Putting My Foot In It

Part 1: The Introduction of MINX

By Mariah Huehner
May 1, 2007

For awhile now I've been putting off writing an article on the new DC Comics imprint, MINX. This may be because I worked on it in its early days when it was just three titles and I was an Assistant Editor at Vertigo, the other imprint of DC Comics where MINX actually originated. It's the brainchild of Group Editor Shelly Bond who spent an arduous year (at least) developing the business model for it. She spent the next two seeking out talent interested in creating titles, and making it all come together. A lot of time and effort has been put into each of these books and for that alone I think it's a major achievement. That doesn't mean it's without some flaws, and though I feel a bit like Judas for even mentioning it, maybe my perspective will help clarify some issues surrounding the launch.

When MINX was first announced there was some pretty heated debates/commentary. Some people felt it was pandering. Others found it exclusionary. The name alone caused some controversy. And still more objected to those questioning whether the fact that a line targeted at teen girls that's mostly written and drawn by men automatically makes it problematic. Confused? Me too.

The truth is there was no way that MINX was not going to cause this sort of conversation. Comics as an industry is at a major crossroads and this is just one of the many indicators. The market is changing, formats are changing, readers are changing. It behooves any company that wants to survive and grow to recognize that and adjust their publications accordingly. Comics are, after all, a business. If they don't make money the books don't get made. I wish more people on internet forums would accept that as a fact rather than some mysterious business model they don't understand. But then I should probably stay away from internet forums.

It seems like everything that could possibly be said about MINX has already be said, ten times at least, and been beaten firmly into the ground. Except it hasn't, really. It took Editor-in-Chief Jennifer de Guzman at SLG in one of her articles at Comic World News to point out the effect that MINX may have on indie publishers, a perspective that was greatly overlooked in the initial kerfluffle. Many of the creators being used in the MINX line are from SLG, and though swapping of talents is fairly normal in comics, the financial and creative effect on smaller publishers is worth noting. Especially when working for DC doesn't guarantee that a creators other work will be bought or even recognized, nor does it address the way small publishers take on the risk of putting out work by unknowns before the big guys swoop in and claim them for their very own. It doesn't exactly encourage growth of the industry at large. Without smaller companies testing out new talent the big guys wouldn't have what amounts to a "try before you buy" option. But if they then take all of those "new" talents then where does that leave the smaller publishers? The industry needs both and MINX is currently straddling the divide in a precarious new way.

I walk a fine line by discussing MINX. I'm trying to be objective about a line I flatter myself into believing I had some impact on in the development stages. Sometimes I'm not sure I want to be associated with it because of the issues that have been raised, other times I wish I'd been able to stay around for the launch. I don't doubt for a moment that the line will ultimately be successful. There's too much talent involved. But there are, of course, no guarantees in publishing.

I also don't want to piss off or alienate my former bosses and employers, which is a bit selfish, but then it's easy for me to point out errors from a safe distance. They're in the trenches. Karen Berger and Shelly Bond have a combined thirty plus years of experience editing and publishing comics. I have four as an Assistant Editor. So I am not going to act like the authority on marketing or making comics.

However, I think there have been some odd choices made in the way MINX is being portrayed. Several quotes and interviews by Karen Berger have emphatically denied even a trace element of fantasy in any of the works, as though the possibility of such a story device would be bad. Is this to separate MINX titles from Manga? And if so, why? Manga has proven with its astronomic sales that books with all kinds of weird stories sell in the millions. Of course, MINX is not a Manga imprint and it would be misleading to market it thus. But saying that MINX titles may also appeal to many female (and male) Manga readers can't possibly be a bad thing either. Nor should "fantasy" be synonymous with "bad". The idea that unless something is occurring "right now" and contains no elements whatsoever of the "fantastic" it will somehow be sub-par is a bit demeaning to the millions of people who read that kind of work.

I'm fairly certain that's not what the statements about MINX mean but that is how they read. Its times like this I really wish marketing a product based solely on its own merits, of which the titles in MINX have a lot, was the preferred method. Putting down other kinds of books aimed at the same demographic doesn't do much to elevate the medium. And anyway, wouldn't it be better if teen girls were readings more of everyone's titles? I don't think it's a choice between Manga and MINX. I think you'll find a lot of crossover.

Then there are these articles, like The NY Times piece and the interview that had to clarify The Times piece at ICV2. Now, context is everything. And in most interviews you need to give some sound byte worthy quotes or they'll make them for you. It's just too bad the particular ones that came out of these articles don't imply anything very positive or accurate about what girls are reading in comics. Many publishers have been putting out books for the teen market for quite some time now, many of which appeal to teen girls specifically. I'm thinking about books that Slave Labor Graphics, Oni Press, Top Shelf Productions, Scholastic, and others have been doing for awhile as a part of their regular lineup. These publishers in general cater to a much more diverse crowd in all ages and genders for a very good reason. They have a much smaller general market than the Big Two.

It would have been much more accurate to say that neither DC nor Marvel have really been doing much to court the teen girl market directly since days so far back they might as well be yore. Possibly because it seems that people have only realized recently that teen girls like to do things besides shop for clothes, like reading. The popularity of certain YA novels proves it, and it's clearly an audience willing to spend money on material they like. But what do they like? What are they interested in? How can we boil down their interests into a marketing plan? About the best you can do is make some sweeping generalizations and hope they're mildly accurate, then watch as you piss off a whole lot of people who don't fit the mold, since people rarely do.

Tune in next month for Putting My Foot In It, Part 2, where we'll continue our discussion with an examination of what happens when comic books are created "for" women and girls.

For Graphic Novels, a New Frontier: Teenage Girls — An article appearing in the New York Times
DC SVP Karen Berger on Minx — An interview with Karen Berger with clarification on the purpose of MINX