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DC Responds to Concerns over Lack of Female Comic Creators

Is the reported 12% to 1% drop in female creators incorrect?

You may have heard about the fan uprising first triggered after a San Diego Comic-Con 'DC New 52' panel in which a brave young lady asked the panelists (which comprised of only male creators) the question, 'where are all the women'? after noticing how few of DC's female characters will be receiving ongoing solo books this fall. You can read a great interview where she delves into her observations at the DC Women Kicking Ass blog. The conversation shifted from not only the drop in female solo books, the the drop in the number of female comic creators who would be working at DC come relaunch.

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One of the most contentious topics (and something claimed by a male reader during the panel) is that DC Comics would go from having 12% of their creators being female to a mere 1% starting this fall. You can read more about exactly how this conversation started at The Beat. If these numbers are accurate, this drop in the number of women who would be working at DC is definitely staggering. It also means that the number of women working at DC would be a poor representation of the number of DC readers who are also women. The big question is, how accurate is this number and where did it come from?

== TEASER ==

According to a recent article at Bleeding Cool, the "52 titles feature 160 credited creators, 157 male and 3 female." These numbers are in fact exceptionally low, but it should be noted that they also fail to encompass all of the women who would be working at DC comics come September. The numbers tallied in the article only take into account the female cover artists, artists and writers working on the 52 new upcoming books based on the solicits released for September, which can be found here. These numbers don't take into account the number of women editors, assistant editors, colorists, inkers and more that work on a comic book to get it published.

No Caption Provided

Even if these numbers are not accurate, the uproar that followed took the internet comic bloggers by storm. The fan reaction so heavily impacted DC's higher ups that on Friday they published a press release on DC Source blog. stating that DC takes their fans' "concerns very seriously."

We’ve been very fortunate in recent years to have fan favorite creators like Gail Simone, Amy Reeder, Felicia Henderson, Fiona Staples, Amanda Connor, G. Willow Wilson and Nicola Scott write and draw the adventures of the World’s Greatest Super Heroes.

DC Comics is the home of a pantheon of remarkable, iconic women characters like Wonder Woman, Lois Lane, Batgirl, Batwoman, Catwoman and Supergirl as well as fan favorite characters like Black Canary, Katana, Mera and Starfire. We’re committed to telling diverse stories with a diverse point of view. We want these adventures to resonate in the real world, reflecting the experiences of our diverse readership. Can we improve on that? We always can—and aim to.

We’ll have exciting news about new projects with women creators in the coming months and will be making those announcements closer to publication. Many of the above creators will be working on new projects, as we continue to tell the ongoing adventures of our characters. We know there are dozens of other women creators and we welcome the opportunity to work with them.

Our recent announcements have generated much attention and discussion and we welcome that dialogue.

Regardless of whether DC had been actively seeking out women to work for their company or not (which they claimed to have been doing), the fact that the publisher recognized and responded to the demands of both male and female fans alike regarding the demand for more women working on their comics is not something that should go unrecognized. Was this response generated by a young woman who was brave enough to ask the tough questions at Comic-Con? Or had DC been actively pursuing female creators (like they claimed) and simply could not find any? I'll go with the former. What do you think?

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KainScion

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Edited By KainScion

why does it matter?? a good character is a good character regardless of the gender of its creator

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Samimista

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Edited By Samimista

As a female myself I find this very sad there needs to be more women in the industry as they write fictional women more realistically good role models for young girls than the men writers do.

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cattlebattle

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Edited By cattlebattle
@KainScion said:
why does it matter?? a good character is a good character regardless of the gender of its creator
QFT!!
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snowtires

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Edited By snowtires

Really, they used Katana, Mera and Starfire to show that they've got a lot of female characters?  That's all they could think of?

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RazzaTazz

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@Samimista said:
As a female myself I find this very sad there needs to be more women in the industry as they write fictional women more realistically good role models for young girls than the men writers do.
 

I agree with this point, though it is funny at times to read a male writer's version of how it feels to be a woman. 
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I'maDC/ImageGuy!

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Edited By I'maDC/ImageGuy!

It must suck to be Didio right about now.

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Edited By dernman

I don't care if it's a man or woman who is doing the book. If the work that come out it true too the character and entertaining what does it matter who does it.
You shouldn't  exclude or include someone based on gender. 
Unless woman are being kept out because they are woman then it's not an issue.
 
