Broken Frontier

Teen literature has always been a powerful seller for book publishers. Everything from The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew to the books of Judy Blume to the Babysitter’s Club found their way out of bookstores and onto teenager’s bookshelves.

The market had declined in the 90s but is now back with a vengeance. Sales have increased by a quarter since that decade, and the stories have gotten more complex, challenging and mature. Teen lit is at its highest popularity in years, and keeps on growing.

Another big seller for bookstores is Manga. This can be seen by the increasing amount of floor space that books take up in places like Borders and Barnes and Nobles. My hometown Waldenbooks recently increased its Manga section from one section of shelves to an entire wall, featuring an area seven feet high and forty feet long filled with Japanese-influenced comic art.

These two markets, Manga and Teen Lit, surely are responsible for millions of dollars for their respective publishers. They tap into a teenage demographic, a large percentage of it female, with a lot of disposable income and the willingness to spend it.

DC’s new MINX line is a little bit like teen lit run through a Manga filter. It is an attempt to tap into these two markets, especially the young female teen, ideally to fill DC’s coffers with some of their money. It is being marketed as the first graphic novel imprint for teens. It is an experiment to gain a new readership for it’s company, and if it works, it could change the face of the medium as we know it.

The experiment begins tomorrow with MINX’s first offering, The Plain Janes. It tells the story of a young woman named Jane who moves from the city to the suburbs. There she meets three other girls who not only share her first name, but also the same interests and attitudes on life. Together, they form an army of sorts, with the mission of spreading their love of art throughout their neighborhoods. 

The Plain Janes will be joined in June by Mike Carey and Sonny Liew’s Re-Gifters, in July by Andi Watson and Josh Howard’s Clubbing and in August by Derek Kirk Kim and Jesse Harm’s Good As Lily. That is all that was announced so far, but if the line is successful, it’s safe to say that we will see at least one new title each month.

It is also safe to say that DC is aiming more at the bookstore market than the comic shops. Bookstores supply a steady form of income to comic companies through sales of trade paperbacks and original graphic novels. But if MINX is to grab some of the teen lit and Manga business, in needs to establish a unique presence there as well.

DC’s target marketing might just work out. The audience they are reaching for is a proven money maker. And while I don’t believe that MINX will become the face of all comics in the future, if it’s successful it will provide a form of income that will allow the comic business to expand and grow. That means the conventional form of comics I know and love might be able to survive for a long time. And I approve of that.

DC claims its new MINX line is “The Face of Modern Fiction”. It might be too soon to tell about that, but it is a noble attempt to reach new audiences. In efforts to provide a bridge between teen prose fiction and Manga, MINX sets its sights directly on the young female demographic. It’s a lucrative market and, if successfully tapped into, could mean a rejuvenation of the comic book medium.

Go here  to read our interview with Cecil Castellucci.

Also out this week:

• Fallen Son: Death of Captain America Captain America

I love the original solicitation for this title. Written months in advance and trying to keep certain plot points a secret, it states “How has the fall-out of Civil War affected Captain America?” Well, we now know it killed him. That’s a pretty major affect.

Rumor has it that this is the issue where we will see the new Captain America. However, we must remind ourselves that rumor also had it that Cap was supposed to bite it in Civil War #7, and he lasted a week or two later to Cap #25. The one thing that’s for sure is that this issue represents the “bargaining” stage of the Küber-Ross model on dealing with grief that the series to date has been following. If you can figure out how we get a new Cap out of that, then it just might happen.  

Jeph Loeb (W), John Romita Jr. (A), Marvel Comics, $2.99. One-Shot.

• All-Star Batman & Robin #5

If an issue of All-Star Batman and Robin arrives in comics shops, will anybody buy it? Well, we’ll have to make that decision tomorrow as the oft delayed issue #5 finally hits comic store shelves. Maybe. Hopefully. Possibly. The issue was originally solicited for April 19….of 2006! That means if it does arrive tomorrow, it will be over a year late.

