thedeadlyhook (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
thedeadlyhook) wrote2010-05-07 10:19 am
thedeadlyhook) wrote2010-05-07 10:19 am
How to Win Friends and Alienate Readers
Thank you for all the lovely birthday wishes! And thanks so much for the virtual milk and cookies, ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
lyrstzha! And Happy Belated Birthday to you as well - I hope you had a great day!
I've been reading a few first reactions on my flist to the latest Buffy comic (#35), and... wow. I'm sorta speechless. But only sorta.
Can I say that this latest is just reconfirming my impression that the comic has succumbed to the general boy's club-ish atmosphere of comics fandom? Y'know, kind of like what happened in video games, when it became known that girls liked to play Tomb Raider. So then nervous marketing departments had to go into high gear and remind every nervous male player that Lara Croft had big, porn star tits! Thus both reassuring the coveted demographic that they weren't being girly at all by playing a game that girls apparently liked -- hey, who doesn't like tits? -- and incidentally creating such an eye-rolling atmosphere that most of the girls who had inexplicably ventured into what was clearly meant to be their treehouse were motivated to leave.
Not on purporse or anything. Just... because.
Seriously. If I had been asked to sit in, in an editorial capacity, on a meeting to plan out the comics continuation of a popular TV show, penned by its creator, that happened to have a female lead and a large following of adult women, here's what I probably would NOT have advised:
Be sure to include lots of in-jokes to other comic books. And for the love of god, make them specific enough that you'd have to be an honest-to-goodness comic geek who's read comic books since the 1980s to really get them. Because it's always a good idea to alienate a general audience that's coming in from television and may not have experience with (or the best opinion of) comics and their readers -- y'know, leave them with a lasting impression.
Oh, and make sure the art is really cartoony looking, because adult readers who may already feel slightly embarrassed about buying a comic book will feel extra-embarrassed to be seen reading something that looks like it was specifically targeted at kids. And include sex scenes too. Yes, the same artist. No, not ironically.
BTW, for those who don't fit that category of comic book geeks - it so happens that I do - the cover is a parody of X-Men #138, the issue right after the Dark Phoenix saga ended with the death of Jean Grey. (You'll have to Google it: my browser is being old and hinky and won't allow me to upload to Photobucket.) The figure on the cover walking away from the camera is Cyclops, and he's leaving the X-Men, aka the figures in the background, for an extended leave of absence.
How does this fit the current situation in Buffy? Uh, it doesn't. Is Buffy is leaving the team? Did her significant other just die? No. It's just a sight gag for comic geeks, and meaningless, unless you'd like to cite the Lara Croft effect above and call it part of an unconscious attempt to drive away readers who don't get such jokes.
Also, to me, the steampunk spaceship Spike arrives in at the end reminds me a bit of the owlship in Watchmen. (The scene where the ship crashes in the snow in the Antarctic outside Adrian's fortress, specifically - really, aside from some surface detailing, it's even got a similar crash effect here.)
Why? WHO KNOWS!?!?
And finally, wow. Am I SO impressed that, at least judging from the promo art, the final arc of Season 8 penned by JW himself revolves around riffing on Twilight, a series that's actually really popular with teen girls right now. Because nothing says "feminism" like mocking what girls read/watch. Especially if one's own franchise fits that category too, or used to. Girls clearly don't know what they should be enjoying, yes? Maybe they really need some male author to get right on that and tell them.
UGH.
Whatever, comic-book-production-staff-guys. From this point in, never complain about your audience. By now, you've handpicked it.
lyrstzha! And Happy Belated Birthday to you as well - I hope you had a great day!I've been reading a few first reactions on my flist to the latest Buffy comic (#35), and... wow. I'm sorta speechless. But only sorta.
Can I say that this latest is just reconfirming my impression that the comic has succumbed to the general boy's club-ish atmosphere of comics fandom? Y'know, kind of like what happened in video games, when it became known that girls liked to play Tomb Raider. So then nervous marketing departments had to go into high gear and remind every nervous male player that Lara Croft had big, porn star tits! Thus both reassuring the coveted demographic that they weren't being girly at all by playing a game that girls apparently liked -- hey, who doesn't like tits? -- and incidentally creating such an eye-rolling atmosphere that most of the girls who had inexplicably ventured into what was clearly meant to be their treehouse were motivated to leave.
Not on purporse or anything. Just... because.
Seriously. If I had been asked to sit in, in an editorial capacity, on a meeting to plan out the comics continuation of a popular TV show, penned by its creator, that happened to have a female lead and a large following of adult women, here's what I probably would NOT have advised:
Be sure to include lots of in-jokes to other comic books. And for the love of god, make them specific enough that you'd have to be an honest-to-goodness comic geek who's read comic books since the 1980s to really get them. Because it's always a good idea to alienate a general audience that's coming in from television and may not have experience with (or the best opinion of) comics and their readers -- y'know, leave them with a lasting impression.
Oh, and make sure the art is really cartoony looking, because adult readers who may already feel slightly embarrassed about buying a comic book will feel extra-embarrassed to be seen reading something that looks like it was specifically targeted at kids. And include sex scenes too. Yes, the same artist. No, not ironically.