And from my impression of  what I have been hearing about this person it was less about bravery and more about them wanting to get in someones face because something wasn't working how they believe it should.

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StarKiller809

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Edited By StarKiller809

This bugged me. I'm all for equality but I really think that we should just be happy with the people we got. Why does every time any publisher do something someone has to mention the lack of female creators? 

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Green Skin

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Edited By Green Skin

This is pretty stupid.  Creators should be selected by merit, not any physical factor.

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Avenging-X-Bolt

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Edited By Avenging-X-Bolt
@RazzaTazz said:
@Samimista said:
As a female myself I find this very sad there needs to be more women in the industry as they write fictional women more realistically good role models for young girls than the men writers do.
 I agree with this point, though it is funny at times to read a male writer's version of how it feels to be a woman. 

or the opposite as well
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inferiorego

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Edited By inferiorego  Staff

As a person who was at many of the DC panels at SDCC, I can say this. She asked that question at every single panel, and by Saturday, the crowd had enough of her. She came off as malicious.

According to that stat, 1.9% of the DC books have a female involved in them, but how many women do you know that read comics compared to your male friends? Aside from Babs, I have 0 female friends that read comics, and 2 that were forced into a couple series but haven't picked up a book since then. In fact, before joining this site, I had never met/known a woman who reads comic books on a regular basis. It's not a new thing. Many people know and realize that the majority of girls simply do not read comic books. So I think it's a pretty decent representation of the comic book reading population. They want to hire the best of the best because, let's face it, the company's not doing as well as it used to.

If the best happens to be an Asian transvestite, so be it. Race and sex shouldn't matter as long as the books are good. Hire the best. Making a big deal about the race or sex is backwards thinking. We're humans. We need to stop dividing ourselves up into little factions then complaining about the other factions.

What would you rather have: DC search out and take risks on new talent while the company is seemingly struggling and they could take a hit on sales or would you rather DC just hire awesome creators, regardless of focusing on b.s. like this?

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to write an article to Cosmo complaining their aren't enough male writers for the magazine.

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crowncoke

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Edited By crowncoke

As a father of grown women, I feel that  strong examples of females is many different industries has been a good influence on my daughters.  I know that I wanted my youngest to read comics written by female about females more than those written by males, as she told me they made more sense to her. 
 
I am glad that DC has taken this to heart.  They have had a strong sense of diversity with employment and that is something that should be embraced and not forced on them (by government or fan base).   
 
Diversity is key to the continued success!
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crowncoke

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Edited By crowncoke
@inferiorego
 
Wow!  I have know women my whole life that have either read or at least supported the hobby.  As I stated, my youngest daughter reads them, as does my wife.  Add to that my Sister who is working to become a writer.  My mother supported the habbit, and over the years most of the comic stores that I frequented had females present (especially on 'new comic night'). 
 
I am not stating that its high numbers, in fact I would say the percentage is low single digits.  But without the ones we have, we dont have more in the future.
 
I agree that Sex or Race 'SHOULD' not be an issue, but it is.  If people of all Races & Sexes are accepted and incouraged, then the stereotypical "male domination" of the industry can be changed.
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SC

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Edited By SC  Moderator

Marvel and DC don't look for the best out of any gender when it comes to writers and artists. They look for those that will sell and that bring security and reliability, and at affordable, profitable prices. Of course fans get mighty annoyed when writers basically tell them, they have to dumb down books because thats what the majority of them prefer and buy, so you know, like everyone else ever they have to tell a few white lies to sell certain premises to certain different audiences. The problem with comics, is that its dealing with the arts. Its very subjective, but there are many female and male artists who deserve to be drawing Uncanny X-Men, a huge book, more than one of its regular artists. Except that artist is really popular and sells and works fast. Coincidentally his female characters are traced often from porn stars so as far as validity as to whether that person is making and helping a book reach out to more male and especially female fans? We are not in an idealized bubble vacuum. We are a very, very flawed species especially when it comes to gender perceptions. I'm all for more males and females in comics industry writing better and drawing better though robots, dragons, guys, girls and whatever Mojo is. 

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Feliciano2040

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@inferiorego said:

As a person who was at many of the DC panels at SDCC, I can say this. She asked that question at every single panel, and by Saturday, the crowd had enough of her. She came off as malicious.

