You guys might be interested in this person:
Himilce Novas
WOMEN IN COMIC BOOKS
Himilce Novas, novelist and former visiting professor of Writing and English and American literature at Wellesley College, University of California at Santa Barbara, Clark University among others, was an editor and writer for Gold Key Comics from 1973 to 1975. Here, she tells VFA about her recent "blast from the past" about Women in Comic Books.
"I was contacted by Jake Oster , a comic book aficionado currently researching early comic books of the late 60s and 70s. He was told by erstwhile editors, writers and artists who worked with and for me at Gold Key Comics (Western Publishing) that I was the only person they knew of who insisted on feminist angles and themes for the comics. And, they stressed, I would not agree to publish or write any story that in any way denigrated or discriminated against girls and women. I accepted the job at Western Publishing for Gold Key comics ONLY because I had made up my mind to do what I could to create role models for girls, and also right the wrongs-or as many as I could. I have always believed in action and in bringing a feminist flash light to the area of one's work and expertise (think globally, act locally), so I looked upon my work at Gold Key Comics as a "mission" and, I suppose, a duty.
The funny thing was that I grew up in a literary/academic family with no comic books around, so I never read comics as a child. I accepted the Western Publishing job because it came to my attention that there were almost no credible women heroes in comic books and all the characters, even the animal characters, were "he." Characters like Annabelle the Cow were female, but always derided. There were hundreds of Tweetys and Sylvesters, but except for the "grandma," there were no good girl or women characters. They were either non-existent or in the background - as characters of scorn and never powerful. So, I decided to start integrating the comics and to edit and write comics where women and girls had strong role models and were heroes, not just shadow characters in the peanut gallery. It was important at that time to obliterate the notion of women as "evil," "sinister" (left-handed), manipulators, or else stupid bumblers who soured all the fun for the boys. It was not an easy job-and it still isn't. "Put the blame on Mame" is still alive and well, unfortunately. But there has been some progress and we need lots more. Until we have gender parity in every area of life, including government, society and the arts, there can be no harmony, peace or justice in the world-and ultimately no world.
Among the many comic book titles I wrote and also served as editor of were Bugs Bunny; Yosemite Sam; Tweety And Sylvester; Star Trek; Boris Karloff Presents; The Twilight Zone; Underdog, One of my favorite comics titles/stories I wrote was The Twilight Zone story, No Perfect Crime, where a young woman was not only a hero, but a "seer" with supernatural powers which she used to bring benevolence and justice to humankind.
I was fortunate at that time to have worked with some of the giants of what are considered the "classic comics" of all time. Wally Green, whose father, Bud Green, wrote the famous song, "Sentimental Journey," was my direct boss. Pat Fortunato, a writer and later the founder of Mega Books (which resurrected the Nancy Drew stories, among many others) was one of the many writers in my stable. The famous and prolific comic writer, Paul Newman, also worked for me.
In general, the feminist movement has made strides in the last 30 years, but the fact that we don't yet have a woman president when women are 52% of the population, speaks volumes. In South Africa , they called that apartheid, the rule of the majority by a minority. What are we calling it here?"
HIMILCE NOVAS graduated from Hunter College of the City of New York and, early on, joined NOW and took part in feminist actions in NOW and radical feminist groups. Among her many varied jobs, Himilce was senior editor at Doubleday--the youngest senior editor and woman in the multimedia division at Doubleday at that time. She looked upon all her work as a mission, which besides her teaching, writing and feminist activity included off Broadway plays. One of her plays, Free This Day, was the first feminist play that the renowned Joseph Papp ever published in his Public Theater journal, Scripts (1972). Today, she devotes her time to writing and political activism , dividing her time between AZ and California. She shares her life with her marriage partner, the editor and writer Rosemary Silva, whom she married this year after 18 years of "unwedded bliss." Her books include the best seller, Everything You Need To Know About Latino History, Mangos, Bananas and Coconuts: A Cuban Love Story; Princess Papaya, Everything You Need To Know About Asian American History, Latin American Cooking Across the USA. We have reviews on some of Himilce's books at the VFA Book Section: VFA BOOKS SECTION
For the full story on Himilce, check out her website: http://supernovas.org
Contact: himilce_novas@yahoo.com
