DC Comics: Hire More Women-- Here's A Few To Get You Started

As of May 25th, 2011, 16% of DC's creative staff, including editors, was female. This coming September, 2 women have been giving spots on two books out of the fifty two new books DC will be publishing. The number  of female editors is still unknown.

I've spoken to countless women who have been put off by male comic book shop workers who belittle or patronize them or by fellow comic book fans who brush them off or undermine their love of comics. Experiences like this really discourage women from reading and buying comics, costing companies like DC Comics thousands, if not millions of dollars in profit. Unfortunately, DC reinforces this "boys only club" attitude by ignoring the outcry from its fanbase -- "more women in comics." When women see other women creating comics, they feel empowered. It encourages women to read, to buy, and to maybe one day contribute to the comic book industry. 

At San Diego ComicCon this week, Dan DiDio, co-publisher at DC Comics, was asked by a fan, "Why did you go from 12% to 1% for women on creative teams?" He responded in an agitated, belligerent tone: "Who should we be hiring? Tell me right now." You can listen to the clip here. His tone is astounding.

We, the undersigned, are willing to offer Dan Didio and the rest of DC's publishers and editors a list of female creators* they could approach. DC, this isn't acceptable, this isn't okay, and we won't stand for it anymore.

Please sign this petition to make sure they hear the message loud and clear.

• Adriana Ferguson (S.T.O.P. and Minor Acts of Heroism)
• Adriana Blake (Fall On Me)
• Adriana Melo (Star Wars)
• Alex Singer (Sfeer Theory) 
• Aliena Shoemaker (Honeydew Syndrome and Two Keys)
• Alina Urusov (Birds of Prey and NYX: No Way Home )
• Alisa Kwitney (Dreaming, Sandman: King of Dreams, Destiny: The Chronicle Foretold, and Vertigo Visions: Phantom Stranger)
• Alice Fox (Two Rooks)
• Alice Hunt (Goodbye Chains)
• Amanda Lafrenais (Love Me Nice)
• Amber Benson (Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Four Letter Worlds)
• Amy Wolfram (Teen Titans: Year One)
• An Nguyen (Open Spaces and Closed Places, Womanthology)
• Ann Nocenti (Longshot and Daredevil)
• Ashley Cope (Unsounded)
• Barbara Kesel (Star Wars, Hellboy and Sigil)
• Becky Cloonan (American Virgin)
• Becky Dreistadt (Tiny Kitten Teeth)
• Blair B.(Star Cross'd Destiny)
• Caitlin Kiernan (The Dreaming)
• Camille d’Errico (Make 5 Wishes and Nightmares & Fairy Tales)
• Cari Corene (Toilet Genie) 
• Carla Speed MacNeil (Finder)
• Cassandra James (The Gathering)
• Cat Staggs (Star Wars)
• Cecil Castellucci (The Plain Janes)
• Chandra Free (The God Machine) 
• Chrissie Zullo (Fables)
• Christine Norrie (Queen and Country, Hopeless Savages, Cheat and Secret Identities)
• Christina Weir (New Mutants/Academy X, Amazing Agent Luna, Batman Confidential and The Tomb)
• Christy Lijewski (Next Exit and RE:Play)
• Chloe Chan (Honeydew Syndrome and Two Keys) 
• Crystal Yates (Earthsong Saga)
• Danielle Corsetto (Girls With Slingshots)
• Deanna Echanique (La Macchina Bellica)
• Der-shing Helmer (The Meek)
• Devin Grayson (Nightwing and Batman)
• Diane Obomsawin (Kaspar)
• Dylan Meconis (Family Man)
• E.K. Weaver (The Less Than Epic Adventures of TJ and Amal)
• Emily Carroll (His Face is All Red, The Death of Jose Arcadio, and Out the Door)
• Emma Rios (Osborn: Evil Incarcerated and Strange)
• Erika Moen (DAR and Bucko)
• Faith Erin Hicks (Marvel's Girl Comics, Brain Camp, the Adventures of Superhero Girl) 
• Fiona Avery (Araña: Heart of the Spider and Thundercats)
• Fiona Staples (The Secret History of the Authority: Hawksmoor, North 40 and Mystery Society)
• Foo Swee Chin (Chimney 25 and Nightmares & Fairytales)
• Gigi Digi (Cucumber Quest)
• G. Willow Wilson (Cairo, Air and Vixen)
• Heather Nuhfer (Fraggle Rock and Strawberry Shortcake)
• Holly Black (The Good Neighbors)
• Hope Larson (Salamander Dream, Chiggers, and Gray Horses)
• Ivory Madison (Huntress: Year One)
• Jan Duursema (Star Wars)
• Jemma Salume (Butterfly)
• Jen Van Meter (Liberty Belle & Hourman and Hopeless Savages)
• Jen Wang (Koko Be Good)
• Jenn Doyle (Knights Errant) 
• Jenn Jordan (Darwin Carmichael is Going to Hell)
• Jennifer Weber (Run Lil Jared and Womanthology)
• Jessica Abel (La Perdida, Artbabe, Drawing Words & Writing Pictures and Radio: An Illustrated Guide) 
• Jessica Fink (Mindless Self Indulgence and Chester XYV) 
• Jessica Hickman (Dial M for Monster, Cownt Tales)
• Jillian Tamaki (Skim)
• Jill Thompson (Sandman, Scary Godmother, The Invisibles, Swamp Thing, and Wonder Woman)
• Joëlle Jones (Fables, 12 Reasons Why I Love Her and Dr. Horrible)
• Johane Matte (Avatar: The Last Air Bender)
• JoJo Seames (The Makeshift Man)
• Juli Mayers (Wicked Unscripted)
• Julie Doucet (Dirty Plotte and My New York Diary)
• June Brigman (New Mutants, Power Pack, Brenda Starr and Supergirl)
• Kaja Foglio (Girl Genius)
• Kasey Van Hise (Winters in Lavelle)
• Kate Beaton (Hark! A Vagrant)
• Katie Cook (Star Wars)
• Kat Rocha (Titanium Rain)
• Kelly Turnbull (Manly Guys Doing Manly Things)
• Kim Krizan (Before Sunrise)
• Kristen Van Dam (S.T.O.P. and Minor Acts of Heroism)
• Laura Allred (Red Rocket 7) 
• Laura Martin (Planetary and Astonishing X-Men)
• Lea Hernandez (Killer Princesses and Rumble Girls)
• Leah Moore (Witchblade and Doctor Who)
• Lilli Carré (The Lagoon)
• Linda Medely (Castle Waiting)
• Liz Baillie (My Brain Hurts and Freewheel) 
• Louise Simonson (Power Pack, X-Factor, New Mutants, Superman: The Man of Steel, Steel, and World of Warcraft)
• Lucy Knisley (Marvel's Girl Comics)
• M. Palumbo (Starfighter)
• Mado Peña (Like A Virgin, Zelo Den)
• Mandy McMurray (Batman/Superman and Hawkman)
• Mariah Huehner (Fables, Lucifer and American Century)
• Mariko Tamaki (Skim)
• Marley Zarcone (Forgetless and Blue)
• Mary Jo Duffy (Catwoman and Star Wars)
• Mellanie Nicklo (Eternal Quest and Drop the Bomb)
• Meredith Gran (Octopus Pie)
• Ming Doyle (Jennifer's Body and Marvel's Girl Comics)
• Nancy A. Collins (Swamp Thing)
• Nicola Scott (Birds of Prey and Secret Six)
• Pia Guerra (Y: The Last Man)
• Polly Guo (Houdini & Holmes)
• Rachel Dodson (Wonder Woman, Spider-Man and Harley Quinn)
• Rachel Keslensky (Last Res0rt)
• Rocio Zucchi (World of Warcraft)
• Rutu Modan (Exit Wounds)
• SJ Matthews (Womanthology)
• Sandra Mellott  (Womanthology)
• Sara Richard (Star Wars)
• Serena Valentino (Gloomcookie and Nightmares & Fairytales)
• Shaenon Garrity (Narbonic and Skin Horse)
• Shannon Ho (Will Work For Blood)
• Sophie Goldstein (Darwin Carmichael is Going to Hell)
• Spike Trotman (Templar, Arizona)
• Star St.Germain (Marvel's Strange Tales, Comic Book Tattoo)
• Stephanie Buscema (Marvel's Girl Comics, Web of Spider-Man and Spider-Man Family)
• Raina Telgmeier (Smile)
• Renae De Liz (The Last Unicorn)
• Tamora Pierce (White Tiger)
• Tatjana Wood (Swamp Thing and Animal Man)
• Teri S. Wood (Wandering Star)
• Tracy Butler (Lackadaisy)
• Tracy Williams (Goodbye Chains)
• Valerie D'Orazio (Hawkman and  The New Frontier)
• Vanessa Satone (Wasted Minds)
• Vera Brosgol (Anya's Ghost)
• Yasmin Liang (Saint's Way)