According to that stat, 1.9% of the DC books have a female involved in them, but how many women do you know that read comics compared to your male friends? Aside from Babs, I have 0 female friends that read comics, and 2 that were forced into a couple series but haven't picked up a book since then. In fact, before joining this site, I had never met/known a woman who reads comic books on a regular basis. It's not a new thing. Many people know and realize that the majority of girls simply do not read comic books. So I think it's a pretty decent representation of the comic book reading population. They want to hire the best of the best because, let's face it, the company's not doing as well as it used to.

If the best happens to be an Asian transvestite, so be it. Race and sex shouldn't matter as long as the books are good. Hire the best. Making a big deal about the race or sex is backwards thinking. We're humans. We need to stop dividing ourselves up into little factions then complaining about the other factions.

What would you rather have: DC search out and take risks on new talent while the company is seemingly struggling and they could take a hit on sales or would you rather DC just hire awesome creators, regardless of focusing on b.s. like this?

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to write an article to Cosmo complaining their aren't enough male writers for the magazine.

So much yes to this.
 
I'm going to take a lot of heat for this, but it's ridiculous how people concern themselves about these kind of things.
 
Would it be reasonable if I complained about the lack of latin american writers in DC Comics ?
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Caligula

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Edited By Caligula

this is goddamned stupid. I hope DC doesn't just go hire some shitty writers because of some whiny little girl. You should get the job based on talent not on the fact that you have titties.

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neillius

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I think it was said best by Jim Lee in his comic-con interview posted on this site. yea they are concerned with diversity and what not but you can't force the hand so much that its not creative anymore, its just PC.
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inferiorego

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Edited By inferiorego  Staff

@Feliciano2040 said:

I'm going to take a lot of heat for this

I will too, but I just don't get it. I want quality books. I don't care who writes/draws/edits/plots/designs/whatevers them.

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Caligula

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@inferiorego said:

As a person who was at many of the DC panels at SDCC, I can say this. She asked that question at every single panel, and by Saturday, the crowd had enough of her. She came off as malicious.

According to that stat, 1.9% of the DC books have a female involved in them, but how many women do you know that read comics compared to your male friends? Aside from Babs, I have 0 female friends that read comics, and 2 that were forced into a couple series but haven't picked up a book since then. In fact, before joining this site, I had never met/known a woman who reads comic books on a regular basis. It's not a new thing. Many people know and realize that the majority of girls simply do not read comic books. So I think it's a pretty decent representation of the comic book reading population. They want to hire the best of the best because, let's face it, the company's not doing as well as it used to.

If the best happens to be an Asian transvestite, so be it. Race and sex shouldn't matter as long as the books are good. Hire the best. Making a big deal about the race or sex is backwards thinking. We're humans. We need to stop dividing ourselves up into little factions then complaining about the other factions.

What would you rather have: DC search out and take risks on new talent while the company is seemingly struggling and they could take a hit on sales or would you rather DC just hire awesome creators, regardless of focusing on b.s. like this?

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to write an article to Cosmo complaining their aren't enough male writers for the magazine.

QFT

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Edited By pikahyper  Moderator
@inferiorego: I find it to be outrageous that there isn't a single transvestite or drag queen working in the American comic industry :P I know of a few in Asia and South America but that is it :(
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Edited By GundamHeavyarms
@inferiorego: I agree, If the book is good than that's all that matters.  DC shouldn't base their hiring on race or gender because that's just quota filling.  That's the kind of argument you can't make on DCWomenkickingass, she'll bite your head off.
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@inferiorego: I agree in principle but I find that when some men write women, or write about women (James Robinson, in Cry for Justice, Frank Miller in All Star Batman and Robin)... it's just juvenile. And although those authors may sell books for other reasons, and other aspects of their stories, if theirs are the primary voices for women in comics, you risk getting a wind tunnel effect; the ways characters are written get pushed more towards the extreme and less like a 3 dimensional character. 
 
The same thing could be said about any group writing extensively and intimately about a group or culture they aren't a part of... provided it's real. I mean nobody knows if we have a fair and accurate portrayal of Qwardians or Skrulls in comic books.
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@Fantasgasmic said:
@inferiorego: I agree in principle but I find that when some men write women, or write about women (James Robinson, in Cry for Justice, Frank Miller in All Star Batman and Robin)... it's just juvenile. And although those authors may sell books for other reasons, and other aspects of their stories, if theirs are the primary voices for women in comics, you risk getting a wind tunnel effect; the ways characters are written get pushed more towards the extreme and less like a 3 dimensional character. 
 
