American cartoonist and writer (1938?2024)
Trina Robbins
(
nee
Perlson
; August 17, 1938 ? April 10, 2024) was an American cartoonist. She was an early participant in the
underground comix
movement, and one of the first women in the movement. She co-produced the 1970 underground comic
It Ain't Me, Babe
, which was the first comic book entirely created by women. She co-founded the
Wimmen's Comix
collective, wrote for
Wonder Woman
, and produced adaptations of
Dope
and
The Silver Metal Lover
. She was inducted into the
Will Eisner Hall of Fame
in 2013 and received
Eisner Awards
in 2017 and 2021.
As a scholar and historian, Robbins researched the history of
women in cartooning
. She wrote several nonfiction books including
Women and the Comics
(1985),
A Century of Women Cartoonists
(1993),
The Great Women Superheroes
(1996),
From Girls to Grrrlz
(1999),
Pretty In Ink
(2013), and
Flapper Queens: Women Cartoonists of the Jazz Age
(2020). She co-founded the organization
Friends of Lulu
in 1993.
Early life and education
Trina Perlson was born on August 17, 1938, in
Brooklyn
, New York City,
[1]
to Jewish immigrants originally from
Belarus
.
[2]
Her mother was an elementary school teacher and her father was a tailor. She grew up in
South Ozone Park, Queens
,
[3]
and held an early fascination with comic book heroines, especially
Sheena, Queen of the Jungle
. As a teenager, she attended science fiction fan conventions.
[2]
Robbins attended
Queens College
in New York, and dropped out. She then attended
Cooper Union
for a year, where she studied drawing. She moved to California in 1960, settling in Los Angeles where she was a nude model for men's magazines.
[3]
[2]
She returned to New York in 1966 and lived in Manhattan's
East Village
, where she worked as a stylist and ran a clothing boutique called "Broccoli". In the late 1960s, she designed clothes for
Mama Cass
,
Donovan
,
David Crosby
, among others.
[4]
She was intimately involved in the 1960s rock scene, where she was close friends with
Jim Morrison
and members of
The Byrds
. Robbins was the first of the three "Ladies of the Canyon" in
Joni Mitchell
's classic song from the album of the
same name
.
Career
Early work
Robbins was an active member of
science fiction fandom
in the 1950s and 1960s. Her illustrations appeared in
science fiction fanzines
like the
Hugo
-
nominated
Habakkuk
.
[6]
Comics
Robbins' first comics were printed in the
East Village Other
in 1966;
[7]
she also contributed to the spin-off underground comic
Gothic Blimp Works
in 1969.
[8]
That same year, she designed a one-piece costume for the
Warren Publishing
character
Vampirella
for artist
Frank Frazetta
in
Vampirella
#1 (September 1969).
[9]
[3]
Robbins left New York for
San Francisco
in 1970, and worked at the feminist
underground newspaper
It Ain't Me, Babe
. The same year, she produced the first all-woman comic book, the
one-shot
It Ain't Me, Babe Comix
with fellow female artist
Barbara "Willy" Mendes
.
[12]
Robbins became involved in creating outlets for and promoting female comics artists, through projects such as the
comics anthology
Wimmen's Comix
, with which she was involved for twenty years.
Wimmen's Comix
#1 featured Robbins' "Sandy Comes Out", the first comic strip featuring an "
out
"
lesbian
.
[14]
During this time, Robbins also became a contributor to the San Francisco-based underground paper
Good Times
, along with art director
Harry Driggs
and
Guy Colwell
.
[15]
Robbins spoke out against the
misogyny
and "boy's club" of comics creators, criticizing underground comix artist
Robert Crumb
for the perceived misogyny of many of his comics, saying, "It's weird to me how willing people are to overlook the hideous darkness in Crumb's work ... What the hell is funny about rape and murder?"
[16]
In the early 1980s, Robbins created adaptations of
Sax Rohmer
's
Dope
and
Tanith Lee
's
The Silver Metal Lover
.
[17]
In the mid-1980s she wrote and drew
Misty
for the
Marvel Comics
children's imprint
Star Comics
.
[18]
The short-lived series was a reinterpretation of the long-standing character
Millie the Model
, now minding her niece Misty. She followed
Misty
with the similar
California Girls
, an eight-issue series published by
Eclipse Comics
in 1987?1988.
