New IJOCA article on Barbara Mendes.

I have a new, long article in the latest International Journal of Comic Art on the life and career of Barbara “Willy” Mendes, the Los Angeles-based artist and cartoonist. Barbara is the only artist in the Women in Comics exhibits in both New York and Rome to be showing 1970s work from the collection of Trina Robbins in the “history” section and brand new work from her Queen of Cosmos series from Red 5 Comics in the contemporary section. I think of her as the comeback queen of the show.

Barbara was a frequent contributor to early undergrounds like Gothic Blimp Works, Slow Death #1, and It Ain’t Me Babe. She dropped out of comics in the 70s and built a career as a fine artist, doing large Biblical paintings, and maintaining several galleries in the center of LA art scene. In 2020, she made her return to comics with Queen of the Cosmos. This article focuses on her early career and return to comics, with full pages reprints of stories from rare comix like San Francisco Comic Book #3 (1970) and Yellow Dog #23 (1973).

Comix from Cosmos: Interview with Barbara “Willy” Mendes, pages 284 - 335. The IJOCA features Barbara’s Realm of Karma Comix (1970) in the cover collage.

Installation view of Women in Comics at the Society of Illustrators, New York, showing the cover painting for Queen of Cosmos and the opening pages of the comic, featuring Barbara’s feminist version of the creation story (2020).