LadiesCon 2020

Online

September 9-13

The Ladies of Comicazi, in partnership with WinC and Comics in Color, proudly presented LadiesCon 2020, an online version of our annual celebration of comic books, science fiction, fantasy, cosplay, and many other realms of pop culture with a focus on creators who are women, non-binary, LGBTQ, and people of color, plus local artists. LadiesCon 2020 was free and open to everyone.

THE LADIESCON STORE

Purchase apparel for everyone, face masks, mugs, journals, and much more featuring the LadiesCon and Ladies of Comicazi logos from our Threadless shop! Money from your purchase goes to support the next LadiesCon.

Shop LadiesCon

PARTNERS

FAQ

Q. When was Virtual LadiesCon?

Virtual LadiesCon was held from September 9 to September 13.

Q. Can I watch any of the panels after the con has ended?

Yes, content will be available soon on the Comicazi YouTube channel.

Q. What is a virtual con?

Due to the pandemic, Somerville and CDC regulations, and above all wanting to keep our community safe, all LadiesCon content was online for 2020. The free virtual show presented writers, artists, creators, and artisans specializing in comics, fantasy, and science fiction, with a particular emphasis on creators who are women, LGBTQ, non-binary, and people of color, as well as local artists.

Q. Is LadiesCon going to be virtual next year?

When it is safe to do so, we would love to return to holding in-person events. It is still too early to know whether that will be the case next year. However, holding the con online has taught us a lot and presented us with many opportunities to reach guests and attendees we couldn’t have with a standard convention. We are looking at ways to continue using virtual methods of connecting with people, even when we are able to hold an in-person LadiesCon again.

Stay tuned to this site for the latest updates on the next LadiesCon.

Q. How much does this cost?

Same as all previous LadiesCon events, virtual LadiesCon was free to log on and view all the Con content. Our Vendor page will remain up through the end of October, so we hope you will support our vendors and our Ladies Threadless shop to help keep LadiesCon free.

Q. Your con is called LadiesCon. Can I still attend If I am not a lady?

LadiesCon is named for the Ladies of Comicazi. We are Ladies, but you don’t have to be one to attend or be part of LadiesCon. We created LadiesCon as a way to flip the ratios of who you usually see at Cons, putting those who tend to be more marginalized in the spotlight. Therefore LadiesCon may look different than some Cons you are used to. We want everyone to join us for a great time.

Q. Where can I find more info about the groups that organized LadiesCon this year?

Guests

Our LadiesCon 2020 special guests are professionals we invited to join us at LadiesCon. They appeared throughout the convention on various online panels.

Ming Doyle

Ming was born in Boston in the Fall of 1984 to an Irish American sailor and a Chinese Canadian librarian. In the Fall of 1991 she saw a million ducks and predicted the Harry Potter franchise's formula for success with startling accuracy. She has worked on titles including The Banks, Constantine, DC’s Anatomy of a Metahuman, and The Kitchen, now a major motion picture. She is currently working on art all night and every day and would probably love an espresso. This will be Ming’s fifth appearance at LadiesCon.

See Ming at the Distance Collaborations and Creative Isolation panel.

Ngozi Ukazu

Ngozi Ukazu is a New York Times bestselling author and the creator of Check, Please!, an online graphic novel whose printing campaign remains the most funded webcomics Kickstarter ever. She graduated from Yale University in 2013 with a degree in Computing and The Arts, and received a masters in Sequential Art in 2015 from the Savannah College of Art and Design.

See Ngozi on the Inspiration in Comics panel

Erica Henderson

Erica Henderson is a comic creator best known for The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl and Jughead. She's the winner of two Eisner Awards. Erica has lectured internationally and at Harvard University on making comics. Her upcoming book, Dracula Motherf**ker comes out October 3rd!

