Sexy Chix

by Diana Schutz (Editor), Jill Thompson, Colleen Doran

Don't let the title fool you - this isn't your average collection of comics featuring impossibly proportioned vixens in spandex. This time around the sexy chix in question are the writers and artists behind the comics, representing some of the best and brightest talent contributing to the medium of comics and graphic novels today. With stories ranging from mainstream adventures to hilarious comic shorts to heart-wrenching autobiography, Sexy Chix is devoted to the under-recognized contingent of female cartoonists in an overwhelmingly male-oriented industry. It's about time these divinely talented creators get to tell the stories they want to, and the result is an exquisite variety of artistic visions and styles. Among the sexy chicks are New York Times best-selling author Joyce Carol Oates, Eisner Award-winning illustrator Jill Thompson (Scary Godmother), A Distant Soil writer/artist Colleen Doran, Bitchy Bitch creator Roberta Gregory, DC Comics writer Gail Simone, novelist Sarah Grace McCandless (Grosse Pointe Girl) and many, many more!

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Anthologies, Short Stories, Sequential Art, Fiction, Art

104 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Former award-winning executive editor at Dark Horse Comics. Now semi-retired, but freelancing as a translator of French graphic novels, notably The Moebius Library, among others.

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was originally published as Sexy Chix in 2006. It's an anthology of short stories by female comix creators. Some of these stories were completely incoherent or marred by bad lettering that made them difficult to read. The best story was by Gail Simone and Rebecca Woods. The story by Diana Schutz is actually a 12 page prose story with a few accompanying illustrations by Amanda Conner. That one I skipped because I hate reading prose in my comics.

[Rod Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this was a new book when I requested it from the library, but as I started reading I saw a notice in the fine print that this was originally released in 2006 under the title, Sexy Chix. The new title, Drawing Lines, was given to the 2020 second edition. As I started reading the stories, they did seem vaguely familiar, so I'm pretty sure I must have the Sexy Chix version stuffed into a comic book long box somewhere in my basement. I don't feel bad about not being positive I've read it before because the stories are on whole okay but very forgettable.

In researching the two editions, I see there are a couple differences between the two beyond the title and cover image. First, the story, "An Admission," by Meghan Kinder has been excluded from the second edition. Second, in the time between editions, Alexa Kitchen has changed her name to Violet Kitchen and the new edition reflects this change.

• Portrait of the Artist in Her Creative Process / Written, illustrated, and lettered by Chynna Clugston Flores

Did you know that artists procrastinate? Shocking,


• Love Triangle / Written and illustrated by Jill Thompson

An unwitting mermaid finds herself used in a love triangle between a sailor and a witch in this wordless story.


• Yellow Fever / Written, illustrated, and lettered by Colleen Doran

Doran describes a former acquaintance who had a fetish for Asian men. She uses Marilyn Monroe as an avatar for the creepy woman.


• True Tales From the Shampoo Bowl / Written by Gail Simone, illustrated by Rebecca Woods, lettered by Lois Buhalis

A touching tale about a woman's first and last haircuts.


• The Boogeyman / Written, illustrated, and lettered by Colleen Coover

A widow fixates on the legend of the Boogeyman as an outlet for her grief.


• Hands on / Written, illustrated, and lettered by Carla Speed McNeil

A guerrilla surgeon challenges a faith healer on their home field. Bloody good fun.


• Hurricane Eye for the Straight Grrl: Another Pudge, Girl Blimp, Tale / Written, illustrated, and lettered by Lee Marrs

A sex positive woman makes the most of being stranded in another storm in a New Orleans still recovering from Hurricane Katrina.


• Jeff Macey's Girls / Written by Diana Schutz, illustrated by Amanda Conner

The editor of the original edition self-indulgently decided her 12-page text story gets to be crammed into the middle of an anthology of comics. Bad choice. And all it is is a tedious description of a dinner party at the house of a man who has made a lot of money off internet porn.


• The Art of Letting Go / Written by Sarah Grace McCandless, illustrated by Joëlle Jones, lettered by Lois Buhalis

A woman tries to get over heartbreak with a one night stand. More depressing than the melancholy it is going for.


