Women in Comic Book Stores
Once upon a time, as in twenty years ago, women were about as common in a comic book store as a bartender at a Baptist convention. Comic book stores and comic conventions were truly a Vagina Free Zone. Slowly, however, that has changed.
First, there were those who showed up at comic book stores or conventions because their boyfriend wanted to go.
Then, there were those who were literally paid to show up. These were the attractive models who made appearances in an effort to promote some new comic, video game, or whatever.
Eventually, the women of America discovered that comic books have a certain appeal to them. I think a fair number, at least in earlier days of the mid-1990s, were ones who entered a comic book store or convention for their first time for one of the two reasons above and discovered that they like them. They started showing up even without a boyfriend or the promise of a paycheck.
Over the past dozen or so years, the number of women that I see in these places has been slowly climbing. In fact, when I was at the Vault of Midnight in Ann Arbor recently, I couldn't help but notice that almost half of their patrons are female.
This particular store does have an above average number of female patrons and I'm not exactly sure why. However, I think it offers a glimpse into what every other comic book store will hopefully be like in a few years.
And this makes me happy.
Then, there were those who were literally paid to show up. These were the attractive models who made appearances in an effort to promote some new comic, video game, or whatever.
Eventually, the women of America discovered that comic books have a certain appeal to them. I think a fair number, at least in earlier days of the mid-1990s, were ones who entered a comic book store or convention for their first time for one of the two reasons above and discovered that they like them. They started showing up even without a boyfriend or the promise of a paycheck.
Over the past dozen or so years, the number of women that I see in these places has been slowly climbing. In fact, when I was at the Vault of Midnight in Ann Arbor recently, I couldn't help but notice that almost half of their patrons are female.
This particular store does have an above average number of female patrons and I'm not exactly sure why. However, I think it offers a glimpse into what every other comic book store will hopefully be like in a few years.
And this makes me happy.
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