women in comics in UK/Ireland – overview
There are occasions when perhaps it’s best not to promise a blog post on a subject.
Regular readers might remember that in January I commented upon the utter lack of women comic book guests at the forthcoming Kapow! comic book convention in London. This was followed by an entry in which I posted a number of women artists/writers working in the field in the UK (and Ireland), with a promise to put together a much more detailed listing of women working in the field.
The follow-up post has been a long time coming because:
- There are loads of women working in comics in the UK and Ireland
People might remember there was a threefold reason given for no women guests at Kapow!
It was attested there were no a) Big (whatever that means) b) British c) Professional comic book artists/writers who were women working in the field.
So, I’ve compiled a list of women who have published comics in the UK and Ireland. It represents a wide range of experience and projects. Some are novices, and others have been working for decades.
I’ve tried to name a couple of titles by each woman I’ve listed. If I haven’t that’s because project titles weren’t obvious from the creator’s web site, but it was clear they were producing work.
Now, before anyone complains I’ve missed someone: that’s quite probable, because there are so many women creating work. Do not assume malice on my part, merely that it’s a simple oversight or their web site was not very clear (more on that issue in this post).
If you know I’ve missed someone who deserves to be on the list, drop me a comment on the entry and I will add the artist/writer. Please name the project she has written or drawn and supply a web site/blog if at all possible.
This is where we get to the tricky part: there are many amazing female artists/illustrators who do not create comic books. For the interests of my sanity I’ve kept this list to women who create comic books and cartoon strips in the UK or Ireland. Web comics must have a proven track record of regular publication.
Otherwise I’ll be inundated with suggestions from everyone who has ever hoisted a piece of fan art on DeviantArt (I love DeviantArt btw, I’m not knocking it).
I’m pretty flexible, but on the other hand I’m looking for women who have shown a serious commitment to writing/drawing sequential art in Ireland and the UK.
I’ve also included some comic book resources that are women-focused or women-friendly. It’s not meant to be comprehensive as there are just too many sites out there – these are all good, however.
Finally, is a list of the comic book events in the UK and Ireland that occur regularly and promote women creators in the field as a matter of course.
It’s also apparent to me that there is an increased influx of women to the industry, and I say: welcome!
Even though this exercise was time-consuming and sometimes taxing on my patience I was often totally blown away by the talent. It was a pleasure to become acquainted with their work.
Thanks to everyone who commented on my previous posts with information!
(I should note that since the issue with Kapow! was first raised some months back the convention has placed one woman, Melinda Gebbie (Lost Girls), on the guest list.)
Update: I’ve added a blog post about the final line-up of Kapow!, and the addition of more women to the event.
