Posted in: Comics, Rebellion / 2000AD | Tagged: 2000ad, graphic novels, judge dredd, mg, ya

The Future Of Teenage Boys Reading Comic Books In America?

It is notable that, in comic books,, the huge successes are in middle-grade,, but then there is a massive drop off. Time to call the Judge?

Published Tue, 28 Feb 2023 06:58:12 -0600

by Rich Johnston

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Dahlia Adler is a writer and editor, and founder of LGBTQReads.com. She has written books such as Cool for the Summer and Home Field Advantage, and she is the editor of the anthologies His Hideous Heart, That Way Madness Lies, At Midnight, and, with Jennifer Iacopelli, Out of Our League. And she posted a concern to Twitter that went viral, rather.

"It's absolutely wild to me that MG and YA publishing feel like entirely separate entities rather than YA looking at MG and having books its fandoms can slide right into as they age up. It's such an absurd disconnect anyone who knows tweens can see crushing readers in real time.

"Extremely unpopular opinion incoming, but I hate all the dismissive takes mocking "What about the boys?" My friends' sons are *voracious* readers of MG fantasy adventure who live for their weekly library visits, and I *know* this will end in a few years. I hate it.

"And no, it's not because they ~can't read about girls~; it's because what we publish for the perceived target audience of YA is *not* the same as what they've been loving as MG readers, especially if they're not interested in romance, as many teens of all genders aren't.

"This idea of what comprises the YA audience is a self-fulfilling prophecy of what adult readers and publishing professionals are interested in, and you *know* this because IRL the YA audience is the audience that was just the MG audience a year or a week or a minute ago."

It is notable that, in comic books alone, that the huge successes are middle-grade books, an American term that describes the 8-12 year reading age, with books such as Dog-Man selling five million, Raina Telegemeir's books selling three million, Shannon Hale's Best Friends series hitting a million, and books like the Investi-Gators series selling half a million. But, while YA graphic novels sell very well indeed, compared to the market as a whole, there is a massive drop off, hundreds of thousands rather than millions of sales. And, yes, the most notable YA graphic novels, including the likes of Heartstopper, hit hard on the romance. And understandably, there is a massive audience for that.

But also, it seems, another massive audience that is not. Which got me thinking. Just as with Heartstopper, Britain has an answer, and its been sitting there for almost fifty years. And it's 2000AD and Judge Dredd. I mean, there have indeed been romantic moments over the years, but it is not the central concern of most 2000AD characters.

Might it be possible for Rebellion to attempt to repackage their comics in that format and aim it at a YA audience? Given that bookstores have had entire sections devoted to "supernatural romance" for sometime, might "aro YA" or maybe a more explanatory and accurate "no kissing YA" make for a valid category, and could 2000AD lead the way? I mean, there's always manga, and you can see the success of Chainsaw Man, One Piece and My Hero Academia on this basis, but maybe there are better solutions.

So naturally I couldn't leave well alone, and replied to Dahlia Adler, tagging in Jason Kingsley of Rebellion, the publishers of 2000AD and Judge Dredd Megazine, and a series of tweets liked by Dahlia…

Rich Johnston: "If feels like Judge Dredd is waiting for them. This could be 2000AD's moment."

Jason Kingsley OBE: "sorry, I've not read the thread. Can you summarise? i don't know what MG readers means."

Rich Johnston: "It's an American term for middle grade. Between the ages of 8 and 12. Kids who are buying comics that can sell millions, like Dog Man, Best Friends, Guts, Smile etc."

Jason Kingsley OBE: "Thanks, that makes sense."

Rich Johnston: "2000AD titles packaged in the YA format and targeted to teenage boys with marketing to make clear that they are less likely to have romantic overtones might clean up on a five-million-strong market aging out of MG. The thesis is that the jump from MG to YA graphic novels, especially for a male audience, less interested in romantic plots, is too big. I'm suggesting 2000AD could be an answer if marketed to that audience."

Jason Kingsley OBE: "You are right! 2000 AD is perfect for that audience."

If only someone was a publisher and might look to market to, or even create, such an audience, will plenty of kids ageing out of Dog Man and looking for their next comic book fix…

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