The first guest of the week is New York Times bestselling novelist and comic book writer Marjorie M. Liu! She has written books in the Dirk & Steele and Hunter Kiss series, as well as graphic novels for Marvel such as Astonishing X-Men, X-23, Black Widow, and Dark Wolverine. Her novels have received many honors, including multiple Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Awards and nominations, PEARL Awards, a RITA nomination, a PRISM Award nomination, and a Kiss of Death Daphne du Maurier Award nomination. She has also earned a GLAAD Media Award nomination for her work on Astonishing X-Men. A new comic she is creating with Sana Takeda, Monstress, is coming out this summer (and it looks amazing!).

I’m often asked what it’s like to be a “woman in comics”, and while I’m sometimes tempted to reply with, “Gosh, darn, I just strap on my ovaries before I start writing each morning,” the truth is that it’s an important question.  The fact that it’s asked means there’s still misunderstandings, some apprehension, a sense that it’s different for women than it is for men inside the world of comic book publishing. It’s no surprise that young women creators might have that impression — for years we were told that comics are for boys, that women who read comics are outliers, that they need special “girl” comics.  That’s not true, of course — but it’s also not very welcoming, either.  And neither are the various misogynistic marketing snafus, the tired gender tropes, and all the other micro-agressions that litter the field.

We need more women (and people of color).  We need these voices, we need women to be in comics, on every level — as writers, editors, artists.  And the good news is that things are changing — and things have changed.  For the girls who ask me what it’s like (code-speak for, “Can I do this, too?), I want to reassure them that being a woman in comics is like any profession where you love what you do: there are going to be highs and lows, a lot of awesome mixed in with equal or lesser or greater amounts of disappointment; and yes, sometimes your gender (or race) will get mixed up in all of that, because this is still a world where women aren’t always treated the same as men, where the patriarchy protects itself and holds on to its stereotypes in a tight little fist.

But I’m here to say that you can do it.  And if you ask me what’s it like to be a woman in comics?

It’s so much fun.

I’ve put together a list of comics written and drawn by women — books that I absolutely love.  It’s not comprehensive, but if you want a place to start, this is it.

A BRIDE’S STORY by Kaoru Mori: a lush, gorgeous tale set in 1900’s Central Asia, about a 20 year old nomadic woman who is sent to marry a twelve year old boy.

I THINK I AM IN FRIEND-LOVE WITH YOU by Yumi Sakugawa: a heartbreaking short comic about love, friendship, longing.

FRIENDS WITH BOYS by Faith Erin Hicks: a homeschooled teen goes to a public high school for the first time, and has to deal with making new friends, handling old family trauma — and trying to help a ghost that haunts her local cemetery.

SKIM by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki – a goth biracial teen in Canada tries to figure out love, friendship, and her own identity.

PERSEPOLIS by Marjane Satrapi – a graphic memoir about an Iranian girl growing up before, during, and after the Islamic revolution.

HARK! A VAGRANT by Kate Beaton – a hilarious online comic that takes jabs at everything and everyone — from myths, comic book superheroes, historical figures, classic novels, and more. Love it: http://www.harkavagrant.com/archive.php

AYA by Marguerite Abouet – a lovely, uplifting graphic novel about a young woman’s life in Ivory Coast during the late Seventies.