By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Diversity paying off for struggling comics industry
34e89c6e6b2b522913d8c95c23636fff8dc8c9dca6a341bf0c188bc6a1569a00
A Marvel-dominated box office has certainly helped boost the comic book industry, but female Thor, Muslim Ms. Marvel and other diversity experiments are helping comics survive in the long term. - photo by Chandra Johnson
The verdict is in: Marvel's gamble with turning its Thor character into a woman has paid off. The change, announced last summer, has resulted in the new comic outselling the old by 30 percent, reports the Paste website.

While the comic industry is enjoying a fresh moment in the sun with a steady march of comic-themed hits in movie theaters, the diversity game both Marvel and DC Comics are playing may ensure the industry's longevity.

"Yes, the struggling industry is certainly helped by a never-ending parade of box-office smash superhero franchises," Salon's Matt Binder wrote. "But the comic book medium itself is working toward sustained survival through diversity."

Thor is not alone in the diversity spotlight. Marvel and DC are both seeing high sales with a Ms. Marvel revamp that sees the heroine as a practicing Muslim and a new imagining of Batgirl at DC.

In fact, recent comics that have retraced old tropes and storylines are being criticized, like the authors of the popular DC "Batgirl" comic have recently learned. One version of a recent cover depicts an emotional Batgirl being terrorized by the Joker who, in a landmark 1988 graphic novel by comic legend Alan Moore called "The Killing Joke," likely assaulted Batgirl's alter-ego, Barbara Gordon, as a way of getting back at her father, Gotham police commissioner Jim Gordon.

Public outcry against the cover was so great that DC pulled the cover from shelves after an apology from cover artist Rafael Albuquerque.

DC's move, as blogger Noah Berlatsky argued, was not only smart marketing, but recognition of the writing on the wall: Comics have a new breed of reader and publishers should pay attention.

"Albuquerque tried to sell comics by appealing to the fandom that would, once, have been Batgirl's audience guys for whom she was most appealing as a violated chit in someone else's psychodrama," Berlatsky wrote. "But Batgirl's fans, now, are there for Batgirl, not for anyone else."
Sign up for our E-Newsletters
Georgia Motorcycle Safety Program announces grant
Funds earmarked for Share the Road initiatives
Placeholder Image

Grant funding totaling $93,458 has been awarded to the Georgia Motorcycle Safety Program (GMSP) by the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety. The approved funding will be used to increase motorcycle safety awareness and outreach by encouraging all motorists and motorcyclists to Share the Road.

“The need for motorcycle safety programs is greater than ever, and this support from GOHS enables motorcycle safety programs and impaired riding initiatives to reach riders and non-riders alike” said Commissioner Spencer R. Moore. “Thank you GOHS for helping (the Department of Driver Services) and GMSP educate and encourage all Georgia drivers to ‘Share the Road.’”

The grant allows DDS to further develop the Motorcycle Safety Outreach Program by continuing to fund a position to promote state and national safety initiatives. The GMSP outreach coordinator researches, coordinates and helps maintain an adequate presence at industry events, local schools and colleges, regional meetings and festivals to increase awareness of motorcycles on the roadways and provide the most current information on motorcycle safety initiatives.

Visitors to a GMSP event display are also encouraged to sign up for regular newsletters which provide additional safety information, as well as review the motorcycle safety message on other social media platforms.

GMSP regulates motorcycle training for new riders, as well as seasoned riders, who want to learn how to ride a motorcycle legally and safely. The program is based on a continuum of learning and therefore offers three entry points to rider education.

Students participating in the Basic Riders Course do not need specialized motorcycle equipment, as the GMSP provides both a motorcycle and a helmet to class participants. Upon successful completion of the course, participants receive a 90-day license waiver card that exempts them from both the written and on-cycle skills tests needed to obtain a Class M license in the state of Georgia.

Please visit the DDS website at www.dds.georgia.gov for many online services including the convenience of enrolling in a GMSP training class and accessing many licensing services.

Latest Obituaries