I'm Giving A Mini-Lecture On Comic Books

By Andrea Thompson

I have an announcement that is both exciting and nerve-racking. I'll be giving a mini-lecture about the increased presence of women in comics for the Comicbook Symposium at Cardinal Stritch on May 5!

It should surprise no on that in addition to being a huge movie fan, I'm also a comic book fan. I especially love the way comic books have expanded far beyond superheroes over the years. Not that there's anything wrong with superpowered adventures, but for the most part they used to be the only type of stories told in this particular format.

Needless to say, this is no longer the case. Not only are heroes getting more diverse, the stories they tell are too, with graphic novels often subverting the classic conventions of the genre (with Watchmen being the most well-known example) and becoming the go-to format for memoirs as well as other more complex genres and subjects.

And more variety means those who were traditionally sidelined or not represented at all are increasingly taking center stage. So for my talk, I'll be discussing how women have become more prevalent, both as characters and as creators.

The event will take place at Cardinal Stritch University at 6801 N. Yates Road on May 5 in Milwaukee. Doors open at 5 pm, with the event starting at 6. More info about the event can be found here.

A Great Night Supporting Female and non-Binary Comic Book Artists

Going out and supporting the art women make is a great feeling. But when that feeling is accompanied by snacks, drinks, and pizza? Well, that's even better.

Such was the case at Women's Comics Night, which is a monthly hangout at Challengers Comics in Bucktown in Chicago. I'd missed the last meeting, and I'm so glad I made it to this one. I arrived a little late, and I was pleased to see the room off to the side for the panel, comprised solely of female and non-binary (well, one) artists was already underway. And packed. Luckily, I managed to find a seat, and so I kicked off a very fun evening.

Since I've been so focused on movies, it was also an opportunity to catch up on what was happening in the comics world. I knew I was behind, but I had no idea that there was now a Rogue & Gambit comic, particularly sad as they're one of my favorite couples ever. I was also unaware of just how much indigenous comics there were, as well as a comics convention devoted solely to indigenous artists. Also, that women were drawing comics about sex education, all the stuff they were doing that just involved a kind of expansion from superhero comics driven by a need to see their stories, or just different kinds of stories out there while doing what they loved. And some of them weren't even artists. They were just nerds who came because they were curious and wanted to support female artists too. Afterwards, there was plenty of chatting with the panelists and pretty much the entire audience that stayed to mingle.

Nights like this always mean so much to me because they completely disprove so many of the negative attitudes that I was fed growing up. The ones about how women only compete with each other and are never supportive. About how few women there are compared to men making and doing things. Events like this make me wish so badly for a time machine so I could go back and tell the younger me that not only is this wrong, that I'd be helping to disprove these things myself when I was older.

If you're in the Chicago area, check it out! Turns out this place has a ton of monthly events, and they really emphasize spreading the word about the great work women are doing. Check out the site here, and Facebook page here. Until next time!