In 1990, Robbins edited and contributed to
Choices: A
Pro-Choice
Benefit
Comic Anthology
for the
National Organization for Women
, published under Robbins' own imprint, Angry Isis Press.
[20]
The all-star list of contributors, who were mostly but not all women, included representatives of the underground ?
Lee Marrs
,
Sharon Rudahl
,
Harry Driggs
,
Diane Noomin
,
Harry S. Robins
, and Robbins herself;
alternative
?
Nina Paley
,
Phoebe Gloeckner
,
Reed Waller
&
Kate Worley
,
Roberta Gregory
,
Norman Dog
, and
Steve Lafler
;
queer
?
Leslie Ewing
,
Jennifer Camper
,
Alison Bechdel
,
Angela Bocage
,
Jackie Urbanovic
,
Howard Cruse
,
Robert Triptow
, and
M. J. Goldberg
; and mainstream ?
Cynthia Martin
,
Barbara Slate
,
Mindy Newell
,
Ramona Fradon
,
Steve Leialoha
,
William Messner-Loebs
, and
Bill Koeb
? comics communities. A number of contributors ?
Nicole Hollander
,
Cathy Guisewite
,
Garry Trudeau
,
Bill Griffith
, and
Jules Feiffer
? were
comic strip
creators whose work in the anthology was reprinted from their
syndicated
strips.
[20]
In 2000 Robbins introduced
GoGirl!
?
superhero
stories designed to appeal to young girls. Robbins wrote the stories, with Anne Timmons providing the bulk of the art. The series ran for five issues with
Image Comics
, and then was picked up by
Dark Horse Comics
, with the final issue coming out in 2006.
[21]
In 2010, she began writing comic adventures of the woman detective character
Honey West
for a series published by
Moonstone Books
.
[22]
Wonder Woman
Robbins' official involvement with
Wonder Woman
began in 1986. At the conclusion of the first volume of the series (in conjunction with the series
Crisis on Infinite Earths
),
DC Comics
published a four-issue
limited series
titled
The Legend of Wonder Woman
, written by
Kurt Busiek
and drawn by Robbins. The series paid homage to the character's
Golden Age
roots.
[23]
She also appeared as herself in
Wonder Woman Annual 2
(1989).
[24]
In the mid-1990s, Robbins criticized artist
Mike Deodato
's "
bad girl art
" portrayal of Wonder Woman, calling Deodato's version of the character a "barely clothed hypersexual
pinup
."
[25]
In the late 1990s, Robbins collaborated with
Colleen Doran
on the
DC Comics
graphic novel
Wonder Woman: The Once and Future Story
, on the subject of
spousal abuse
.
[26]
Writing and activism
In addition to her comics work, Robbins was an author of
nonfiction
books on the history of women in cartooning. Her first book, co-written with
Catherine Yronwode
, was
Women and the Comics,
a history of female comic-strip and comic-book creators. Subsequent Robbins volumes on women in the comics industry include
A Century of Women Cartoonists
(Kitchen Sink, 1993),
The Great Women Superheroes
(Kitchen Sink, 1997),
From Girls to Grrrlz: A History of Women's Comics from Teens to Zines
(Chronicle, 1999), and
The Great Women Cartoonists
(Watson-Guptill, 2001). Her later work included
Pretty In Ink
, published by Fantagraphics in 2013, which covers the history of North American women in comics dating from Rose O'Neill's 1896 strip
The Old Subscriber Calls
. Robbins was a co-founder of
Friends of Lulu
,
[27]
a nonprofit formed in 1994 to promote readership of comic books by women and the participation of women in the comic book industry. Robbins is featured in the feminist history film
She's Beautiful When She's Angry
.
[28]
Personal life and death
In 1962, she married Paul Jay Robbins in Los Angeles, but they divorced four years later. Robbins also had a daughter with cartoonist
Kim Deitch
.
[8]
She wrote a memoir entitled
Last Girl Standing
, released in 2017 by
Fantagraphics
.
[8]
Robbins died after a stroke in San Francisco, California, on April 10, 2024, at the age of 85.
[29]
[8]
Her partner was artist
Steve Leialoha
from 1977 until her death.
