Whoopi Goldberg Recalls Getting Her Original Series Turned Down by Marvel

Whoopi Goldberg once had a pitch for Marvel but they weren’t going for it. In a new interview, Goldberg recalled how, decades ago, she tried to pitch a series called The Change to Marvel. The company accepted her offer, but when it came time to produce the project, there were a lot of changes that Marvel wanted, that Goldberg just wasn’t prepared to make. 

“I wrote this [The Change] like 20 years ago and I went to Marvel, and they were like, ‘We love it, love it, love it. Yes,’” Goldberg explained on Sirus XM’s Shade 45. She then revealed that “The adults got involved and the contract basically said, ‘There is no guarantee that she’ll be black. There’s no guarantee that you’ll play her and you’re not getting any merchandising.’”

That comic series that Marvel rejected has finally come around to being published: Dark Horse comics released The Change on July 10th, fully embracing the vision that Goldberg had for the series. In talking about the comic’s long overdue launch, Goldberg expressed her joy for just getting it out into the world, after so much rejection:

“What I realize now is that there are thousands of women like me who still love their comic books and there’s nothing for them. There’s nothing saying, ‘I see you. Here’s some magic that could happen for you.’ It’s not there, so this is my little contribution to people who love comic books and people who say there are many ways to enjoy a comic book. Many characters out there. Listen, Superman had a mother. Batman had a mother… [Dark Horse Comics] God bless ’em ’cause they did it. It just gives us another place to be in the world.”

The Change Comic Series Synopsis & Creative Team

Whoopi Goldberg brings new meaning to what it means to be a superhero in a new graphic novel!
Isabel Frost is a woman who has spent her life as wife, mother, grandmother – a life she feels isn’t all she had hoped for, with a husband who has grown in another direction.

With a background in computer science, Isabel is an amazing gamer who plays with people all over the country. With the help of her comic-loving grandson and irreverent best friend, she must learn to control her abilities and embrace her new identity as The Change – both the change of life AND her surprising and extraordinary superpowers.

Creators

Writer: Whoopi Goldberg, Jaime Paglia
Artist: Sunkanmi Akinboye
Colorist: Alexandria Batchelor
Letterer: Frank Cvetkovic
Cover Artist: Khary Randolph
Genre: Superhero
Publication Date: July 10, 2024
Format: FC, 72 pages; HC; 6 5/8″ x 10 3/16″
Price: $17.99
Age range: 14+