Friends of Lulu was a non-profit, national charitable organization in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, which operated from 1994–2011 to promote readership of
comic books
A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...
by women and the participation of women in the comic book industry.
Membership was open to all persons. Friends of Lulu additionally sponsored the Lulu Awards and administered the Women Cartoonists Hall of Fame.
The organization took its name from
Little Lulu
''Little Lulu'' is a comic strip created in 1935 by American author Marge (cartoonist), Marjorie Henderson Buell. The character, Lulu Moppet, debuted in ''The Saturday Evening Post'' on February 23, 1935, in a single panel, appearing as a flower ...
, the comic strip character created by
Marjorie Henderson Buell
Marjorie Henderson Buell (née Marjorie Lyman Henderson, December 11, 1904 – May 30, 1993) was an American cartoonist who worked under the pen name Marge. She was best known as the creator of ''Little Lulu''.
Early life
Marjorie Lyman Henderso ...
in 1935. In the comics, Lulu often tries to break into the boys' clubhouse, where girls aren't allowed.Cuda, Amanda (August 5, 2003). "Women's Wit: Holy comics, Batman, it's women cartoonists!". ''
Connecticut Post
The ''Connecticut Post'' is a daily newspaper located in Bridgeport, Connecticut. It serves Fairfield County and the Lower Naugatuck Valley. Municipalities in the Post's circulation area include Ansonia, Bridgeport, Darien, Derby, Easton, ...
''
History
In the early 1990s, comic book professionals
Trina Robbins
Trina Robbins (born Trina Perlson; August 17, 1938, in Brooklyn, New York) is an American cartoonist. She was an early participant in the underground comix movement, and one of the first female artists in that movement. In the 1980s, Robbins beca ...
,
Heidi MacDonald
Heidi MacDonald (born November 15) is a writer and editor in the field of comic books based in New York City. She runs the comics industry news blog '' The Beat''.
Career
MacDonald is a former editor for DC Comics' Vertigo imprint and ''Disney ...
,
Deni Loubert
Denise "Deni" Loubert (born September 30, 1951) Miller, John Jackson"Comics Industry Birthdays" ''Comics Buyer's Guide'', June 10, 2005. Accessed July 19, 2011WebCitation archive is a Canadian comics publisher, co-founder of Aardvark-Vanaheim, and ...
, Anina Bennett, Liz Schiller and
Jackie Estrada
Jackie Estrada (born September 10, 1946) is an American comic-book convention organizer, book editor, co-publisher of Exhibit A Press, administrator of the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, and past-president of Friends of Lulu.
A San Diego re ...
banded together to share frustrations, information and aspirations for women in the male-dominated comics industry, and held the first "Friends of Lulu" meeting at a comics convention. Co-founder
Trina Robbins
Trina Robbins (born Trina Perlson; August 17, 1938, in Brooklyn, New York) is an American cartoonist. She was an early participant in the underground comix movement, and one of the first female artists in that movement. In the 1980s, Robbins beca ...
recalls that a
Cherry Poptart
''Cherry'' (originally ''Cherry Poptart'') is an erotic comic book about a sexually adventurous 18-year-old woman and her friends, written and drawn by Larry Welz.
History
First published in 1982Comic-Con International
San Diego Comic-Con International is a comic book convention and nonprofit multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California since 1970. The name, as given on its website, is Comic-Con International: San Diego; but it is c ...
was the "last straw" that inspired the creation of the organization.
In 1994 Friends of Lulu started an
amateur press association
An amateur press association (APA) is a group of people who produce individual pages or zines that are sent to a Central Mailer for collation and distribution to all members of the group.
History
The first APAs were formed by groups of amateur pr ...
which lasted three issues.
In 1997 the first annual Lulu conference and Lulu awards were held in California.
In 2000, Friends of Lulu was awarded a grant from the
Xeric Foundation
The Xeric Foundation is a private, nonprofit corporation based in Northampton, Massachusetts, which for twenty years awarded self-publishing grants to comic book creators, as well as qualified charitable and nonprofit organizations. The Xeric Fou ...
to self-publish ''Friends of Lulu: Storytime''.
In 2003, the organization published an anthology entitled ''Broad Appeal''.
In September 2007,
Valerie D'Orazio
Valerie D'Orazio (born February 23, 1974) is an American comic book writer and editor.
Career
D'Orazio was hired as assistant editor at Acclaim in 1997. She joined the Creative Services Department at DC Comics in 2000. In 2002, she became assist ...
volunteered to fill the empty president of the national board of directors of Friends of Lulu.
In August 2010, an interim Board of Directors was reestablished.
In June 2011, the
IRS
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting U.S. federal taxes and administering the Internal Revenue Code, the main body of the federal statutory tax ...
revoked the organization's tax-exempt status as a non-profit. The group ceased operations shortly afterwards.
Past presidents of the organization include Katie Merrit, owner of retail store Green Brain Comics, and Shannon Crane.
Lulu Awards
The Lulu Awards, presented annually at
Comic-Con International
San Diego Comic-Con International is a comic book convention and nonprofit multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California since 1970. The name, as given on its website, is Comic-Con International: San Diego; but it is c ...
in
San Diego
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...
,
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
, from
1997
File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of t ...
to
2009
File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...
, bestowed the Lulu of the Year trophy for overall work; with additional awards, variously over the years, including the Kimberly Yale Award for Best New Talent; the Volunteer of the Year Award; the Women of Distinction Award and induction into the Women Cartoonists Hall of Fame.
Publications
Friends of Lulu published a number of books, including:
* ''How to Get Girls (Into Your Store)'' (1997) — guide for comics shop owners on how to make their stores more female-friendly
* ''Friends of Lulu Presents: Storytime'' (2001)
* ''Broad Appeal'' (2003) — anthology of comics by women artists
* ''The Girls' Guide to Guys' Stuff'' (2007) — an anthology of over 50 women cartoonists including
Abby Denson
Abby Denson is an American cartoonist, writer, and musician, known for her gay young-adult comics series ''Tough Love'' and her comics travel guides to Tokyo and Japan.
Personal life
Abby Denson was born in Illinois, but grew up in West Hartfo ...
, and
Debbie Huey
Debbie (or Debby or Deb) is a feminine given name, commonly but not always short for Deborah (or Debra and related variants).
Notable people
* Debbie Allen, American actress, choreographer and film director
*Debbie Armstrong, American athlete
*D ...
See also
*
Female comics creators
Although, traditionally, female comics creators have long been a minority in the industry, they have made a notable impact since the very beginning, and more and more female artists are getting recognition along with the maturing of the medium. Wo ...
*
List of female comics creators
This is a list of women who have been involved with producing comic books and comic strips. Many notable female comics creators exist even though the field of comics creation is traditionally male-dominated.
Africa
Congo
* Fifi Mukuna
Egypt
...
*
List of feminist comic books
This is a list of feminist comic books and graphic novels.
A
*''A-Force'' by G. Willow Wilson, Marguerite Bennet, and Jorge Molina. A Marvel Comics series about an all-female team of Avengers.
*'' Anya's Ghost'' by Vera Brosgol. Graphic ...
*
List of Lulu Award winners The Lulu Awards were a group of literary awards, presented at Comic-Con International in San Diego, California, by the Friends of Lulu. The awards were intended to "recognize the people and projects that help open the eyes and minds to the amazing ...
*
Portrayal of women in American comics
The portrayal of women in American comic books has often been the subject of controversy since the medium's beginning. Critics have noted the roles of women as both supporting characters and lead characters are substantially more subjected to gen ...