ComiqueCon, celebrating women in comics to debut in Dearborn

ComiqueCon is promising to be a celebration like every other, and like no other all at once.

It will be like thousands of other comic book conventions across the country in that it will be a huge celebration of the culture, it’s fans and creators.
It will be completely unique in that it is celebrating specifically the women in comics, the writers, artists, inkers and editors that create comics.
“We're thrilled to bring today's most talented ladies making comics together for this one-of-a-kind event. Women don't just read comics - they make excellent comics, too!” said ComiqueCon founder Chelsea Liddy. “I’ve been following geek culture for a long time. I couldn’t believe that there wasn’t already a convention like this. That shocked me that it hadn’t been done before.”
Liddy said she doesn’t want to focus on the negative aspect of online life, but the idea sprung out of “Gamer Gate,” late last fall. Gamergate was a sustained long term attack on several female video game creators. The attacks ranged from complaints about the quality of work to rape and death threats.
“Comics and gaming are so closely related,” she said. “ You see some of that negative stuff and you have to think about creating a space where we can be positive.”
The reasoning behind the convention, set for Nov. 7 at the Arab American National Museum, is to stop the relegation of women in comics that tends to happen at other conventions.
“Women are often on a ‘Women in Comics’ panel, but not always noticed otherwise,” Liddy said. “There is so much more that woman can talk about.”
After having the idea, Liddy went to the only comic shop --Green Brain Comics--  where she knew she’d be able to find help with her newfound task.
“If  Green Brain hadn’t been so supportive from the beginning,” she said, “this might not have happened.”
Co-owner of the store Katie Merritt knows what it’s like to be a woman in the industry. Having worked in and owned a store for more than 20 years, and keeping a close pulse on the community, her knowledge was key in getting ComiqueCon off the ground.
“When Chelsea came to us with the idea,” Merritt said, “I said ‘that sounds awesome.’ They came to us as consultants to support the show.”
Merritt along with her husband Dan, both Allen Park residents, have put on their own small press conventions in the past, serve on the committee for the Kids’ Read Comics event each year in Ann Arbor and also put on dozens of other events at the store each year.
“We have always been big proponents of making everyone feel welcome,” Katie said. “Comic books are just a medium to tell stories. No one says TV or a movie should be just for boys, or you can’t read this novel because of your gender.”
The show will be a one-day celebration, and has announced some top of the line talent for the inaugural show. One of the guests will be Dearborn native Mairghread Scott, who went into television production and also writes comics for Marvel and IDW. Scott was the first woman to author a Transformers comic last year.
Other top talent that has confirmed to be attending includes: Leila Abdelrazaq, graphic artist and author of Baddawi; Nancy Collins, author of Vampirella; Marguerite Dabaie, author of The Hookah Girl; Alex de Campi, author of Smoke/Ashes, Archie vs. Predator, Sensation Comics featuring Wonder Woman and No Mercy; Nicole Georges, author of Calling Dr. Laura; Mikki Kendall, co-author of Swords of Sorrow.
Many of the talent coming is working on the new comic “Sword of Sorrows,” which is a six issue mini series produced by all women teams. Issue one was written by Gail Simone, who was unable to attend the convention this year.
The first issue of that mini series has a custom cover put out by Green Brain with art by Michigan resident Dave Acosta.
“All of the profit from that book will be donated back to convention,” Katie Merritt said.
Other planned events include a costume contest, artist VIP reception, discussion panels and a screening of the documentary “She Makes Comics.”
In an effort to help with the festival’s initial startup costs, ComiqueCon recently launched a crowdfunding campaign on Tilt.com. The campaign will run through June 6 and includes numerous sponsorship levels. Sponsors who donate at the $25 level are eligible to receive the limited edition variant of Swords of Sorrow No. 1.
Other incentives include admission to ComiqueCon 2015, limited edition ComiqueCon 2015 buttons, and admission to a private meet and greet VIP reception on Nov. 6 with ComiqueCon artists and writers. To participate in the crowdfunding campaign, visit Comiquecon.com.
For more information on the convention, find the show at Comiquecon.com, on Facebook or on Twitter @ComiqueCon