apparently this is kind of a big deal?
I'm sure most of you have heard about Disney buying Marvel. A big long summary can be found here at Deadline, and it's been updated every time more information has come out, so start from the bottom if you want the chronological developments. It's rather comprehensive and brings up a lot of good points.
An interview with Joe Quesada discussing the deal can be found here at Comic Book Resources, his only interview on the matter until it's all finalized. A lot of it seems like reassuring the fanboys it's all going to be ok. But a lot of people apparently need to hear that, no, everything Marvel produces will NOT have to suddenly adhere to a G rating.
That seems to be the big question: how will Marvel and Disney influence each other, if at all, regarding the portrayal of and marketing towards women? Will the effects reinforce the gender divide that already exists within them? A post on Bitch Magazine's blog, Princess Synergy: Disney’s Acquisition of Marvel is Good for Boys, But What About Girls?, has a good summary of the various points taken by a range of bloggers and journalists regarding the marketing-to-gender implications. The end of the post asks "What female character from the Marvel Universe would you like to see get a proper treatment in film or television?" and I think that's kind of a silly question here. I don't think Disney buying Marvel is going to result in a push to make movies based on female characters. If anything, the opposite. They're trying to appeal to male audiences; they think they've already got female audiences covered.
Newsarama makes too many good points on the gender implications for me to just pick one or two quotes, so go read the entire thing: Can Marvel-Disney Help Close the Comic Book Gender Gap? by Sarah Jaffe.
Going back a bit: for all its faults, Disney is fantastic at marketing to and developing products for the ladies. Sure, Disney’s the evil empire, but it’s gotten there by being very, very good at what it does. And, honestly, I doubt they can fuck it up much worse than Marvel has been. Spider-Man lip gloss, my ass.
Meet the New Boos by Rachel Edidin
What would be most unfortunate is if they split the superhero world into an archaic division between boys and girls. We've had enough of that over the years. Rather than "girl" heroes and "boy" heroes, each trying to serve the stereotypes of a particular set, we need well-written films that deal with all interests, regardless of the central focus.
Girls on Film: Princesses, Superheroines, Disney, and Marvel by Monika Bartyzel
The Women of Marvel have been a diverse and fascinating bunch since the beginning and no one can take that from them, not seasonal event, not new bold direction, not even 'modernizing' for the new era. What does hurt them is disuse and reinvention that takes them further and further away from the characters that caught our eye to begin with. There are a lot of strong archetypes, ethnicities, body types that can be found in anyone's imagination or real life. I know I think of myself as a She-hulk kinda gal,. so why don't I have book to read anymore or a t-shirt to declare myself with? Once people get to know the women of Marvel, they'll love them for their strength and originality and personal triumphs if only we got them all together for a big show of faith. Don't change a thing, don't invent some crazy reason for them all to be together other than a fond friendship and respect. It will sell like gangbusters.
The Fifth Color - Marvel Queens by Carla Hoffman
An interview with Joe Quesada discussing the deal can be found here at Comic Book Resources, his only interview on the matter until it's all finalized. A lot of it seems like reassuring the fanboys it's all going to be ok. But a lot of people apparently need to hear that, no, everything Marvel produces will NOT have to suddenly adhere to a G rating.
That seems to be the big question: how will Marvel and Disney influence each other, if at all, regarding the portrayal of and marketing towards women? Will the effects reinforce the gender divide that already exists within them? A post on Bitch Magazine's blog, Princess Synergy: Disney’s Acquisition of Marvel is Good for Boys, But What About Girls?, has a good summary of the various points taken by a range of bloggers and journalists regarding the marketing-to-gender implications. The end of the post asks "What female character from the Marvel Universe would you like to see get a proper treatment in film or television?" and I think that's kind of a silly question here. I don't think Disney buying Marvel is going to result in a push to make movies based on female characters. If anything, the opposite. They're trying to appeal to male audiences; they think they've already got female audiences covered.
Newsarama makes too many good points on the gender implications for me to just pick one or two quotes, so go read the entire thing: Can Marvel-Disney Help Close the Comic Book Gender Gap? by Sarah Jaffe.
Going back a bit: for all its faults, Disney is fantastic at marketing to and developing products for the ladies. Sure, Disney’s the evil empire, but it’s gotten there by being very, very good at what it does. And, honestly, I doubt they can fuck it up much worse than Marvel has been. Spider-Man lip gloss, my ass.
Meet the New Boos by Rachel Edidin
What would be most unfortunate is if they split the superhero world into an archaic division between boys and girls. We've had enough of that over the years. Rather than "girl" heroes and "boy" heroes, each trying to serve the stereotypes of a particular set, we need well-written films that deal with all interests, regardless of the central focus.
Girls on Film: Princesses, Superheroines, Disney, and Marvel by Monika Bartyzel
The Women of Marvel have been a diverse and fascinating bunch since the beginning and no one can take that from them, not seasonal event, not new bold direction, not even 'modernizing' for the new era. What does hurt them is disuse and reinvention that takes them further and further away from the characters that caught our eye to begin with. There are a lot of strong archetypes, ethnicities, body types that can be found in anyone's imagination or real life. I know I think of myself as a She-hulk kinda gal,. so why don't I have book to read anymore or a t-shirt to declare myself with? Once people get to know the women of Marvel, they'll love them for their strength and originality and personal triumphs if only we got them all together for a big show of faith. Don't change a thing, don't invent some crazy reason for them all to be together other than a fond friendship and respect. It will sell like gangbusters.
The Fifth Color - Marvel Queens by Carla Hoffman