• Haseena Ross, Girl Detective / Written and lettered by Trina Robbins, illustrated by Anne Timmons

A teen detective solves a simplistic mystery. A key moment requires a room to be plunged into total blackness while still having an open window in the middle of the day. Insultingly dumb.


• Lucy at the Mall / Written, illustrated, and lettered by Violet Kitchen
• Boys Are So Annoying / Written, illustrated, and lettered by Violet Kitchen

Publisher Denis Kitchen started promoting his daughter, Alexa, as a cartoonist when she was just six years old. I think she would have been around 9 when she did these, so I'm just not going to comment.


• No Rites / Written, illustrated, and lettered by Madison Clell

The most brutal piece in the book has a missing children notice trigger a woman's remembrance of her own rape.


• Esther Meets Her Maker / Written, illustrated, and lettered by Leela Corman

In an undefined olden time, a little girl gets wrangled into making a delivery that results in her getting a makeover that has physical consequences when she gets home to mom.


• Camellia / Written, illustrated, and lettered by Roberta Gregory

A slightly confusing study in misogyny has a weird twist ending that is cathartic but out of place.


• Don't You Trust Me? / Written by Joyce Carol Oates, illustrated and lettered by Laurenn McCubbin

An adaptation of a prose short story of the same name that appears in Oates' Haunted: Tales of the Grotesque. And indeed, Oates gives a haunting aspect to this story of a woman seeking a back-alley abortion. It's awful that this story has become timely again.


FOR REFERENCE:

Contents [2006 First Edition: Sexy Chix]
• Portrait of the Artist in Her Creative Process / Written, illustrated, and lettered by Chynna Clugston Flores
• Love Triangle / Written and illustrated by Jill Thompson
• Yellow Fever / Written, illustrated, and lettered by Colleen Doran
• True Tales From the Shampoo Bowl / Written by Gail Simone, illustrated by Rebecca Woods, lettered by Lois Buhalis
• The Boogeyman / Written, illustrated, and lettered by Colleen Coover
• Hands on / Written, illustrated, and lettered by Carla Speed McNeil
• Hurricane Eye for the Straight Grrl: Another Pudge, Girl Blimp, Tale / Written, illustrated, and lettered by Lee Marrs
• Jeff Macey's Girls / Written by Diana Schutz, illustrated by Amanda Conner
• The Art of Letting Go / Written by Sarah Grace McCandless, illustrated by Joëlle Jones, lettered by Lois Buhalis
• An Admission / Written, illustrated, and lettered by Meghan Kinder
• Haseena Ross, Girl Detective / Written and lettered by Trina Robbins, illustrated by Anne Timmons
• Lucy at the Mall / Written, illustrated, and lettered by Alexa Kitchen
• Boys Are So Annoying / Written, illustrated, and lettered by Alexa Kitchen
• No Rites / Written, illustrated, and lettered by Madison Clell
• Esther Meets Her Maker / Written, illustrated, and lettered by Leela Corman
• Camellia / Written, illustrated, and lettered by Roberta Gregory
• Don't You Trust Me? / Written by Joyce Carol Oates, illustrated and lettered by Laurenn McCubbin
• Creator Bios

Contents [2020 Second Edition: Drawing Lines]:
• Portrait of the Artist in Her Creative Process / Written, illustrated, and lettered by Chynna Clugston Flores
• Love Triangle / Written and illustrated by Jill Thompson
• Yellow Fever / Written, illustrated, and lettered by Colleen Doran
• True Tales From the Shampoo Bowl / Written by Gail Simone, illustrated by Rebecca Woods, lettered by Lois Buhalis
• The Boogeyman / Written, illustrated, and lettered by Colleen Coover
• Hands on / Written, illustrated, and lettered by Carla Speed McNeil
• Hurricane Eye for the Straight Grrl / Written, illustrated, and lettered by Lee Marrs
• Jeff Macey's Girls / Written by Diana Schutz, illustrated by Amanda Conner
• The Art of Letting Go / Written by Sarah Grace McCandless, illustrated by Joëlle Jones, lettered by Lois Buhalis
• Haseena Ross, Girl Detective / Written and lettered by Trina Robbins, illustrated by Anne Timmons
• Lucy at the Mall / Written, illustrated, and lettered by Violet Kitchen
• Boys Are So Annoying / Written, illustrated, and lettered by Violet Kitchen
• No Rites / Written, illustrated, and lettered by Madison Clell
• Esther Meets Her Maker / Written, illustrated, and lettered by Leela Corman
• Camellia / Written, illustrated, and lettered by Roberta Gregory
• Don't You Trust Me? / Written by Joyce Carol Oates, illustrated and lettered by Laurenn McCubbin
• Creator Bios

