Martha Thomases: Comics Girls Like?

Martha Thomases

Martha Thomases brought more comics to the attention of more people than anyone else in the industry. Her work promoting The Death of Superman made an entire nation share in the tragedy of one of our most iconic American heroes. As a freelance journalist, she has been published in the Village Voice, High Times, Spy, the National Lampoon, Metropolitan Home, and more. For Marvel comics she created the series Dakota North. Martha worked as a researcher and assistant for the author Norman Mailer on several of his books, including the Pulitzer-Prize-winning Executioner's Song, On Women and Their Elegance, Ancient Evenings, and Harlot's Ghost.

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9 Responses

  1. Emily S. Whitten says:

    Great piece!

  2. This is a fantastic article. Hopefully in the very near future publishers will be desperate enough to do the right thing, and try to appeal to all demographics instead of catering to stereotypes.

    But one sidenote- and not to downplay the obviously negative affects that exaggerated forms can have on young female readers (as well as the sexualized programming it can instil in male readers), but I’ve always been surprised that the same is not mentioned more often for the other sex. I’d bet many young male readers can really feel just as ostracized by the idealized masculine forms in comics as well. I know I did when I was in my preteens, which likely played a role in my later depression. I got over all of that for the most part (partially thanks to Tai Chi and isometrics, sorry, TMI), but maturing males can be made to feel just as hopelessly compelled to match society’s ideal as does the fairer sex. Hell, maybe I should finally get around to writing something on it myself…

  3. George Haberberger says:

    My wife, (and myself also but that’s not pertinent), was a fan of Ms. Tree. She occasionally asks if that series is coming back. Wish it would.

    • Mindy Newell says:

      I loved MS. TREE, George. But I think Max is too busy with novels and such.

    • Rich Harvey says:

      Ms. Tree “returned” in one of the “Hard Case Crime” paperbacks a few years ago. The novel, “Deadly Beloved” adapts the intitial two Ms. Tree comic-arcs (graphic novels, whatever) into a single prose novel. Not a new story, but the prose format allows Collins to give more depth and background to the characters. And good old Terry Beatty did the cover!
      http://www.hardcasecrime.com

  4. Mindy Newell says:

    Great column, Martha! Great minds must think alike, because my column on Monday is related to this problem, which, maybe, is in the process of disappearing as the next generation(s) come up behind us?

  5. Mindy Newell says:

    Oh, yeah, did I tell you about the time I went for an interview, and there was a young woman, in her twenties, sitting next to me reading one of the collected graphic novels of SANDMAN? It was SO cool!

  1. June 10, 2013

    […] § BUT in a forward looking piece, Martha Thomases looks at how technology may affect comics reading demographics: […]

  2. June 11, 2013

    […] Martha Thomases: Comics Girls Like? (comicmix.com) […]