The lateness of this title has caused many a joke amongst the comic fandom. Wags have been calling it an annual and comparing it to Baseball’s “All-Star” Game (which only comes around once a year.). I believe the ribbing is more than deserved. A year between issues should be unacceptable, especially for a title that was aimed at being accessible to new readers. If issue 5 does arrive tomorrow, we should all take bets to see how long it will take to see issue 6.  

Frank Miller (W), Jim Lee (A), DC Comics, $2.99. Ongoing Series.

• Rob Zombie Presents the Haunted World of El Superbeasto

Rob Zombie got his start creating hard-driving heavy metal with White Zombie and in his own solo career. He parlayed his psuedo-horror persona into a gig as a movie director and also into the world of writing comics. This is one of the projects that bridges both worlds. That would be this trade paperback, which acts as a prequel to an animated film of the same name featuring the voice talents of Paul Giamatti, Danny Trejo and Brian Posehn.

Follow the exploits of El Superbeasto, who resembles the masked wrestlers that are called Luchadores, and his cohorts in “tales of horror excitement.” Zombie is joined on art by a who’s who of artists including Kieron Dwyer, Tony Moore and J. Scott Campbell. 

Rob Zombie (W), Various (A), Image Comics, $19.99. Graphic Novel.

• G.I. Joe: Storm Shadow #1

One of the most popular characters in the G.I. Joe universe is the ninja known as Storm Shadow. He originally started out in the toy line as an agent of the villainous Cobra. But he became so popular with fans that they insisted he become a good guy. He eventually switched sides and became a member of the G.I. Joe team.

One of the reasons Storm Shadow has become so popular was because of the backstory and characterization writer Larry Hama gave him, not only on the file cards on the back of his action figures, but also in his appearances in Marvel’s G. I. Joe comic book. Now Storm Shadow has received his own monthly, ongoing title and his creator, Larry Hama, is back writing him. That makes this series a must-have for any rabid G. I. Joe fan.

Larry Hama (W), Mark Robinson (A), Devil’s Due Publishing , $3.50. Ongoing Series. 

• Uncanny X-Men #486

Ed Brubaker’s year-long story arc, The Rise and Fall of the Shi’ar Empire,  comes to close with this issue. A group of X-Men has chased the renegade Vulcan to the farthest reaches of space. Vulcan has set his mind on revenge, and the Shi’ar are the main focus of it. We’ll see if he succeeds in this issue.

This issue hints that not all characters will be returning to Earth and that the X-Men and the Shi’ar will never be the same again. X-Fans have been eagerly awaiting this issue to arrive since X-Men: Deadly Genesis ended. And what they get is sure not to disappoint. If you are interested in where the X-Men will go in the future, this book is the one to get. 

Ed Brubaker (W), Billy Tan (A), Marvel Comics, $2.99. Ongoing Series.

• Left on Mission #1

The spy game has never been more popular, with Daniel Craig giving the James Bond franchise a shot in the arm with Casino Royale, Matt Damon bringing Jason Bourne to life in a series of movies (the latest one coming this summer) and Kiefer Sutherland’s Jack Bauer chasing down bad guys each week on 24. BOOM! Studios is a comic company with its finger on the pulse of pop culture. So it is only fitting that a comic that compares to the above mentioned properties would come from them.

Eric Westfall is retired from the spy game, living happily in suburbia with his wife and kid. But when an old flame in the agency goes rogue and steals highly classified information, he is called back into service. His mission—bring her back into the fold or kill her.

Chip Mosher (W), Francesco Francavilla (A), BOOM! Studios, $3.99. Five-Issue Miniseries.

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William Gatevackes is a professional writer living in Mamaroneck, NY with his wife Jennifer. He also writes periodic comic reviews for PopMatters and writes title descriptions for Human Computing’s Comicbase collection management software. Links to his writing can be found at his website, www.williamgatevackes.com.