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Are More Women Reading Comics?

Started by OldGuy,

19 posts in this topic

OldGuy

OldGuy

Posted
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I had five auctions end yesterday and two of the buyers were women. That increases by 200% the number of women I've sold comics to on Ebay. The auctions were for Emma Frost 1-6 and the new Teen Titans #1 (regular and variant 1st print covers).

 

Are titles like Emma Frost and Mystique actually bringing in female fans? Have you seen more women in your LCS? Are you selling to more women on Ebay? Was my experience yesterday just a freak occurrence?

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wrcomics

wrcomics

Posted
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Actually OG, two days ago I had a woman lawyer hit the buy it now on five ASMs I had posted. Maybe they've always been out there and are just beginning to put some trust in buying online?

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FFB

FFB

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My girlfriend reads them every now and then and enjoys them. She's just not a buyer. (She doesn't need to be, thanks to me. I'll buy pretty much any decent comic I can find on the newsstand each week.)

 

I had five auctions end yesterday and two of the buyers were women. That increases by 200% the number of women I've sold comics to on Ebay. The auctions were for Emma Frost 1-6 and the new Teen Titans #1 (regular and variant 1st print covers).

 

Are titles like Emma Frost and Mystique actually bringing in female fans? Have you seen more women in your LCS? Are you selling to more women on Ebay? Was my experience yesterday just a freak occurrence?

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Foolkiller

Foolkiller

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Haven't seen a lot of women at the LCS... from time to time you'll see one or two, but most of the time with their boyfriends. Where I will see women taking more interest is in the Manga section. There seems to be a lot of interest there... not much more... at some of the larger shows, there are more women there than I would normally expect.

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joe_collector

joe_collector

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In my selling experience, the vast majority of female buyers are purchasing for husbands, boyfriends, male relatives, etc. I've also had conversations with other EBay contacts who have similar experiences, and are always moaning and groaning about "why can't my wife buy me a Hulk 181 CGC 9.6?". grin.gif

 

There are likely some serious female collectors, but more guys collecting = more ladies buying for them.

 

It's similar to going to the jewelry store, seeing all the guys at the counter, and surmising that men's diamond bracelets are making a comeback. 27_laughing.gif

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FlyingDonut

FlyingDonut

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I'd like to hear from Lighthouse on this - given that he owns a store and all. I sell maybe 30% of my stuff to women, but I sell a lot of "female" books (romance, Disneys, that sort of thing).

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wrcomics

wrcomics

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I read the time article referred by Hobbes. Very interesting! My 13 year old stepdaughter is a big fan of Inuyasha, an anime import on cartoon network. Has similar qualities to the manga books in the article.

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hobbes

hobbes

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The article I was looking for stated 60% of the manga sold in the US is bought by young women. I was unable to find it but stumbled across the Time article while searching.

 

I find this line to be very interesting::

Having been abandoned by most U.S. comic publishers several decades ago...

 

One would think Marvel and/or DC would be attempting to break in to this market by targeting what is apparently it's dominant demographic. Actually, Dark Horse strikes me as a candidate for breaking into this area. They are already marketing manga trades. Hellsing springs to mind.

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wrcomics

wrcomics

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Agreed. It's definitely an opportunity to expand their markets horizontally and increase subscription and reader bases. I can't see why they haven't been more agressive in exploring the possibilities. confused-smiley-013.gif

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hobbes

hobbes

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The best LCS in my town is run by a very nice lady and her daughter.

 

I wonder if the reason women go unnoticed when buying comics is due to the fact that superheros dominate the market? I can't help but wonder if there is any merit to that assumption based on the manga material being sold and the list you put forth regarding your daughter's reading habits.

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Mister_Comics

Mister_Comics

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I can't help but wonder if there is any merit to that assumption based on the manga material being sold and the list you put forth regarding your daughter's reading habits.

 

Well she does read TRANSFORMERS and MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE only because she grew up with those on TV. Plus she use to play with those toys as a kid. SHE-RA was her big fave as I recall.

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lighthouse

lighthouse

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The best LCS in my town is run by a very nice lady and her daughter.

 

I wonder if the reason women go unnoticed when buying comics is due to the fact that superheros dominate the market? I can't help but wonder if there is any merit to that assumption based on the manga material being sold and the list you put forth regarding your daughter's reading habits.

 

That "fact" is becoming less and less true everyday, and it's one of the reasons why female readership is rising.

 

The perception is that superheros dominate the market. But they make up less than 40% of the titles I carry, and they are barely more than 60% of my new issue sales.

 

Even titles that would normally be considered "superhero" titles are shifting their focus. In the last five years, how much time has Daredevil spent in costume fighting with someone else in costume? Smallville is a very popular "superhero" television show where we will never, ever, see Superman fly. Bruce Jones' run on the Incredible Hulk has been wildly popular. Can you really call that a "superhero" book? Honestly?

 

The number of titles on the stands that feature a guy in a costume fighting another guy in a costume is dwindling rapidly. There will always be a place for larger-than-life heroes, there always has been. But the number of crime, fantasy, sci-fi, suspense, romance, horror, humor, and teenage-angst comic books is growing. And those books sell very well to women, who read a great deal more than men across the board...

 

Women may be less likely to buy superhero back-issues on eBay. But they are tearing up the other genres of new releases. And they are the best bet to get kids reading comics again. thumbsup2.gif

 

I plug this site as often as I can, but for a different perspective check out Sequential Tart ...

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hobbes

hobbes

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I'm glad you stepped into the discussion. I shared donut's desire for your input. I guess you answered my question as to the "merit" of my assumption.

 

Thanks for the link. I read the "How Do I miss Thee?" article. I would like to see the author of that article, Barb Lien-Cooper, expand more on the thoughts she expresses concerning the rise of manga as a fad. I gather from her tone she disagrees with that perception. Based on what I am seeing at the local book stores (B&N, Waldenbooks, et al) manga is more than just a fad. Seems like every week the selections at the stores gets a little bigger.

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