The same thing could be said about any group writing extensively and intimately about a group or culture they aren't a part of... provided it's real. I mean nobody knows if we have a fair and accurate portrayal of Qwardians or Skrulls in comic books.
Incorrect, Bendis is a skrull
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Feliciano2040

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Edited By Feliciano2040
@Fantasgasmic said:
I agree in principle but I find that when some men write women, or write about women (James Robinson, in Cry for Justice, Frank Miller in All Star Batman and Robin)... it's just juvenile. And although those authors may sell books for other reasons, and other aspects of their stories, if theirs are the primary voices for women in comics, you risk getting a wind tunnel effect; the ways characters are written get pushed more towards the extreme and less like a 3 dimensional character. 
It's a legitimate concern for sure, but then again DC Comics is well aware of this and that's why the just don't screw up by making Frank Miller the regular writer of Wonder Woman.
 
For my part I think we may be even underestimating some male writers who have proven to be very capable of writing female characters, such as Michael Avon Oeming who did Red Sonja, Christos Gage who writes Avengers Academy, a title with probably more women than men, as well as Peter Calloway who wrote Gotham City Sirens.
 
I know, some of those don't even work at DC, but it goes to prove that in the comic book industry, men are just as capable to write women.
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@inferiorego: Usually there is more than one side to every story, every article, every news event. So to get some insight about the young lady and her actual actions at SDCC is interesting.

Also, nicely written statement about the whole situation in general and some may hate this but I agree with you here.

Yet to add, it would be nice if not only DC but other comic book companies made more of an effort to promote female comic book characters in a positive way other than the usual "I am tough" or "I am demure, quiet and compliant" personalities, or just outright eye candy types. Whether this requires more female writers and/or artists or editorial staff, that is hard to say. I know I've read books written by female authors and have enjoyed them immensely. In a perfect world, yes, it would be great to have more female creators across the board but as you point out, comics are, by and large a male readership. However, there are a number of female readers and that number has increased. Perhaps female readers could pipe in and state if they'd prefer a female writer and artist on a comic title or if it matters. We have plenty of female users on the site!

Just to add, Babs did decent research as well, adding stats that weren't exactly covered elsewhere, so again, good job.

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Edited By thehummingbird
@RazzaTazz said:
@Samimista said:
As a female myself I find this very sad there needs to be more women in the industry as they write fictional women more realistically good role models for young girls than the men writers do.
 I agree with this point, though it is funny at times to read a male writer's version of how it feels to be a woman. 
I third both of these remarks. Though I am quite disappointed with this fact. 
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Edited By Roldan
@Fantasgasmic: I wouldn't call Robinson a bad writer when it comes to women. His Justice League mostly contained women and they all felt interesting especially Donna Troy.
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People tend to understate the importance of diversity when it comes to creating high quality work.  I remember reading about how the head writer of the show Community was told that he had to hire more female writers and was initially annoyed by it (he, too, thought that it didn't matter who the writers were as long as they were good), but soon after he got more women on board he realized that they were churning out much better work because they had a lot of different perspectives being presented to them in the writers' room.  By including writers who aren't just white men, they're opening themselves up to a ton of new, superior material that couldn't exist without the presentation of a number of diverse viewpoints.
 
Another big thing that a lot of men tend to do is underestimate the importance of having strong female characters who aren't just portrayed as sex objects or love interests.  I know for a fact that if it hadn't been for Wonder Woman and Hawkgirl, I never would have gotten into Justice League as a kid and certainly wouldn't have gone on to get into the comics.  Even now, I'm more inclined to pick up a book that stars a woman over one that stars a man because seeing strong, influential women who are the equals to their male counterparts is something that we hardly ever see in movies or comics.

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Edited By cdeoleo
  @inferiorego:  Now you are right very few women read comics books. It is something rare but is that not caused by the fact that comics books are marketed, written for, written by men. Women are not interested in seeing interested in seeing 5'11'' women with perfect tits they already see enough of that in Victoria Secret ads. Which book features  women portrayed in a realistic manner which women can relate (Only one I can think of is Birds of Prey). Just think about the women in a fridge syndrome as an example.
 
@Feliciano2040: Yes you should ask why there are not more Latin American writers (and characters for that matter) in comics. Especially since this is the fastest growing ethnic group in America.  
 
