She Changed Comics: The Untold Story of the Women Who Changed Free Expression in Comics

by Betsy Gomez (Editor), Maren Williams (Contributor), Caitlin McCabe (Contributor)

SHE CHANGED COMICS celebrates the women who changed free expression in comics, with profiles of more than sixty groundbreaking female professionals and interviews with the women who are changing today's medium, including RAINA TELGEMEIER, NOELLE STEVENSON, G. WILLOW WILSON, and more! SHE CHANGED COMICS also examines the plights of women imprisoned and threatened for making comics and explores the work of women whose work is being banned here in the United States. A must for readers of all ages, students, and educators.

Genres: Nonfiction, Comics, History, Graphic Novels, Feminism, Biography, Graphic Novels Comics

170 pages, Paperback

First published October 5, 2016

Reviews

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 4 out of 5]

She Changed Comics is a book I have now read and am using in my YA GN/Comics class, summer 2017. It’s a good source of information about a range of women cartoonists, from the turn of the twentieth century to the present, from women across various spectrums, including early newspaper comics, Golden Age, Comix, Underground, women doing erotica, diary comics, lots of things. It’s not complete, by any means, but it’s a good and accessible and affordable start. I mean, there are more scholarly resources available, but this is a small, short book that I can imagine will be a text for schools and library YA collections.

Criticism? There aren’t enough actual images, which is a weird shortcoming in a book about comics, and the bios are too short, two pages, but there’s short interviews with many artists, and there’s a “further reading” section for each artist and at the end of the book. And you can download a teaching guide from the website. And it was created via kickstarter by and for the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.

I was going to start listing my favorites in the volume, but the list was getting too long, so here is the link to the website where every featured author is listed!

http://cbldf.org/she-changed-comics/

You have some reading to do after seeing this list, don't you?

[Dominick · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was happy when I learned of this book's existence, and I applaud its agenda. It includes information on a great many women whose role in the history of cartooning I knew little or nothing about, which is an important contribution for a book aimed at a pop audience to make. The entries are all quite short, so more often than not I was left wishing to know more--which suggests that there is plenty of room for more books and articles about women in comics, especially the ones who have been largely overlooked or forgotten. However, the book has a few limitations as well. First, it is not particularly well-written. While there aren't extensive, egregious errors, more attention to careful proof-reading and editing was important. Editorial failure is especially evident in the fact that the chapters include dozens of in-text references to other sources--interviews, articles, etc--but there is no bibliography of the works so referenced, so actually tracking them down is difficult, if not impossible. Also, given the subtitle, I was expecting a lot more direct consideration of questions of free expression and comics. Several key instances of artists who have faced threats, censorship, and even legal consequences for their work are addressed, to be sure (and here, too, more detail would often have been useful). However, the way many of the women discussed here seem to have "changed free expression in comics" is simply by being women who have worked in comics. I suppose one can tie that into freedom of expression, in a general sense, but for me, the book seems often not really to achieve the promise of its subtitle. Nevertheless, the book offers a great primer on women in comics; if you don't know a lot about women in comics, this book will be a real eye-opener. And even if you do know a fair bit about the subject, this is a breezy, largely celebratory volume that provides great reminders of how many women have in fact worked in comics (the early women discussed here are ones especially often overlooked, so their inclusion is great), and how many great comics they have made or been involved in making.

[Larakaa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great resource! I read many parts again and again, especially the interviews!

[Kenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

The honour list. I love 'em all.

