Minx (comics)
| Private | |
| Industry | Publishing |
| Founded | 2007 (launch) |
Key people |
Karen Berger Shelly Bond |
| Products | Comics |
| Parent | DC Comics |
| Website | Official website |
Minx was an imprint of DC Comics that published graphic novels aimed at teenage girls. It ran from 2007 to 2008.
History
Minx was announced in November 2006, following several years of planning.[1] Senior Vice President Karen Berger and Group Editor Shelly Bond were supervising the imprint.
DC had contracted [Alloy Marketing + Media to market the line's books, with a budget of $125,000 [2] to $250,000.[3] Berger stated [4] that the success of translated manga and Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis among teenage girls helped motivate the creation of the imprint.
Initial online reaction to the imprint had some controversy over the sexual connotations of the name [5] as well as the small proportion of female creators in the lineup,[6] especially due to an emphasis on female creators in The New York Times article that broke the story.[2]
On September 24, 2008, Comic Book Resources reported the confirmation of the imprint's cancellation. Some remaining projects would be published, while others were cancelled. CBR summed the situation up:
| “ | Multiple sources close to the situation agree Bond and DC aren’t to blame for MINX’s cancellation, and that this development should be seen as a depressing indication that a market for alternative young adult comics does not exist in the capacity to support an initiative of this kind, if at all. | ” |
Of the imprint-closing titles, Emiko Superstar, Token and The PLAIN Janes 2: Janes in Love were published. The sequels to The New York Four and Clubbing were all canceled along with the nearly complete All Nighter. All Nighter's creator David Hahn is committed to getting it published, saying "over the past two-and-a-half years, I've ignored my other creator-owned projects to devote my efforts to ‘All Nighter,’ so somehow, I will see to it that it eventually gets published."[7]
Most of the explanations for the imprint's downfall focus on the failure of distributor Random House to place the books in the Young Adult section of major bookstores. However, creators who were questioned said they felt that this could have been achieved if given more time.[7]
Post-shutdown sequels
Brian Wood and Ryan Kelley's New York Four have a sequel, published under DC's Vertigo imprint, entitled New York Five. It launched in January, 2011.
David Hahn's All Nighter was published as a mini-series by Image Comics in 2011.
List of graphic novels
| Title | Creators | Release date |
|---|---|---|
| The P.L.A.I.N. Janes | Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rugg | May 16, 2007 |
| Re-Gifters | Mike Carey, Sonny Liew and Marc Hempel | June 2007 |
| Clubbing | Andi Watson and Josh Howard | July 2007 |
| Good as Lily | Derek Kirk Kim and Jesse Hamm | August 2007 |
| Confessions of a Blabbermouth | Mike Carey, Louise Carey, and Aaron Alexovich | September 2007 |
| Kimmie66 | Aaron Alexovich | November 2007 |
| Burnout | Rebecca Donner and Inaki Miranda | June 2008 |
| Water Baby | Sophie Campbell | July 2008 |
| The New York Four | Brian Wood and Ryan Kelly | July 2008 |
| Janes in Love (PLAIN Janes 2) | Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rugg | September 2008 |
| Emiko Superstar | Mariko Tamaki and Steve Rolston | October 14, 2008 |
| Token | Alisa Kwitney and Joelle Jones | October 2008 |
Notes
- ↑ The Engine
- 1 2 "For Graphic Novels, a New Frontier: Teenage Girls - New York Times". Nytimes.com. 2006-11-25. Retrieved 2011-02-03.
- ↑ "Dc To Launch Minx Line Of Graphic Novels In May - Newsarama". Forum.newsarama.com. 2006-11-25. Retrieved 2011-02-03.
- ↑ "Karen Berger Talks Minx - Newsarama". Forum.newsarama.com. 2006-11-27. Retrieved 2011-02-03.
- ↑ "• View Topic - Dc To Launch Minx Line Of Graphic Novels For Girls In May". Girl-wonder.org. Retrieved 2011-02-03.
- ↑ "Final Minx Creative Count". Comics Worth Reading. Retrieved 2011-02-03.
- 1 2 Minx Creators React to Cancelation, Comic Book Resources, September 29, 2008
References
- Minx at the Comic Book DB
External links
- DC's official announcement of the imprint's launch
- ‘Not Just For Boys’ Columbus Dispatch article, prominently featuring Minx
- A librarian's perspective on Minx by Columbia University librarian Karen Green at comiXology
- The New York Four Synopsis
Interviews
- Cecil Castellucci, November 30, 2006
- Jim Rugg, December 1, 2006
- Line Editor Karen Berger April 5, 2007
- Mike Carey April 10, 2007
- Louise Carey May 23, 2007
- Rebecca Donner, Publishers Weekly, May 12, 2008