Insights into the comic industry, girl rage and gothic horror

Three panels prompted plenty of discussion around women in the literary scene and the stories they choose to tell.

- Charmaine Lim

On Nov 10, Yeo Hui Xuan, Erica Eng and Sarah Abdul Wahid shared their journeys as writers and artists in She Draws The Line: Women Revolutionising The Comic World. The session in the River Room at the Asian Civilisations Museum drew a sizable crowd, varying from polytechnic students to mid-career professionals.

While talking about struggles within the industry, Yeo cited instances of gender discrimination in which male authors told her that she would get married one day and have kids, leaving her no time to make more comics. She also spoke of being told to be quiet in Facebook group discussions because she is a woman.

Sarah offered a different perspective – that the independent scene has more women in it, adding that sometimes the struggle was more in staying motivated when seeing other artists produce highly admirable works. As a Malay comic writer, being a minority in the industry also led to feelings of alienation at times, Sarah said.