The Ormes Society

Marguerite Abouet: Writer Marguerite Abouet has collected accolades from around the world for her Aya series from independent publisher Drawn & Quarterly. Aya of Yop City is currently nominated for a Glyphs Comics Award under the category of Best Reprint Collection and the graphic novel took the top spot as one of PW’s Best Books of the Year. Congratulations to Marguerite! Fans of Aya can look forward to a June 2009 release of the third book of the series and the series is currently being adapted for the silver screen! French filmgoers should expect an animated film in 2010.

L.A. Banks: Author L.A. Banks, who is most famously known for her long running Vampire Huntress Legend series, has recently moved into the realm of comics! Banks is currently working with artist Brett Booth on a four-issue Vampire Huntress miniseries. The first issue will ship in Summer 2009!

Alitha Martinez: Artist Alitha Martinez has been hard at work producing sequential art shorts for NBC’s Heroes series! However, Alitha has also found time to continue work on her own original comic series Yume and Ever.

Leisl Adams: Fans of illustrator Leisl Adams can look forward to her work appearing this summer in the upcoming book The Dork Diaries. Her work can also be seen in her own published children’s book Monsters Under the Bed. Individuals who prefer computer screens to paper can enjoy Leisl’s work online by reading her webcomics On the Edge and On the Edge: Wonderland. Leisl’s work will also appear in the Beyond The Frame: African American Comic Book Artists exhibition!

C. Spike Trotman: Fans of C. Spike Trotman’s series Templar, Arizona will be pleased to know that the third book of the series is now available for pre-order! Start shopping, folks! Trotman will also be making an appearance at New England Webcomics Weekend.

Afua Richardson: Afua Richardson has received a Glyphs Comics Award Best Artist nomination for her artistic work on Top Cow’s Pilot Season comic Genius. Her work has also received nominations for Best Cover as well as for the Fan Award for Best Comic. Congratulations, Afua! You can also check out Afua’s latest interview in issue #4 of discounderworld! And don’t just check out the article, be sure to vote for Afua in the magazine’s cover contest as well! Check for voting details at the end of Afua’s interview.

Starline X. Hodge: Starline X. Hodge has received a Glyphs Comics Award Rising Star Award nomination for her work on her webcomic Candi! Congratulations, Starline! Starline also contributes regularly to the Apartment 209 podcast.

Ms,Shatia Hamilton: Ms,Shatia Hamilton’s webcomic Fungus Grotto has received a Glyphs Comics Award nomination for Best Comic Strip! Hamilton’s original character Vielle has also received a nomination for Best Female Character. Congratulations, Ms,Shatia!

Ashley Woods: Ashley Woods has received a Glyphs Comics Award Rising Star Award nomination for her work on her independent comic Millennia War! Congratulations, Ashley! Ashley’s work will also appear in the Beyond The Frame: African American Comic Book Artists exhibition!

Jennifer Cruté: Jennifer Cruté has received a Glyphs Comics Award Rising Star nomination for her work on her comic strip Jennifer’s Journals; The Life of a SubUrban Girl. Congratulations, Jennifer! Jennifer was also a finalist in the Life Without Fair Courts contest from Lambda Legal.

Alitha Martinez and C. Spike Trotman will be appearing at the MOCCA Art Festival this Saturday and Sunday! Be sure to stop by and purchase Templar, Arizona and Yume and Ever merchandise! Spike will have her own booth at the convention and Alitha will be appearing at the Friends of Lulu booth. Hope to see some of you there!

The Ormes Society would love to welcome you to its online community at Torchbearers! Take a look at our current hot topics!

Torchbearers: Notable black female characters appearing in comics/manga.

Race Around The Net: Links focusing on the topic of race and how race influences the world of comics/manga.

Ormes Spotlight: Samples of artwork and prose created by Ormes Society members.

Ormes Society: Current events involving Ormes Society members.

General News: Memorable moments in the world of comics/manga.

Independent cartoonist Mikhaela B. Reid has provided a wonderful write up of the “Having Our Say: Black Women Discuss Imagery” panel, which occurred at the annual East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention. Appearing on the panel were Ormes Society members Cheryl Lynn Eaton and Rashida Lewis as well as author L.A. Banks.

The Ormes Society is currently seeking black women working as illustrators or writers in the comic book or webcomic industry to form the second wave of new Ormes Society members! Women who are interested in joining the Ormes Society should e-mail the organization the following information:

• Name
• E-mail address
• A list of published work displayed online or in print

The following news sites have provided wonderful coverage of the New York Comic Convention’s Black Panel. Follow the links to learn all about Cheryl Lynn’s recent panel appearance.

• ComicMix
• Toon Zone

The Ormes Society Web site came in at #5 in WordPress.com’s list of Growing Blogs for February 19! The list features blogs that have had the greatest gain in traffic in 24 hours. We here at the Ormes Society would like to thank all of our wonderful visitors for making this possible!

The Ormes Society Forum is now active! Be sure to register to converse with fellow fans!

Ormes Society founder Cheryl Lynn will be appearing on the African-American Panel at the 2007 New York Comic Convention on Saturday, February 24 to discuss the launch of the Ormes Society. Denys Cowan, vice president of BET Animation, creators Mike and Mark Davis of Blokhedz and Guardian Line creator Michael Davis will also be appearing on the panel.