[Phrodrick slowed his growing backlog · Rating 4 out of 5]

I rather suspect that editor Diana Schutz was given the task of collecting female comic artists and package them under a title likely to draw attention. Her answer was to use the word “sex” and add to the tease the slang word “Chix” These women deserve better. Many were established cartoonists without the anthology and all rate a more elevated term than “Sexy Chix”

Too much about the title.

In 101 pages a reader gets a sample of 16 women practicing in a field not then (2006) nor now (2021) known for its female leaders. That said the book has a thrown together feel to it. Several have great emotional punch. The closing Manga, Don’t You Trust Me is a collaboration between novelist Joyce Carol Oats and illustrator Laureen McCubbin and is very powerful. I had to re-read it several times to fully appreciate its combination of overwrought dramatics and very simple conclusion.

Many pieces were about love and loss, making the themes seem predictable women’s topics. But these women are talented. Each has their own twist and take. A first-time client helps to give a hair dresser voice to her sense of having a mission. A believed widow carries her loss with her, but…. In Love Triangle, a jealous girlfriend places her fisherman, man in peril of his life so she can save him. Ok a reverse of the mirror for this kind of plot, but still creepy.

For all of the merits of the women sampled in Sexy Chex, I cannot say I feel motivated to seek out more of their work. I have bought some in the past. Leela Corman’s graphic Novel, Unterzakhn for example, is recommend. Sexy Chix, is also recommended, just not as highly. Better still is to be aware of that in the world of comic arts, it is no surprise that high quality work is originated by women.

[Don · Rating 2 out of 5]

Anthologies are notorious for having a wide range of quality; distressingly, that's true here more than usual. Some of the stories are okay, but others are mystifyingly bad - whether because the content is trivial (an otherwise acclaimed cartoonist gossiping up a tale of a friend who betrayed her), or because the craft of comic narrative isn't very polished, or because the "story" in question goes nowhere. One entry isn't even a comic at all, but rather a 12-page, 14-year-old text piece the author exhumed for the occasion!

And yet every once in a while, there's a piece that's a complete gem. The salon vignette, from Gail Simone & Rebecca Woods. The brief glimpse of a heart attempting to move on, from Sarah Grace McCandless & Joelle Jones. If more of the stories had been of this caliber, it would be a far more even collection - and far more enjoyable, too.

[Bandit · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ironically (or not, thanks Alanis Morrissette for forever making this confusing) this book was actually meant to offset the bleakness of Oates’ latest short story collection.
It didn’t work.
Both books were what you’d consider feminist works, featuring female authors, female protagonists and female perspectives. I figured this one might be lighter, it is cartoons, after all, but it wasn’t, not by much. And sometimes it just wasn’t good enough for the tone to matter.
The other reason I was interested in checking this out was because I noticed that most of my favorite graphic artists are male. This book hasn’t changed that fact. Granted, I’m more of a graphic novel person than cartoon person, but able to appreciate both. The few, maybe five at most, best entries here were the ones featuring a more traditional comic book art, the cartoons were either too crude or too plain to stand out, mostly with stories to match. And then there was randomly enough a nonfiction story with a few drawings that really didn’t seem to belong. Oftentimes barely even stories told, more like sketches of some. Not a glimpse of color either, just black and white art.
So yeah, overall didn’t really work for me. Not as an introduction to new talent, not as a pleasant diversion. It was a quick read and ,being a library loan, cost nothing but time and not that much of it, but not really worth it. The quest to find female comic book artists I like continues.

