New documentary She Makes Comics is bringing the hidden history of women in comics to the surface. Directed by recent Wesleyan grad Marisa Stotter, the feature-length doc was born of her own passion for the male-dominated medium and frustration with its scene.
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Growing up a fan of comics, Stotter found she often felt uncomfortable and unwanted in comic shops, a story she found to be rather universal when she embarked on her filmmaking journey. “One thing that was very interesting to us throughout the interview process was that pretty much everyone we interviewed has had the experience of going into a comic shop and being ignored or feeling like the employees were condescending, ” Stotter recently told Bitch.
It turns out, women were the original market for comics back in the 1950s, and while their presence at cons and in shops is entering what some in the doc call a “golden age,” they have been making and reading comics all along. From an exploration of female comic artists during the medium’s birth in the late 1800s, to women making their way into the scene in present day through cosplay, and interviews about female heroes and more with industry mainstays such as Kelly Sue DeConnick, Joyce Farmer, Becky Cloonan, Trina Robbins, Ramona Fradon, Karen Berger and more, She Makes Comics is a comprehensive look at women reclaiming their place in comic history.
In addition to the full length doc, available through Sequart, Stotter and co. are releasing a mini-doc about Jackie Ormes, a legendary figure in the comic industry and its first black female artist.
