The Spectacular Sisterhood of Superwomen: Awesome Female Characters from Comic Book History

A woman's place is saving the universe.

Think comic books can’t feature strong female protagonists? Think again! In The Spectacular Sisterhood of Superwomen you’ll meet the most fascinating exemplars of the powerful, compelling, entertaining, and heroic female characters who’ve populated comic books from the very beginning. This spectacular sisterhood includes costumed crimebusters like Miss Fury, super-spies like Tiffany Sinn, sci-fi pioneers like Gale Allen, and even kid troublemakers like Little Lulu. With vintage art, publication details, a decade-by-decade survey of industry trends and women’s roles in comics, and spotlights on iconic favorites like Wonder Woman and Ms. Marvel, The Spectacular Sisterhood of Superwomen proves that not only do strong female protagonists belong in comics, they’ve always been there.

"In her snappy, irreverent style, tour guide Hope Nicholson takes us on a spectacular trip through time with stops to visit a crew of comic book heroines who range from the grotesque to the awesome. Some of this sisterhood of superwomen lasted only one issue, others have inspired us for up to 75 years, they are all fascinating. Thanks, Hope, for the time travel!" Trina Robbins, Author of Last Girl Standing, Babes in Arms, and A Minyen Yidn

"A wonderfully entertaining and informative read; Hope Nicholson has captured the distinct core of every character, from famed icons to the forgotten heroines she's resurrected from the back issue bin of comic book history." Tim Hanley, Author of Wonder Woman Unbound, Investigating Lois Lane, and The Many Lives of Catwoman.

"Comic book heroines have come a long way and not always by the expected routes, as Nicholson, founder of Bedside Press, traces in this informative and entertaining encyclopedia of female characters in comics." Publishers Weekly

Hope Nicholson is the owner and founder of Bedside Press, specializing in archival and anthology comics collections such as Moonshot (a collection of Inuit, Metis, and First Nations comic book stories) and The Secret Loves of Geek Girls (an all-female comic and text anthology of true stories of geeky love). She’s a consulting editor for Margaret Atwood’s Angel Catbird (Dark Horse Comics, 2016). She’s been featured in the Winnipeg Free Press, Toronto Star, the Globe & Mail, ComicsAlliance.com, BleedingCool.com, and io9.com, and is a frequent speaker on women in fandom, comic book history, and publishing at conventions and other events.