My first impression, which is typical when faced with modern versions of ladies in catsuits, is why do they have to make her hyper-sexualized and physically exaggerated in a shiny tight suit? As Gloria Steinem wrote in an open letter to Miley Cyrus, it perpetuates sexual availability-as-power as the only game in town. Interesting! Miss Fury has been brought back in new comics by Dynamite: Miss Fury, Masks, and Noir. Trina and I contributed to a recent documentary film called Wonder Women: The Untold Story of American Superheroines and graciously made time to chat with me about some of the great lady spies and detectives, about reading Pulps as a kid, and about how changing gender roles have been reflected in pop culture. She was inducted into the Will Eisner Hall of Fame in 2013.

Her most recent works are Pretty Ink: North American Women Cartoonists 1896-2013, Babes in Arms, and The Complete W immen's Comix. Her graphic novels for young readers include Lily Renee: Escape Artist, Bessie Coleman: Daring Stunt Pilot, Hedy Lamar and a Secret Communication System, and the Chicagoland Detective Agency series. She has also published extensively about the history of women cartoonists and recently compiled two volumes of the classic adventure strip Miss Fury for IDW. Cat, The Phantom, Captain Midnight, and Wonder Woman. Making her start in the underground comix scene, she has written for notable characters like Honey West, T.H.E. She touches on many of our favorite characters, so I hope you will enjoy! Trina Robbins is a writer, historian, editor, activist, and artist. In celebration of the event, here is a lengthy interview I once did with Trina.

And Trina Robbins gave us an overview of how Wonder Woman has reflected society and gender roles over the decades and she talked about some of the stories she's written- most notably The Once and Future Story about domestic violence. Cartoonist Nomi Kane talked about her work at the Charles Schulz Studio and making her own political cartoons. The big event for me was running an all-school assembly that focussed on comics and writer/artists who bring elements of activism to their work.

Kids get to hear about careers, process, and hopefully experience sparks that will inspire their own journeys of expression. The goal of the festival is to bring in writers from across disciplines into the classrooms so that every English class is exposed to writers and their craft. I'm co-running another writers festival and the past couple of weeks have been filled with planning, meetings, and preparing materials and presentations. And as I gear up for another annual writers festival, I find the whole story timely! It's been a super busy time here in the Spy Vibe lair. As women and families across the country march today in support of equality and fundamental rights, I'd like to share this interview I did with Trina Robbins a while back.

Pretty In Ink by Trina Robbins