Rick Whiting
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 22 April 2004
Posts: 2188
|
| Posted: 30 August 2014 at 10:31am | IP Logged | 1
|
|
|
Marvel EIC Axel Alonso comments on this controversy in this interview.
http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id =55190
Here's the full quote.
"To get into the Marvel matters -- I definitely wanted to ask you about something that became a very big deal last week while you were away -- the negative response to Milo Manara's "Spider-Woman" #1 cover. I've got some specific questions about it, but can I first get your general reaction to the response that cover got?
Alonso: We always listen to fans' concerns so we can do better by them. We want everyone -- the widest breadth of fans -- to feel welcome to read "Spider-Woman." We apologize -- I apologize -- for the mixed messaging that this variant caused.And that's what this cover is. It's a limited edition variant that is aimed at collectors. While we would not have published this as the main cover to the book, we were comfortable publishing this as a variant that represented one artist's vision of the character -- a world-renowned artist whose oeuvre is well-known to us, and to collectors. It is not the official cover for the issue. It is a collector's item that is set aside or special ordered by completists -- and it doesn't reflect the sensibility or tone of the series any more than the Skottie Young variant or Rocket and Groot "Spider-Woman" variants. If you open up the book, you'll see that this series has everything in common with recent launches we've done, like "Black Widow" and "Ms. Marvel" and "She-Hulk" and "Captain Marvel." It's about the adventures of two women that have complete agency over their lives, and that are defined by what they do, not how they look.We're far from perfect, but we're trying. It's been a priority for me as EIC to make our line and our publishing team more inclusive. We're at an industry high of around 30 percent female in editorial group, about 20 percent of our line is comics starring women, and our Senior Manager of Talent, Jeanine Schaefer, actively looks to bring more female writers and artists into the fold each month. In fact, very soon we'll be announcing new series and creators that I'm very excited about.
Given that, since there has been a history the last couple years of Manara variant covers at Marvel, is that something you still see happening going forward -- or maybe giving extra consideration to in the future?
Alonso: Yes, we'll do more Manara variants. He is a world-renowned artist with a huge fan base, and his variants, like the Skottie Young variants, are aimed at people who appreciate his art and his style. But we are aware of the growing sensitivity to covers like this, and we will be extra-vigilant in policing their content and how we use them in our marketing.
There have been multiple Manara-illustrated variant covers in the past couple of years. Internally at Marvel, was there any more hesitation about this cover versus any of the other ones that he's done over the past couple of years?
Alonso: We thought it was consistent with Manara's oeuvre, but clearly, some people found it racier than the others. Art is a subjective thing. There have been critics, there have been fans who have defended Manara's art, and there have been fans who don't understand what the fuss is about. While opinions on the actual piece vary, we realize that the message this cover sent was not the one we meant to send. And we understand -- and respect -- the concerns of those who expressed a negative reaction to the cover, I want that to be clear."
Edited by Rick Whiting on 30 August 2014 at 10:55am
|
Topic Closed)