If you can name more women that should be on this list, please leave their name and their works in a comment. 

*Please note: that unless requested in the comments attached to this petition, none of these women requested to be listed. If you would like to have your named removed, please leave a comment. 

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DC doesn't know how to acknowledge it's female readership or how to find female creators to hire-- let's give them some tips. 

 In addition to the list of female creators we've written to help them on their way, here are a few things DC could do to encourage more female readers and creators: 

- How are people hired? How artists and writers are hired by DC isn't even clear. Do they accept unsolicited work? Do you have to make face-to-face contact with a creator at a convention to get your portfolio looked at? DC should provide transparent information and outreach on how women can submit portfolios for review, publish statistics on what percentage of portfolios they review are from women, and pledging to increase that number. They could even agree to outreach through specific events at conventions to review women's portfolios.

- DC should take a page out of Womanthology's book and publish an all women's anthology, and make an open call for submissions. Womanthology has already been widely successful, imagine the same concept but featuring characters we already know and love! In addition to publishing this anthology, it would be expected that DC promise to consider hiring the women they publish for future ongoing project and exclusives. 

- Share regular reports about how many women are being hired for project and how long they continue to have contract work with the company. Show us those same numbers, but for male creators. How do they compare?

- Stop saying that only men make up its target audience and to publicly announce that it will be targeting women readers! Put real marketing, research, and distribution resources toward the development of that readership base. 

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