Trina Robbins, a legend of the underground comix scene and a woman known as a comics trailblazer, has died at age 85. The news broke tonight as her friend, comic writer Gail Simone, paid tribute to Robbins in a touching Facebook post. Trina Robbins has left behind a decades-long legacy as an artist, during which she was the first woman to draw Wonder Woman, created the first all-women’s comic book, founded multiple women’s aid foundations, and paved the way for a new generation of women in the comics industry.
Author, Comic Artist, and Activist Trina Robbins Has Died
Trina Robbins, born Trina Perlson in 1938, first began her career at underground newspapers like the East Village Others. In the 1970s, she teamed up with cartoonist Barbara “Willy” Mendes to create the first comic book created entirely by women, a one-shot titled It Ain’t Me, Babe Comix. Additionally, she would serve as an editor for Choices: A Pro-Choice Benefit Comic Anthology for the National Organization for Women and created GoGirl!, a coming-of-age comic published by Image Comics and Dark Horse Comics.
In 1989, Trina Robbins made comics history by being the first-ever woman to draw Wonder Woman. Robbins would draw the heroine for the four-issue miniseries The League of Wonder Woman; that same year, she would also cameo in Wonder Woman Annual #2. 1998 would see her write Wonder Woman: The Once and Future Story, and she would also create Misty – a spinoff of Millie the Model – for Marvel’s Star Comics.
Trina Robbins: Advocate, Author, Trailblazer
Trina Robbins’ advocacy work picked up over the decades; in 1994, she founded Friends of Lulu, a non-profit organization aimed at educating women in the comics industry. She has also written several books on the history of women in comics, including The Great Women Superheroes, The Great Women Cartoonists, and her memoir, Last Girl Standing. Her collaborations in the comics industry have led to decades-long friendships with other comics writers and artists, including Gail Simone, who paid tribute to Trina Robbins in a touching Facebook post.
“My hero, friend and mentor, Trina Robbins, has passed.
Not only was she a legendary creator of comics, she was also one of comics’ greatest historians and researchers, and a guiding light to countless girls and women who had a hard time believing there was space for them in this art form.
She proved there was and fought endlessly to remind people of the legacies of the incredible female creators that were often overlooked and undervalued over the decades.”
Grace Robbins/Facebook
Trina Robbins is survived by friends, family, fans, and decades of work, which means that today’s comic industry is much more progressive and equal than it would have been, thanks to her. Her work can be seen from Marvel to DC, in Image Comics and Dark Horse Comics and half a ton more comics still available for sale today.
