Real Girl

Published by Fantagraphics from 1990 to 1997, Real Girl was a nine-issue comics anthology that centered the voices and visions of women creators at a time when the alternative-comics scene was still largely male-dominated. Anchored by frequent contributors Angela Bocage, Jennifer Camper, and Julie Franki on the writing side, and artists like Leslie Sternbergh, Julie Franki, and Pete Friedrich, the series offered a raw, witty, and diverse range of stories about identity, relationships, and everyday life. It stands as a vital, era-defining document of the early-’90s independent comics movement, showcasing the humor and honesty of a generation of female cartoonists finding their own space on the page.