Inspired and informed by the recent House of Illustration show ‘Comix Creatrix: 100 Women Making Comics’ in Central London, we’ve put together a panel to celebrate and discuss the sometimes-overlooked role of women in comics since their inception.

Contributors include Manga-influenced writer and artist Asia Alfasi and Nepalese comic artist Kripa Joshi, along with graphic novelist Mary Talbot and comics commissioning editor Corinne Pearlman. Joined by moderator Paul Gravett, they’ll talk about the importance of shows like ‘Comic Creatrix’ in promoting a wider awareness of women’s comic book art. They’ll also discuss their current work and look ahead both in terms of their future projects and their hopes for the increased recognition of the female artists who have shaped, and continue to shape, the vast and growing comics industry.

 

Contributors

Logo of Asia Alfasi

Asia Alfasi

Asia Alfasi is an award-winning British Libyan graphic novelist. Born in Libya in 1984, she spent her formative years first in Tripoli, and then in Glasgow, Scotland, after migrating there with her family. Upon discovering and falling in love with comics and manga, she realised their immense potential for humanising issues and bringing the plight of often marginalised peoples to the fore and therefore furthering understanding. Ever since, she has represented the Muslim and Arab voice through her work with the ultimate aim of harnessing the medium as a tool for cross-cultural dialogue. 

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Kripa Joshi

Kripa Joshi is a Nepali artist and the creator of the Miss Moti comics. She studied at the School of Visual Arts with a Fulbright scholarship. Miss Moti is a plump woman who frequently blurs the line between fantasy and reality. She was recently featured in the Comix Creatrix exhibition at the House of Illustration.

Corinne Pearlman

Corinne Pearlman is creative director at Brighton-based Myriad, an independent publisher of original graphic novels and literary fiction. As commissioning editor of the graphics list, Corinne oversees the biennial Myriad First Graphic Novel Competition, discovering and nurturing talented creators who often go on to be published and win awards.

Mary Talbot

Mary Talbot is an academic who now writes graphic novels. Her first, ‘Dotter of her Father’s Eyes’ (with Bryan Talbot), won the 2012 Costa Biography Award. Her second, ‘Sally Heathcote, Suffragette’ (with Kate Charlesworth and Bryan Talbot), came out in 2014. Her academic books deal with language, gender, media and power.

 

Paul Gravett

Acknowledged by the ‘Times’ as “the greatest historian of the comics and graphic novel form in this country”, Paul Gravett is a writer, historian and curator specialising in international comics. He is the author of ‘1001 Comics You Must Read Before You Die’ and co-curated the recent exhibition ‘Comix Creatrix: 100 Women Making Comics’ at House of Illustration.