Marvel VP of Sales blames diversity for falling comic book sales

Independent  "Despite forming the basis for the multi-million dollar blockbusters that have recently overtaken Hollywood, Marvel comic book sales have been falling.

"Well, Marvel VP of Sales, David Gabriel, spoke about what they believe could possibly lead to the decline, putting the blame on diversity.

“ 'What we heard was that people didn’t want any more diversity,” Gabriel told ICv2 at the Marvel Retailer summit. “They didn’t want female characters out there. That’s what we heard, whether we believe that or not.”

"H[e] continued: “I don’t know that that’s really true, but that’s what we saw in sales. We saw the sales of any character that was diverse, any character that was new, our female characters, anything that was not a core Marvel character, people were turning their nose up against." . . . 

The Superhero Movie Diversity Race Is Over — WB/DC Wins By a Mile
While Marvel and Sony dither about the diversity of their superhero lineups, DC Comics and Warner Bros. (in conjunction with New Line) punctured every Spandex ceiling on Wednesday when they announced an unprecedentedly diverse lineup of superhero movies.

Confirmed:  Ezra Miller, who self-identifies as queer, will play The Flash in 2018, the first time an openly gay actor will play a major superhero in a feature film. . . .

Superhero Comics Giving Classic Characters Race, Gender, Religion Swaps for Diversity  "Mainstream comic book superheroes — America’s modern mythology — have been redrawn from the stereotypical brown-haired, blue-eyed white male into a world of multicolored, multireligious and multigendered crusaders to reflect a greater diversity in their audience.

"Society has changed, so superheroes have to as well, said Axel Alonso, editor in chief at Marvel Comics, who in November debuted Captain America No. 1 with Samuel Wilson, the first African American superhero taking over Captain America’s red, white and blue uniform and shield.

“ 'Roles in society aren’t what they used to be. There’s far more diversity,” said Alonso, who has also shepherded a gay wedding in the X-Men, a gender change from male to female in Thor and the first mainstream female Muslim hero in Ms. Marvel.

"The change to a black Captain America is already having an impact outside of comics." . . .

I was fortunate to grow up when I did, able then to just enjoy comic book characters as a child should, characters who loved America and her ideals (usually unmet in the real world). But it would have been so much better if young African-American children then had their own superheroes to look up to as well, for their own sake as well as the sake of Jim Crow America.  But please...NOT like this (right)! ........................

A Beginner’s Guide to the Trump/Russia Controversy

Answering the most frequently asked questions about Trump, the Kremlin, 2016, and beyond

 

David French at NR   "The controversy over Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, suspicions of the Trump campaign’s involvement in that interference, and concerns about illegitimate and illegal “deep state” attacks on the Trump administration has become so complicated and saturated with twists and turns as to be almost impossible to follow. Herewith is a modest effort to provide context, assess where we are, and offer a few tentative conclusions — an explainer, if you will: 

"First, and most importantly, did Russia actually “hack” the 2016 presidential election?

"No, and the use of that term to describe what Russia did needs to stop. The Russians hacked a few computers, but they did not “hack” an election. The media’s persistent insinuations otherwise are leading millions of Americans to believe that the Russians actually meddled with the election process itself, including with voting machines. There is zero evidence that occurred. None. Zilch. Nada. 

"Well, if the Russians didn’t “hack” the election, what did they do?" . . .

 Read more.

Anti-Trump propaganda masquerading as journalism in the Chicago Tribune

Thomas Lifson "We are at an unprecedented moment in American history, with the Democratic Party and its media allies attempting to remove from office, through an unrelenting propaganda campaign, a president elected only months ago.  Even though there is no “fire” – as in actual evidence of anything wrong – propagandists have long known that enough “smoke” blown over the public time and time again is sufficient to embolden Democrat pols to take action (impeachment) eventually, especially if willing or weak-kneed dupes on the Republican side are cowed by the public’s perception of something wrong.

