Should you have been reading the comic-book news lately you may have heard about #comicsforward, an effort spearheaded by Ross Richie of BOOM! Studios. The focus is on increasing diversity in comics by getting people who maybe wouldn't normally read and create them to do so, and get excited about the medium. Getting more women, people of color, various religions, and so forth interested in comics is a good idea, and I like that Richie emphasizes that even though BOOM! is spearheading this initiative it is about the entire comic-book industry, not just their books.
By working to shape what the industry might look like in 10 years we can indeed create a population of comic-book readers and creators who aren't just your "standard" white, heterosexual male, but a wide array of protagonists and antagonists that can bring us new and exciting stories. Now, I'm not trying to disparage the so-called norm of stories about white men, but if we can get new folk contributing to the medium we can have fresh and exciting stories (see titles like the current "Ms. Marvel" for an example of how having diversity in creators and the creation can make for something magical), and that's something I'd eagerly get behind.
I like this idea of #comicsforward. I hope to see it contribute to some positive change.
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