[Eric Mesa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I backed the Kickstarter on this book

I'd like to start off with my one big criticism of this book - not enough images! I understand why they had to do it. When you're printing a book, each page is expensive, especially when you're printing in color. But when you're covering an industry based on images and we only have 1-2 images per creator, it's hard to get a good feel for the creator's body of work. I think it would have been nice to have a supplementary PDF with a few more examples per artist. (Yeah, I know I could Google them, but for a curated product, it'd be nice to do a little less work)

So, this book is a survey of the history of women in the comics industry starting out with newspaper comics at the turn of the century. Additionally, as the subtitle says, it focuses on women who made an impact somehow. I learned a lot, especially on the earlier creators about whom I was completely ignorant. It was interesting to see the early fights woman focused on - like women's suffrage or even just the right to be taken seriously as a cartoonist. It was also interesting to see how women's place in the industry evolved. At first there were only a few. Then women formed collectives. But then someone women bristled at having to segregate themselves that way and broke out on their own or eventually joined the major publishers. Given the large influence of manga in the US, it was also nice to see women in Japan starting around the time of the post-war period (more or less the birth of modern manga) covered.

Probably the best thing about the way the book is organized is the "further reading" section after each woman's article. It helps you find more work by that person as well as helping support them by buying more of their stuff. Perhaps the most annoying thing about the way the book is organized is that it is organized is that it's alphabetical by time period. So, for example, within the Golden Age all the entries are alphabetical. I would have preferred a more Chronological arrangement to help me better understand the flow of progress.

I was happily surprised that at one point the book shifts to cover publishers and editors. In this day when we are finally paying attention to all the artists on a book, it's easy to forget the impact publishers and editors have. It was also fun that the book ended on an interview section in which we were able to go a bit deeper with some of the creators.

Overall, a great intro to women creators and a good jumping off point if you're looking to find some new comics created by women.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This is an amazing compilation of interviews and biographies of some amazing female cartoonists and editors. Very worth a read for anyone who loves these things. I've got reading material for a year now!

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really, really outstanding book of profiles of women throughout the history of comics. It covers writers, artists, editors, and executives, which is cool, and it includes plenty of people from underground, indie, and manga in addition to the Big 2. Because it's published by the CBLDF, there's an emphasis on censorship and diversity, but that's a good unifying thread for a collection like this.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not incredibly in-depth on each woman/creator but the overall picture one gets from the history is very detailed. Women have been in comics since the very beginning and they’ve been pushing boundaries the whole time. Easy to read one profile and then pick up months later (based on my start and finish dates you can see this is what I did.) really cool

[Paul Allard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comprehensive guide to woman comic creators

This is a comprehensive guide to many, if not all of the, women who have managed to become comic artists, editors and authors in a once male-dominated environment. Each artist gets two pages of biography and is often quoted. Many have courted controversy and have raised the profile of female comic book creators. The latter part looks at women imprisoned or persecuted for their work and interviews with current comic creators.

An interesting read for lovers of the comic format.

[Konner · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book, but I wish it were a coffee table book with lots of space to put entire strips of the work that's discussed. Most chapters only have a few panels to show and some of those women have decades long careers in comics.

[Guilherme Smee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Este livro, She Changed Comics, é um livro muito bom que valoriza a trajetória das mulheres criadoras das histórias em quadrinhos. Parte perfil, parte entrevista, ele divide as criadoras em categorias como Era de Ouro, Era de Prata, Era Moderna, Mangás, Mulheres em Poder e Mulheres em Risco. Monta um painel bastante interessante e traz informações novas, bem como lança luz em termos e temas femininos que precisam ser discutidos nos quadrinhos. Mas o grande problemas dó livro é que ele se apresenta por um olhar estadunidense do tema e, por isso, as mulheres americanas ganham o maior destaque, como sempre. Onde estão as mulheres latinas? Onde estão as mulheres europeias que não são da França? Onde estão as mulheres negras? Por isso o livro peca ao querer abraçar o mundo, literalmente, e não conseguir. Se ele tivesse se proposto a fazer perfis e entrevistas apenas de mulheres norte-americanas teria se saído com um resultado muito mais coeso e coerente. Contudo precisamos aplaudir essa inciativa do Comic Book Legal Defense Found (CBLDF) por ter pelo menos conseguido concretizar esse tipo de estudo por financiamento coletivo numa realidade dominada não apenas pelos machos mas pelo machismo.

