Encyclopedia of Women in Comics

Watase, Yuu 渡瀬悠宇 (1970 - )

Japanese mangaka

Watase made her debut in 1989 at the age of 18 with the short story "Pajama de Ojama" (パジャマでおじゃま, "An Intrusion in Pajamas") and has since published more than 50 volumes of one-shots and long-running manga series. One of her most popular titles is Fushigi Yûgi (serialized in Shojo Comic from 1992-1996) and tells the story of two middle-aged girls, Miaka and Yui, who are pulled into an alternate universe by a book, The Universe of the Four Gods.

In 1998, Watase won the 43rd Shogakukan Manga Award in the shōjo (girls') category for Ceres, Celestial Legend (which was adapted into a very popular anime produced by Studio Pierrot in 1995)

In 2008, she began her first shōnen (boys') serialization, Arata: The Legend.

Watase prefers to work with more traditional methods, because she believes the traditional methods have more feelings. Despite finding new media jarring, Watase has expressed a desire to work with new media as well. While Watase mostly works with colored inks and markers, she has used digital programs such as Adobe Photoshop to enhance traditional work.

Watters, Shannon

American comic book freelance editor, writer and creative project consultant

Watters is best known as the co-creator and co-writer of the award-winning hit comic book series Lumberjanes (2014), and the graphic novel, Hollow (2022).

Watters is also a former senior editor (2018-2021) and the former founder/head of BOOM! Box line at BOOM! Studios, the imprint behind critically acclaimed comics and graphic novels like Giant Days, The Backstagers, Lumberjanes, Fence, Goldie Vance, Heavy Vinyl, The Avant-Guards, and many others. Watters original started at BOOM! Studios as assistant editor (2010-2011) and was promoted as editor (2011-2018) until becoming senior editor to the publisher.

Watters has also helped guide KaBOOM! — BOOM! Studios’ all-ages imprint — to commercial and critical success, mostly by hand-picking cartoonists with unique voices to put their own spin on an impressive line-up of all-star licenses including Adventure Time, Regular Show and Bravest Warriors.

To learn more about Shannon Watters work, please follow the link https://www.shannonwatters.com to her official website.

Webb, Kathleen (1956 - )

American comic book writer and artist

Webb was one of the first female writers for Archie comics.

Mentored by Archie Comics writer-artist Dan DeCarlo, she sold her first script to that comic book company in 1985. As of 2008, she continued to write for, primarily, Archie Comics' Betty and Veronica titles. Webb has also penciled Mattel-licensed Barbie stories for Marvel Comics.

Webb is also involved in Christian comics. She wrote and drew 'Holly and the Ivy Halls' for Focus on the Family's Brio Magazine between 1993 and 2004. She has illustrated Sunday school papers for Gospel Light Publications as well as pages in the comics Aida-Zee and Paro-Dee. A comic about her personal testimony appeared in the first issue of Christian Comics & Games Magazine in 1996.

Weber, Lisa K.

American comic book company owner, creator and artist

Weber is one of the co-founders of the all-woman, 100% creator-owned independent comic book company Hexcomics (2014) and is the creator and illustrator of their ongoing fantasy series about techno-witchcraft HEX11.

Their famous and most popular title HEX11, which is the epic story of a young witch living in a futuristic dystopia where magic has been discovered as a new technology, has sold over 70,000 copies worldwide and has been picked up by the Los Angeles Public Library. It was also an inaugural nominee for the prestigious Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity in Comics.

Weber has been working professionally as an artist for two decades and some of her clients include Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins, Scholastic, Disney, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Audible, Capstone Press, Image Comics, Z2 Comics, National Geographic, Art Machine, Universal Pictures, Nickelodeon, MTV Animation, and PBS Kids.

Along with Lynly Forrest and Kelly Sue Milano, Weber has served as an instructor for the Comic Book Heroes class at the Otis College of Art and Design since 2019.

To learn more about Weber and her illustrious art, find her at the official website at this link https://www.lisakweber.com/ and about her work at Hexcomics, please follow the link https://hexcomix.com/ to that official website.

Wings, Mary (1949-2024)

American cartoonist, writer and artist

In 1973, Mary Wings made history by releasing Come Out Comix, the first lesbian underground comic book. Wings was also attributed with creating the first homosexual non-erotic comic book because comic books pre-dating Wings often fetishized any homosexual themes.

Wings was not originally a cartoonist or part of the 1970s underground comix movement when she created her first comic book, Come Out Comix. This comic book was created in response to Trina Robbins' comic in Wimmen's Comix #1, "Sandy Comes Out" — the first comic about lesbians. Wings was angered by "Sandy Comes Out," believing that the complex process of coming out was misrepresented by Robbins, a straight woman. She wrote Come Out Comix in seven days. Wings self-published Come Out Comix, printing copies in the basement of a karate studio. The plot of this comic book focuses on the character Maggi, who is coming to terms with her lesbian identity and finding a lover in the process. Come Out Comix is influenced by the author's own experience of coming out. Wings later released Dyke Shorts and Are Your Highs Getting You Down? Wings then left the comic scene.

