At New York Comic Con, Women of Marvel podcast hosts Sana Amanat and Judy Stephens held a panel alongside assistant editor Kathleen Wisneski, writer Margaret Stohl, writer Leah Williams, colorist Rachelle Rosenberg and artist Jen Bartel. The purpose of this panel was to discuss what it’s like working in comics from a female perspective and what fans can expect from Marvel in the future.
During the panel’s Q&A session, a young female fan brought up the topic of dipping sales, asking the panelists if they believed decreased sales were due to “forced diversity” and “hiring people without experience.”
RELATED: NYCC: Sana Amanat, Judy Stephens Bring the Women of Marvel to the Center Stage
“No, absolutely no,” Amanat replied.
“There are a lot of things that go on behind the scenes. People try to conflate things at times, and that’s not necessarily the case,” Williams added, referring to how some readers attempt to draw correlations between things that may not actually be related.
Bartel then asked the fan if she would ask male creators the same question, to which the fan responded that she would ask anyone.
Finally, Amanat took the time to address and dispel the “hiring without experience” notion, saying, “We do look at what people do. You have to have experience, and if you’re talented, we will hire you.”
RELATED: Marvel Exec Clarifies Comments That ‘People Didn’t Want Any More Diversity
For some time now, those critical of Marvel Comics have pointed the finger at the company’s push for diversity in their books as a reason for falling sales, despite evidence to the contrary. This is something Williams alluded to in her answer, citing all the various moving parts that go on behind the scenes at Marvel.
Marvel has increased its diverse offerings over the years, creating new characters such as Riri Williams/Ironheart, Miles Morales/Spider-Man, Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel and many more.