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"Bring Back Bunty" - a call for more girl's comics

Started by Emperor, 13 April, 2011, 06:05:55 PM

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Emperor

Jo Bevan has started a "Bring Back Bunty" campaign - not aimed at actually resurrecting that specific girl's comic (although I'm sure no one would object if they did) but using the alliterative cry for action as a banner for a push to get more comics made for girls, and not just romance (supernatural or otherwise) or auto-biographical ones either.

Her blog:

http://ooteeny.posterous.com

It's now on Facebook too:

www.facebook.com/pages/Bring-Back-Bunty/106631579421379

John Freeman has started a group over on Down The Tubes where there is more discussion:

http://downthetubes.ning.com/group/bringbackbunty

Thoughts?
if I went 'round saying I was an Emperor just because some moistened bint had lobbed a scimitar at me, they'd put me away!

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The Legendary Shark

Why the Hell not? I think it's a great opportunit... er, idea!
[move]~~~^~~~~~~~[/move]




Jared Katooie

I think it's a great idea.

It'd be great to think of young girls reading stories with heroines beating up tigers, uncovering conspiracies, and saving the world. Much better than tedious celebrity interviews and (later on in life) gruesome women's mag true stories.


But would a young girl want to buy a comic book? I think not. Hell, even young boys aren't interested in comics anymore. It's hard enough to get kids to read full stop let alone...

(editors note: much off-topic ranting ensued at this point so I have taken the liberty of ending Jared's post here)

Emperor

Quote from: Jared Katooie on 13 April, 2011, 07:19:14 PM
But would a young girl want to buy a comic book?

Simple answer: yes.

It is the reason Jo got the ball rolling in the first place:

QuoteMy daughter loves to read, we spend a small fortune on books and always have a pile of them borrowed from the local library - thanks goodness for libraries! When she was younger we also regularly bought comics.

Now she's nine we cannot find a comic to suit her. She is an 'average' girl, who enjoys stories and most things that nine years olds do. She is not into the latest pop-star fad, is not too concerned about fashion and is not overly fond of horses, animals or bugs - which is what the majority of comics for her age are filled with. She does love 'The Beano', but finds it slightly masculine and refuses to buy it when it comes with a "boy-ey" (her words) free gift - which is often.

http://ooteeny.posterous.com/bring-back-bunty
if I went 'round saying I was an Emperor just because some moistened bint had lobbed a scimitar at me, they'd put me away!

Fractal Friction | Tumblr | Google+

The Legendary Shark

We could debate this issue in the Yap Shop this  very evening...
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locustsofdeath!

About a year ago, I think, I bought my 8-year-old daughter the Misty Special - and she absolutely loved it! She's a bigtime comic reader already, her favorite being Mouse Guard.

I think this might work.

gdwessel

I'm not in the UK but I have a 12 year old girl who loves Archie and Babymouse comics. I'm all for more comics for girls.


klute

Quote from: Emperor on 13 April, 2011, 06:05:55 PM
Jo Bevan has started a "Bring Back Bunty" campaign - not aimed at actually resurrecting that specific girl's comic (although I'm sure no one would object if they did) but using the alliterative cry for action as a banner for a push to get more comics made for girls, and not just romance (supernatural or otherwise) or auto-biographical ones either.

Her blog:

http://ooteeny.posterous.com

It's now on Facebook too:

www.facebook.com/pages/Bring-Back-Bunty/106631579421379

John Freeman has started a group over on Down The Tubes where there is more discussion:

http://downthetubes.ning.com/group/bringbackbunty

Thoughts?

I'd quite willingly support this after nearly 26 years of collecting comics from boy to man i get the impression im being naive by saying i believed that comics like X-Men,Gen 13,Power Girl,SuperGirl amongst quite a few others were aimed at girls as much as men?

Well maybe not as much as men but still surely some thought goes into females or is it a case of a male dominated industry thats missing out a key target audience??

Unlike LoD and Gdwessel i dont have a daughter...just a 4 year old boy creeping up to 5 years of age and showing a big interest in what i would call the usual suspects (Spiderman,Superman,X-men(atleast wolverine)

It seems he's catered for by the above and comics like the beano/dandy/ben 10 should he go down that route.

Which leads me to were it started for me the first coimcs i read were dandy/beano/legion of super heroes and arak.Surely if comics like dandy and beano are to some extent to blame(in a good way) for people getting into comics they should again focus on both male and female audiences????
loveforstitch - Does he fall in love? I like a little romance in all my movies.

Rekaert - Yes, he demonstrates it with bullets, punches and sentencing.

He's Mega City 1's own Don Juan.

Emperor

A Kickstarter project began to raise money for a new anthology: Womanthology, with an all-female creative line-up. They were looking to raise $20k in 30 days, they ended up raising $27k overnight and are now at $39k with 29 days left to run:

www.comicsbeat.com/2011/07/08/womanthology-raises-27000-overnight-are-you-listening-marvel-and-dc/

There is clearly an interest in this kind of thing out there.
if I went 'round saying I was an Emperor just because some moistened bint had lobbed a scimitar at me, they'd put me away!

Fractal Friction | Tumblr | Google+

Peter Wolf

Quote from: Emperor on 09 July, 2011, 03:02:49 PM
A Kickstarter project began to raise money for a new anthology: Womanthology, with an all-female creative line-up. They were looking to raise $20k in 30 days, they ended up raising $27k overnight and are now at $39k with 29 days left to run:

www.comicsbeat.com/2011/07/08/womanthology-raises-27000-overnight-are-you-listening-marvel-and-dc/

There is clearly an interest in this kind of thing out there.

