by Brad Cook
Image Comics and creator Jimmie Robinson have announced that Robinson's
comic Evil and Malice will now go by the moniker The Adventures of Evil and
Malice due to concerns voiced by parents over the original title.
Many
parents spoke with retailers, who passed their comments on to Image, which
decided that the title needed to be a little more clear.
"Image Central was getting some negative feedback from retailers on the
effect of the word 'Evil' in the title from prospective
customers who are moms," said Image.
"Some of them are VERY reluctant to
buy a comic book about 'Evil' for their child. The fact that's not what the
comic is about -- is irrelevant. That's what they THINK the comic is about."
According to Robinson: "My whole concept, and creation, came from the
juxtaposition of title and art. That's the joke/pun. I never intended it
just for kids. I understand Image's position, I just wanted older readers,
sitting on the fence, to try the book as well.
"However, adding 'The
Adventures of...' personalizes the title, and reduces the ambiguity of what
the book is about, from a face value. It's a move we can all live with."
The Adventures of Evil and Malice is about two 12-year-old girls named
Evelyn and Malinda who become superheroes in order to help their father, who
is the most prominent bad guy in their town. When their attempts to thwart
the plans of a new group of supervillains who want to knock their father off
meet with mixed success, they are dubbed Evil and Malice by the local media.
Check out our interview with Robinson in this week's Comic News Bytes .
Wednesday, April 28, 1999