Wings was one of the originators of lesbian detective fiction, publishing her first mystery novel, She Came Too Late, in England in 1986 and the United States in 1988. She Came Too Late was a success and gave Wings notoriety as the book appeared for seven weeks on the London City Limits Bestseller List and won Best Novel of the Year in the 1986 Reader's Poll. She later wrote four other mysteries starring the same lesbian detective, Emma Victor.

Wings's only standalone novel, Divine Victim, is a lesbian mystery-thriller that won the 1994 Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Mystery.

Wiliiams, Alison

Canadian comic book artist and self-publisher

Along with her brother A. Jaye Williams, Alison is the founder SillWill Studios.

They started in the graphic novel field in 1999 with the premiere of SillWill's first story, the B & W fantasy adventure The Sorcerer’s Children: The Weary Curse, an engaging story of four young companions caught up in the plans of an evil sorcerer. Inspired by Celtic myth, Alison wrote and provided the artwork for the book with A. Jaye handling the editorial and promotional side of the operation. The astounding and critical reception of their first venture led to the sequel: The Sorcerer’s Children: A Conspiracy of Shadows and The Sorcerer’s Children: A Spell For Tears.

To learn more about the Williams' self-publishing company, please follow the link https://sillwillstudios.com/ to their official website.

Williams, Stephanie

American comic book historian and writer

Williams has an extensive career, having written for notable publications such as SYFYFANGRRLS, Marvel, The A.V. Club, Nerdist, Den of Geek, and Rotten Tomatoes.

She now has two webcomics, Parenthood Activate and But What If Though, in addition to Living Heroes on Kickstarter.

Her writing credits include Nubia and the Amazons, Nubia: Coronation Special, Nubia: Queen of the Amazons, Wakanda, Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur: Wreck and Roll, Strange and Unsung All-Stars of the DC Multiverse, and The Raven Boys Graphic Novel Adaption.

More information about Williams can be found at this link https://www.whysteph.com to her own website.

Wilson, G. Willow (1982 - )

American comics writer, prose, author, and essayist

Gwendolyn Willow Wilson was in charge of the relaunch of the Ms. Marvel title for Marvel Comics in 2014. The title was Marvel's first solo series to feature a female muslim superhero.

Along with Marvel Entertainment director and editor, Sana Amanat, Wilson co-created a new Ms. Marvel. This character was a 16-year-old Muslim superhero named Kamala Khan living in Jersey City, New Jersey, who takes up the mantle after the previous Ms. Marvel, Carol Danvers, took up the name Captain Marvel.

Her first graphic novel, Cairo, with art by M.K. Perker, was published by Vertigo in 2007, and named one of the best graphic novels of 2007 by Publishers Weekly, The Edmonton Journal/CanWest News, and Comics Worth Reading. The paperback edition of Cairo was named one of Best Graphic Novels for High School Students in 2008 by School Library Journal, and one of 2009's Top Ten Graphic Novels for Teens by the American Library Association.

In November 2018, Wilson began writing Wonder Woman from DC Comics beginning with #58 and ending with #81.

If you are interested in following G. Willow Wilson's journey, please follow the link to her website here https://www.gwillowwilson.com.

Witter, Ashley (1985 - )

American comic book artist, illustrator and cover artist

Witter is best known as the co-creator of the comic book serial Squarriers with writer Ashlie Maczko for Devil's Due Comics.

Witter is also well known for her graphic novel adaptations of the Anne Rice novels Interview with the Vampire: Claudia's Story (2012) and The Wolf Gift (2014) for Yen Press.

Witter is also the creator of the webcomic Scorch and cover artwork for Marvel comics' Star Wars: Doctor Aphra and X-23.

If you would like to know about Witter's artistic work, please follow the link https://ashleywitter.com/ to her official website.

Wood, Tatjana

American artist and comic book colorist

During the 1950s and 1960s, Tatjana Weintraub sometimes made uncredited contributions to Wally Wood's artwork (her then husband from 1950-1966). One of the stories she worked on was "Carl Akeley" in EC Comics' Two-Fisted Tales #41 (February–March 1955). She also did a number of animal drawings for that story.

Later, beginning in 1969, Wood did extensive work for DC Comics as a comic book colorist. She was the main colorist for DC's covers from 1973 through the mid-1980s. Weintraub did coloring work on the interiors of comics as well, including Grant Morrison's acclaimed run on Animal Man, Alan Moore's issues of Swamp Thing, and Camelot 3000. She won the Shazam Award for Best Colorist in 1971 and 1974. Wood has had no significant credits in the comics industry since 2003.

Woods, Ashley A. (1985 - )

American comic book artist

Woods is best known for her work on Tomb Raider, Niobe, and Ladycastle series.

Woods illustrated the comic book Niobe: She is Life, which was written by Amandla Stenberg and Sebastion Jones in 2015. It was the first internationally distributed comic with a black author, artist and central character.

