WOMANTHOLOGY: An Indie Sensation Before Publication
It’s been a discussion for a while now, highlighted recently with the creators chosen for the DCnU, that female artists and writers in the comic book industry are underrepresented and undervalued. While Marvel’s Girl Comics was a big step toward showcasing female talent, projects created solely by women are scarce. Artist Renae De Liz (The Last Unicorn, IDW Publishing) decided that needed to change and with it Womanthology was born.
I conducted an email interview for Newsarama with the creator of the project, Renae De Liz, to talk about her amazing accomplishment, the origin of the project and where Womanthology goes from here.
Click on over to Newarama to read WOMANTHOLOGY: An Indie Sensation Before Publication!
Hi,
I've been reading posts on your site, and I'm intrigued by your ideas regarding adding more women in comics.
I agree. It is a male dominated industry. I don't think that's an accident.
Most comics are geared toward pre-adolescent to adolescent teenage boys. They highlight male fantasies of men being super confident, strong, and action heroes. The female characters are masculine, to say the least.
Comics, like video games, seem to have been a boys things for a long time. I don't think CEO's really know how to tap into pre-teen to teenage girls for marketing purposes.
As a rule, your company excepted, girls don't seem to like comics. I also fear that the traditional comic book industry is coming to a close.
Most readers are adults males in their 30s and 40s. We're an aging and dwindling market.
Everything is going digital, and that may bring the death knell of the traditional comic, but it means a potential new market in digital comics.
I fear it'll be hard to make a living doing digital comics, but we'll see. I'm in the process of improving my drawing skills, and I'd like to make a living as a comic book artist.
I think there are stories for boys, stories for girls, and stories that have universal appeal. I think the market is open for women to make their own mark.
Art should speak louder than the artist. I hope you can create a movement. There are some female super heroes today that truly need a woman's touch.
For example, I think of Jane Espenson and Buffy. She wrote some great stories for Buffy. She knew how to write drama and write a great female action hero.
I wish you luck in creating a movement. I'd love to read/watch your Buffy.
Cheers!