Women in Comics (not Refrigerators)

[cephalopod9]

So.... I'm also new to the comic book stand (have been familiar with comics on the internet a while [and calvin & hobbes before that], and decided to look into comics printed on paper and put into store because of The Dark Tower series), and I can't help wondering if there are any comics currently in publication by female authors.
I think I've heard of one or two, but can't remember.

[JayDee]

I can think of maybe one or two (although Jill Thompson is an artist, and Karen Berger is an editer) but Wikipedia has a list. Out of curiosty, I scanned through this top 50 writers list for ladies, and the only one I noticed was #33 Gail Simone.

That's just American market mainstream type stuff, though. I'm under the impression plenty of Mangaka are female (probably just because Hiromu Arakawa is. I can't pick male / female from Japanese names) and I know nothing at all about any other markets.

[Endless Mike]

Talking artists, Amanda Conners is one of my favorite artists currently working (and not anywhere near enough!). Nikola Scott is also pretty good (and works with Gail Simone a lot). Kathryn Immonen (Stuart's wife) has been getting a little work recently, and may get more. Jan Jones is another editor, and Jen Greunwald has, uh, some sort of creative position with Marvel.

[cephalopod9]

I do like Fruits Basket and Ranma1/2, both mangas by female authors.

I was hoping for titles to look for in the comic book rack at Hasting's. (It isn't the widest selection, but even so looking for titles is easier than trying to read all the authors) There's also a used book store that has comic books, so any older ones I should keep an eye out for?

[Endless Mike]

The only thing I know of that Gail Simone is currently working on is Secret Six. It's okay.

[Jessica]

So, I recieved and read How Loathsome last night.
It was fantastic. 4 chapters, but really fantastically written. The whole story hit very very close to home for me. other than the drugs, that is.

[EeveE]

Kare Kano It's a series and pretty long (22 books I believe...) , but that's a good thing because once you start you can't get enough of these characters. There is an anime too (called His and Her circumstances) it's awesome too but stops around book 9, and then you are just left thinking...What!! But that wasn't an ending!! That doesn't make sense!!

[SecondTalon]

Split this out as I think Comic Writers Who Happen To Have Vaginas can be a deeper topic than Recommend a Graphic Novel will let it be. If you don't get the new title, blame Gail Simone

[DarkKnightJared]

The only thing I know of that Gail Simone is currently working on is Secret Six. It's okay.

Her run on Birds of Prey is far better, from what I've read.

[Belial]

Pia Guerra did the art for Y: the last man. I realize that's not a female writer, but I felt it bore mentioning.

Also, I've heard good things about Colleen Doran's "A Distant Soil" (and I've met the author. Charming woman.) but I haven't gotten the chance to read it yet.

[Jessica]

y: the last man was awesome! I loved that comic, and can't wait to get the 10th trade.

[Endless Mike]

The only thing I know of that Gail Simone is currently working on is Secret Six. It's okay.

Her run on Birds of Prey is far better, from what I've read.

She was also starting with far more established characters (excepting Deadshot), but yeah, I agree up until somewhere along the line where it kinda went to crap.

[Delbin]

Ouran High School Host Club by Bisco Hatori is one of my favorites. It's very funny and the characters are adorable. It's a shojo manga that satirizes other shojo manga (and itself.)

[Jessica]

Ouran was a fantastic anime. I assume the manga is just as fantastic.

[cephalopod9]

I've been wanting to read Y: the last man, but it seems like it's in the phase between finding issues at the comic book store, and easily finding them collected in book form.

A lot of these look interesting, and I'll keep an eye out for them the next time I go comic shopping.

Still seems like a pretty small percentage of comic books are written by women. Which is kind of disapointing, as I know of a lot of good female comic writers on the internet.
A few of my favorites:
Unicorn Jelly(also transgender, I put it first because it is amazing),Pug Davis,The Good Crook,Red String,9th Elsewhere, Templar Arizona, and

Spoiler:

Kate Beaton's stuff. Admittedly, except for Pug Davis, not a lot of the typical super hero action stuff, but don't really look for that much. Dunno if that makes a difference.

[Belial]

I've been wanting to read Y: the last man, but it seems like it's in the phase between finding issues at the comic book store, and easily finding them collected in book form.

Weird. Where do you live? (I know I've been told before, but I am much with the forgetting)

All of Y has been collected, and the series is over (I am looking at all 10 books on my shelf now), but if you're outside of the US and maybe britain, there may be a delay in arrival of such products.

