Part of the Series
Ladydrawers
If we divide the world of comics – just one of many forms of media – by what companies are releasing what works, some disturbing trends emerge. In this installment of Ladydrawers, we can begin to put together one reason so much of the industry seems dominated by men – in terms of labor, at least, it is.
Is it a vicious circle, most evident in the outfits worn by big-buxomed super heroines in an endless array of licensed titles? A sheer accident, an oversight on the part of one small, but influential, group of publishers? Or, as our previous Ladydrawers installment hinted, a well-planned conspiracy? You’ll have to judge for yourself in this piece by Lucy Knisley and Anne Elizabeth Moore.
In coming weeks, we’ll break down more statistics by publishers. It’s certainly not the only way to look at gender bias, but it is a start.
Ladydrawers, a semimonthly comics collaboration, investigates the causes and outcomes of gender bias in the media and in the comics world, and the impact that these dynamics have in both realms.
Click here or on the comic below to open it in a new window and click again to zoom in.
Angry, shocked, overwhelmed? Take action: Support independent media.
We’ve borne witness to a chaotic first few months in Trump’s presidency.
Over the last months, each executive order has delivered shock and bewilderment — a core part of a strategy to make the right-wing turn feel inevitable and overwhelming. But, as organizer Sandra Avalos implored us to remember in Truthout last November, “Together, we are more powerful than Trump.”
Indeed, the Trump administration is pushing through executive orders, but — as we’ve reported at Truthout — many are in legal limbo and face court challenges from unions and civil rights groups. Efforts to quash anti-racist teaching and DEI programs are stalled by education faculty, staff, and students refusing to comply. And communities across the country are coming together to raise the alarm on ICE raids, inform neighbors of their civil rights, and protect each other in moving shows of solidarity.
It will be a long fight ahead. And as nonprofit movement media, Truthout plans to be there documenting and uplifting resistance.
As we undertake this life-sustaining work, we appeal for your support. Please, if you find value in what we do, join our community of sustainers by making a monthly or one-time gift.