[Phobean · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book came to me by way of The Browse. Boy, how I'd missed browsing library shelves, looking for nothing in particular beyond what captured my interest. Pandemic-times aside, I've been reading comics since I was small child and naturally had ZERO idea there were so many prominent, important women in the industry that I figured I could only be a spectator in. I wonder how I might think of things if I'd had access to these luminaries as a child? From Wendy Pini, whose Elfquest captivated me from age 13 through my 20s to the Tamaki cousins whose works consistently blows me away today, so many of my favorites are featured in this book, including subversive, next-level publisher C. Spike Trotman, who (unbeknownst to her) convinced me to co-launch a publishing collective with my longstanding writer's crit group. Flipping through these pages was like learning about some unnamed part of myself which has been yearning for more attention. I'm sure this book was So. Much. Work, but I truly hope Ms. Gomez and CBLDF publishes an updated version in a few years because women, trans, and gender non-conforming people in comix and comics are on the come up.

[Robert Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Been dipping in and out of this one for about a month, for which this book is perfect. Each creator gets two pages, which is great for a quick hit an to pique interest. Additional interviews in the back with some modern creators.

As a result of how female perspectives have been marginalized throughout the genre's history, most of these creators thrived out side the mainstream in alternative and underground books. But you also get the more modern creators that have found places at DC and Marvel, if the hero books are more your speed or natural inclination. This book makes a great intro to those other voices and genres.

Highly recommend this for those (like me) who are cis male/hetro who realize they need to be ,ore informed about other voices. This is an intro. A map for further exploration.

Plus it's from CBDLF, which is worthy of support. Especially in these darkening days where I have a feeling that censorship of diverse voices may again be on the rise.

[Ardyth · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting collection of brief (2 - 4 page) bios about various women in comics from the early 1900s to current times, and around the globe as well. Some of these names were known to me, many are new.

I can guarantee that, no matter who you are, not all of these creators or titles are going to be your jam. A lot of it isn't mine, either. So it goes with any creative format. /shrug

This is definitely a niche book, and obviously any CBLDF publication is going to focus on censorship. In this case, it starts with the unofficial / glass ceiling kind, but by the end we are in legal & mortal peril territory -- legal challenges, arrests, death threats.

Some interesting stuff in here, though, for a person who likes the hybrid art of comics and is feeling curious about what all is out there beyond the big properties. Although the title emphasizes women, there is decent amount of nonbinary and LGBTQ+ content mentioned, too -- not surprising given the theme at hand, really.

[Tiamatty · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great look at a number of women who have made comics, going all the way back to some of the earliest women to do comics and cartoons, for newspapers, all the way up to some of the biggest female voices in comics today. Cartoonists, writers, artists and editors are all spotlighted. It also looks at notable female comics creators from other countries, including several who've been to prison for their art. The profiles are all brief - basically just a page, with a second page showing an example of their work. Just enough to get across why each woman mattered, and provide some resources for people to explore them further. It's an interesting and valuable reminder that comics has never been just for boys, and the importance of respecting female voices.

I would definitely recommend reading this.

[Stewart Tame · Rating 4 out of 5]

Capsule bios of many of the important and influential women in comics, both historically and currently (as of early 2017 anyway.) Of course some people were left out. This was never intended to be an encyclopedia. In addition to the biographies, there are some short interviews with people like Cece Bell and Mariko Tamaki. These are followed by a list (still not exhaustive) of further names to check out. If anyone is naive enough to think that girls can't or don't do comics, this book will be a real eye opener. It's a bit on the short side, but it's primary purpose is to point the reader in the right directions for further research, not be the final word. It's heartening to see so much talent represented in one book, especially considering how much of a boy's club comics were even twenty years ago. The future is in good hands!

