Laura Hudson of Comics Alliance has a wide-ranging interview up with Marvel Editor-in-Chief Axel Alonso and Editor Jeanine Schaefer , who was the editor for Marvel’s Girl Comics.
In a wide-ranging interview, the Marvel editors talked about why female creators and characters are needed, why sales figures sometimes make it difficult to gain an audience for new characters and about the possibilities of a wider audience in digital media.
Schaefer said, “There’s definitely a wider audience that can be reached with digital comics, and one that we’re working on tapping into. Especially for comics/gaming/generally fannish women, the internet is a great way to find like minds , and having the content that brought them together so easily accessible is key to fostering inclusiveness. And it’s that inclusiveness that will eventually break down the wall between women being a minority percentage in the comics-reading audience. I wish that someone would do an actual scientific survey of readers to find out the breakdowns of who’s reading what. I don’t even know how you go about that. There have got to be some comics-loving statisticians out there with a national arts grant, right?”
Read the full interview at Comics Alliance.
Unlike the Marvel editors, DC Comics officials didn’t respond to Hudson’s request for an interview, which is disappointing considering the issues raised over the portrayal of female characters in their comics over the last few months, as well as their lack of female creators, currently at one percent over their entire line.