See Erica on her Writing for Comics from the Artist's Perspective panel

Tana Ford

Tana Ford is the 2020 Eisner and Hugo award winning comic book artist of LaGuardia with writer Nnedi Okorafor. The first time Tana teamed up with Nnedi was to create a Venomized Black Panther in Marvel's Secret Empire. Tana has drawn for New Warriors, The Amazing Spider-Man, Guardians of the Galaxy, Star Trek, Jem & the Holograms, and Gwenpool, though she is perhaps best known for her work on Marvel's Silk starring Cindy Moon. This is Tana’s second LadiesCon appearance.

See Tana on multiple panels

Kristen Gudsnuk

Kristen Gudsnuk is a comics writer and illustrator. She got her start with the webcomic Henchgirl, which was later published by Scout Comics in single issue and Dark Horse Comics as a collection. Her other works include the middle grade graphic novels Making Friends and Making Friends: Back to the Drawing Board from Scholastic Books. Kristen also provided illustrations for Modern Fantasy, a miniseries from Dark Horse (written by Rafer Roberts). Gudsnuk also illustrated the VIP series by Jen Calonita, published by Little, Brown. This is her third Ladies Con.

See Kristen on multiple panels

Mad Rupert

Mad Rupert is a comic artist and writer. She has been neck-deep in the online comics scene for over 10 years, and authors two ongoing webcomics. She has also worked with many comic publishers, including First Second, Boom! Studios, and Oni Press, on projects ranging from comic adaptations of popular cartoons to original graphic novels. When she's not making comics, Mad enjoys spending time with her husband and small angry dog, going to the gym, and playing Minecraft. She is most active on Twitter, where you can find links to most of her comics and content.

See Mad on the Inspiration in Comics panel

Mildred Louis

Mildred Louis is a freelance comic artist and illustrator based out of Los Angeles and founder of Astrea’s Nexus Studio. In addition to her online series Agents of the Realm, Mildred has provided illustration work for Invader Zim and Rick and Morty: Lil’ Poopy Superstar.

See Mildred on multiple panels

Stephanie Mided

Stephanie Mided is a comic creator and illustrator from Chicago who loves all things colorful, comedic, and cute! She is the artist for the upcoming graphic novel Martian Ghost Centaur due out in 2021 from Oni Press.

See Steph on the Magical Girls: Influence and Legacy panel

Programming

Panels and other events happened throughout the convention.

Distance Collaborations, and Creative Isolation

Saturday, Sept 12
11:30AM EST

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, more of us are finding ourselves working from a distance. For many creators, this isn't new territory. What advice can comic creators share with those of us who are adjusting to this new way of working? What are the unique challenges creators are experiencing during COVID? In this panel, Ming Doyle and Tana Ford discuss their own experiences working apart but in collaboration with others.

Inspiration in Comics

Saturday, Sept 12
4pm EST

How do you develop your style? Mad Rupert (Sakana) and Ngozi Ukazu (Check, Please!) talk about finding inspiration in their favorite works and how they turn that inspiration into art that's in a style of their own.

Magical Girls: Influence and Legacy

Saturday Sept 12
2:30pm EST

In this panel, comic creators Kristen Gudsnuk, Mildred Louis, and Steph Mided discuss the Magical Girl genre - from its lasting legacy to the influence it has had on their life and work.

Cycling Between Indie and Mainstream Comics

Saturday, Sept 12
1:00PM EST

Experienced creators Tana Ford and Kristen Gudsnuk talk with moderator Jill Carter about their experiences in both indie or self publishing and then working for more mainstream publishers. What adjustments needed to be made? What lessons were learned or had to be unlearned? And what are the pros and cons of working in each?

Writing for Comics From the Artist’s Perspective

Erica Henderson speaking! I’ve worked with a lot of comic scripts. I’ve drawn them, edited them, co-written, and written outright. I’ll share with you what I’ve learned from having been on all sides of the process.

I Just Wanna Have Fun: Lessons Learned While Building a Creative Studio

Our guest Mildred Louis went from working as a full time freelancer to starting a studio in the span of a year. Come in and sit on this presentation and discussion on what it was like to ditch an old ideal in favor of something else entirely, and the kinds of lessons she learned about herself along the way.