Inspired by blending military and fantasy themes, Woods created, wrote, and fully illustrated her action-fantasy comic, "Millennia War", during her senior year of high school and freshman year of college and self-published the first issue of the series in March 2006. The series currently has seven issues and a graphic novel."

Her breakthrough work came in 2015, when she began working on the series Niobe: She is Life.

In 2016, she illustrated the four-issue limited series Ladycastle for Boom! Studios and was published over the first half of 2017,

Dark Horse Comics hired Woods to pencil the four-issue limited series Tomb Raider: Survivor's Crusade, published November 2017 through February 2018.

Woods, Lisa (Tula Lotay) (1975 - ) English comic artist

Tula is best known for her interior work on Bodies, All-Star Batman, Supreme Blue Rose and Scarlet Witch. She is also a prolific and accomplished cover artist, working regularly for Marvel, DC, Image and Boom! Studios along with being a regular contributor on the fronts of such series as Catwoman, The Walking Dead, Faithless and Bloodshot Reborn. Outside of comics, Lotay is a mainstay in the alternative film poster scene, contributing art to officially licensed projects such as Marvel Studio’s Black Widow, The Handmaiden, Personal Shopper, The Last of Us and many others.

In 2015 she was nominated for a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Comic Book for The Wicked and The Divine #13. This was followed up with more accolades when Tula was awarded the Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award by the San Diego Comic Con Eisner committee for her charitable and fundraising work in 2019. Her biggest accomplishment yet came once again at SDCC, when in 2023 she won an Eisner award for Best Digital Comic for Barnstormers with Scott Snyder and Comixology. In 2024 she followed it up with back to back wins, this time taking home the Eisner for best new series for Somna.

Somna was her first book as a DSTLRY founding member and was both a written and drawn with creator Becky Cloonan. Currently, she is drawing Groupies with Helene Mullane at Comixology.

Tula Lotay is founder of the Thought Bubble Comic Art Festival, which is considered one of the largest comic book conventions in the UK founded in 2007, with the MCM Comic Con being the biggest. Woods stepped down as director of the festival in 2022.

If you want to learn more about Tula Lotay, please follow the link https://www.tulalotay.com to her official website.

Woolfork, Dorothy (1913-2000)

American comic book editor and writer

Dorothy Roubicek served from 1942 to 1944 as an editor at All-American Publications, one of the three companies that would merge to form the present-day DC, before Julius Schwartz took over, then spent the next two years at Timely Comics, the 1940s predecessor to Marvel Comics, and in 1948 was an editor at EC Comics. Making her one of the first women in the American comic book industry and DC's first woman editor.

Woolfork had found Superman's invulnerability dull, and that DC's flagship hero might be more interesting with an Achilles' heel such as adverse reactions to a fragment of his home planet. This gave rise to the famous fictional metal kryptonite, which made its first appearance in the comics in the story "Superman Returns To Krypton!", credited to writer Bill Finger, in Superman #61 (Dec. 1949).

She also occasionally scripted comics, including an unknown number of Wonder Woman stories in the 1940s — making Woolfolk "possibly" the first female writer of that series along with Joye Hummel, as the two had been ghost-writing for that comic.

Woolley, Sara Gómez

American illustrator, graphic novelist, and educator

Woolley has an extensive career working in illustration with such high profile clients as National Geographic, DC Comics, Image Comics, Scholastic, Random House and Parallax Press.

During the summer of 2022, Sara piloted the Highlights Foundation's resident artist program. While on campus where she spent much of her time in the Art Coop working on her forthcoming graphic novel.

Woolley is also on the BOD of the New York Society of Illustrators and the BOD of Platohedro, arts based NGO in Medellin Colombia.

Woolley is also a member of the prestigious Women In Comics International Collective (WinC), a tenured faculty member in the Communication Design Department at New York City College of Technology, CUNY, and teaches in the Biography and Memoir program at the CUNY Graduate Center and is also proud to serve on the Board of Directors of the New York Society of Illustrators.

in 2020, Woolley was the colorist on the 170 page graphic novel, Wonder Woman: Warbringer.

In 2022, she illustrated Pirate Queens, the Dauntless Women who Dared to Sail the High Seas for Nat Geo Kids.

Her ongoing personal project, a fictionalized graphic memoir written collaboratively with her mother and art partner Leila Gómez Woolley, Los Pirineos: The mostly true memoirs of Esperancita Gómez, chronicles a young girl’s upbringing in and eventual exile from Colombia; told through the lens of childhood imagination. The first graphic novel in the series received an award by the National Association of Latino Arts and Culture. Researched on location in Colombia, the story is deeply personal, nevertheless still gives a voice to a common immigrant experience.

If you want to learn more about Sara Woolley's professional work and career, please follow the link https://www.sarawoolley.com/ to her own official website.

Wright, Sharon (1959 - )

American comic book writer

Partner to Mike Grell, Wright co-wrote Grell’s Warlord for over a year between issues #52 and #71. As a solo writer, Wright would be one of the authors to take on the Action Comics Weekly challenge, writing a Black Canary feature from issues #609-634.She alsp has writing credits for Green Arrow.

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