Robbins, Trina

ROBBINS, TRINA (1938-2025). A lifelong socialist and the leading figure in the creation of radical comics by and for women, Robbins emerged as a force within American popular art. Her Wimmen’s Comix charted a new path for comic art, made a splash in its day, and furthered the rise of the graphic novel.

Born to immigrant parents, including a father who wrote for leftwing Yiddish newspapers in New York, Robbins later recalled the enthusiasm in the household for Red Army victories against fascism. She grew up mainly in Queens, New York, and by her teen years, became active in science fiction fandom, providing some of her first published illustrations for a Sci-Fi fanzine. She entered Queens College, dropped out, and then headed for Los Angeles to pursue a screen career. Unsuccessful, Robbins returned to New York. She worked as a clothes stylist and ran a boutique in Greenwich Village.

The appearance of a new kind of comic art, sexually and politically unrestrained, offered Robbins an unanticipated opportunity. The East Village Other (EVO), appearing in 1966, provided a breakthrough that changed her life. An offshoot of EVO, the all-comics tabloid Gothic Blimp Works of 1969, featured her signature female characters, both strong and sexually determined, and found a sizable audience. The next year, Robbins left for San Francisco, where underground comix had begun to blossom. Having participated in political protests since her teen years, she soon found new alliances and outlets. As she later recalled, these were the exciting years of creating leaflets with her illustrations, participating in radical groups’ meetings, and providing art for the underground press. An instinctive activist, she ultimately decided that her best efforts would go into her own comic art and the works of women who shared her passions

The genre of underground comix, rife with rampant misogyny amidst the unrestrained sexuality, prompted Robbins to launch, with collaborator Barbara Mendez, a counter voice: It Ain’t Me Babe Comix. Intended as a singular edition, the publication attracted wide attention and an enthusiastic response from would-be contributors. Wimmen’s Comix (with purposeful misspelling) took off in 1972 and ceased publication in 1992. It offered fresh story lines and drew in dozens of new artists.

Firmly against capitalism and empire, Wimmen’s Comix offered a fresh venue for political-cultural feminist protest. One of Robbins’s own stories, “Sandy Comes Out,” is widely regarded as the first lesbian comix story, appearing in the first issue of Wimmens Comix in 1973. She edited two issues of Wet Satin (1976-78), the first women’s erotic comic series. Professionally, she wrote for the mainstream revived Wonder Woman comics and contributed to many anthologies. Robbins also emerged as a foremost scholar of women comic artists, producing several volumes covering various artists, forgotten and notable. Especially in later years, she drew artistic inspiration from the sagas of European women revolutionaries fighting against fascism.

The Will Eisner Hall of fame inducted Trina Robbins in 2013. She also received several Eisner Awards.

Trina Robbins. Last Girl Standing. Seattle: Fantagraphics Books, 2017.