History and Comics!

Have you ever wondered how to make historical-themed comics and stories? Join comic creators Sierra Barnes, Ned Barnett, and Meggie Ramm as they talk about their experiences with using history as a basis for their comic works, from educational comics to historical fantasy to memoir. This panel will talk about aspects of doing research for comics set in historical time periods, as well as using history as a jumping-off point for other genres. Whether educational or entertaining, history is a great place to look for making your comics! This panel is all-ages!

Casual Games & Memoir: Gamifying Personal Experiences

How do you turn personal experience into a game for others to play and enjoy? Meg Stivison and Harold Sipe have explored this question for the last two years at Small Monster Games. In Takeout, they turned Meg’s expat experiences of Chinese language, culture and food into a casual card game. Harold has loved horror stories since he read his first Stephen King paperback. Can game mechanics express that love and share the experience of scary stories? How can personal experiences translate into accessible, inclusive game play? How do social games share a story?

Unconventional Materials Comics

An exploration of comics made out of unconventional materials--- such as paper cutting, clay, embroidery, etc. Filipa Estrela shows and talks about examples from various artists as well as some of her own unconventional material comics projects. She also discusses best practices/approaches and possible complications that come with creating your own unconventional material comic!

Exploring Immigrant Stories & Legacies In Comics & Media

This panel explores how immigrants are portrayed and perceived, in their own words as well as others'. From struggling for and against assimilation, forming and abandoning identities, and maintaining or casting aside their heritage, immigrant stories and triumphs have shaped the foundation of human experience and are as powerful and relevant as ever. Let's take a look at immigrant narratives in pop culture from superheroes and indie comics to movies, shows, and books. Our panelists include immigrants and children of immigrants; also, our panelists include people of color, women, LGBTQ persons, and two Boston-area cartoonists.

Graphic Medicine: A Spoonful of Comics Helps the Medicine Go Down

Graphic medicine is a field, a sub-genre, and a way of thinking about health through the medium of comics. Ranging from memoirs to educational comics and beyond, works of graphic medicine aim to convey the humanity often lost in the practice of healthcare by giving visual voice to the unspoken. Join us for a short introduction to graphic medicine, followed by insights from comics creators working in the field.

Living in the Dollhouse: Dollhouse's Influence on Genre TV 10 Years Out

While barely a blip on the ratings screen at the time, Joss Whedon's short-lived television series Dollhouse (FOX 2009-2010) has cast a surprisingly long shadow since. When you look at today's television landscape, recent series Westworld (HBO), Altered Carbon (Netflix), and Homecoming (Amazon) among others, all seem to pick up and explore Dollhouse's themes, aesthetics, dense narrative style, and even borrow the occasional cast member for a guest spot. We'll explore the specifics of those influences and propose other examples, discussing why these themes and style of storytelling seem to have found their moment now, a decade on.

Steampunk Heroines, Tropes and Tropebreakers

Join the Steampunks of New England for a live discussion of steampunk heroines, steampunk tropes for femmes, and the tropebreakers that defy them! This discussion will be for everyone, whether you are new to steampunk or if you have a solid background in the culture.

Community in the Time of COVID

Community is important for health and wellness. When COVID restricted how we could interact, we got creative. Our panelists will share their diverse experiences in fostering connections during COVID--as cartoonists, gamers, writers, and more. How do you continue to connect without face-to-face interaction with the members of your community? What are some of the challenges of community in these uncertain times? How can you help your existing community to support each other and the world around you? Our panelists will offer approaches to finding an online community, establishing one, and ways to have fun together virtually.

Drawn Together: Game Time!

We are playing online comics games for all ages! We will play "Pokemon drawing from descriptions" and Skribbl.io. Come watch us flail and draw cartoons LIVE!

A Women’s Guide to Outsmarting Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes once boasted he had only been defeated three times: twice by men and once by a woman, but his chronicles actually contain several instances of women who surprised, outsmarted, or duped him. This presentation provides some tips on how to outsmart the great detective using examples from women who have successfully done so.