Heroes Who Happen To Be Women

A Celebration of Heroic Ladies, on the Page and Behind It

[superdames]

Wait what you're making your own comic staring female heroes that have fallen into the public domain? So awesome totally gonna wanna read that

Yes! And even better — I’m inviting everyone and anyone to make the comic with me, in the form of the Superdames Comics Contest!

First, you can vote here for the public-domain hero you want to star in the book. Voting closes at midnight tonight! (Jill Trent, Science Sleuth and Tomboy are currently battling for first place!)

Then, (soon!) I will publish submission guidelines for aspiring writers and artists to participate in the contest!

Then, we’ll select four writers and five artists to produce a total of five stories starring the public-domain heroine chosen by the poll. Each story will be five pages long. (I, your humble Superdames editor, will write one of the five stories; hence only four other writers will be chosen!)

Then, we’ll publish all five stories in one comic book!

So vote here before midnight (EST) tonight and stay tuned for the next phase!

[clay-mann]

BATGIRL: FUTURES END #1

[heroeswhohappentobewomen]

Who are these Batgirls? Banegirl? Is that maybe Stephanie Brown with the blond hair and Cass Cain in front?

[dcwomenkickingass]

First Photos of Gal Gadot in Superman vs. Batman

Filming has begun on Superman vs. Batman and today Gal Gadot filmed her first scene in public. She’s not in the “costume” but she is in costume on the street in Birmingham Michigan via Twitter (@mike0686) filming a scene where she walked out of a hotel and to a car “over and over again” 

You know you want to see it!

Read More

[fayren]

Clean version of Windblade #4’s cover.

[dcwomenkickingass]

New Comics Reader Are Increasingly Female; Not Reading Traditional Comics Coverage

Four years ago when I posted an image from Batgirl and launched this blog, I really did believe there was a way to expand the reach of comics and bring in more readers who want to read about female characters and work by female creators. And from the very beginning my theory was that traditional comics media was a echo chamber that were mostly not very friendly places for female readers.

So from the very start of this blog I suggest that comics grow by looking outside the traditional ways to gain new female readers. I wrote about it.  And wrote about it. And wrote about it.

But nothing changed. 

But now … perhaps it will.

Read More

[oldnerdybasterd]

"Strong Women & the Creators That Empower Them" -WonderCon 4-18-14

[gailsimone]

It’s a good thing they didn’t put Kelly Sue and I next to each other or it would have just been us high-fiving the entire time. 

I LOVE YOU, KELLY SUE!

[bleedingcoolnews]

A New Storm Series By Greg Pack And Victor Ibanez

We mentioned a wee while ago that there was a new ongoing Storm series coming soon from Marvel. Well, that’s suddenly all firmed up with a creative team to match. Presumably to be announced at C2E2, July will bring us …

A New Storm Series By Greg Pack And Victor Ibanez http://bcool.bz/1k6eLuS

[comicsalliance]

LADY SHE-WOMAN: FEMALE SUPERHERO CODENAMES AND IDENTITY

By Andrew Wheeler

Monica Rambeau is on her fourth superhero codename. In the pages of Mighty Avengers she’s Spectrum, having previously gone by Captain Marvel, Photon and Pulsar. The Captain Marvel identity now belongs to Carol Danvers, also on her fourth codename after Ms. Marvel, Binary and Warbird. Her first codename now belongs to Kamala Khan, the fourth Ms. Marvel after Danvers, Sharon Ventura and Karla Sofen.

But Carol is actually the third woman (and seventh character) to call herself Captain Marvel in the Marvel Universe. The second woman was Phyla-Vell, who was the fourth Captain Marvel after she was the second Quasar, before she was the first Martyr, before she saved herself the trouble of another codename by dying. Oh, those women! They never know who they are!

I’m being facetious, of course. These characters don’t choose their identities; they’re given them by writers and editors. If there’s a problem here, it’s not the women, but how they’re treated.