[30]
Awards and recognition
Robbins was a Special Guest of the 1977
San Diego Comic-Con
,
[31]
when she was presented with an
Inkpot Award
.
[32]
She won a Special Achievement Award from the San Diego Comic-Con in 1989 for her work on
Strip AIDS U.S.A.
,
[33]
a benefit book that she co-edited with
Bill Sienkiewicz
and
Robert Triptow
. She was the 1992 Guest of Honor of
WisCon
, the Wisconsin Science Fiction Convention.
[34]
Robbins was a three-time winner of the
Lulu of the Year award
? in 1997, for her book
The Great Women Superheroes
; in 2000 for her book
From Girls to Grrrlz
; and in 2001 (along with co-author Anne Timmons) for
Go-Girl!
. In 2001, Robbins was inaugurated into the
Friends of Lulu
Women Cartoonists Hall of Fame.
[35]
In 2002, Robbins was given the Special
John Buscema
Haxtur Award
, a recognition for comics published in Spain.
[36]
In 2011, Robbins' artwork was exhibited as part of the
Koffler Gallery
show
Graphic Details: Confessional Comics by Jewish Women
.
[37]
In July 2013, during the
San Diego Comic-Con
, Robbins was one of six inductees into the
Will Eisner Hall of Fame
.
[38]
The award was presented by
Mad
magazine cartoonist and
Groo the Wanderer
creator
Sergio Aragones
. The other inductees were
Lee Falk
,
Al Jaffee
,
Mort Meskin
,
Joe Sinnott
, and
Spain Rodriguez
.
[39]
In a 2015 poll, Robbins was ranked #25 among the best female comics creators of all-time.
[40]
ComicsAlliance
listed Robbins as one of twelve women cartoonists deserving of lifetime achievement recognition in 2016.
[41]
In 2017, Robbins was chosen for the Wizard World Hall of Legends.
[42]
Robbins' art and art from her collection of the work of women cartoonists was featured in the 2020
Society of Illustrators
exhibit
"Women in Comics: Looking Forward, Looking Back"
. It was later featured in the
"Women in Comics"
exhibit at the Palazzo Merulana in Rome, Italy.
[43]
Bibliography
Comics
- As writer/artist, unless otherwise noted
Major works
- It Ain't Me, Babe Comix
(
Last Gasp
, 1970) ? co-founder, contributor
[2]
- All Girl Thrills
(
Print Mint
, 1971) ? editor, contributor
[44]
- Wimmen's Comix
(Last Gasp,
Renegade Press
,
Rip Off Press
, 1972?1992) ? co-founder, contributor
[2]
- Mama! Dramas
(
Educomics
, June 1978) ? editor and contributor, along with
Suzy Varty
,
Joyce Farmer
, and others
[45]
- Dope
(
Eclipse Comics
, 1981?1983) ? adaptation of the
Sax Rohmer
novel
[46]
- The Silver Metal Lover
(
Crown Books
, 1985) ? adaptation of the
Tanith Lee
novel
[47]
- Misty
(
Star Comics
, 1985?1986) ? limited series
[18]
- The Legend of Wonder Woman
(
DC Comics
, 1986) ? limited series
[48]
- California Girls
#1?8 (
Eclipse Comics
, 1987?1988) ? writer/artist, with contributions from
Barb Rausch
- Strip AIDS
U.S.A.: A Collection of Cartoon Art to Benefit People With
AIDS
(Last Gasp, 1988) ? co-editor with
Bill Sienkiewicz
and
Robert Triptow
[33]
- Choices: A Pro-Choice Benefit Comic Anthology for the National Organization for Women
(Angry Isis Press, 1990) ? editor and contributor
[20]
- Wonder Woman: The Once and Future Story
(DC Comics, 1998) ? writer; drawn by
Colleen Doran
[26]
- GoGirl!
#1?5 (
Image Comics
, 2000?2001) ? writer
[21]
- GoGirl!
