Category Archives: Women

Review: ‘Lily Renée, Escape Artist: From Holocaust Survivor to Comic Book Pioneer’ by Trina Robbins

Lily Renee, Escape Artist

Lily Renée, Escape Artist. written by Trina Robbins. art by Anne Timmons and Mo Oh. Graphic Universe (Lerner Books). 2011, 96pp, $9.99

Lily Renée, a comic book pioneer, celebrates her 100th birthday this week, on May 12th. Defying the odds, which included evading the Nazis, Lily Renée secured her place in the history of comics. Another comics pioneer, Trina Robbins, was inspired to take Renée’s story and turn it into a graphic novel. This book stands out as a compelling biography that is meant for younger readers, probably up to teens. It’s a gentle narrative meant to relate to readers in their formative years that focuses on Renée’s early years with some hints as to what lay ahead once her family is able to move to New York.

How best to tell the story of someone who survived the threat of the concentration camps–and then sort of stumbled upon and got to play a small role, as a woman, within a “man’s world” during the great golden age of comics? I believe Trina Robbins got it just right! As I suggest, this is a character study, one best appreciated by readers who are still getting their first batches of history and processing it. The art by Anne Timmons and Mo Oh is right in step with the crisp narrative. All in all, this is a great example of the sort of informative book that can be read in one sitting, perhaps as part of a classroom presentation.

Lily stumbles upon her destiny.

In 1938, Lily Renée Wilheim is a 14-year-old Jewish girl living in Vienna. She proves to be a natural artist and that provides a hook, a purpose. Then the Nazis march into Austria. The Night of Broken Glass was not just a nightmare, as young Lily first thought, but very real. Thankfully, Lily is able to leave the Nazi threat behind, essentially “escape,” to England as part of a Kindertransport refugee program. Her parents will eventually follow but the die is cast: Lily learns that she must depend upon herself, cultivate her own talents.

A chance to make her mark.

This is a slice-of-life narrative and it definitely succeeds. It is not intended to be epic storytelling. It is meant to gently share a certain time and place: a time when a girl is becoming a woman and must face life and find her way. So, to end the story just as Lily is beginning a career in the comics industry is a fitting place to say goodbye. And, as if to underscore the fact that this is for younger readers, Robbins includes a series of short supplementary material on concentration camps, internment camps, high tea, English currency, Queen Wilhelmina, the Holland-America Line and Horn and Hardart automats.


Women in Comics panel discussion hosted by ComixPlex

This brings us back to Lily Renée celebrating her 100th birthday in 2021. There will be a panel discussion celebrating Lily Renée and Women in Comics that you’ll want to check out. Just go over to ComixPlex to get more details and to register.

Portrait of Lily Renee by Jennifer Daydreamer

And, by the way, as cartoonists, my partner, Jennifer Daydreamer, and I were notified about Lily’s upcoming birthday and we sent a birthday card. It is trailblazers like Lily who have shown the way. Above is Jennifer’s portrait of Lily in her youth, around the time she would have been working for Fiction House comics.

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Filed under Comics, ComixPlex, Jennifer Daydreamer, Lily Renee, Women

Interview: Mariel Darling, A Portait of a Singer

Mariel Darling illustration by Henry Chamberlain

It is truly a pleasure to share with you a rising talent, singer-songwriter Mariel Darling. You might think of her as a future Taylor Swift or Lady Gaga. Who knows? She certainly has got talent and determination and, at 16, she has some solid songs like “No Mirrors” and “Unknown,” to show for it and a work ethic going back to the age of nine. So, yes, Ms. Darling is the real deal. I believe in Mariel Darling. So much so that I created the above illustration. Mariel, if you ever need an artist for an album cover, I’d be more than happy to do it.

A Western Massachusetts native, 16-year-old Mariel Darling started recording music when she was only nine years old after being discovered by manager Jackie Sarkis (formerly of Radio Disney) and working with producer Shaun Bless, and by age ten she was already turning heads performing at the New York Knicks halftime show. Even in her early years, the young singer knew that she wanted to use her talent to help promote positive messages, and by eleven she was already hard at work writing and performing songs for the National Education Institute encouraging other kids in a fun and upbeat way to read, study, and focus on their education as a way to further their well-being. These initiatives lead Darling to perform on bigger national stages and festivals including the Maritime Festival, Washington D.C.’s CureFest for Childhood Cancer, and the Camplified Tour which saw her perform in front of thousands of teens and tweens at summer camps across the nation at fourteen.

Mariel enjoys motivating her fans with her music. During our conversation, Mariel said she’s excited about connecting with the huge fan base of girls and young women who follow her music. She’s proud of her songs, like “No Mirrors,” that resonate with her fans and speak to positive self-image and empowerment. And another more recent song, “Unknown,” speaks to the challenges in young lives in facing the unknown. Mariel says she admires those performers that are able to reach out like Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish. No doubt, you can add Mariel Darling to the short list of the best influencers. Listen to my interview by clicking the link below:

Keep up with Mariel Darling on Instagram right here.

