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August 18, 2016: Phil Jimenez Talks About the Inspiration Behind "Superwoman"

In an extremely interesting article published by HIVplusmag.com, comic book creator Phil Jimenez talks about his personal journey within the comic book industry, the process of how the "Superwoman" comic book title came about, and his thoughts on the death of an iconic female character within the story. Here's part of that article/interview...

"I was originally hesitant," Jimenez admits about taking on Superwoman. "I'm not sure the world needs another female heroine-protagonist written and drawn by a man."

But that didn't stop him from unveiling Issue One with a twist that stunned both fans and reviewers, ending with the apparent death of a DC Universe regular. ("Did DC just do that?" a dazed fan asked on Twitter). It didn't help that it was one of the few beloved female characters.

"I have no desire to hurt fans; it's simply not my thing," Jimenez tells Plus. "I do believe in tugging with, playing with, emotional connections to get people interested, though, and to surprise a group who feels like they've seen everything in comics!"

He urges fans to give the Superwoman story a chance to play out. This is a serialized medium," he explains. "It's not a single issue; it's the first, a 'pilot' to launch a series. While it sounds trite to say, '[her] story isn't over yet,' I know that to be true. And I certainly hope people shocked by the ending of [issue] number one will stick around for a while and see how this piece plays out!"

Jimenez says he took the Superwoman assignment "after some counsel, with the hopes of at least launching the book, and maybe getting some more diverse voices on it along the way." He also wants to get female characters right. To those who question his success in doing so in Superwoman #1, Jimenez says, "While I like to believe 20-plus years of experience writing and working on female characters gives me some goodwill - and perhaps some legitimacy - I would be a fool not to recognize the enormous responsibility I've been given and to take it seriously. I am incredibly conscious of my age and gender while I writing these characters; I have to be able to find their voices and make them as authentic as I'm able to do so. Not only is it my job, I think it's my duty to do so. I continue to consult several women in my life and I hope I'm actually listening to them when they tell me what works and what doesn't. So far, they seem to think what I've done is working. I hope that lasts."

Read the complete article at HIVplusmag.com

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August 18, 2016: Phil Jimenez Talks About the Inspiration Behind "Superwoman"

2016 Comic News

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