[Amber · Rating 2 out of 5]

A messy anthology that “showcased” women cartoonist, but was pretty unremarkable.

The title is, I don’t know, supposed to be a reclaiming of female characters in comic books, or a nod to the sexy chicks that write comics, but this collection didn’t work.... or I just don’t get what they were trying to do here. I think it was an “anything goes” kind of collection that showed female characters being everything but sexy... an interesting concept is still needed though!

I really liked Colleen Coover’s “The Boogeyman” and Trina Robbins contribution was playful and I did like the different styles of art (some were really good!) but I still gotta give this only 2 stars.

[Raina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great compilation of many female graphic novelists' work. I was only familiar with a few of these creators, so I appreciated the exposure to new artists. I love the variety, and enjoyed nearly all of the stories. The book is a nice package, well designed. The only really strange thing about the book was that the editor included a short story that she wrote and got someone to illustrate for her. But it's really just prose with two illustrations (that don't even jive with the narrative). Misplaced and inappropriate use of her editorial power, as far as I can tell. But other than that, totally cool.

[Fugo Feedback · Rating 4 out of 5]

Si no me equivoco, hice un poco de trampa y me salté el relato en prosa que metieron a mitad de esta antología de historietas. Aunque supongo que ese cuentito lo terminaré leyendo tarde o temprano, no creo que eso cambie mi idea global de este libro: una muy buena e interesante recopilación de comics cuyo único punto en común es haber sido realizados por mujeres. Según recuerdo, el que más me gustó fue el de Jill Thompson y el que menos me gustó fue uno que dije "Esto parece hecho por una nena de ocho años", hasta que me di cuenta de que verdaderamente era de una nena de ocho años, por lo que lo comprendí bastante mejor.

[Maggie Gordon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating: 2.5

This was a pretty mixed bag in terms of content. Some of the stories are quite poignant and well-illustrated. Others make me question how they got published. There isn't much in the way of an overarching theme other than gender, but several of the stories are quite evocative and emotional. Overall, I don't regret picking Sexy Chix (and what is with that name?!?!) up at my local used book store, but I wouldn't go out of my way to recommend it to anyone.

[Bill Coffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Featuring 16 stories over 90 pages, Drawing Lines: An Anthology of Women Cartoonists is a very quick read. And as often happens with anthologies, the quality of the content varies considerably. The pieces that don't work, really don't work, either because of sloppy art, slapdash writing, or both. (Also, who likes every story in an anthology, anyway?) But enough of that, because the stories here that work well, really work well, and even if the anthology consisted only of those stories, this would feel complete. The stories range widely in tone, from whimsical to heartbreaking, always with honesty and clarity. There might be those who grate at the very idea of a women-only comix anthology, but in a world where Marvel creators can't get together for a milkshake without there being a firestorm of harrassment over it, seeing books like this mke me happy to see that the creative talent in graphic storytelling will not, does not, should not seek anyone's permission to tell their tales.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best anthologies around. Some stories were a bit maudlin, but there was a terrific range of styles (artistic and writing) and more than enough winners to easily make the book worthwhile.

Joyce Carol Oates/Laurenn McCubbin's collaboration was moving and intelligent, while Jill Thompson's hilarious yarn made me smile. Gail Simone reminded me that she can tell moving stories in addition to the fun ones; Meghan Kinder's career looks very promising (this being her first published work); and stalwarts Colleen Doran and Carla Speed McNeil never let me down.

Although the stories weren't home runs, Joelle Jones and Colleen Coover also get serious props for great, powerful, amazing artwork.

[K De · Rating 4 out of 5]

Original editor Diana Schutz and second edition editor Daniel Chabon of hardcover edition of "Drawing Lines: An Anthology of Women Cartoonists". The 16 short works showcase a wide range of talents. From the world famous writer Joyce Carol Oates to stalwart creator Trini Robbins. The skills shown in the stories are worth appreciating. From "Don't You Trust Me?" by Oates and Laurenn McCubbin powerful tale to the whimsical "Love Triangle" by Jill Thompson there is something for readers. It is a short anthology but well worth the time to read, think and enjoy.

