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Geek Out: 10 kickass lady-led comics you should read this summer

Welcome to Geek Out, your (soon-to-be) go-to space for the most female-friendly nerd discussions on the great big Internet! On Thursdays, we’re going to Apparate here and chat about whatever geek-ish business has captured the hearts/imaginations of gay ladies during the week. Fantasy movies! Sci-fi TV! Comic books! Regular books! Video games! All the best things! To kick it off, I’ve made a handy list of 10 comic books you should read this summer. Take ’em to the beach, read ’em by the pool, enjoy ’em in the shade with a shandy.

With new lady-led comic books popping up, rumored Wonder Woman and Black Widow solo movies on the way, and an Agent Carter TV spin-off in the works, there’s never been a better time for women to get involved in the comics world. Here’s where to start: Batwoman

The new creative team hasn’t managed to sustain the momentum or capture the voice of the original writers and artists, but Kate Kane is still the only lesbian superhero with a Big Two title – and even though DC made it clear they won’t allow Kate and her fiance, Detective Maggie Sawyer, to tie the knot, the new incarnation of Batwoman features their relationship struggles fairly prominently. It’s no longer a monthly pull for me, but I’ll stay caught up with the trade paperbacks. She-Hulk

Marvel relaunched She-Hulk’s solo title in February, so now is the perfect time to jump on board! She-Hulk splits its time beautifully between the lawyer Jennifer Walters and her superhero alter-ego. In fact, there’s so much lawyer-speak that it’s one of the most cerebral books on shelves right now. Walters is refreshingly unapologetic about her legal prowess, and remarkably unabashed about her Avengers kick-assery. Plus, Hellcat hijinks abound after Issue #2! Lumberjanes

BOOM! Studios just announced that Lumberjanes has been promoted from eight-book miniseries to ongoing series, which is the best comic book news I have heard in at least a year. Lumberjanes is my favorite series right now, and if you don’t believe me about how awesome it is, check out Elaine Atwell‘s full review. It’s everything your 12-year-old self ever wanted to read. Ms. Marvel

I’ll admit the first issue of the new Ms. Marvel left me super-duper cold. After promising the very first Muslim teenage superhero, the book ended with a splash page of Kamala Khan shape-shifting into the blonde-haired, blue-eyed, white-skinned, unattainable-bodied Ms. Marvel we’ve known for years. But boy, was my worry in vain. Writer G. Willow Wilson was doing the exact opposite thing I was afraid she was doing. Instead of positing that a dark-skinned Muslim teenager can only be a hero if she transforms into a voluptuous white woman, Wilson is exploring Kamala’s psyche, asking, “Why, when she can shape-shift into anything, does Kamala choose to be a white pin-up girl?” And, by extension, “What happens when minorities don’t see themselves reflected in modern media?” It’s a fun, incisive book with breathtaking artwork by Adrian Alphona. How to Be Happy

This 144-page anthology of collected comics from indie darling Eleanor Davis doesn’t hit shelves until August, but it’s a must-have once it’s available. Davis’ relentless feminism makes her a real-life hero, and even if her writing style doesn’t grab you (you monster!), her lush watercolor illustrations will transport you. Rachel Rising

Terry Moore‘s critically lauded (and criminally undersold) Rachel Rising continues to be one of the best-written books of the decade. And good news: Moore has just kicked off a shorter, more expository arc, so now is a perfect time to hop into the title. Moore is most famous around these parts for his epic lesbian love story, Strangers in Paradise, and most famous in the comics world for being the nicest guy on the planet. All of his books are well worth your time and dollars. Red Sonja

Fan favorite writer all-around awesome LGBT ally Gail Simone has taken the most scantily clad superhero in the known universes and turned her into a poster girl for feminism. If you like Xena, Red Sonja is going to be your jam. Dynamite’s rebooted series is only on Issue #9, which means you can catch up on all the bloody, hilarious action for less than 30 bucks! Wonder Woman

Not only is New 52’s Wonder Woman worth your time (and readily available in trade paperbacks, if you need to get caught up), DC announced just this week that Wonder Woman is getting her very own digital-first anthology, which will feature new stories every week from some of the best writers in the business! Kicking off the anthology is every nerd’s favorite Wonder Woman writer, the aforementioned Gail Simone! (Oh, and Wonder Woman’s very first appearance in Sensation Comics is now available for free on Comixology, along with the Zero Issue origin story of Red Sonja!) Powerpuff Girls

About a year ago, Cartoon Network decided to relaunch a comic-ed version of their cult favorite series, and they have not regretted it for a single minute. The original comic series ended in 2006, and while the new series picks right back up where the old one left off, it doesn’t feel dated at all. This month saw the release of Issue #9, which means we’re still in the early days and it should be super easy to get caught right up on the title! If you’ve been missing the wit and sass of Bubbles, Blossom, and Buttercup, you’ll be happy to hear that they’re as rad as ever in their new book. Rat Queens

Image Comics’ bawdy homage to the world of RPGs will make you blush and guffaw in equal measure. The title features a rockabilly mage, a hipster dwarf, an atheist cleric, and a “smidgen” thief. It also featured plenty of nerdy in-jokes and scathing social commentary. If you’re a nerd’s nerd, this one is absolutely for you!

Which comic books are you reading this summer?

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