[Bruce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short informative profiles of, or interviews with, seventy-one female cartoonists, script writers, editors, and publishers who have worked in the medium of comics, graphic storytelling, or sequential art, depending on how you choose to define the art form, make up this compendium of groundbreaking women. They pushed the boundaries of social norms, free expression, and the patriarchy in both their lives and their art. The women represented are mostly North American or Japanese. Also included are four women, Indian, Egyptian, Lebanese, and Japanese whose works have been challenged, censored, fined. Two of them were imprisoned.

[Rachael Hobson · Rating 5 out of 5]

"We're here to stay, we're growing in number, and we're coming for your comics. It's too late to turn back, we're everywhere now, from heads of publishing to the signing line at conventions. We're here, and we want the keys to the Batmobile." - Gail Simone

A compilation of great ladies who were/are involved in the comic book industry. Filled with mini-bios of top notch ladies, it's an incredible resource if you are looking to diversify your reading. Loved how this author included sources for additional reading and interviews with some of these ladies!

[MrsEnginerd · Rating 4 out of 5]

At times it was repetitive, at others too brief. In the end, it is a good compilation from which to launch further research into the women that changed free expression in comics and the many offerings there are to explore their work and impacts to the medium and beyond. Would love to see and hear more on the subject. A documentary, perhaps?

For more on my opinion of the book, follow the link attached. https://mrsenginerd.wordpress.com/201...

[Misty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. I just added a whole bunch of graphics and books to my to-read list. My only complaint is the way the book was organized (I think it could have been divided up in a way that flowed better) and how it repeated women creators towards the end. Other than that is a fantastic look at women in the comic field.

[Jaclyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I surprisingly really enjoyed this book! The 2-3 page capsule biographies were perfect to pique my interest and give more information on women artists, especially as I do not know much about many of these comic creators, publishers, and editors. I now have a list of comics/graphic novels to check out!

*I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good intro to women comic creators.

[D.F. P · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent compendium of a large group of women who shaped comics and broke into an industry that was hesitant to accept them, but beyond that, all the creations listed should be explored.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book, but I couldn’t get into it, I’m leaving it for now, maybe when I return to it I’ll have changed my mind, but for now, I’m putting it back on the shelf.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Such an invaluable resource! But also so hard for me to read straight thru—the 3 page biographies really start to pick up with the 24 manga artists, but still a pretty choppy read.

[Riegs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trina Robbins! Alison Bechdel! Kate Beaton! Queens!

[Maria Schillinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great introduction to these women. I was familiar with some of them, but many of them were unknown to me. I can now look for more of their work.

[marcia]

DNF'ed. Would've worked much better as a coffee table book to showcase each artist/writer and their work.

[Cale · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of short (mainly 2-page) biographies about prominent women in both comic book history and the current scene. Some of them I was familiar with, a number I was not, especially some of the earlier writers. The layout of the book is a little weird - while the women are kind of grouped by area of comics history (classic/Golden Age, the Comix/Underground era, etc), within those sections there isn't much guidance as to their order. And on the more modern ones, CBLDF takes up a little too much space on some of the women's biographies detailing when their works were challenged (and how CBLDF supported them). I understand they created the book and drove its Kickstarter and publication, but there were a couple times where more information about the women would have been appreciated. Also, there are a couple omissions that seemed odd (Lynn Johnston of For Better or For Worse, and G. Willow Wilson is present as an interview but not a biographical subject). But these are minor quibbles.As someone who got back into comics due almost entirely to Vertigo, I was glad to see Karen Berger and Jenette Kahn get their due credit for the imprint. This book is really a gateway to explore the impact women have had in comics and a guidepost to further reading (there are recommendations for each woman, as well as a general section) which will serve readers well. Recommended for any comic fans, or for anyone who wants to see just how far-reaching the impact of women has been on the comics industry.

[Nikki Boisture · Rating 3 out of 5]

I backed this kickstarter and I'm really happy I did. It had a lot of information, though I would have liked some of the bios to be fleshed out a little more, and I thought the organization wasn't great. Still, it's was an awesome read, I'm definitely going to keep it around for good reference.