BTW, for those who don't fit that category of comic book geeks - it so happens that I do - the cover is a parody of X-Men #138, the issue right after the Dark Phoenix saga ended with the death of Jean Grey. (You'll have to Google it: my browser is being old and hinky and won't allow me to upload to Photobucket.) The figure on the cover walking away from the camera is Cyclops, and he's leaving the X-Men, aka the figures in the background, for an extended leave of absence.
How does this fit the current situation in Buffy? Uh, it doesn't. Is Buffy is leaving the team? Did her significant other just die? No. It's just a sight gag for comic geeks, and meaningless, unless you'd like to cite the Lara Croft effect above and call it part of an unconscious attempt to drive away readers who don't get such jokes.
Also, to me, the steampunk spaceship Spike arrives in at the end reminds me a bit of the owlship in Watchmen. (The scene where the ship crashes in the snow in the Antarctic outside Adrian's fortress, specifically - really, aside from some surface detailing, it's even got a similar crash effect here.)
Why? WHO KNOWS!?!?
And finally, wow. Am I SO impressed that, at least judging from the promo art, the final arc of Season 8 penned by JW himself revolves around riffing on Twilight, a series that's actually really popular with teen girls right now. Because nothing says "feminism" like mocking what girls read/watch. Especially if one's own franchise fits that category too, or used to. Girls clearly don't know what they should be enjoying, yes? Maybe they really need some male author to get right on that and tell them.
UGH.
Whatever, comic-book-production-staff-guys. From this point in, never complain about your audience. By now, you've handpicked it.
no subject
Hmm, good "non-misogynist manga" recs? That's kind of a tough one. Not because manga tends to be misogynist per se, but as you discovered with Hot Gimmick, sometimes the ol' cultural divide starts coming into play - I've seen lots of strong female characters in manga, but not many I would term feminist in the Western sense. That said, I personally really liked Happy Mania for an interesting depiction of a female lead who's goofed up and imperfect, and yet wholly sympathetic in all the ways the Buffy comic has been failing me. (The ending, tho... eh. Not entirely what I wanted, but... see above notes about the cultural divide.) Also, I could probably make a more specific rec or two if I knew what kind of manga you have liked in past or what sorts of styles you enjoy? There's a big gulf between the likes of Battle Angel and, say, Peach Girl. Which I'd also both recommend, but for different reasons.
ps: I shamefacedly have to admit that I grabbed this icon without even knowing the character or series just because I thought it was cute. So, Lucky Star, eh? Should I watch?
no subject
i actually considered laying out for you some of the mangas i've enjoyed to give you an idea originally, but then i thought it might be more interesting to see what you'd throw at me without any direction. ohh, happy mania! i've been meaning to read that! i saw it at a con this summer (THE ENTIRE RUN!!) and i was both super pumped and mega sad at the same time... i was broke by the time i found it, uhu~ i am a fan of both annos, tho decidedly leaning toward moyoko than hideaki, heh heh. though not for the usual reasons, i think. i actually really enjoyed the weird things he did at the end of karekano. i thought the popsicle stick puppets was an innovative idea for stretching an already exhausted budget. anyway, HATARAKI MAN FOREVER.
you know, i enjoyed both battle angel and peach girl, but i would say i am leaning more toward alita than momo.
lately i've been searching out mostly josei and "mature shojo" titles, and that's been okay for me, i suppose. i just started reading sand chronicles, and i kindof love it! been a longtime fan of nana, though (like most fans) the more recent story elements and 1+ year hiatus (though TOTALLY UNDERSTANDABLE) have really strained my fandom. kuragehime has me quite tickled. ummm, what else have i really enjoyed?
usagi drop
nodame cantabile (gyabo!)
fruits basket!!!!!!!! haha
hourou musuko
strawberry marshmallow
yotsubato!
bride of the water god (it's manhwa, but still. it's FREAKING GORGEOUS)
blue
utena (though i liked the anime even more!)
suppli
twin spica
saturn apartments
translucent
land of the blindfolded
i am very selective about "gag manga," and i'm not sure i can pinpoint exactly what it is about it that i need to enjoy it. basically i love ichigo marshmallow but i was not crazy about sayonara zetsubou sensei. not sure if that is even close to being helpful, though.
i also really like a lot of the older, super japanese stuff, like urusei yatsura and aquarium
as for anime, i will watch essentially anything put out by SHAFT. they seem to be a favourite to hate on the internet, but i think that they have some really fresh ideas (especially aesthetically), and i am pretty excited about that!
i am also a fiend for anything motoko shinkai produces, because he makes me cry like nobody's business. and he has a real eye for beautiful details.
i am a (still mourning) fan of satoshi kon.
some things that i have really NOT enjoyed lately:
black bird
bokura ga ita
hot gimmick
hana yori dango
is any of this helpful? i can go on (and on, and on... ;> )
and as for lucky star: i enjoyed it. it's a slice of life random "moe-fest" (not a fan of that term, nor the widespread disdain for anything folks decide has a "moe" quality, because i think that those people are looking at things all wrong, but anyway--) gag show. if you like that kind of thing, i'd say absolutely go for it and watch it. it's an early title in what i consider to be a growing line of stories that shine a friendly (instead of hostile... i'm looking at YOU otaku no video) light on contemporary otaku and/or NEET culture. i dig it. it's a fun watch.