It is not even about race/creed/sexual preference or gender. It is more about life experiences. None of the writers on DC or Marvel have the ability to say what it is like for a Dominican American who grew up in the Bronx so then you do not have any Dominican Americans who grew up in the Bronx as characters. Which in turn makes Dominican Americans from the Bronx less likely to read comics. Everyone wants to relate and feel like they are part of a something much larger than just themselves, is that really so out of the question? Look at the roster for any of the Big two, you will see that many life stories are similar which is why we keep getting the same stories over and over again because every writer will write what they know.  
 
Imagine there was a Dominican American here from the Bronx, who was well written, (it does not have to be written by a Dominican American from the Bronx) would that story not be unique in the tapestry that is comic books? Would something unique interest you more than lets say another god like farm boy? Asking for diversity in comic industry does not equal affirmative action, which is a whole other subject. Asking for diversity in comics is demanding unique and interesting stories, which many times come from people who have different backgrounds than the usual. 
 
(I use the Dominican American from the Bronx for two reasons. 1) consistency will usually help make a point 2) My parents are of Dominican origin and I was born and raised in the Bronx) 
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RedheadedAtrocitus

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I think its just a matter of sexist principle to even be having an outcrying about this subject. Twelve percent to one percent.  Frankly, I'm of the opinion that the most successful comic creators/artists/writers/inkers/etc. are the ones who do the job best.  It does not matter what the gender is long as they make great representative work that DC can be proud of.  In other words, I do not care that Gail Simone is female; what I do care for is that she writes well. That being said, I believe the last of the two questions best represents the dilemma that has forced a dialogue since SDCC...that DC has been seeking out female creators and it just has come up short.  I think its rather presumptuous to think otherwise, especially to think that DC would not have anticipated such a question at a major comic convention.  

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Feliciano2040

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Edited By Feliciano2040
@Jenna said:
People tend to understate the importance of diversity when it comes to creating high quality work.  I remember reading about how the head writer of the show Community was told that he had to hire more female writers and was initially annoyed by it (he, too, thought that it didn't matter who the writers were as long as they were good), but soon after he got more women on board he realized that they were churning out much better work because they had a lot of different perspectives being presented to them in the writers' room.  By including writers who aren't just white men, they're opening themselves up to a ton of new, superior material that couldn't exist without the presentation of a number of diverse viewpoints.
 
Ok, but what is it then ? Women deserving their place in the industry ? Or concern over the material being published ? Because if it's the latter, and only the best writers, the ones with a long career and vast amount of books were just men, then why would you need to hire women ?
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@Feliciano2040 said:

@inferiorego said:

As a person who was at many of the DC panels at SDCC, I can say this. She asked that question at every single panel, and by Saturday, the crowd had enough of her. She came off as malicious.

According to that stat, 1.9% of the DC books have a female involved in them, but how many women do you know that read comics compared to your male friends? Aside from Babs, I have 0 female friends that read comics, and 2 that were forced into a couple series but haven't picked up a book since then. In fact, before joining this site, I had never met/known a woman who reads comic books on a regular basis. It's not a new thing. Many people know and realize that the majority of girls simply do not read comic books. So I think it's a pretty decent representation of the comic book reading population. They want to hire the best of the best because, let's face it, the company's not doing as well as it used to.

If the best happens to be an Asian transvestite, so be it. Race and sex shouldn't matter as long as the books are good. Hire the best. Making a big deal about the race or sex is backwards thinking. We're humans. We need to stop dividing ourselves up into little factions then complaining about the other factions.

What would you rather have: DC search out and take risks on new talent while the company is seemingly struggling and they could take a hit on sales or would you rather DC just hire awesome creators, regardless of focusing on b.s. like this?

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to write an article to Cosmo complaining their aren't enough male writers for the magazine.

So much yes to this. I'm going to take a lot of heat for this, but it's ridiculous how people concern themselves about these kind of things. Would it be reasonable if I complained about the lack of latin american writers in DC Comics ?

Or Black writers? Or Asian writers? Or Homosexual writers?

I totally get your point. The "most obvious" discrepancy are the women, though. They are also the most vocal. I think it's important to address issues like this ^^, but it's equally important to be sure that the statistics we use to make our point are accurate.

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Edited By moffattbooks

this topic comes up enough time that I'm tired of it.  If women want to get into DC or Marvel, then submit your work until you get in.  Same as any other business.   
 
