With the cancellation of X-23 and Ghost Rider, Marvel now has no comic starring solo female heroes. Spider Woman, Ms. Marvel, Spider-Girl, and Black Widow have all failed to sustain ongoing series over the past few years.

Which female Marvel character can support a series?

Invisible Woman? Or does she have too much exposure already with the two Hickman comics?

I would suggest somebody from the X-comics, but aren’t they all similarly overexposed?

Spider Woman and Ms. Marvel have been starring on and off in their own comics since the 70s, is it time to try again?

How about Elektra? Rucka is back at Marvel. Seems like a viable pairing.

Suggestions?

@jsphsmth: I don't think Invisible Woman or any FF member, for that fact, could support their own ongoing.

Of all the marvel women, i think Ms. Marvel could maybe support her own title. However she'd need a very strong creative team and an interesting story premise, in order to accomodate for the fact that she's not a top tier character. Maybe have her go through some space adventures on a quest to discover Captain Mar-Vell.

I think they should just bring X-23 back. Pretty butt hurt about her cancellation.

@Afro_Warrior: It is funny that you say Ms Marvel isn't top tier. I am having trouble figuring out who are the top tier female characters for Marvel.

@Mayo88m: You and a lot of other people. The two articles on this had a huge number of comments, probably more than any other stories this week. I wonder what it would take for Marvel to reconsider?

@Afro_Warrior: It is funny that you say Ms Marvel isn't top tier. I am having trouble figuring out who are the top tier female characters for Marvel.

Ms. Marvel.
X-23.
Elektra.

- Regardless of how many deserve one, recent events seem to only assure that none could survive in the current sales climate. I remember not that long ago when any title with an X in it was a top 20 or 30 book guaranteed, now many are barely top 100, its a whole different landscape.

- Comics are still a male dominated medium and many readers will not even give a female lead solo series a look. With less readers overall on all books, it limits many to being DOA no matter how good the book is.

- I would much rather see well written female characters at the forefront of team books that actually have a chance to survive long enough to show off the character.

@Mayo88m said:

I think they should just bring X-23 back. Pretty butt hurt about her cancellation.

Exactly.

Wasn't there an article here a while back about Valkerie (sp?) and an ongoing series for her, I would totally pick that one up. Or better yet, bring the LADY LIBERATORS back, the ones that came about in She-Hulk's last run, the story arc that was actually good before Peter David's arc ended on her volume.

Why not? Who says we need a solo-female title? Why not an entire female super hero group?

@jsphsmth: I don't think marvel really has any top tier female characters. Invisible Woman, Jean Grey and Storm are probably their most famous female characters, but none of them are really strong enough to carry anything by themselves.

Invisible Woman is great, within the confines of FF, while Jean (now dead) and Storm are big characters within X-Men books, but outside....

I think of it this way. When i think of a top tier character i think of someone who could realistically carry a solo series and is interesting by themselves, like Spidey or Ironman. Where as Jean, Sue and Storm are only interesting and sell when working with others in a team book (this applies to all the members of the FF and the X-Men, barring Wolverine).

So yeh, i think Sue, Jean and Storm are Marvel's biggest women, but none of them are in the same league as Marvel's 'stars' individually.

@aztek_the_lost said:

Typhoid Mary

Actually a surprisingly good idea. Mary ever been a protagonist before?

@aztek_the_lost said:

@Dommed_Cannon said:

@aztek_the_lost said:

Typhoid Mary

Actually a surprisingly good idea. Mary ever been a protagonist before?

surprisingly?! are you inferring I am not a well of good ideas?

and she's only had a four-issue miniseries that I know of: Typhoid

Mary isn't exactly the sort of character I think of when I'm trying to think of who'd make a good protagonist. But she'd definitely work if written well.

@WarMachineMarkV: If other companies can succeed with female solo titles, why can't Marvel? Witchblade, Wonder Woman, and Catwoman have all carried titles for decades, so it is hard to say female solo comics cannot succeed in a male dominated medium or the current economy.

Similarly Brian Q Millers Batgirl was just as well received as Spider-Girl and X-23. Brian's Batgirl would still be around if it wasn't for the reboot. Why did Marvel have to cancel Spider-Girl and X-23?

@aztek_the_lost: I agree. Character wise she brings much more to the table.

@Afro_Warrior: Those were three that I was thinking of when I posed the original question. I think you are correct that they cannot sustain solo ongoing comics.

Maybe Marvel needs to do something completely out of left field like Typhoid Mary, as aztek_the_lost suggested.

Hellcat and or Tigra

@jsphsmth said:

@WarMachineMarkV: If other companies can succeed with female solo titles, why can't Marvel? Witchblade, Wonder Woman, and Catwoman have all carried titles for decades, so it is hard to say female solo comics cannot succeed in a male dominated medium or the current economy.

Similarly Brian Q Millers Batgirl was just as well received as Spider-Girl and X-23. Brian's Batgirl would still be around if it wasn't for the reboot. Why did Marvel have to cancel Spider-Girl and X-23?