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Filed under Art by HANK, Entertainment, Interviews, Mariel Darling, Music, Women

Grab Back Comics: Call For Comics About Sexual Assault & Related Issues

Art by Mari Naomi

A new blog, Grab Back Comics, recently launched with the goal of helping to create greatly awareness of sexual assault and related issues. There is an ongoing call for submissions. Here is a statement from the blog curator, Erma Blood:

Project Call for Submissions: Grab Back Comics, Comics Stories About Sexual Assault

Submissions of original work are now being accepted for inclusion in the Grab Back Comics website and archive. Grab Back Comics is a curated collection of comics stories about sexual assault, harassment, rape culture, and advocacy. Grab Back features original artist interviews and book reviews, as well as original comics. Telling these difficult personal stories is a political act, an act of love and resistance. Grab Back encourages artists to tell their own stories and the stories of others, and presents this work with pride and admiration. The project is intended to be a safe landing spot for people looking for first-person stories, media representations and educational resources.

www.grabbackcomics.com

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Filed under Cartoonists, Comics, Seattle, Women, writers

GIRL POWER Books to Help Planned Parenthood. Downtown Bookworks to Donate From Sales

Downtown Bookworks

Downtown Bookworks

For the next two weeks, Downtown Bookworks (a woman-owned and women-run business) will be donating a portion of the proceeds from sales of My First Book of Girl Power and The Big Book of Girl Power to Planned Parenthood.

Help spread the word. This is a great way to stand with Planned Parenthood, an organization that empowers women. The Downtown Bookworks campaign runs from March 1st thru March 15th.

My First Book of Girl Power

My First Book of Girl Power

The last page of The Big Book of Girl Power sums up how Downtown Bookworks feels and why it supports Planned Parenthood through its donation campaign:

“When women get together to do good things, nothing and nobody can stop them!

What are your your special powers?

How will you use them to make the world a better place?”

Downtown Bookworks would love to see you and your kids enjoying their books. Please connect with them by sharing your comments and pictures on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Visit Downtown Bookworks right here.

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Filed under Comics, Downtown Bookworks, Planned Parenthood, Superheroes, Women, Wonder Woman

Review: THE COMPLETE WIMMEN’S COMIX

The Complete Wimmen's Comix

The Complete Wimmen’s Comix

The sexual revolution. The war between the sexes. Just plain sex. It can get complicated, confusing, messy. In 1968, Robert Crumb and his merry men staked their claim to uninhibited expression in underground comix. Yeah, these guys had a few things to say. From their point of view, the establishment was totally out of whack and they had the antidote. Crumb would show us all, in his opinion, just how wild the id could run, no matter how offensive. A couple of years later, along comes Trina Robbins with another view, the view of the opposite sex, which proved a great counterbalance and reality check. For the first time, this groundbreaking work, from 1972 to 1992, is collected in “The Complete Wimmen’s Comix,” published by Fantagraphics Books.

The Complete Wimmen's Comix, published by Fantagraphics Books

The Complete Wimmen’s Comix, published by Fantagraphics Books

The topic of sex is endlessly fascinating, to be sure. What men like Robert Crumb seemed to envision was a “telling it like it is” approach. In similar fashion, Trina Robbins and her female compatriots were showing sex and related themes from a very different point of view, that of the opposite sex. Yes, there was more than one point of view! Who knew, right? Issues of abortion, male performance, and abandonment, had a voice within the pages of Wimmen’s Comix. While the groovy hippie guys may have thought they had it figured out, cartoonists like Lee Marrs demonstrated with great humor and insight that the groovy guys were just as likely to be ugly pigs as their buttoned-down mainstream male counterparts.

"All in a Day's Work" by Lee Marrs, 1972

“All in a Day’s Work” by Lee Marrs, 1972

From the first issue of Wimmen’s Comix, in 1972, there is “All in a Day’s Work” by Lee Marrs. A young woman enters the work force to find herself fending off abusive male co-workers and bosses. When she quits and starts a job at a co-op, the men turn out to be just as abusive. A few more twists and turns and the main character, an alter ego for Marrs, stands naked pleading, “What Can I Do?” In a piece nearly twenty years later, entitled, “Men & Women,” by Roberta Gregory, she sees a systemic problem. Gregory sees leading policy makers, both male and female, pollute the air with their own misinformation about men and women.

Roberta Gregory

“Men & Women” by Roberta Gregory, 1990

As Trina Robbins states in her introduction, the level of quality of comix from women steadily increased with the years. At first, there were only a few women cartoonists. Then, after the hiatus and subsequent return of the magazine in the ’80s, there were plenty of women cartoonists. And, now, it is a whole new world with more women cartoonists that ever before.

