Celebrate Women’s History Month With These 15 Comics And Graphic Novels

This historical fiction graphic novel is based on a true story about a school in Canterbury, Connecticut. During America’s abolition movement, some northerners were joining Black Americans and embracing anti-slavery and abolition philosophies. This graphic novel follows a teacher in Canterbury who opens a boarding school for girls, but when she allows Black girls to attend, she faces a never-ending backlash from her community. As the backlash grew, so does her number of Black students, and they all stood together.

One of my favorite illustrators, Lisa Sterle, worked with Maggie Tokuda-Hall to create this awesome YA graphic novel. They combine horror and feminism to illustrate how patriarchy impacts young people. It starts when Becca transfers to a new school and is quickly accepted by the popular girls. She’s excited to hang out with them. One night, she’s with them during a full moon, and they turn into werewolves. As werewolves, they prey on boys who hurt others and display other toxic masculinity traits.

From Living Heroes to Nubia, Stephanie Williams has proved that she is a formidable force in the comic book writing world. Williams brings new life to Nubia in this mini series that released this past October. Nubia, now the queen of Themyscira, has to protect her Amazons and protect Themyscira from the evil that lurks near.

When I first came across this book, I didn’t know what to expect, but I was delighted in the storytelling and art. Patience is a plush-sized country girl that must work to help her family. She meets Esther, a beautiful maid who ends up being her roommate. Together, they become close and eventually inseparable as their feelings for each other evolve. With steamy on-page scenes and an overview on the lives of suffragists, this graphic novel is for readers who enjoy erotic scenes and beautiful time periods.

Coming out this summer, Slip follows Jade, who is about to attend a summer program until she finds out her best friend attempted suicide. Now Jade can’t focus on anything but her friend’s wellbeing. At her art camp, Jade tries to put her heart into her art, because the camp is important to her. She meets Mary, who is an artist with a free spirit. Jade worries if she falls for Mary and focuses all of her energy on her art that she might forget her best friend. This story serves as a great resource for queer teens and a conversation starter about mental illness.

This hilarious graphic novel follows a crew of mermaids who love to have a good time by drinking. These hot girls of the sea get mermaid wasted and find themselves engaging in some aquatic magic while under the influence. Now, they are on land with humans and they don’t know how to get back to sea. Until their hangover wears off and they can recall how to get home, they have to get a job and try to fit in with the rest of the land people.

Finally, we get the love story we deserve from Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy. If you’ve watched the animated series on HBO Max then you already know how hilarious this run can get. Poison Ivy leaves Kite Man at the alter and her now-lover and BFF Harley is there to help her pick up the pieces. Now they both are on the run, and it makes for a fun and queer adventure with non-stop comedy.

You know how I’d love to celebrate Women’s History Month? Cheering for smart, femme characters that try to get one over on the patriarchy. Gay delivers an action-packed story that introduces a family that has a history of being the professional masterminds behind some of Chicago’s infamous heists. With more than 50 years of experience, three generations of women come together for the ultimate revenge.

Now that the multiverse is here, it’s time to bring back my girl Jessica Jones. The brawling antihero who can kick ass while drunk recently released an omnibus in December. The collection includes all of the Jessica Jones stories in one, so you can now marathon read it just like you did the Netflix series.

Faith is a plush-sized superhero by night and reporter by day. Nobody knows about her superhero powers because she is unsuspecting, and honestly, that is what makes her great. This volume is a perfect introduction to her character and her adventures. We need more fat femme superheroes, and Faith is a great example of what representation looks like.

Amparo decided to make a deal with a talking cat. The deal was to offer a drop of their blood and they will become a better person and student. Instead, the cat takes their body and becomes Amparo. Now Amparo is trapped and trying to escape her imprisonment of dark and evil spirits. Did I also mention this story has a lesbian mafia, too?