A different question to post to that woman who kept bring that point up, does she read other graphic novels, manga or webcomics? Plenty of women drawing those.  Some I would say would rather be independent than drawing for the Big Two.  Selling your own drawings or books seems just as good deal as the attention received working for Marvel or DC.   So don't you dare cry sexism to me when I can point out other places women are drawing comics and selling just as well as men.  Good Day

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inferiorego

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Edited By inferiorego  Staff
@Babs said:

@Feliciano2040 said:

@inferiorego said:

As a person who was at many of the DC panels at SDCC, I can say this. She asked that question at every single panel, and by Saturday, the crowd had enough of her. She came off as malicious.

According to that stat, 1.9% of the DC books have a female involved in them, but how many women do you know that read comics compared to your male friends? Aside from Babs, I have 0 female friends that read comics, and 2 that were forced into a couple series but haven't picked up a book since then. In fact, before joining this site, I had never met/known a woman who reads comic books on a regular basis. It's not a new thing. Many people know and realize that the majority of girls simply do not read comic books. So I think it's a pretty decent representation of the comic book reading population. They want to hire the best of the best because, let's face it, the company's not doing as well as it used to.

If the best happens to be an Asian transvestite, so be it. Race and sex shouldn't matter as long as the books are good. Hire the best. Making a big deal about the race or sex is backwards thinking. We're humans. We need to stop dividing ourselves up into little factions then complaining about the other factions.

What would you rather have: DC search out and take risks on new talent while the company is seemingly struggling and they could take a hit on sales or would you rather DC just hire awesome creators, regardless of focusing on b.s. like this?

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to write an article to Cosmo complaining their aren't enough male writers for the magazine.

So much yes to this. I'm going to take a lot of heat for this, but it's ridiculous how people concern themselves about these kind of things. Would it be reasonable if I complained about the lack of latin american writers in DC Comics ?

Or Black writers? Or Asian writers? Or Homosexual writers?

I totally get your point. The "most obvious" discrepancy are the women, though. They are also the most vocal. I think it's important to address issues like this ^^, but it's equally important to be sure that the statistics we use to make our point are accurate.

Although it may go against my statement earlier, there is one large comic reading community that doesn't get as much credit as it deserves, and that's the Mexican and Hispanic readers. There are a few writers within the system, but they make up a good 20% of the customers of the comic store I work at. It may be just the area I live in, but it's a pretty big force in readership. Bigger than women, blacks, and asians combine. (Again, this is the area I live in outside of Chicago, so my stats probably don't translate as well to the rest of the country)
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@inferiorego: You got that right, esé.

I think it would be unsettling to be a female in the comic industry, especially considering how many nerdy guys buckle when the female clerk tries to help them at my comic shop. It could prove to be fatal as a writer and artist.

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Edited By keithmoon316

Not sure if it matters if they reacted to the public or if they had already planned this. I think the point is they took notice that its important to fans, and we as fans need to make sure that they stick to this public statement.

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Edited By Jenna
@Feliciano2040 said:
 
@Jenna said:
People tend to understate the importance of diversity when it comes to creating high quality work.  I remember reading about how the head writer of the show Community was told that he had to hire more female writers and was initially annoyed by it (he, too, thought that it didn't matter who the writers were as long as they were good), but soon after he got more women on board he realized that they were churning out much better work because they had a lot of different perspectives being presented to them in the writers' room.  By including writers who aren't just white men, they're opening themselves up to a ton of new, superior material that couldn't exist without the presentation of a number of diverse viewpoints.
 Ok, but what is it then ? Women deserving their place in the industry ? Or concern over the material being published ? Because if it's the latter, and only the best writers, the ones with a long career and vast amount of books were just men, then why would you need to hire women ? I was directly referring to the people who have said "it doesn't matter as long as the books are good," but I have concerns regarding both.  Women have consistently proven capable of producing high quality work within other parts of the comics industry (just see moffattbooks' comment), so yes, I feel that they do deserve a place within the Big Two and that by excluding them they're alienating an entire group of writers AND readers (just as an example, if a woman sees, say, the first issue of DCnU's Catwoman, she's immediately going to assume that her readership isn't wanted).  Additionally, if they did choose to hire women who were capable of creating good work, they'd have much higher quality books.  There's not just one reason why hiring a more diverse group of writers and artists would be a good idea.
 