1 - This really depends on your definition of a success as each company has very different standards as to what they consider a series worth keeping around. Marvel seems to be setting the bar at around 25,000 in monthly sales and not to be trending down too much. DC and Image accept much lower numbers which helps their titles lasting longer, but your topic was focusing on Marvel characters so I'm making my decisions based on their own standards.

2 - Remember this is about success in the CURRENT sales climate. Things were much different 10 years ago in comparison to now, just look at a sales chart from 2001 and compare it to now and the change is staggering. If the industry was still in the state it was 10 or 20 years ago I would have a vastly different outlook.

- These numbers are from August 2011, I am using these as the current DC numbers are inflated due to the reboot and we do not know what they will look like after sales level out. I am also avoiding any Flashpoint tie-ins so we see as best as possible what the book would sell on it's own.

60 - Wonder Woman - 29,223

80 - Birds of Prey - 26,043

95 - X-23 - 23,976

106 - Batgirl - 22.695

117 - Gotham City Sirens - 20,216

- Based on recent cancellations even a character as iconic as Wonder Woman and Birds of Prey would be on life support if published by Marvel, and every other title would be long gone (Zatanna, Power Girl, etc.)

- With the switch slowly moving towards digital and it's lower overhead, there may be a future as it is far more likely they would accept the lower sales numbers as it would still be profitable to an acceptable degree.

Spider-Women, written by Bendis

@ScarlettAssassin You'd think they'd be trying to push her more. She's a strong female and she bears the company's name.

Squirrel Girl. =P

spider women

black cat

psylocke

Storm!!!
BB

@Billy Batson said:

Storm!!!
BB

^this :P

Ms. Marvel and Valkyrie

@homeslice: Marvel had plans for a Valkyrie miniseries last fall. Didn't it get cancelled before it started?

She is the protagonist in Fear Itself: The Fearless. Maybe if it does well this could be possible.

@Mayo88m: Well said.

She-Hulk

Ms. Marvel

Lady Liberators

@BloodTalon said:

Hellcat and or Tigra

That would make for an interesting team.

I would read She-Hulk.

Quite a few deserve one, unfortunately there is noise.  
 
What I mean by that is comic fans just really really suck at going out of their comfort zone (totally their choice). Their have been so many one shots, and mini's with female focus or leads that were quantifiably better in quality than a lot of other books out there that do sell and are still around. To me the idea that Marvel (or any business) does not push their female characters is extremely lacking. If there is money to be made, they will try to make it. If there is a good argument to be made is that how they go about making that money (like comparing short term profit versus long term profit, - developing a character so taking a hit now, to get pay of later, and how big a hit they try to make, and how long they are willing to wait for pay off that never comes)  
 
Anyway, not that they would likely sell well, I'd like a Lady Liberators title. Maybe pooling together fans of She Hulk, Elektra, Echo, Valkyrie etc would help, especially if you get a big name writer and artist even though their story might suck, most fans don't buy on quality so we just want the book to survive long enough to give characters exposure. Then maybe after that they might have better chance at solo titles.  
 
Ms Marvel, X-23, otherwise. 

@Billy Batson said:

Storm!!!
BB

Stop it. :P

None.

bring back she-hulk. her series always were awesome.

I would totally read a series about vampire!Jubilee.

@venomoushatred1001: Why none?

Is Heroes for Hire canceled? I wouldn't be surprised if it it was but that seemed to be a female-led title with Misty in command?

@Pbott said:

Spider-Women, written by Bendis

No. No more Bendis.

@Wattup: It has been changed to Villains for Hire. Misty Knight is still leading the team.

@Wattup: Whats so bad about Bendis? Sure some of his stuff is better that others, but if you exclude all his tie in issues to the events ln his avengers stuff its all good. And what he is doing with ultimate spider man and Moon Knight is awesome.

The Fearless or whatever that Fear Itself spin off is called is basically a Valkyrie solo series. It's a 12 issue mini which can be practically called an ongoing series at the rate marvel is cancelling titles.

Jocasta.

If they got a decent writer and artist, where they don't draw her completely sexed up, it would be fantastic.

So much can be done with her, and she has plenty of history to fall back on...

I reckon Mockingbird could handle mini..

Otheriwise She Hulk, Ms Marvel, X-23.

I also think more minis could be released for Mystique, Domino, Elektra and Tigra.

@jsphsmth said:

@venomoushatred1001: Why none?

None are popular or interesting enough to have their own successful Ongoing.

@WarMachineMarkV said:

60 - Wonder Woman - 29,223

80 - Birds of Prey - 26,043

- Based on recent cancellations even a character as iconic as Wonder Woman and Birds of Prey would be on life support if published by Marvel, and every other title would be long gone (Zatanna, Power Girl, etc.)

Wonder Woman and Birds of Prey sales wise would be safe but everything below them I agree would be dropped like a bad habit.

I alwlays loved Spider-girl (Mayday Parker) but it does not seem like we will get a series from her in a while , but Invisible Woman could be a good pick if Hickman writes the series. I know I would pick it up or maybe Kitty Pryde she has been a fan favorite for a while.

Storm