Of Minx and manga

I talked to Karen Berger, senior VP at DC Comics, the other day about the upcoming Minx line of graphic novels.

The line is aimed at teen girls. Japanese manga, of course, attracts tons of girls. American comics, not so much.

How come? “There hasn’t really been a line, or enough of a presence, in American comics of material that is realy directly aimed for a teenage girl,” Berger says. “As we know, the superhero genre is dominant. Girls like to read stuff that is not power-based, that deals with relationships and friendships, and those elements are very common in manga.” Those elements, she said, will also be found in the Minx books, starting with “Plain Janes” in May.