Thats pretty good going in terms of raising funds that quickly and that much but i thought that it was over once you had raised the funds that you were after but it seems not and if people want to keep giving them cash then why stop ?

Is this Kickstart thing a bit of a fad in terms of it being new and is there a possibility that people will lose interest in it at some future point in time or will it go the opposite way ?

I know they get something back in return [hopefully] but i hope that its not something that will be exploited by scammers but i guess thats inevitable but its good that funding can be generated without appealing to bigshots.
Worthing Bazaar - A fete worse than death

Emperor

Quote from: Peter Wolf on 09 July, 2011, 06:34:56 PM
Quote from: Emperor on 09 July, 2011, 03:02:49 PM
A Kickstarter project began to raise money for a new anthology: Womanthology, with an all-female creative line-up. They were looking to raise $20k in 30 days, they ended up raising $27k overnight and are now at $39k with 29 days left to run:

www.comicsbeat.com/2011/07/08/womanthology-raises-27000-overnight-are-you-listening-marvel-and-dc/

There is clearly an interest in this kind of thing out there.

Thats pretty good going in terms of raising funds that quickly and that much but i thought that it was over once you had raised the funds that you were after but it seems not and if people want to keep giving them cash then why stop ?

The important thing is to reach your target or you get nothing. It can go on beyond that as most people use it for things like pre-orders, so if you donate a certain amount, you get the book. Granted it'd usually be cheaper to buy it when it comes out but they throw in some nice extras and you get the glow from knowing you helped a worthwhile project get off the ground. Or the extra money can help with a bigger print run, or something else relevant.

Quote from: Peter Wolf on 09 July, 2011, 06:34:56 PMIs this Kickstart thing a bit of a fad in terms of it being new and is there a possibility that people will lose interest in it at some future point in time or will it go the opposite way ?

It really depends, it is at the point where so many people have Kickstarter projects that a certain fatigue could set in, but beyond that, if the project is right and has a group of creators bringing something interesting and original, then I think it'll still work. We'll have to wait and see.
if I went 'round saying I was an Emperor just because some moistened bint had lobbed a scimitar at me, they'd put me away!

Fractal Friction | Tumblr | Google+

Emperor

#11
Jo Bevan speaks to Pat Mills, he is always good value and it is worth reading the whole thing but he clearly has his sights set on launching a new girls comic and then expanding from there:

QuoteI have spoken about girls' comics to many parents, teachers and comic creators over the past couple of months; there has been unanimous agreement that there is a gap in the market and much support for something new.

That's good to know and I'm currently trying one approach with one publisher. If that fails, I will try another. There's certainly strong interest – the key is to get them to reach for their cheque books, though! I'm one of the last professionals from the original girls comic boom era, so I feel I have some responsibility to do so.

...

Seeing my own daughter's interest, excitement and enthusiasm for the secondhand comics and annuals I've found for her, I think there is a need for a new contemporary girls' comic. Do you agree?

Yes. I've pitched one and am waiting to see what happens. It has been adjusted for a 2011 sensibility, but its core will remain the same, because those stories from the 1970s still work today. A good story is not ephemeral – it will always be a good story.

...

Many newspaper and magazine publishers are extending their frontiers on the Internet. Comics look great online, on computers, iPads and smart phones, where readers can interact with the story and individual images. As many children have access to the Internet, do you see digital media as a way for children's comics to forge a future? Do you think a digital comic could open up a new audience?

Digital is the direction I'm coming from. Paper would be secondary. Whether we like it or not (and many don't!) digital is the future.

In my limited research I've spoken to a large number of enthusiastic contemporary comic creators – there is a wealth of talent out there! It would be great to have some new comics, be it in paper or digital form for children to read and enjoy, weekly or even daily.

That's my plan... To start with one digital comic and then expand. Formulae is everything in fiction. The wrong formula and it's dead in the water. Art house creators are about personal expression, mainstream is about following story tramlines. Many creators don't wish to do this, seeing it as a restriction on their vision. The trick is combining the two – not easy but possible. But I need to ensure the right business structure is also in place to make it happen. It's looking promising.

...

You have been alluding to a possible return of girls' comics; can you shed any light on your intentions?

Some clues above. It's going to be a battle but I'm optimistic. I think it would broadly speaking be a digital girls' mystery/supernatural.

http://ooteeny.posterous.com/the-future-looks-rosy

If he pulls it off, I'll start a petition to get him knighted. He'd turn it down with suitable venom, but isn't that the fun of it?
if I went 'round saying I was an Emperor just because some moistened bint had lobbed a scimitar at me, they'd put me away!

Fractal Friction | Tumblr | Google+

Emperor

I got it on BC, which should raise the profile:

www.bleedingcool.com/2011/08/11/pat-mills-plans-to-publish-new-girls-comic-for-the-uk/
if I went 'round saying I was an Emperor just because some moistened bint had lobbed a scimitar at me, they'd put me away!

Fractal Friction | Tumblr | Google+

maryanddavid

http://www.downthetubes.net/features/interviews/editors/bill_graham310308.html

Interview from a a while back with Bill Graham, bit at the end about the girls comic 'Wendy' DCT still produces for the European market.

David

Emperor

if I went 'round saying I was an Emperor just because some moistened bint had lobbed a scimitar at me, they'd put me away!

Fractal Friction | Tumblr | Google+