FYLL: { ART & DESIGN }
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Artwork by Invisible.Monster
Cartoonists Alison Bechdel and Erika Moen: Sharing their Queer Experiences One Strip at a Time.
Alison Bechdel is a lesbian cartoonist and author from Lock Haven, Pennsylvania. When she moved to New York City and began applying to art schools, she was continuously rejected. As a result, Alison opted to take on office jobs in the publishing industry while still doing her thing on the side. She continued her passion by working on a comic that is now referred to as “one of the greatest hits of the twentieth century” by Utne magazine. When a friend suggested she send in some work to Woman News things finally started to look up. Woman News published her strip and within a year other outlets began publishing her strip as well. This strip is now known as Dykes To Watch Out For. It is so successful that it has been translated into several different languages as well as collected in a series of award-winning books. In 2006, she also published a graphic memoir titled Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic.
Erika Moen is a queer cartoonist stationed in Portland, Oregon. Moen graduated from Pitzer College with a BA in Illustrated Storytelling and is currently working out of Periscope Studio. Moen has produced varied works like comics, illustrations, life drawings, and covers. She has personally come out with several publications and books, and has been featured in many periodicals and art exhibits. Moen has narrated her own exploration with her sexuality in the comic DAR: A Super Girly Top Secret Comic Diary and shared it with her viewers.
Both of these talented artists have been open about their sexuality and shared portions of their experience through their artwork. Steadily increasing in popularity, lesbian comic strips have opened a new window of expression. These two artists in particular have paved the way for new members of the LGBTQI community to share their stories whilst doing what they love.
- Alison Bechdel’s website & blog.
- Erika Moen’s website & tumblr.
- More Lesbian Comic Strips:
- Girlfriend Comics by Michelle Gruben
- Triangle Woman by Chris Rentzel
By Thelma Rodrigues