"Evolution" by Caryn Leschen, 1989

“Evolution” by Caryn Leschen, 1989

The roster of talent is breathtaking: Phoebe Gloeckner, Lynda Barry, Julie Doucet, Aline Kominsky-Crumb, Caryn Leschen, Joyce Farmer, Alison Bechdel, Carol Tyler, Mary Fleener, and many more. In the end, these are great comics but they are also presenting a distinctive feminine viewpoint which makes all the difference. This collection is a must-read for students of the counterculture, women’s studies, and fans of great comix. It is a time capsule as well as a tribute to vital comics that retain their punch and relevance today.

"Mom Gets Sick" by Trina Robbins, 1991

“Mom Gets Sick” by Trina Robbins, 1991

The Complete Wimmen’s Comix is a two volume hardcover set, totaling 728 pages, black & white with some full color pages. For details, and how to purchase, visit our friends at Fantagraphics Books right here.

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Filed under Comics, Comix, Counterculture, Fantagraphics Books, Sex, trina robbins, Women

Kickstarter: Janelle Asselin Fires Back With FRESH ROMANCE

Fresh Romance Issue 1 Cover by Kevin Wada

Fresh Romance Issue 1 Cover by Kevin Wada

It was one year ago that comics professional Janelle Asselin was in the middle of a raging storm regarding the comics industry’s ongoing problem with the distortion of women. Catch up and/or refresh your memory on that right here. So, to find Ms. Asselin undertaking a whole new way of addressing this issue is quite inspiring. Sometimes, you just gotta go out and show them all how it’s done, right? Enter FRESH ROMANCE.

FRESH ROMANCE is a new generation’s answer to romance comics. This is part of a new imprint, Rosy Press, brought to you by Janelle Asselin, Senior Editor of ComicsAlliance.com and former DC Comics editor. If funded through the now-live Kickstarter campaign, Asselin’s new imprint Rosy Press will debut FRESH ROMANCE in May 2015. This Kickstarter campaign ends April 22. Visit it right here.

The first issue of this monthly digital comic magazine features sundry stories ranging from a clandestine, queer high school love affair to an impeccably researched and illustrated Regency-era romance. In addition to three forward-looking romances, each issue of FRESH ROMANCE delivers a relationship advice column by a quartet of divorced writers, behind-the-scenes art coverage, and a fashion report.

Full press release follows:

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Filed under Comics, ComicsAlliance, DC Comics, Feminism, Fresh Romance, Janelle Asselin, Kickstarter, Romance, Romance Comics, Rosy Press, Women

Interview: Tim Hanley and ‘Wonder Woman Unbound’

From "Wonder Woman Unbound"

From “Wonder Woman Unbound”

Wonder Woman can lead the way out, above and beyond our current state. Wonder Woman commands respect. That respect can carry over to other female characters. It can carry over to respecting all human beings.

That respect is the key to Wonder Woman’s success and popularity. You just don’t mess with Wonder Woman. She is bigger and more powerful than any one person or corporation. With that in mind, it is my pleasure to share with you my interview with Tim Hanley, author of “Wonder Woman Unbound: The Curious History of the World’s Most Famous Heroine.” You can read my recent review here. You can visit Tim Hanley’s site here. And you can definitely pick up his comprehensive study of Wonder Woman right here.

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Filed under Comics, DC Comics, DC Entertainment, Gender, Interviews, Janelle Asselin, Sexism, Tim Hanley, Warner Bros., Warner Bros. Entertainment, Women, Wonder Woman

Furor Over Basic Comics Criticism: Janelle Asselin and the Attack on Women

teen-titans-janelle-asselin

As many of you can imagine, there is a lot of cheesecake that makes its way into comics. As a critic, this is a can of worms that you open when you’re ready for the shit storm that follows when daring to criticize a major comics title. This is what just happened to Janelle Asselin, a seasoned professional in the comics industry after she dared to criticize the above cover for “Teen Titans #1,” published by DC Comics, home to Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. Can you guess what Ms. Asselin may have taken issue with?

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Filed under Comics, Essays, Janelle Asselin, Sexism, Women, Wonder Woman

Review: BOOBAGE by Monica Gallagher

Boobage-Monica-Gallagher-2013

“Boobage,” is a mini-comic by Monica Gallager that covers, or unveils, a very personal preoccupation with a lot of wit and humor. So, what do you instantly think of when you put such greats together as Kate Hudson, Clare Danes, Gwen Stefani, and Bridget Fonda? The one thing that Gallager used to have trouble with was their (and her own) relatively small breasts, or “tits.” It’s okay, she says “tits” a lot. Gallagher isn’t afraid to tackle the tit issue, large or small. This won’t really be of interest to those who objectify and sexualize but it may give them some pause. Hey Jimmy, or whoever, those hooters you salivate over belong to a real human being.

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Filed under Alternative Comics, Comics, Comics Reviews, Comix, Comixology, Comixology Submit, Independent Comics, Indie, mini-comics, Monica Gallagher, Self-Esteem, Sex, Sexuality, Women