The Culture of Women in Comics

I went to Women in Comics for the panels but I did not expect to see so many independent artists selling their artwork, t-shirts and posters. These artists had displays of their personal artwork ranging in prices from $10-$25.  I felt the need to buy something from these artists because I wanted to support them. I don’t know how much time and labor it takes for these projects to get done but I know it must be worth it for these artists to put their work out there and be vulnerable to people’s opinion. I left the convention with $50 worth of posters, bookmarks, buttons and t-shirts. After buying everything it was time to go to the panels.

I attended the panel called “The Invisible Lantix.” Where there were four female panelists all Hispanic descent.  They talked about what the word “Latinx” means and how they are represented in media. Lantix is a non-gender conforming word used to describe a group of people of Hispanic descent.  The panelist all agreed on the same thing “Seeing yourself in media matters.”  The crowded agreed in applause because we were all thinking the same thing, that people of color are often whitewashed in mainstream media. One of the panelist made the example of Welsh born actress Catherine Zeta Jones being portrayed as a Latina character in the movie ”The Legend of Zorro.” As someone who is half black and half Puerto Rican it’s not often that I find anyone on mainstream television or film who looks like me or my friends of the same background. When I do see someone who of Hispanic descent on screen they are often all the same. Which bought up a great point during the panel when someone mentioned that writers of mainstream media and television think that Hispanics are a monolith and are written the same way despite their origin, culture and language.

Watching this panel put things in perspective. It is important to celebrate and support women in comics.  “The Invisible Lantix” panel offered some advice to all the struggles of not seeing Lantix people displayed on screen properly. They wanted everyone in the audience to know that they have the power to voices their complaints through social media. It is the reason why Marvel has created their first Latina superhero, “America Chavez.” Marvel had to answer to the voice of it fans to sustain their fans support. Last, every independent artist needs support from their fans. Artist can only create inclusive comics for fans when they have the financial support.

At the age of thirteen I was drawn to the world of cartoons and fantasy because it made me believe in the morality of these characters. Now as a young adult I appreciate the work that goes into making comic books. The women in comics’ event featured artists that made the creating your own comic book look easy but of course it is all about having the support of others.