[cephalopod9]

What I mean is I don't want to pay for hard back, and would rather find them at the library.
Although Arizona doesn't seem to be real plentiful with comic book store. Maybe I just don't know where to look.

[SecondTalon]

Ask your Library. Some of them are so eager to please anyone actually interested in using them, they'll pretty much order anything you could possibly want. Absolute worst case scenario is they say no.

[Endless Mike]

All ten paperback volumes are available on Amazon for around $10 each.

But yeah, if you're intent on borrowing from the library, just ask them. They may even be able to get an inter-library loan.

[Jessica]

I need to get to the comic store and pick up the 10th trade. It's the only one I'm missing.

[Rinsaikeru]

I read lots of female authors--both manga and north american produced. It really depends on what genre you're looking for, Chynna Clugston for instance writes for Oni Press. A lot of female author/artists in north america tend to be on smaller more independent labels--a good comic store can help you with that.

[EmptySet]

Digger, by Ursula Vernon, is another one. You probably won't find it in a library or local bookshop, but I know the books are available through Amazon and you might find it in some comic shops. The most recent page and the first 200 or so pages are also available for free online, and you can subscribe to view the entire archive.

[SecondTalon]

... The most recent page and the first 200 or so pages are also available for free online....

I am interested so far. Granted, I think I'm on page 5 or something, but yes.. interesting so far.

[Fenchurch]

If you are interested in autobiographical comics, I'd recommend both Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, and Fun Home by Alison Bechdel.

A couple others I have enjoyed:
Exit Wounds by Rutu Modan.
Aya by Marguerite Abouet.

You could also try asking/searching on the forums at girl-wonder.org: in their own words, "a collection of sites dedicated to female characters and creators in mainstream comics."

And some webcomics or art journals:
Anders Loves Maria by Rene Engström - wonderfully engaging relationship-comedy-drama. Contains nudity.
Erika Moen's comics - journal comics. Contains nudity.
The Zombie Hunters by Jenny Romanchuk - good proportion of female characters, lots of zombies, drawn and in lush colour.
Lucy Knisley - Livejournal containing diary comics.
We Can Fix It - a time travel memoir by Jess Fink. More comics also on her livejournal (note: some porn!).
Nowhere Girl by Justine Shaw.
Jordyn Bochon
Dylan Meconis

And, Kate Beaton is full of win

Edit: added some more to my list, descriptions to follow later maybe.

[Jesse]

Big yes on Kate Beaton, for definite. Thankyou for reminding me of that.

[cephalopod9]

Ah! I totally forgot Anders Loves Maria.

And Yu+Me: Dream and Friendly Hostility.

The comic book store in Flagstaff has pretty crummy selection. I haven't checked the Barnes and Nobles in a while tho'.

[PatrickRsGhost]

Not sure about comic book comics, but as far as newspaper comics, which are often published in collections and sold in your local bookstore or comic book shop, there's For Better Or For Worse by Lynn Johnston, Stone Soup by Jan Eliot, Rhymes With Orange by Hilary Price, Cathy by Cathy Guisewite, and a couple of others.

[Insomnist]

I remember Caitlin R. Kiernan was involved with Sandman at some point; her books are also very visual even without any illustrations. Bitter Virgin was one of the most moving mangas I've read, written by Kusunoki Kei (hasn't been officially translated yet though). Finding female authors/illustrators is quite a bit easier with manga, because it's actually separated into categories of interest by gender (shojo and shonen). Rumiko Takahashi is actually one of the most wealthy people in Japan thanks to what she's been able to imagine and then put down on paper.

[ascendingPig]

I recently read a really great female-centered one-shot based on a short story written by Cory Doctorow, Anda's Game.

It was about girl gamers who don't have avatars with enormoboobs and the moral dilemmas they face. Not a female writer, but definitely feminist lit.

[firinne]

Digger, by Ursula Vernon, is another one. You probably won't find it in a library or local bookshop, but I know the books are available through Amazon and you might find it in some comic shops. The most recent page and the first 200 or so pages are also available for free online, and you can subscribe to view the entire archive.

I was under the impression that the whole archive was online. At least, it was when I saw...? The subscribe button currently leads to an RSS feed...

ETA: I see that your link is different from the URL I have. I don't know about Graphic Smash, but the entire archive is definitely available at http://diggercomic.com.

[EmptySet]

That's because my previous post was November last year, and was correct at the time. Since then Digger has moved to a new site, and the full archives are now freely available. Ursula's art has also moved to a new site (Red Wombat Studio), she's launched a second website with her name on it, books have been released, and more books have been written and illustrated. It's been a busy year.