Women in Comics

This week has seen a huge fracas over the Grand Prix d’Angouleme when the list of 30 nominees did not include a single woman. While no one has mentioned this, I can only imagine the number of minorities represented on that list as well. "The Grand Prix is a lifetime achievement award, and the winner is named president of the following year’s Angouleme International Comics Festival. In the event’s 43-year history, just one woman, Florence Cestac, has been awarded the Grand Prix."(1)

Franck Bondoux, executive officer of the Angouleme International Comics Festival, defended the decision by saying, "“Unfortunately, there are few women in the history of comics,” he said. “That’s the reality. Similarly, if you go to the Louvre, you will find few women artists.”(2)

To quote Clue, "it-it- the f - it -flam - flames. Flames, on the side of my face, breathing-breathl- heaving breaths. Heaving breaths... Heathing..."

Many people throughout the comic world and beyond have spoken out against this outrageous behavior. Groups are protesting and 1/3 of the authors who were nominated have withdrawn their names from the award. I believe there is now a move by the organization to include several women but people are calling for the award to be cancelled this year. 

It's an amazing vicious cycle. Throughout history, women's contributions in art (and everything really) are devalued and thus forgotten. Then their supposed absence is a evidence of the lack of quality. It goes round and round. Oh the flames I see.

So several lists have come out this week about women comic book artists. Here's one:  

25 Graphic Novels Written by Women, A Beginner's Guide

At the bottom of this article are some more names:

After the fracas...

I'm going to add my two cents to these lists since I've been most fortunate to interview several comic book artists for the project:

Sarah Becan is the creator of Sauceome, a great webcomic about food and body image. She also wrote the Complete Ouija Interviews and ShutEye. Check her out here: http://www.sarahbecan.com/

Marnie Galloway is the creator of the incredible trilogy In the Sound and the Seas along with other works. Check her out here: http://monkeyropepress.com/

Lyra Hill is the founder of the late Brain Frame, a performative comic series. She creates zines, films, and much more. Check out her work here: http://lyrahill.blogspot.com/

Lucy Knisley is mentioned on the list above but I can't stress enough how awesome her work is. Relish is one of my favorite books; it's a graphic novel of short stories about food and memory. Check her out here: http://www.lucyknisley.com/

Isabella Rotman writes important comics about social issues, such as sex, consent, and more. She wrote the wonderful informative You're So Sexy When You Aren't Transmitting STD's and Animal Sex. FInd out more about her work here: http://www.isabellarotman.com   

These are just a few of many amazing artists in comics in Chicago. 

That's all for now!

(1) http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2016/01/angouleme-grand-prixs-male-only-long-list-sparks-call-for-boycott/

(2) http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2016/01/nine-creators-withdraw-names-from-angouleme-grand-prix-list/

Interview with Sarah Becan

For my sixteenth interview, I met up with Sarah Becan, comics artist, writer, illustrator and more, to talk about her work. She has the amazing webcomic Sauceome (rhymes with Awesome) that talks about body image and food in very meaningful ways. Her treatment of weight and self-perception really resonate with me. I also love how she talks about food and relishes in the diversity of food in Chicago. It’s an important and witty comic.

She's also published The Complete Ouija Interviews, a collection mini-comics based on Ouija conversations in Nantucket and Shuteye, a comic exploring dreams in a compelling and novel way. Both are well worth checking out. We talked about her work as a comic artist and her work as an illustrator, often creating designs for restaurants and other businesses around the city.

Then we had one of those amazing Chicago moments. At one point during the interview, Sarah asked me if I smelled smoke. I had remarked that there had been a strange smell when I walked to our meeting place but I didn’t. Not long after, a fire truck with sirens blaring pulled up in front of the building. I paused the interview so Sarah could investigate.

There was a dumpster fire in a nearby alley! So we resumed the interview as the firemen worked to put it out. At one point, I noticed one of them was standing on top of the fire engine, gazing into the alley. Hilarious. I love this strange and wonderful city. Sarah provided me with this image of the dumpster fire from this morning. Thanks Sarah for the photo!

What a wonderful interview! Looking forward to seeing more great work from Sarah Becan.