#1?3 (
Dark Horse Comics
, 2002?2006) ? writer; issues #2?3 feature all new material
[21]
- Honey West
#1, 2, 6, 7 (
Moonstone Books
, 2010) ? writer
[22]
- Honey West and The Cat
#1?2 (Moonstone Books, 2013) ? writer
[22]
Anthology contributions
- East Village Other
(late 1960s)
[7]
- Gothic Blimp Works
(East Village Other, 1969)
[8]
- Moonchild Comix
#3 (
Nicola Cuti
; Moonchild Productions, September 1970)
[49]
[50]
- Swift Comics
(
Bantam Books
, 1971)
[51]
- Girl Fight Comics
#1?2 (
Print Mint
, 1972, 1974)
[52]
- Tuff Shit Comics
(Print Mint, 1972)
[53]
- Barbarian Comics
#4 (California Comics, 1972)
[54]
- Comix Book
(Marvel Comics,
Kitchen Sink Press
, 1974?1976)
[55]
- Wet Satin
(1976) ? editor
[3]
- Tits & Clits Comix
#3 (Nanny Goat Productions, 1977)
[2]
- Gates of Eden
(
FantaCo Enterprises
, 1982)
[56]
- Gay Comix
#6, #11, #25 (
Bob Ross
, 1985, 1986, 1998)
[57]
- War News
(
Jim Mitchell
, 1991) ? underground newspaper launched to protest the first
Gulf War
.
[58]
- 9-11: September 11, 2001 (Artists Respond)
(Dark Horse Comics/Chaos! Comics/Image Comics, 2002)
[59]
- The Phantom
Chronicles
(Moonstone Books, 2007)
[60]
- Girl Comics
(Marvel Comics, 2010)
[60]
Nonfiction
References
- ^
"Robbins, Trina 1938?"
.
Encyclopedia.com
. Contemporary Authors New Revision Series.
Gale
. 2005.
Archived
from the original on June 26, 2018
. Retrieved
November 24,
2022
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
Trouve, Pierre; Croquet, Pauline (April 11, 2024).
"Trina Robbins, comic book author and feminist historian, has died at 85"
.
Le Monde
.
Archived
from the original on April 13, 2024
. Retrieved
April 13,
2024
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
Smith, Harrison (April 12, 2024).
"Trina Robbins, cartoonist who elevated women's stories, dies at 85"
.
Washington Post
.
Archived
from the original on April 13, 2024
. Retrieved
April 13,
2024
.
- ^
"Fresh Photos ? Part Eight"
. Hollywoodhangover.com.
Archived
from the original on March 16, 2016
. Retrieved
June 9,
2017
.
- ^
Nelson, Ray (Spring 1994).
"The Arena"
(PDF)
.
Habakkuk
.
3
(3): 44.
Archived
(PDF)
from the original on November 16, 2022
. Retrieved
April 13,
2024
.
- ^
a
b
Robbins, Trina.
"Finding Sanctuary at EVO"
.
nyujournalismprojects.org
. East Village Other.
Archived
from the original on October 7, 2022
. Retrieved
April 13,
2024
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
Edwards, Gavin (April 10, 2024).
"Trina Robbins, Creator and Historian of Comic Books, Dies at 85"
.
The New York Times
.
Archived
from the original on April 11, 2024
. Retrieved
April 11,
2024
.
- ^
Arndt, Richard J. (September 22, 2008).
"The Warren Magazines"
. EnjolrasWorld.com. Archived from
the original
on July 10, 2011.
- ^
Hix, Lisa.
"Women Who Conquered the Comics World"
.
Collectors Weekly
.
Archived
from the original on August 9, 2020
. Retrieved
May 28,
2020
.
- ^
Bernstein, Robin (Summer 1994). "Where Women Rule: The World of Lesbian Cartoons".
The Harvard Gay & Lesbian Review
.
1
(3): 20.
ISSN
1077-6591
.
LCCN
sn94005292
.
- ^
Robbins, Trina.
Last Girl Standing
(Fantagraphics Books, 2017), pp. 139, 142.
- ^
Sabin, Roger (1996). "Going underground".
Comics, Comix & Graphic Novels: A History Of Comic Art
. London, United Kingdom: Phaidon Press. p. 92.
ISBN
0-7148-3008-9
.
- ^
Riesman, Abraham (April 18, 2018).
"The Story of Trina Robbins, the Controversial Feminist Who Revolutionized Comics"
.
Vulture
.
Archived
from the original on April 8, 2019
. Retrieved
April 13,
2024
.
