Witchblade Rebirth: Jump in now!

Based on the artwork and reviews I've seen of Witchblade in the past, it seemed like little more than an excuse for a nearly-naked hot woman to be grasped in all her most intimate areas by some kind of arcane creature while they slice people up together, so I hadn't been interested in reading it at all.

So when I was at the Image show in February, I asked this question at the Top Cow booth: "What do you have that's urban fantasy but without blood and guts everywhere?" He handed me Witchblade: Unbalanced Pieces. The look on my face must have made my doubt clear, because he immediately started trying to sell me on it.

It worked.

It wasn't blood and guts, and it wasn't nearly as tawdry as I'd thought it was. Just as important, the "Top Cow Rebirth" series does not require readers to know the entire backstory and all the events of the main character's past. He described it as a jumping off point for new readers, and as a completely new reader to the series, I'd have to say that it works perfectly.

Mention is made of Sara Pezzini's past as a cop, which does come into play during the story arc a number of times. There's some violence and death, but it's not intestines for two pages followed by decapitations and assorted maimings. There's some hot scenes with a bit of fondling, but it's not Batman and Catwoman screwing on a rooftop. The amount of skin actually makes sense considering the circumstances, and Sara does make sure to mention that she's not thrilled about it.

Here we have a heroic, strong female character who's working hard to do the right thing. There's a lack of gratuitous evisceration, for which I'm very grateful. There's more skin than I would like (there's that male 18 to 30 demographic again), but it's not just for the sake of being slutty. There's a timeline at the back in case you want more information about the major events, and a little character "diary" for even more details.

If you've been thinking about giving Witchblade a try, this is the time to do it, starting with Unbalanced Pieces. From there, you can keep reading the new material as it comes out, and get some of the backlist as well if you choose. Overall, a good read with solid writing by Tim Seeley and beautiful art by Diego Bernard. Well done, Top Cow.

Why the comics industry is continuing to crash

Comic book sales are down. Way, way down. And it's a total head-scratching mystery as to why this is happening.

Except to people like myself, a 45-year-old woman who grew up with a house full of comic books. I used to buy them. My grandfather used to buy them for me. Notice I said "used to."

Check out Little Red Boobinghood here that popped out of my email inbox this morning.

Seriously?

In comic books, in 2012, female characters are still just boobs with legs, or worse. DC's Starfire, an innocent and gentle alien superhero I remember from the 1980s, has been turned into an overt slut, soliciting men for sex. It's sickening.

I thought we were past this, everybody.

Nearly everything is now written for what the industry perceives as their core demographic, men 18 -30, and they wonder why comics have slumped drastically from their peak. Guys, it's because they're full of graphic violence and overt sex, so you've lost the younger readers and a lot of the women. My son is 15 and I don't want him reading some of that stuff. Gone are the days when it was safe to let your kid buy comic books off the rack at the store.

You've turned what used to be a fun diversion into an NC-17 bloodbath with porn stars.

Okay, industry leaders. C'mere. Closer. No, my eyes are up here. Okay, are you listening? Really listening? Okay, here's why your industry is failing.

There are other people in the world besides penises, aged 18 - 30. Kids, women, seniors... a lot of people  like to read about superheroes doing exciting things. Think back to the silver age of comics. Think back to the beginnings of Spider-Man and Wonder Woman and X-Men and Superman and all the other classic characters who continue to excite readers world-wide. There's a reason why they're still around. That reason is not men age 18 - 30.

Your readers include that demographic, they are not solely that demographic. By writing only to them, you exclude everyone else. I don't want to see people being literally ripped in half with their intestines flying everywhere, and I don't want my son reading that either. He doesn't need to see Batman and Catwoman screwing on a rooftop.

This is why comic books are dying. You are killing them.

How do you fix it? Hire new writers, preferably a lot more women. Stop excluding everyone but who you perceive as the core demographic. It's become a self-fulfilling prophecy: If you write only for men 18 - 30, your entire market shrinks to become that. If you're more inclusive, your market share will increase to meet it. You'll get the kids and the women again, such as myself and my son, who are eager potential buyers, if only the comics spoke our language. Right now, most of them don't.

Is this true of all comics? Of course not. Look at the Eisner-winning Mouse Guard from Archaia. Look at the top-selling B.P.R.D. from Dark Horse that's getting rave reviews, including right here on UFN. You don't need guts and sex in order to have a well-made successful comic book.

Is anything going to change, or were you just staring at my chest?

All we're asking is for our superheroes to act more heroic, like they did before. All we want is decent entertainment for the masses. All I'm saying is that if you continue to limit your audience, your audience will continue to shrink. It's not that hard to figure out once you talk to people in the real world about what they want out of a comic book. It's not about competition with new media or whatever straw man you want to throw out there, it's about creating something people want to buy.