DC Comics is trying to get in good with the current push towards diversity in comics—not, you know, by actually expanding diversity in their comics, but by running an ad campaign called DCYou that talks a big game about diverse stories in comics.
DCYou is promoting DC’s post-Convergence line-up of books, and is said to celebrate “Fan-Favorite Characters, Top-Notch Talent, Diverse Stories and DC Fans,” but as the wonderful Janelle Asselin at Comics Alliance points out, though the campaign promises diversity in its stories, it features almost exclusively white male creators and characters. Take it away, Janelle:
You don’t throw the word “diverse” into a press release and then fail to include more of your diverse characters and creators. But then… let’s look at the numbers. As Tim Hanley (ever regular with his Numbercrunching) recently posted, the July 2015 solicits that went out last month marked DC’s lowest month of the year in terms of women credited in the solicitation copy. Obviously, more women does not automatically equal diversity, but one would hope that a company that has created a campaign all about “the fans” and “stories for everyone” would actually hire more people who are representative of different groups.
Nailed it.
I’m glad to see Gotham Academy represented here, as it features an entire slate of POC main characters and is co-written by Brenden Fletcher and Becky Cloonan. But where’s the Babs Tarr-drawn Batgirl? Why is Annie Wu only briefly mentioned in the press release? Seems like quite the oversight in a campaign aimed at diversity. Hell, where’s my all-female DC team-up comic in general? Haven’t they heard about A-Force?
According to DC Entertainment’s senior vice president of marketing and global franchise management, DCYou means that “there’s a story for every kind of DC Comics fan,” but that means literally nothing unless you back it up with the titles and the creators to match. Slapping a girl on a comic book written and drawn by a bunch of dudes probably isn’t going to represent my experience any more than Ms. Marvel wouldn’t have been a hit had it been created by anyone other than G. Willow Wilson and Adrian Alphona.
I guess what I’m saying is, put your money where your mouth is, DC. Then I’ll believe that DC is really for me.
(via Comics Alliance)
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