READ MORE

[dcwomenkickingass]

Guest Post: Batwoman: Three Authors; Three Kinds of Queer Experience

Last week I made a comment about being by what the the current Batwoman writer Marc Andreyko said in an interview about DADT as part of Kate’s story. Andreyko later stopped by the blog to clarify things. I also received some input on my comment from a reader of the blog, Moira Phippen, which turned into a short discussion on where Batwoman was a character and her thoughts on Andreyko as a writer. I was so taken with her insights that I asked her to expand on them in a guest post. Here she discusses the three different authors that Kate Kane has had and their differing approaches to the character’s queer identity. Her thoughts follow and I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

I found Kate Kane just around the time of my life that I was beginning to come out, to my friends, family, community, partners, and even to myself. As a character, she is so crucial to me. Seeing a queer-identifying character take on the “Bat” name, and not just a girl, but as a “woman,” self-assured, confident, aware of herself and who she was… I can’t express how much an image like her was meaningful to me as a young adult coming to terms with a conclusion about her sexuality that she had tried her very best to avoid. No matter the writer, Kate has always embraced who she is, no apologies offered. Rucka, Williams, and now Andreyko have become some of my most treasured authors due to the care each have taken with Kate.

As I have grown older, I’ve embarked on my own path to being more like Kate: I try to be brave like her, bold like her, uncompromising like her. My relationship with each writer’s Kate - because they are, all of them, different Kates - has developed with me. In a way, they each represent different kinds of interpretations and portrayals of the queer experience and identity, all of which hold some unique and different value or impact. 

Read More

[fyeahstormandwolvie]

Uncanny X-Men #178 (February 1984)   

[superdames]

The superior Spider-Woman

—Spidey Super Stories #32 (1978) script by Jim Salicrup, art by Win Mortimer & Mike Esposito

[cosmicbeholder]

Some of my favorite ladies, as seen in Marvel’s series FF by Matt Fraction and various Allreds.

[comicsalliance]

SCOTT & STORE TALK IDW’S WINDBLADE: THE FIRST TRANSFORMERS COMIC CREATED BY WOMEN

By Andrew Wheeler

CA: You’re the first female writer/artist team on a Transformers book. In an ideal world that might go without comment, but I’m curious to know if you’ve encountered much resistance, especially from those who might see Transformers as a “boys” franchise.

Mairghread Scott: IDW and Hasbro have been nothing but supportive of us and, although it’s not possible for the Internet to be happy about pretty much anything, the negative comments we’ve gotten have been far outweighed by the positive responses. Change in a brand — and its creators — is never easy, but it’s absolutely vital and most fans realize that. I hear far more people who see Windblade as a great step toward opening the brand to new readers and new stories than I do fans who want everything to stay just as it was. I see far more fans being excited about the fact that Sarah’s art is completely different from the other (still fabulous) books, than wishing she could just ape someone else’s vision.

Sarah Stone: I’ve been keeping my nose to the grindstone since the announcement to work on the books, so I haven’t really been looking around much. What I have seen has been very supportive and I feel very humbled by that, but my main priority is just to have the books look as awesome as I’m physically capable of making them. Hopefully the art will speak for itself, and that I’m a girl will be just a footnote.

READ MORE

[dcwomenkickingass]

New Childrens' Books Coming Showcasing DC Women on the Way

There are a few new books featuring the women of DC Comics and they are targeted at the youngest of readers.

In September Downtown Bookworks will publish, DC Comics: My First Book of Girl Power by Julie Merberg.

Here’s a few images:

Jose Luis Garcia Lopez artwork is preferable to some of the more modern takes on DC Women. 

And that’s not all!

Read More

[joekeatinge-deactivated20210918]

SHUTTER #1 is finally ALMOST here!

This Wednesday, April 9th is the big day. Been amped about this for a while.

And here’s a preview of all four covers (by Leila del Duca, Emma Ríos, Dustin Weaver & Brandon Graham) and the preview that’s going around websites right now. I’ve added the last spread of the title sequence as it seemed weird to cut off there, so consider this a TUMBLR EXCLUSIVE. 

It’s $3.50. Features 21 pages of a lead feature. Two pages of what will eventually be a letters column, but is just Leila and me talking for right now. Four pages of comics by Ryan Alexander-Tanner & Catherine Peach. One page of our regular Tiger Lawyer comic by writer Ryan Ferrier & a rotating series of artists. One ad because I really love Michel Fiffe’s Copra. Then a back cover with ANOTHER Leila del Duca & Owen Gieni image, credits, etc. 

