I don't know how many of you out there are interested in comics or know people who are, but I thought I'd share this.
There's this comic book I've been reading. Good, clean, wholesome, quality entertainment.
None of this grim-and gritty stuff. No attempts to treat the universe as if it's anything but a comic book (as opposed to the modern trend of going out of the way to make the thing seem realistic, which has its advantages but which also means metaphorically splashing a certain amount of mud on Superman's cape).
It's the sort of book everyone can enjoy. It deals with teenage issues, but still holds interest for adults.
It's called
Spider-Girl, and it's about Spider-man's teenaged daughter. Peter and MJ are a middle-aged couple, and their daughter is in high school. When she discovers that she's inherited his powers, she decides to follow in her father's wall-crawling footsteps.
I know, that sounds like some idea for a lame spin-off. Somehow, though, it's not. Spider-girl is a strong, independant, well-written female character, and she has an extensive, varied, and interesting supporting cast.
There's a single writer who handles everything to do with it, and there's a core group of fans who support it. It's kind of like a Mom and Pop comic, in a way. A little book off to the side that no one's heard of but that's made with loving care and appreciated for it.
The key phrase there, unfortunately, is "no one's heard of." Marvel has done <i>nothing</i> to advertize or promote the book. They don't seem to care much about it or expect much from it. They're basically counting on word of mouth to take care of things, and if it doesn't... oh well.
Spider-Girl has been slated for cancellation at least three times in the past. Each time, the fans have rallied. Each time, they've saved the book in the nick of time. It's been amazing to watch.
Let me put that another way. The fans love it so much that they refuse to see it cancelled,
and they've succeeded in getting the company to change its decision. Several times.Now, we're approaching Issue 100 (amazing for something which started out as a one-shot and moved up to a series which no one expected to go beyond issue 12), and the book is up for cancellation. Again. Official word has come down, both from the execs and the writer. It seems readership has been slowly declining. The book's always been on the edge, and it's just managed to slip below again.
It's a real shame.
So, I'm posting here in the hopes of increasing word-of-mouth just a bit more.
Check it out. Go to your local comics store and pick up a copy. Or go to Amazon and pick up one of the digests. They're cheap enough ($7.99 for a new copy from Amazon, or less from associated merchants), and they let you catch up on the story pretty quickly.
Volume One Volume Two Volume Three Volume Four Volume Five Volume Six If you like it, buy new issues as they come out and let people know. If not, then at least you tried something new.
Oh, and if you're interested, there's a message board where a fair number of fans post. The book's writer is a regular reader there and will often post to answer questions and such. You can find it
here. Paul
