Thor (2014) Shows Female-Leads Can Sell
It’s no secret that the comics industry has been a male dominated industry for decades. Women, at best, were secondary characters in books dominated by men. However, with recent reports showing an increase in female readership, the big companies are finally trying to bring this growing audience new books. Both Marvel and DC have started taking steps to correct this problem with the announcement of new women-led books.
One of the new female-lead books released in 2014 is Thor, headed by a woman worthy enough to lift mjolnir. The new Feminist Thor, as people are calling her, has received backlash from fans who are unwilling to let Thor’s mantle pass over to a woman.
The backlash from comic fans has done nothing to keep sales down. Thor (2014) has been outselling Thor: God of Thunder (2012), the most recent run led by a male Thor. Numbers speak louder than words, and the fact that Thor (2014) is doing so well shows that change can mean a good thing to the pockets of its publisher.
Despite new books being released in the new year, the amount of women to men leading books is disproportionate. This problem grows worse with the cancellation of books with female leads. Four months into 2015, and World’s Finest, Batwoman, and She-Hulk have already been cancelled. This doesn’t seem like a lot, but considering how few books have female leads, this is a blow to representation women have.
Hopefully, the steps Marvel and DC are taking leads to more female characters and creators. Thor stands as a testament for how good this can be for the wallets of the big companies.
