable person, either your local shop owner, or someone online, to recommend a graphic novel that would fulfill that specific genre or style.
DO NOT try to force YOUR LIKES on to the other person, ESPECIALLY if they have not read many comics. The idea here is to get them involved in your hobby, so that they understand you better, and possibly share an activity together (and maybe buy you comics as gifts, or let you read what they bought).
The above technique works for all genders and ages.
Two Flaws to your theories: 1) In general women have completely different psychological makeup than men. They have very different opinions and rules when it comes to how things affect their ego's / sensibilities. 2) Most guys would not admit to reading romance manga even if they did.
Why do people always complain about sexy women in comics and say they “don't do a lot for our ego”? You think guys that read comics have even 10% of the good looks, smarts and musculature that the likes of Batman, Iron-Man and Superman have?
Even Spider-man's constant front-and-center butt or Namor's massive crotch (and thong) don't scare guys away.
I don't see any guys complaining about how men are portrayed in romance manga, either.
For a second I thought that issue three cover was by Greg Land. [shudder]
Just the hook I have been waiting for to get the wife interested in comics..lol
>>Chip
As a lady who's been into comics since I was 11, it's great to see something out there that's exposing my fellow ladies to the medium. There's a lot more to comics than just the superheroes and cartoons, but unfortunately most people don't realize that.