Screenwriters, illustrators, colorists – in the world of comics there are many talented artists whose works are worth getting to know. We present a compilation of interesting picture stories by female comic books.
Fibi and Unicorn – Dana Simpson
On the one hand, a typical story for children: a girl meets a unicorn and they become friends. On the other hand, it is an excellent presentation of the problems of childhood and adolescence, so that reading this comic is also suitable for adults. What title are we talking about? Fibi and the unicorn , written and drawn by the American cartoonist Dana Simpson. The comic itself is a story in which the characters’ creations are based on real people (eg Fibi is the author, and Max’s friend – her husband), and even about their behavior. At the moment, four volumes have been published in Poland, introducing readers to how a girl with a colorful imagination and accurate comments about reality copes with being perceived as strange by her surroundings and her peers. Fibi and the unicornthey are a wonderfully complementary duo that at times communicates many life truths in an amusing way. – Jarek Trocka
Fullmetal Alchemist – Hiromu Arakawa
Fullmetal Alchemist is an extremely popular manga series. There were two adaptations for an anime series. Undoubtedly, the fact that it was transferred to a small screen twice is due to the fact that both the world presented and the story told in the manga are fascinating. This can be attested by the masses of both readers and viewers.
In fact, from the very first pages of the manga, the reader eagerly delves into the plot. The author not only describes an interesting story, but also spells it up skillfully. The manga mixes humorous elements with the more serious ones. When reading, we are sometimes encouraged to reflect. In addition, the main characters are very nice and easy to identify with them. Also the galaxy of supporting characters is well presented. If someone has not had the opportunity to reach for this title yet, it is worth changing. – Marcin Kłak
Brom – Unka Odya
Before the premiere of Brom , comic book fans could mainly associate Unki Odya’s work from the Internet. Her full-length debut turned out to be a very pleasant surprise for me and an interesting mixture of different genres. The main character of the story is a young man named Bronisław or simply Brom. He lives at home with his mother who is fascinated by the supernatural. The real fun begins, however, when Brom is sent to the countryside to his never-before-met cousin Maria. Soon troubles begin to multiply in the heroes’ lives, and a werewolf will stand in their way.
In addition to cousins, we meet other interesting heroes, such as Aleks / Eryk (one body, two personalities). In her story, the author combines fantasy with horror. To balance this mixture, we can also find moral threads here. The atmosphere was strongly associated with the Stranger Things series mixed with Slavic folklore and monsters. The cover itself already announces that we are holding something unusual in our hands. The black and white drawings are kept in a simple but legible style. Brom is 200 pages full of adventures and unusual situations. I would be very happy if it was a whole series about the adventures of teenage heroes. – Paweł Grzelczyk
Czarolina – Paola Antista & Sylvia Douyé
Illustrator Paola Antista and screenwriter Sylvia Douyé are a duo whose presence in pop culture cannot go unnoticed. The artist, studying the art of illustration, attended the Disney Academy of Arts in Milan. She later collaborated with the Italian magazine Barbie and also did illustrations for Chats! , Alix et Arsenou and Winx Club in 3D. Douyé, on the other hand, is of French origin. Initially, she published in Sciences et Vie Découvertes , and later prepared scripts for such proposals as Les Zinzinventeurs and Les Guides Junior . Until now, she was best known from the Marie-Lune series, which currently has ten notebooks, and Girlz . In September 2020, a comic by Antista and Douyé – Czarolina dedicated to young readers appeared on the Polish market . On the portal The Last Tawerna, the above-mentioned drawing story received a high rating! – Ines Załęska
Hawkeye: Kate Bishop – Kelly Thompson
Kate Bishop doesn’t need to indicate gender in her nickname. Her nickname is not Lady Hawkeye, Hawkeye Girl or any other She-Hawkeye. What is it? Kate is just Hawkeye – on a par with Clint Barton, the original owner of the alias. Praise Kelly Thompson for dedicating the series to the best archer in the world. And thanks to Marvel for not canceling the title after a few notebooks. Thompson had such a difficult task that this is the first series in which Kate plays the first fiddle. In addition, she had to face the comic book legend of Matt Fraction. Although the writer’s work is not that groundbreaking, it is an extremely pleasant and entertaining detective story. Even if someone is allergic to a typical superhero, he should reach for Hawkeye: Kate Bishop, because there is not much of this here. –Jacek Murawski
Kim & Kim – Magdalene Visaggio, Eva Cabrera, Claudia Aguirre
Kim & Kim is the story of two friends and bounty hunters – Kimiko Quatro (Kim Q) and Kimber Dantlzer (Kim D), who are more fortunate than money after finishing their work … In the hope of earning money, they travel through space trying to catch criminals. Kim D is the more down-to-earth-minded part of the duo who tries to limit Kim Q’s crazy ideas with varying results. It is true that I would also like to see girls opening a punk bakery offering, among other things, Queeriarchy cakes (one of Kim Q’s ideas), but how are you? there is nothing you like, cosmic troubles are a lot of fun. And the girls are masters of getting into trouble.
Kim & Kim is a colorful queer mix of humor, support, punk rock and space adventure. Such a more positive, feminist and queer Cowboy Bebop or FLCL space western that should appeal to people who want something light, to relax after school or work, as well as those who are looking for a good rainbow representation, queer characters in the center of the action, and not just a story focused on tragedy and discovering one’s own identity.
The screenwriter of Kim & Kim is Magdalene (Mags) Visaggio. He mentions X-Men , Sailor Moon and FLCL ( Furikuri ) as his favorite adolescent animated series . Among her later works, it is worth mentioning the scripts for the Rick and Morty comics (planned for release by Egmont in May 2021), the Eternity Girl (DC Comics) comic book series or the Vagrant Queen series . The latter in 2020 has a TV adaptation on the Syfy channel. Magdalene Visaggio was supposed to be the guest of Pyrkon 2020, so I keep my fingers crossed that she will be able to come this year. Eva Cabrera and Claudia Aguirre are responsible for the graphic design of the comic. –Sambor Mika
The red wolf cub – Amélie Fléchais
The author of The Red Wolf cub decided to retell the well-known fairy tale of Charles Perrault, changing the perspective a bit. In its version, a cute wolf pup is to take his grandmother’s food, and at the same time watch out for a big, bad hunter lurking in the forest. As it happens in fairy tales, there are complications …
There can be academic disagreement about whether Amélie Fléchais has created a comic book or rather a richly illustrated children’s book. However, this does not change the fact that the effect of her work is beautiful both in terms of aesthetics and scenario. It is an intelligent retelling of a classic title that is not only formal fun, but also brings new, valuable content. Besides, his drawings are so beautiful that it’s hard to take your eyes off him. It amuses, teaches and sweetens the reality. – Damian Lesicki
