women in comics

ComiqueCon is a brand new comics convention happening this year in Dearborn, Michigan on November 7th, 2015. Its focus is on female comic creators, and they've lined up guests including Alex De Campi and Mairghread Scott. The convention is also crowdfunding a fairly small amount of money to help with paying for the cost of bringing special guests out to attend. It seems like an interesting convention that will hopefully bring something new to the table.

In a leaked email between Marvel CEO Ike Perlmutter and Sony CEO Michael Lynton, Perlmutter offered up three examples of terrible female-led super hero films - Elektra, Catwoman, and Supergirl - as part of what some have theorized was a conversation about why not to do more female-led super hero films. There's a lot of speculation involved, but nonetheless it's an interesting email from Perlmutter that has a few possible interpretations.

Hire This Woman is a recurring feature on ComicsAlliance that shines a spotlight on female comics creators, whether they're relative newcomers or experienced pros who are ready to break out. In an overwhelmingly male business, we want to draw your attention to these creators --- and to raise their profile with editors and industry gatekeepers. Artist Genevieve FT has worked in animation and video games, but also has a love of comics. She's drawn Garfield comics as well as covers for Adventure Time, Bravest Warriors, and Archie Comics.

Whatever Marvel is doing with Secret Wars, one established fact stands out to me: they’re bringing back British, hijabi superhero, and personal favorite, Faiza Hussain, to the printed page. My heart swells. Faiza Hussain debuted in 2008, in Paul Cornell and Leonard Kirk’s Captain Britain & MI:13. I adored this book, and I immediately adored her; Faiza’s debut was both the introduction of a vibrant, individual human character and a tight superhero origin story. She's a necessary part of the Marvel Universe, not just because she represents modern Britain, but because there was already a seat laid for her at the Round Table.

Hire This Woman is a recurring feature on ComicsAlliance that shines a spotlight on female comics creators, whether they're relative newcomers or experienced pros who are ready to break out. In an overwhelmingly male business, we want to draw your attention to these creators --- and to raise their profile with editors and industry gatekeepers. Inés Estrada is a cartoonist, illustrator, fashion designer, and publisher. She also organized Mexico City's first ever festival dedicated to self-published comics and zines. Last year she published her first graphic novel, Lapsos, and is currently working on multiple projects.

A GamerGate-associated group named "Honey Badger Radio" crowdfunded an appearance as exhibitors at CalgaryExpo, in part to sell pro-GamerGate merchandise, and in part to disrupt panels with a feminist angle. As a result of their disruptive behavior, the group has been removed from the convention. This has many GamerGate supporters shouting "censorship" and "misogyny" at the convention, though the convention acted within the bounds of its rules of conduct and for the good of its attendees.

Cartoonist Ronnie Richie has a great piece up at Everyday Feminism that explains what makes a portrayal of a woman empowering versus objectifying. It seems like there should be an easy answer to this question, and Richie offers one, but they also make clear that creators and consumers still really need to think seriously about individual portrayals and depictions in order to understand the distinction. There's no one-size-fits-all answer to what makes something empowering rather than objectifying, because there's an eternally shifting dynamic in each situation: who has the power.

You may have missed it, but last week Frank Cho posted an image he'd drawn on a sketch cover of Spider-Gwen in a pose reminiscent of the Milo Manara Spider-Woman cover that drew a lot of negative attention. Many people were grossed out by Cho's drawing, including Spider-Gwen artist Robbi Rodriguez, while others jumped to Cho's defense, like J. Scott Campbell and Rob Liefeld. What began as not that big of a deal turned into the latest hot mess to preoccupy the industry, so let's talk about outrage and complacency in comics.

Rachel Dukes is a cartoonist who has a diverse body of work, including contributions to the Subcultures and Beyond anthologies and a Steven Universe comic, as well as her own self-published Frankie Comics about her cat. Dukes has her first graphic novel, Let Me Walk You Home, coming out through Abrams in the fall.

Aatmaja Pandya is a cartoonist who specializes in doing minicomics and zines as well as webcomics. Some of her past projects include The Bell Blues, Baker’s Dozen, and Travelogue, which is the webcomic she's currently working on.