Art For Art’s Sake Special: Celebrating The Life And Work Of The Late Trina Robbins

by Richard Bruton

Sadly, the world of comics has lost another great, as the cartoonist, historian, and activist Trina Robbins died on 10 April 2024, aged 85. Here, we celebrate her life and work as such a vital and intelligent and passionate woman in comics…

Robbins was many things throughout her life and accomplished so much – she put out the very first US comic book solely created by women, she was the first woman artist on Wonder Woman, she published numerous comics that would make us laugh, cry, and rage at the world, she raised women’s voices in comics through her chronicling of the lost history of female comic artists, and she never stopped in her mission to make comics a better place for us all. Along the way, she designed clothes in LA and NYC, dressing many of the musicians of the time, and even inspired a verse in the Joni Mitchell song Ladies of the Canyon as Trina, who wore “her wampum beads” and “fills her drawing book with line”.

And through it all, she was seemingly unwaveringly spirited, a wonderful, fashionable, stylish, warm-hearted, passionate example of the best of us and a damn fine artist to boot who would always be the activist pushing for a better world. Dammit, she’ll be so missed by all of us in comics.

Robbins came out of the underground comix scene of ’60s and ’70s America alongside the likes of Crumb and Wilson, breaking the boys-club of alt-comix of the time wide apart.

Her first published work was the ground-breaking It Ain’t Me, Babe in 1970, created by Robbins and Barbara ‘Willy’ Mendes, it was the first comic to be made entirely by women. The series would last 20 years and introduce the world to so much talent. Robbins’ also became involved in Wimmen’s Comix, and her piece in its first issue was typically forward-looking, Sandy Comes Out, thought to be the first openly lesbian character in comics. Before that though, she created one of the most iconic comic outfits there is, when she came up with the iconic one-piece for Vampirella in 1969. Suffice it to say, Trina could do it all and do it all wonderfully well.

Over the following decades, Trina was always there, an activist with a smile for many, yet one who would never back down from a cause she believed in, no matter how many men (and it was usually men) told her otherwise. She wrote, drew, and edited comics for many different companies, getting more attention as the first woman to draw Wonder Woman in 1986 – and yes, that’s a ridiculous thiing to imagine, isn’t it? She would also create Misty at Marvel and co-founded Friends of Lulu, a nonprofit to promote reading and making of comics by women.

Along the way she also became a valued and illuminating comics historian, again shining a light on the women forgotten in comics history. She fought to get these women the same spotlight and import as was always reserved for their male contemporaries.

Rightfully, although too late, she was inducted into the Will Eisner Awards Hall of Fame in 2013.

Active in comics and active as an activist till the end, Trina’s last work was the pro-choice anthology, Won’t Back Down, edited by her and published in February of this year.

She was a wonderful artist, cartoonist, and person. A fiery activist, a warm friend, a frankly lovely human being. When we look at the way that the comics industry has changed and become that little bit more inclusive, so much of it is down to her work, her voice, her mentorship, and her influence. But, like she would no doubt say, the fight is never over. Now, sadly, we won’t have Trina there in our corner anymore, meaning we’ll all have to be that much better for her.

Our sympathies go to Steve Leialoha, her partner since 1977, her daughter from her relationship with Kim Deitch, and all her family.

TRINA ROBBINS – 17 AUGUST 1938 – 10 APRIL 2024 – RIP.