Witches and Love Triangles Snag Tween Girls

"Girls are clamoring for anything that comes out." —Richard Spychalski, Spy Comics and Cards

Tween girls may not buy toys, but they do buy comics — especially shojo manga-influenced floppies and graphic novels. Hot on the trend, Archie Comics revamped its “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” books last year by hiring manga artist Tania Del Rio (read: "Passing the Pencil") from TokyoPop to illustrate and author the series, which is a hit with girls 7 to 14. Early this year, Viz Media started up a new Shojo Beat brand that offers titles from Japanese publishing giants Shogakukan Inc., Shueisha Inc. and Hakusensha.

“The Japanese realized a long time ago that [girls are] a big market,” Richard Spychalski, owner of Spy Comics and Cards in Seattle, told TDmonthly Magazine. “Girls are clamoring for anything that comes out.”

Shojo manga books are directed toward a female audience and are available in mainstream bookstores as well as comic shops. Archie books are found in big-box stores, comics stores and specialty retailers. These alternatives to the male-dominated comics store have helped increase the comfort level of girls craving the titles, said retailers.

Nevertheless, Spychalski’s West Coast comics shop has a solid tween and teen girl base. Jill Thompson’s “Scary Godmother” (Sirius Entertainment) and the new “Bumperboy Loses His Marbles” (Adhouse Books) by Debbie Huey are titles that appeal to girls, he said. Younger ones go for “Power Puff Girls,” (DC Comics) “Wonder Woman,” (DC Comics) “Fantastic Four” (Marvel Comics) and anything by Archie Comics, according to shop owners across the nation.

“We get 18 million hits a month on our Web site,” Mike Silberkleit, president of Archie Comics, told TDmonthly. “About 60% of our readership is female.”

Like boys, girls love super powers. In addition to “Sabrina,” “Cardcaptor Sakura,” by the Japanese female collective known as Clamp (TokyoPop), “Mink” by Megumi Tachikawa (TokyoPop) and “Arana” by Fiona Avery (Marvel Comics) feature little girls or women who can overcome obstacles using magical powers.

Once girls hit 11 or 12, they start to emulate their big sisters, preferring titles that emphasize romance or have a gothic flair, retailers agreed. “They want to be ‘different’… just like their friends,” Chad Lundgren, manager of Lost Wonders in Milwaukee, Wis., told TDmonthly.

“Full Moon” by Arina Tenemura appeals to girls as young as eleven, said Evelyn Dubocq, director of public relations for Viz Media. Another fav is “Hopeless Savages” (Oni Press) by Jen Van Meter, Chynna Clugston-Major and Christine Norrie, said Lundgren. The gothic “Lenore” (Slave Labor Graphics) by Roman Dirge is hot with girls at Saint Mark’s Comics in New York City, noted manager Mitch Cutler, as is “Emily the Strange” (Dark Horse Comics) by Rob Reger and Buzz Parker.

Most comics exist in other media. “Sonic X,” “Sabrina the Teenage Witch,” “Mew Mew Power” and “Power Puff Girls” either are or have been live-action or cartoon TV shows, to name a few. The upcoming “Kingdom of Hearts” from TokyoPop is based on the Disney videogame. Anime shows run on the Cartoon Network, Tech TV, Kids’WB!, Fox Box, and JETIX.

Silberkleit said that live-action “Betty and Veronica” and “Sabrina” movies are in the works, though he won’t yet name the studios. “Emily the Strange” creators finalized a movie deal with 20^th Century Fox Animation this July. Product tie-ins abound, such as the new Mattel “Betty” and “Veronica” fashion dolls and “Emily the Strange” clothing.

“When I go to the anime conventions, it´s interesting,” said DuBoqc. “Sixty percent or more [of attendees] are female.” It’s a whole new audience for comics.