[Romano]

El mejor relato es el de Collen Coover. Hay otro par de historias de calidad y profundidad.


La calidad de el resto de las historias es muy desigual, con algunas siendo directamente malas. Me resulta extraña e innecesaria la historia de Diana Schutz, no es ni remotamente una novela gráfica o un cómic; soy consciente de que esa afirmación puede ser superficial, pero ese extenso espacio que dedicaron a su prosa se pudo emplear en otra artista.

[Mohan Vemulapalli · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Drawing Lines: An Anthology of Women Artists" is a recently reissued version of "Sexy Chix" from 2006. The volume showcases a number of talented female creatives such as Amanda Connor, Joyce Carol Oates and Gail Simone. The volume contains a diverse and eclectic collection of short comics. However the quality is uneven and a few of the stories are difficult to follow or seem unfinished.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent collection, very feminist, and I didn't think any of the pieces were dated. I would have given it four stars, but added the fifth to balance out the bad reviews, at least a few of which were from men who were unable to "get it."

[Michael Norwitz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anthology of female creators doing a variety of genres of stories, from autobiographical to elaborately fanciful. The level of quality varies but is overall quite high, and this is worth checking out.

[StrictlySequential · Rating 4 out of 5]

MOST of them were great but 2-3 weren't worth the time to read.

[Fried Potato · Rating 2 out of 5]

An anthology of stories written by women where most of them don't pass the Bechdel Test. The irony would be funny if it wasn't so sad

[Andréa]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.

[Eric · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really only liked one of the stories by Gaile Simone, a very touching story about a woman getting her haircut, the rest didn't really appeal to me.

[Seymour Glass · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m unsure how this got published tbh. A couple of good stories here but mostly rubbish!

[Logan Polk · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mixed bag, for sure, but there are some really moving stories here

[maddog · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thank god this was short

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh, it was fine.

It was far too short and some of the pieces felt dated now in 2020.

[Everbright · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a long time to track down a copy of this and I wish I could give it 3 1/2 stars, because there was some stuff I really liked about it and some stuff I just hated. But that's an anthology for you. The Jill Thomson piece was very cute but pretty light on story, which is OK. Really nice art about a mermaid with a crush on a fisherman who uses magic to snatch him away from his girl. Also the Gail Simone story about the hairdresser was very moving. I didn't like the Alexa Kichen piece at all, and don't think this would be in here if she weren't related to a famous cartoonist. Sorry to say, but I have a six year old nephew who works like that, too. I thought the prose story was out of place, but good anyway. The Colleen Dorn story is wicked funny/sad. I'm not sure if everyone reading it will get the idea, but I sure do. The JPop world and its western fans are pretty scary sometimes. Fetishism of Japanese people is something I saw every day. I can relate and lived that. I liked the Joyce Carol Oates story, but the art was too Photoshoppy. I love Carla Speed Mcneil's work, and it says something about it that even thought I still am not sure what it was about, I read it over and over.

[Margaret · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is an anthology of short, feminist cartoons. Honestly, I didn't like a single one of them, though a few were okay. Most of the stories lacked a critical engagement with feminism and the stories they were telling, but this could be because the stories are easily recognizable, and thus when I'm reading about them I want to go deeper. These are the horror stories every girl grows up hearing--rape, incest, sexual manipulation, abortion, etc. I wanted to see more about the stories and the women in them, not a quick cartoon about women's suffering. But younger women might find the anthology empowering.

[Trevor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Provocative collection edited by Diana Schutz with interesting pieces by Jill Thompson, Sarah Grace, Joelle Jones, Joyce Carol Oates, Roberta Gregory and Lauren McCubbin. And that's just for starters.

[Rolando José Rodríguez De León · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this will be like an academic book, instead it's the work of 21 artists. I like 90% of what I saw and read. Is a good compilation of stories and I will look for mor works of some of the authors.
I also made an Spanish review here:

https://pananime.com/LeAn/index.html