@moffattbooks said:
this topic comes up enough time that I'm tired of it.  If women want to get into DC or Marvel, then submit your work until you get in.  Same as any other business.    A different question to post to that woman who kept bring that point up, does she read other graphic novels, manga or webcomics? Plenty of women drawing those.  Some I would say would rather be independent than drawing for the Big Two.  Selling your own drawings or books seems just as good deal as the attention received working for Marvel or DC.   So don't you dare cry sexism to me when I can point out other places women are drawing comics and selling just as well as men.  Good Day
You are aware of the fact that DC and Marvel don't take unsolicited submissions (at least not from writers), right?  And the fact that women are successful in other parts of the industry is even more of a reason why DC should attempt to including more female creators - if their books are selling and they're churning out good work, why should they be excluded from the Big Two? 
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Edited By danhimself

I understand that it would be nice to have an equal amount of creators from all varieties of life but the thing is that women are just now starting to get into the comic book industry...it would be absurd to think that there would be the same amount of women creators as men right off the bat...give it time and I'm sure more and more female creators who are actually good at their profession will come to prominence in the industry

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Edited By Caligula

really it's just femocracy at this point masquerading as feminism. I can't take people who call themselves feminist seriously.

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Edited By Kallarkz

continue to hire the best. I could careless if DC was written completely by women or completely by men...All the public wants is good stories.

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cosmo111687

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Edited By cosmo111687

After listening to a bunch of the podcasts of the panels, I found that the only time that Dan Didio was contentious was during that first question involving the drop from 12% to 1% (which may or may not be an accurate statistic), and I felt that was because he was insulted by the insinuation that DC is sexist (which, as any of us who know their female characters - besides Starfire - would know, it is not), for which he apologized very soon afterwards. Besides that, DC's tone was very mature and their answers were very reasonable, even during the more emotionally charged moments with the repeated questioner in the Batgirl costume. For example, for her first question, she wanted to know who her daughter would be able to look up to "now that Stephanie Brown is gone." But the panelists reassured her that there were several new and old teenage female characters that her daughter could look up to and even were kind enough to drop the hint that Stephanie Brown would be returning as Spoiler in the near future (which I think the questioner was perhaps too nervous to take notice of because she repeated her questions several more times afterwards). They've shown their support for their female characters again and again and have demonstrated that they're willing to listen to their fans from the start and that they are truly serious about maintaining the diversity of their line. And I'm sure that DC is keeping their cards close to their chest and haven't revealed even a quarter of their plans for their new line - so we'll have to wait and see until the end of September before casting judgment on the direction DC is taking.

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Edited By Feliciano2040
@cdeoleo said:

Yes you should ask why there are not more Latin American writers (and characters for that matter) in comics. Especially since this is the fastest growing ethnic group in America. 

 Friend, I AM latin american, I was born in Venezuela and right now I'm living in Peru, I should not have to ask for more latin american writers, I should be asking for BETTER writers.
 
As much as you want to attribute it to "life experiences" you're also negating how the real problem here is when a writer chooses to not get off his lazy ass and do research, a white, blonde, writer from Norway is just as capable of writing a book about Blue Beetle as any Carlos Rodriguez out there IF he does the right research, if he goes and makes interviews, if he gets in touch with the right sensibilities and informs himself.
 
@Babs said:

Or Black writers? Or Asian writers? Or Homosexual writers?

I totally get your point. The "most obvious" discrepancy are the women, though. They are also the most vocal. I think it's important to address issues like this ^^, but it's equally important to be sure that the statistics we use to make our point are accurate.

But it's not like female writers are being excluded purposefully, if that had been the case then we would've never known who the hell Gail Simone or even Denise Mina are.
 
I have NOTHING against women, but face up to the truth girls, there aren't many female comic book readers out there, and there certainly are even fewer writers out there.
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Edited By zombietag
@inferiorego said:

@Feliciano2040 said:

I'm going to take a lot of heat for this

I will too, but I just don't get it. I want quality books. I don't care who writes/draws/edits/plots/designs/whatevers them.

thank you! this to me is similar to the issues with racism. people demanding more women or racial diversity anywhere is needed at some points, when the authorities are obviously biased against certain races/genders. but at the same time, i find it hard to believe that DC has really intentionally not hired more women for the 52. i think they just hired who they feel is best for the job. 
 