Here’s Leila & me talking about it with Comic Book Resources. Here’s me talking about it with Lindsey Morris of Girls Gone Geek. Here’s Leila talking about it with Multiversity.

If you live in Portland, Oregon you can hang out with me on Wednesday at Cosmic Monkey. If you live in Missoula, Montana, you can hang out with Leila on Wednesday at Muse Comics. If you live in Southern California you can hang out with BOTH of us on Friday at Beach Ball Comics. 

And finally, here are some thoughts on Shutter from other people who make comic books:

"SHUTTER is bold, smart fun — a stunning book on every front. Keatinge and del Duca have crafted something special — at once intimate and epic."

- Scott Snyder (Batman, The Wake, Wytches)

"Joyous and Heartfelt science-fiction pop with all the capital-R Romance of  the last roll of polaroid film on Earth."

- Kieron Gillen (Young Avengers, The Wicked + The Divine)

Please do spread the word! And have a good week!

[ladiesmakingcomics]

Market Monday: Picks of the Week - All Singles Edition, April 9, 2014

Lumberjanes #1 by Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis, and Brooke A. Allen

WHY WE LOVE IT: Five best friends spending the summer at Lumberjane scout camp…defeating yetis, three-eyed wolves, and giant falcons…what’s not to love?!

WHY YOU’LL LOVE IT: It’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Gravity Falls and features five butt-kicking, rad teenage girls wailing on monsters and solving a mystery with the whole world at stake. And with the talent of acclaimed cartoonist Noelle Stevenson, talented newcomer Grace Ellis writing, and Brooke Allen on art, this is going to be a spectacular series that you won’t want to miss.

WHAT IT’S ABOUT: Jo, April, Mal, Molly and Ripley are five best pals determined to have an awesome summer together…and they’re not gonna let any insane quest or an array of supernatural critters get in their way! Not only is it the second title launching in our new BOOM! Box imprint but LUMBERJANES is one of those punk rock, love-everything-about-it stories that appeals to fans of basically all excellent things.

~Preview~

Coffin Hill #7, written by Caitlin Kittredge

Travel back to the 1950s to witness another fateful night in the Coffin Hill Woods - a night that young Ellie Coffin might not survive! Lost, alone and haunted by the spirits that dwell in the forest, Ellie must find her way home before sunrise or stay trapped with the ghosts of Coffin Hill. Guest artists Stephen Sadowski (FAIREST) and Mark Farmer (FABLES: WEREWOLVES OF THE HEARTLAND) join writer Caitlin Kittredge for this stand-alone story!

Lola #1 by Siya Oum

In the “Wasteland,” Lola, a young woman with a resolve fortified by a lifetime of survival on her own, must journey across the nuclear-decimated United States in order to find the family that was taken from her! As her quest for the truth begins, Lola uncovers the true inhumanity of the Apocalypse, as those who seek to hold power in a new frontier, will do so at all bloody costs — including her life!

~Preview~

Shutter #1, art by Leila Del Duca

Indiana Jones for the 21st Century! Marvel Knights: Hulk and Glory writer Joe Keatinge teams up with artist extraordinaire Leila del Duca for her Image Comics debut in an all-new ongoing series combining the urban fantasy of Fables and the globe-spanning adventure of Y: The Last Man. Kate Kristopher, once the most famous explorer of an Earth far more fantastic than the one we know, is forced to return to the adventurous life she left behind when a family secret threatens to destroy everything she spent her life protecting.

~Preview~

Spongebob Comics #31, includes art by Ramona Fradon, Maris Wicks, and Eleanor Davis

After staying up past their bedtimes, SpongeBob and Patrick vow to go for it and stay up All Night. Their mission, to become “Kings of Night” - and the nocturnal antics that ensue are worth donning those night-vision goggles you’ve been sitting on. Then, Silver Age legend Ramona Fradon (Plastic Man, Metamorpho) joins with Batman scribe Chuck Dixon to weave a tale of Mermaid Man’s run in with true love, in a story we could only call “The Lovely Lure of Lady Mackeral.” Also in this issue: SpongeBob tries out different shapes to improve business at the Krusty Krabb, and poker-playing Pirates try out a new deck of SpongeBob-themed cards. All this plus “SpongeFunnies” by James Kochalka (Dragon Puncher), tidal trivia by Maris Wicks (Primates), and a back cover by Eleanor Davis (The Secret Science Alliance)!