This Chicago Tribune article, titled “Chicago bank tangled up in intrigue over ex-Trump aide Manafort” and written by Betsey Yerak, is an excellent example of the propagandists’ black arts.

"David Kahn writes

This is what passes for news analysis in our current environment. This article is pregnant with the notion that Manafort and the bank did something wrong. But it doesn't even begin to suggest what. This is one of countless articles that are just rife with innuendo. The innuendo is that somebody who is associated with Trump, who knows somebody or worked with somebody who is Russian, or pro Russian, has done something illegal, immoral or otherwise wrong. But none of these articles suggest what it is or what evidence supports it. Except for this innuendo, none of this is newsworthy.

comicallyincorrect

American Silliness, April 2, 2017

School Orders Boy to “Tolerate” Undressing with Girl and Make it “Natural”

. . . “ 'The District’s directive to Joel Doe was that he must change with students of the opposite sex, and make it as natural as possible, and that anything less would be intolerant and bullying against students who profess a gender identity with the opposite sex,” the lawsuit states.The young man’s parents made an appointment to school leaders and were told that the district is “all-inclusive.' ” . . .

PETA Says Milk is a ‘Symbol of White Supremacy’  "PETA’s shenanigans vary from the absurd to the downright offensive. From likening rape survivors to pigs and cows, to calling Pokémon a form of animal cruelty, PETA’s efforts to “save the animals” always make the headlines—and with good reason: they’re completely absurd."

Even the Russians can't take us seriously anymore!  Russia Trolls Democratic Party In Epic April Fools’ Day Prank . . . "The message begins with, “You have reached the Russian Embassy. Your call is very important to us.”  
 “ 'To arrange a call from a Russian diplomat to your political opponent, press 1,” the recording continues (in both English and Russian). Users are then instructed to “press 2” in order “to use the services of Russian hackers.” For “election interference” requests, “press 3.' ” . . .

A Northern Arizona University student lost credit on an English paper for using the word “mankind" instead of a gender-neutral alternative.

A stick for a gun is called "harrassment!"

March for Science Organizers Don’t Want ‘White Male’ Bill Nye  "It turns out the “March for Science” scheduled to happen later this month is nothing more than another progressive experiment in identity politics. It’s like the Women’s March, but with science!

"The event is scheduled for April 22nd and there’s already a battle for dominance among leadership. Bill Nye is often held up by the left for his politics but he’s being pushed aside for a leadership role in the march because after all, he’s a white male."

United Airlines made woman change seat because Muslim men wouldn’t sit next to her

DC Clothesline  "Stacey Butler reports for CBS2 Los Angeles that Mary Campos — an Orange County mom, a million-mile flier, and a senior consultant in the oil and gas industry — said United Airlines discriminated against her by changing her pre-assigned seat because two Muslim men refused to sit next to a female.

"On September 26, 2016, just before Campos got on her pre-booked flight to Houston, a gate agent handed her a new boarding pass, saying, “This is your new seat.”

"Campos said, “Excuse me?”.

The agent said, “I don’t know how to tell you this. The two gentlemen seated next to you have cultural beliefs that prevent them from sitting next to, or talking to or communicating with females.”

"Campos was shocked. She told CBS LA: “I thought I lived in a culture [America] where women were equal to men. We can’t discriminate against half the population for a belief from another nation.”

"Campos was told the two men in long orange shirts were Pakistani “monks” and that the female UA flight crew were not allowed to serve the men.

"Campos said she had no choice but to take her new seat assignment. Then she wrote a letter to the CEO of United Airlines, which said, in part:

“ 'What if I were handicapped, or transgender? What if your entire crew were female? Any belief that prevents individuals from interacting with females should not travel on commercial aircraft.”

"She got a reply that said United would look into it, but she didn’t hear from them again.

"CBS2 made inquiries and received this communication from UA spokesman Jonathan Guerin:

“ 'We regret that Ms. Campos was unhappy with the handling of the seat assignments on her flight. United holds its employees to the highest standards of professionalism and has zero tolerance for discrimination.' ” . . .