they shouldnt have to hire women just because there isnt enough women hired, gender shouldnt play a role in who gets hired. quality work should. if that means more guys get hired, so be it. if that means more girls get hired, so be it. 
 
sometimes issues like this should definitely be addressed, but other times i think bringing things like this up just separates people more and in some ways encourages gender bias or racism. this encourages more of judging books and publishers based on gender instead of the work itself, and i think we all want to get away from that, including women. 
 
also, jill thompson said in a cbr interview that she doesnt feel like women are getting cut out of comics, but that people are being hired based on their work, and shes never felt like she wasnt given an opportunity because of her gender.
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nnotdead

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Edited By nnotdead

women tend to make 33% less than men, so for pure economical reasons it would make sense to hire more women. :)

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Edited By MrLeadFoot

My perspective on the subject: You just can't please everybody in the world, thats for sure! As a business they have to do what sells. If creators weren't selling enough books (or characters) its silly to have them around regardless of gender or race. That said I never look to see who's writing or drawing whatever comic I hold in my hands. I only look after the read if something who piques my interest. I currently don't read any DC books but I'm gonna start with the new 52, so they must've done something right with their choices...  

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Edited By Sublimedo
@KainScion said:
why does it matter?? a good character is a good character regardless of the gender of its creator
This could be true, if we knew for sure every character in the new 52 is going to be written well, which we don't. 
 
For me, an overly male-centric universe is a very uninteresting one.
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Edited By Feliciano2040
@Jenna said: 

I was directly referring to the people who have said "it doesn't matter as long as the books are good," but I have concerns regarding both.  Women have consistently proven capable of producing high quality work within other parts of the comics industry (just see moffattbooks' comment), so yes, I feel that they do deserve a place within the Big Two and that by excluding them they're alienating an entire group of writers AND readers (just as an example, if a woman sees, say, the first issue of DCnU's Catwoman, she's immediately going to assume that her readership isn't wanted).  Additionally, if they did choose to hire women who were capable of creating good work, they'd have much higher quality books.  There's not just one reason why hiring a more diverse group of writers and artists would be a good idea.

But how do you know they are being excluded ? Also, you speak as if there was a gigantic mass of female writers and artists out there, when there really isn't, there aren't many female comic book readers, there are even LESS artists and writers.
 
@Jenna said:

And the fact that women are successful in other parts of the industry is even more of a reason why DC should attempt to including more female creators - if their books are selling and they're churning out good work, why should they be excluded from the Big Two?

No they are not, people are entitled to hire whoever they want into their offices, and they shouldn't have to be accused of things nobody here can prove.
 
The real problem here is that some people are choosing to focus on how John  Doe was chosen over Jane Doe simply because the former is a man, ignoring that perhaps John was probably the better writer.
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Edited By NightFang3  Online
@cattlebattle said:
@KainScion said:
why does it matter?? a good character is a good character regardless of the gender of its creator
QFT!!
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Edited By GrimoireMyst

As a Canadien what the real thing everyone should pay attention to is just how many Canadiens are working at DC right? I'm tired of them getting anyone from Canada saying "aboot" or "A" at the end of every sentence.....if you have read this far you must know I'm being sarcastic. lol
 
  In all the time that I have been reading comics in my whole lifetime not once do I ever remember looking to see who wrote that particular issue to see if they portrayed either of the sexes in the so called "right way". 
   Writers are writers and it shouldn't be based on a pie chart diagram showing to see what the right demographic of the personnel behind the scenes at DC or any other company are the right race, creed, or sex they are designated to show themselves as the company of the future where everyone is in equal numbers to be fair. 
  They do the job they get paid. If they are dead weight they are replaced by a better writer with gender not being an issue and that's how the world works. I hope so at least since it won't be just DC feeling the pinch from any company that provided even a little substandard work.
 
P.S: Bringing up that there should be more female writers is in itself sexist isn't it?

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Edited By cdeoleo
@Feliciano2040: What type of research would you think is appropriate? Would the writer have to live in the Bronx? Would a Wikipedia page suffice? Speaking and interacting with, in this case Latin Americans, could also be an option right. Now let say this writer did all three of these, highly unlikely but lets say he did, any Anthropologist will tell you that this still is not enough to speak on the behalf of a community set in a certain location. The best person to speak on the experiences of this community would be a prominent member of this community. That prominent member of the community, if he/she so happens to be a great writer, could then put the experiences of this community into prose.