Tonight at 7:00 in the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art, the New York chapter of Friends of Lulu is hosting a panel discussion entitled, "Women of Color In Comics And Manga." Moderating the discussion is Cheryl Lynn -- known to the blogging community as Digital Femme and a member of The Ormes Society, an organization inspired by the groundbreaking work of cartoonist Jackie Ormes.
But who is Jackie Ormes?
Jackie Ormes, among her other accomplishments, had two successful syndicated comic strips: "Patty-Jo 'n' Ginger," which ran for eleven years during the 1940s and 50s and inspired a doll line, and "Torchy Brown," which first appeared in the 1930s and was revived from 1950-1954.
In an era of rampant stereotypes of African-Americans in popular culture, Ormes's comic strips featured women of color who were confident, brave, intelligent, fashionable, and independent. With a mass media that even now seems to have a problem with the same damn cliches, I marvel at how Ormes managed to buck the system and present her own vision.
Yet in spite of her successes, I haven't seen a tremendous amount written about Ormes. Indeed, after 25 years of being a comic and cartoon enthusiast, the first mention I have ever found of her was in a copy of Trina Robbins's "The Great Women Cartoonists."But recently there seems to be a renaissance in appreciation for her work. In February of 2008 a book entitled Jackie Ormes: The First African American Woman Cartoonist by Nancy Goldstein will be published by University of Michigan Press. And The Ormes Society continues to keep the memory of this distinguished American cartoonist alive.
Turning now from the past to the present and future, I would recommend dropping by the "Women of Color" panel discussion at MoCCA. Panelists include illustrious illustrators such as Alitha Martinez, known for her work on books such as Iron Man and Thor, Jenny Gonzalez, creator of the Too Negative series and contributor to the House of Twelve anthology, and Rashida Lewis, creator of the comic series Sand Storm.
