Katie Schenkel

When the Betty & Veronica solicits came out weeks ago, I had a lot of concerns. Like, a lot of concerns. Mostly that Adam Hughes, a man known for drawing pin-ups, was going to be both drawing and writing a series about the best frenemies of the Archie Universe in their biggest fight. It certainly didn’t help that this was going to be yet another book in the new Archie line-up written by a man. But hey, I love Jughead, written by Chip Zdarsky (especially how it confirmed Jughead as ace), and Archie, written by Mark Waid, has been going strong. I tried to keep an open mind, waiting to pass judgement until it came out this month. I’ve read the issue. And it has some major problems. So let’s talk about it.

Earlier in the week, I participated in Comics Alliance’s Queer Superteam Fantasy Draft. We each chose seven queer characters we’d want to see on a team book together (in a perfect world where comic companies shared their characters with each other). Nearly all the picks for each participant had to be in-canon LGBTQ+ representation, but we also got to choose one wildcard --- a character that wasn’t confirmed on page as queer, but who we felt should be part of our team. And while I have many queer headcanons for many different superheroes, my wild card pick had to be Starfire. Because Starfire is so obviously pansexual. It’s so obvious that it’s frustrating that the comics have never confirmed it.

When you look at the sheer range and number of original stories being told in comics form today, it’s hard to imagine a better time to be a comics reader. Online and in print, from all around the world, artists and writers are telling stories with their own voices and styles, and there’s so much to choose from that it’s sometimes difficult to know what to read next. With Should I Be Reading… ?, ComicsAlliance hopes to offer you a guide to some of the best original ongoing comics being published today. Do you like Vikings? Do you like lesbian heroes? Do you like comics about Viking lesbian heroes? Then you might just like Heathen, Natasha Alterici’s creator-owned comic series.

There are few comic series that feel quite as tailored to my interests as Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Pink. A brand new series out today, the comic is a collaboration between two of my favorite comic writers, Brenden Fletcher and Kelly Thompson, writing for one of the female leads from one of my favorite TV shows growing up. When Boom Studios announced the series earlier this year, I am instantly sold simply on that information alone. But Fletcher and Thompson’s work on issue one, with artist Daniele Di Nicuolo, colorist Sarah Stern, and letterer Ed Dukeshire, goes beyond just nostalgic fare for the Mighty Morphin fan.

When it debuted in June of last year, Starfire brought alien princess Koriand'r to the Florida Keys with a bright new attitude and a great new costume. Written by the Harley Quinn team of Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti, the book includes beautiful lineart from Emanuela Lupacchino and Ray McCarthy, with Elsa Charretier taking over lineart this week in Starfire #9, plus vibrant color work from Hi-Fi. All this comes together to tell the tale of a sunny-dispositioned superheroine making a life for herself in the strange land of Florida. But in the last month or so, rumors of changes coming to the DC line has readers questioning what would happen to Starfire. We got together with Conner and Palmiotti to discuss female friendship, Kori's views on love and sexuality, and the fate of the book in the coming months.

After two and a half months without new episodes, Steven Universe warmed up January with a new Steven Bomb week last week. While the first couple of episodes focused on Steven’s birthday, starting with the heart-melting story of Ruby and Sapphire’s first meeting, the last three episodes were specifically about Peridot, the Gems’ sometimes enemy, and now uneasy ally. There were several developments for the character, but none that stuck with me quite so much as what happened in the fourth episode of the week, “Message Received.”

I had absolutely no interest in Marvel’s Gwenpool Special #1 when it was announced. I like Spider-Gwen a whole lot, but what looked like essentially a gender-bent Deadpool in pink? Yeah, the best I could come up with was a shrug at the news that this random mash-up character would be getting a holiday issue. Which is why I’m quite honestly shocked that I liked Gwenpool Special #1. I liked it a lot. It’s a real Christmas miracle, people.

Two new superheroine shows debuted this fall; CBS’ Supergirl and Netflix’s Jessica Jones. Jessica Jones received acclaim from critics and viewers alike, while Supergirl has already received a full season order for its first season. Both shows have wildly different themes, different tones, different distribution channels, and different core demographics… and yet within a few days of Jessica Jones' release, opinions popped up about how the dark, gritty Jessica Jones is a sign that bright, optimistic Supergirl will fail, or that the arrival of Jessica Jones means that Supergirl is irrelevant and unnecessary. Let’s not talk about what one show has over the other, or why one show will “make” the other one fail. Instead let's talk about something the shows have in common --- an ability to connect with female audiences --- and how that can provide a template for more successful superheroine shows.

For years, the character of Marceline has been one of the coolest characters in both the Adventure Time TV show and the Boom Studio comics. A rocker vampire queen, Marceline started off as a don’t-give-a-crud antagonist in the show, but quickly became a friend to the Adventure Time heroes. Marceline also has a on-again, off-again “friendship” with Princess Bubblegum --- the queer subtext is strong with this one, even if it has to remain implicit in the TV show. Hanna K, a storyboard artist on the animated series, is both writing and illustrating the Halloween-themed Adventure Time 2015 SpOooktacular, on sale this coming Wednesday 28 October, and she's taking the opportunity to look a little deeper into Marceline’s mysterious past. Check out an exclusive preview!

The webcomic Gunnerkrigg Court by Tom Siddell launched way back in April of 2005. A sci-fi fantasy story about two young women at a weird boarding school, the series updates twice a week, which means it's become quite a tale over the course of the past decade --- and it's tale you might just enjoy checking out.