Virgin Territory for Comic Books

I didn't have a chance over the weekend to link to this Washington Post article about Virgin Comics. The latest in a line of deep-pocketed comics companies or licenses that simply can't get a foothold in the comic book direct market. Disney titles, which you'd think would hold their own--they more than do that in much of the rest of the world--just can't shift the units in the comic shops. The Simpsons comics don't particularly sell in the market, either. And now there's Virgin.

I posted a query about Virgin over at Howling Curmudgeons, but it didn't get many responses. I've glanced at their comics in the store, but I haven't picked anything up yet, so I don't really have my own opinion on them. There are some big names associated with the line: Deepak Chopra, for one. According to the Post article, he's on board as "Chief Visionary." Richard Branson (thus the Virgin part) is a primary investor. And the company is up front about exactly how they want to do business.

The company isn't a regular old comic book mill. What Virgin has in mind is a whole new take on Hollywood's time-tested relationship with the comic biz. Until now, successful comic-to-film franchises, like "Spider-Man" and "X-Men," started with characters and plots conceived by comic book artists. Those stories are acquired by studios, which then shop for well-known directors.

But what if you went first to the directors? What if you asked, say, John Woo -- whose films include "Face/Off" and "Mission: Impossible II" -- to dream up his own characters and yarns? You turn that idea into a comic, and even if it doesn't catch on with the kids, you've got a nifty little storyboard, the perfect pitch for a studio.

There are a few directors who are already involved.

The company has since recruited Woo, who dreamed up a series called 7 Brothers, about a "motley crew of so-called brothers and a power too terrifying to use," as the company describes it. Guy Ritchie, of "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" fame, will release the first issue of Game Keeper in March. (It's the story of a man who . . . well, judging from a preview issue, a man who shoots a lot of people.) Also in the roster is Shekhar Kapur, who directed "Elizabeth" and is a Virgin Comics partner. He has two titles, Devi and Snake Woman, both rooted in Indian stories.

"I as a director have so much more control if it's first in a comic," says Kapur, talking from London. "It's my idea. A studio can look at it, and I can tell them, 'It's gone this far,' and that way I'll keep my vision, much more so than I would if I went to a studio and said, 'Let's make a movie about a snake woman.' "

Not everybody is keen on the idea.

Virgin is focused on winning over American comics readers. Which might be a tough sell. Virgin and its Hollywood-focused strategy have met with some arched eyebrows. It's a little redolent of focus group testing, says one competitor, who had a booth at Comic Con and didn't want to be named because he didn't have anything nice to say.

"The great stories come from artists who tell stories that they have to tell," he says. "If you start with a movie in mind, you're just not going to wind up with the same thing."

That's a ridiculous idea, of course. With all the movie interest in comics these days, you can't tell me that a number of successful comics series these days aren't created with a movie in mind. It's also foolish to say that comics are created by "artists with stories to tell" and that movies aren't.

But Chopra claims that he's got bigger fish to fry.

As he tells it, he isn't in this comics thing just to make a few bucks off a major motion picture. No, he's thinking way bigger than that. He believes comic books can bridge cultural gaps, including the yawning maw that stands between the United States and its enemies.

"Kids all over the world are reading comic books," he says, "and if we could create a transcultural hero that appeals to kids in countries like Iran and Syria, that could have a huge impact. We've even made a proposal to the State Department to study celebrity heroes in Islamic countries and make superheroes out of them. It's a good way -- "

Wait, you called the State Department?

"Yes."

What did they say?

"We had a conference call, and I think they were very receptive. Iran right now, more than 60 percent of the population is under 25. I think we should try to figure out how to capture the collective imagination of this new generation and see if we can get out of this old us-versus-them paradigm."

Can Virgin Comics bust into the U.S. comics market (such as it is)? Take a look at their Website, if you're so inclined. And just last week, they announced a partnership with the SCI FI Channel to develop properties and raise their profile even higher. I guess I'll have to give them a look before too long after all.