- ^
a
b
Cronin, Brian (April 11, 2024).
"Trina Robbins, Iconic Comic Book Creator and Historian, Passes Away at Age 85"
.
CBR
.
- ^
a
b
c
Warren, Rosalind (1992).
Women's Glibber: State-of-the-art Women's Humor
. Crossing Press. p. 308.
ISBN
978-0-89594-549-5
.
- ^
a
b
c
Kaplan, Arie (2010).
From Krakow to Krypton: Jews and Comic Books
. Jewish Publication Society. pp. 198?199.
ISBN
978-0-8276-1043-9
.
- ^
a
b
c
Robbins, Trina; Stuller, Jennifer K. (2018). "Focus on Trina Robbins".
Feminist Media Histories
.
4
(3): 119?134.
doi
:
10.1525/fmh.2018.4.3.119
.
- ^
Hanley, Tim (2014).
Wonder Woman Unbound: The Curious History of the World's Most Famous Heroine
. Chicago Review Press. p. 228.
ISBN
978-1-61374-909-8
.
- ^
Anderson, Jenna (April 10, 2024).
"Trina Robbins, Legendary Cartoonist and Wonder Woman Artist, Passes Away at 85"
. ComicBook.
Archived
from the original on April 11, 2024
. Retrieved
April 11,
2024
.
- ^
Trina Robbins,
The Great Women Superheroes
(Kitchen Sink Press, 1996)
ISBN
0-87816-481-2
, p. 166.
- ^
a
b
Stuller, Jennifer K. (2010).
Ink-stained Amazons and Cinematic Warriors: Superwomen in Modern Mythology
. Bloomsbury Publishing.
ISBN
978-0-85773-208-8
.
- ^
Wilonsky, Robert (May 18, 2000). "Fatal femmes: Why do women in comics become Women in Refrigerators?".
Dallas Observer
.
- ^
"The Women"
.
She's Beautiful When She's Angry
.
Archived
from the original on February 19, 2019
. Retrieved
March 11,
2024
.
- ^
"Trina Robbins, Legendary Cartoonist and Wonder Woman Artist, Passes Away at 85"
.
Comics
.
Archived
from the original on April 11, 2024
. Retrieved
April 11,
2024
.
- ^
"An Interview with Steve Leialoha"
. Comicsalternative.com. August 29, 2014. Archived from
the original
on July 7, 2017
. Retrieved
June 9,
2017
.
- ^
Comic Con Souvenir Book
#40. San Diego Comic-Com International. 2009. p. 60.
- ^
"Inkpot Awards"
.
Comic-Con International
.
Archived
from the original on December 7, 2023
. Retrieved
April 13,
2024
.
- ^
a
b
"Toon Talk: See You at San Diego with Mathew Klickstein and Trina Robbins"
.
Cartoon Art Museum
. September 10, 2022.
Archived
from the original on August 21, 2022
. Retrieved
April 13,
2024
.
- ^
"History | WisCon"
. December 21, 2015.
Archived
from the original on November 24, 2022
. Retrieved
November 24,
2022
.
- ^
"Lulu Award"
. Comic Book Awards Almanac.
Archived
from the original on January 26, 2013.
- ^
"Premios Haxtur"
[Haxtur Awards] (in Spanish). Click link for 2002.
Archived
from the original on January 24, 2024
. Retrieved
February 19,
2016
.
- ^
"Graphic Details: Confessional Comics by Jewish Women | Koffler Centre of the Arts"
. Archived from
the original
on April 26, 2019
. Retrieved
February 8,
2019
.
- ^
"Hall Of Fame"
. Comic-Con International. p. 11.
Archived
from the original on April 12, 2024
. Retrieved
April 13,
2024
.
- ^
"Eisner Awards Current Info"
Archived
March 6, 2014, at the
Wayback Machine
.
Comic-Con International: San Diego
. Retrieved September 11, 2013.
- ^
"Top 50 Female Comic Book Writers and Artists Master List"
. Goodcomics.comicbookresources.com. March 21, 2015. Archived from
the original
on June 1, 2016
. Retrieved
June 9,
2017
.
- ^
"12 Women in Comics Who Deserve Lifetime Achievement Recognition"
. Archived from
the original
on June 30, 2016
. Retrieved
February 10,
2016
.