[ladiesmakingcomics]

Market Monday: Marvel & DC New Releases — April 9, 2014

Batgirl #30, written by Marguerite Bennett

In this issue, after a sinister game gone wrong, Batgirl confronts a supernatural legend risen from the primordial depths: The Midnight Man!

Earth 2 vol. 2: The Tower of Fate TP, art by Nicola Scott

In these stories from EARTH 2 #0 and 7-12 and a story from DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS #0, the World Army has begun rounding up the Super Heroes of Earth 2, but for what dark purpose? In an attempt to avoid capture, Dr. Fate and Kid Flash find themselves in the magical realm of Nabu, and Wotan seeks Dr. Fate’s assistance…

Earth 2 vol. 3: Battle Cry HC, art by Nicola Scott

The heroes of Earth 2 take on the forces of Steppenwolf and the Hunger Dogs of Apokolips when all hope is lost in these stories from EARTH 2 #13-19,EARTH 2 ANNUAL #1 and EARTH 2 #15.1: DESAAD. Now a new Batman enters the fray, but is he enough to turn the tide and stop Darkseid?

World’s Finest #22, cover by Emanuela Lupacchino

Following their team-up with Batman and Superman, Power Girl and Huntress have some difficult choices ahead. What’s next for the Worlds’ Finest…and what world will they choose?

All-New X-Men #25, includes art by Jill Thompson and Maris Wicks

OVER-SIZED 25th ISSUE! Artist Stuart Immonen is joined by a practical comic book artist hall of fame for this special landmark issue!

~Preview~

All-New Doop #1, colored by Laura Allred

Living in the margins of the X-Men, Doop has freaked out X-Men and readers alike. However, when he gets deeply involved in X-Men business (and in the personal life of Kitty Pryde!), Doop will be thrust into the spotlight. This adventure will prove that Doop is, in fact, the most powerful X-Man! Written by co-creator Peter Milligan (X-FORCE), covers by co-creator Mike Allred (X-FORCE, FF) and innovative interior art by David Lafuente (AVENGERS, ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN)!

~Preview~

Captain Marvel #2, written by Kelly Sue DeConnick

Higher, faster, further…. WAR?! Captain Marvel forges towards the final frontier—and is thrown into the frontlines of battle. Can this half-alien survive in an all alien-world? The breakout hit of 2012 makes a glorious return!

~Preview~

Deadpool #27, includes story by Gail Simone, colored by Jordie Bellaire

It’s a Deadpool wedding! That’s right-the day you never dreamed would come has finally arrived … Deadpool is getting MARRIED! First up in this ENORMOUSLY OVERSIZED ISSUE is our the main feature-the biggest wedding since that one guy married that other guy as Deadpool and his mysterious bride tie the knot in a tale by Gerry Duggan, Brian Posehn, & Mike Hawthorne! THEN, we’ve rounded up EVERY writer to ever pen Wade’s series to celebrate this magical occasion! No self-respecting Poolophile can miss this one! It’s the most important issue 27 in the history of comics!

~Preview~

Infinity Companion HC, includes work by Kelly Sue DeConnick and Sara Pichelli

All roads lead to INFINITY! As the Thunderbolts, S.H.I.E.L.D., the Fearless Defenders, the Superior Spider-Man, Luke Cage’s new Mighty Avengers, Wolverine’s Jean Grey School, the Avengers Academy and more face off against Thanos’ invading hordes on Earth, the war’s second front is fought in deep space - where Spider-Woman and Black Widow plot to rescue Captain Marvel, the Avengers battle the Builders, the new Nova takes on Thanos’ forces with help from the New Warriors and Star-Lord debates betraying the entire universe! Collecting CAPTAIN MARVEL (2012) #15-16, THUNDERBOLTS (2012) #13-18, AVENGERS ASSEMBLE #18-20, INFINITY: THE HUNT #1-4, MIGHTY AVENGERS (2013) #1-3, NOVA (2013) #8-9, SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN TEAM-UP #3-4, INFINITY: HEIST #1-4, FEARLESS DEFENDERS #10, SECRET AVENGERS (2013) #10-11, GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY (2013) #8-9 and WOLVERINE & THE X-MEN ANNUAL #1.