- ^
"Trina Robbins, First Woman to Draw Wonder Woman, Selected for Wizard World Hall of Legends"
. Broadwayworld.com.
Archived
from the original on June 21, 2017
. Retrieved
June 9,
2017
.
- ^
"Women in Comics"
.
Palazzo Merulana
. Rome.
Archived
from the original on January 23, 2023
. Retrieved
March 11,
2024
.
- ^
"Issue :: All Girl Thrills #1"
. Grand Comics Database.
Archived
from the original on January 28, 2023
. Retrieved
April 13,
2024
.
- ^
"Issue :: Mama! Dramas"
. Grand Comics Database.
Archived
from the original on January 28, 2023
. Retrieved
April 13,
2024
.
- ^
Dooley, Michael (August 16, 2016).
"Sax, Dope, and Trina Robbins: the Making of a Graphic Novel"
.
Print
.
Archived
from the original on March 30, 2024
. Retrieved
April 13,
2024
.
- ^
"Issue :: The Silver Metal Lover"
. Grand Comics Database.
Archived
from the original on May 19, 2021
. Retrieved
April 13,
2024
.
- ^
Salkowitz, Rob (April 10, 2024).
"Trailblazing Comics Icon Trina Robbins Dies At Age 85"
.
Forbes
.
- ^
"GCD :: Issue :: Moonchild Comics #3"
.
Archived
from the original on August 17, 2018
. Retrieved
August 17,
2018
.
- ^
"Moonchild Comics at Comixjoint.com"
.
comixjoint.com
.
Archived
from the original on January 23, 2023
. Retrieved
November 24,
2022
.
- ^
Williams, Paul (2020).
Dreaming the Graphic Novel: The Novelization of Comics
. Rutgers University Press. p. 239.
ISBN
978-1-9788-0506-4
.
- ^
Rosenkranz, Patrick (2002).
Rebel Visions: The Underground Comix Revolution 1963?1975
. Fantagraphics Books. p. 174.
ISBN
978-1-56097-464-2
.
- ^
"Tuff Shit Comics #1 Reviews"
.
League of Comic Geeks
. Retrieved
April 13,
2024
.
- ^
"Barbarian Women Comics"
. Comixjoint.
Archived
from the original on September 30, 2022
. Retrieved
April 13,
2024
.
- ^
Duncan, Randy; Smith, Matthew J. (2009).
The Power of Comics: History, Form and Culture
. A&C Black. p. 58.
ISBN
978-0-8264-2936-0
.
- ^
"Issue :: Gates of Eden #1"
. Grand Comics Database.
Archived
from the original on September 29, 2022
. Retrieved
April 13,
2024
.
- ^
Abate, Michelle Ann; Grice, Karly Marie; Stamper, Christine N. (2021).
"Suffering Sappho!": Lesbian Content and Queer Female Characters in Comics
. Routledge.
ISBN
978-1-000-46033-9
.
- ^
"Hinkle, Hinckle, Little Star (Part II)"
.
SF Weekly
. February 14, 1996. Archived from
the original
on July 28, 2012.
- ^
Urschel, Donna (November 2002).
"Not-So-Comic Books"
. Library of Congress Information Bulletin.
Archived
from the original on December 5, 2009
. Retrieved
April 14,
2024
.
- ^
a
b
Booker, M. Keith (2014).
Comics through Time: A History of Icons, Idols, and Ideas [4 volumes]
. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. p. 1719.
ISBN
978-0-313-39751-6
.
- ^
Robbins, Trina (February?March 2005). "Memo From Dez Skinn's Ghost Writer".
The Comics Journal
. Vol. 1, no. 266. p. 8.
ISSN
0194-7869
.
Sources
External links
|
---|
|
Precursors
| |
---|
Venues or organizations
| |
---|
Exhibitions or installations
| |
---|
Films or documentaries
| |
---|
Publications
| |
---|
Groups
| |
---|
Notable women
| |
---|
Lists
| |
---|
|
|
---|
1974
| |
---|
1975
| |
---|
1976
| |
---|
1977
| |
---|
1978
| |
---|
1979
| |
---|
|
|
---|
International
| |
---|
National
| |
---|
People
| |
---|
Other
| |
---|