As something of a final gift to us from its editor and comics legend Trina Robbins, pro-choice anthology Won’t Back Down! is a fittingly defiant collection. It acts as a counterpoint to the overturning of Roe v. Wade and features a plethora of creators offering their responses to the actions of what is so fittingly described on publisher Last Gasp’s website as “a rogue supreme court.” Ensuring the broadest panoply of approaches, dozens of names are attached to the project from many different walks of comics, ranging from indie and alternative artists to those from the more genre fiction-focussed serial comics side.
Cover by Ken Steacy, Twyla Dawn Weixl & Willa Rolfe
With that number of contributors and stories we face, of course, that inevitable anthology commentary issue in that we can give thoughts on only a few select offerings. However, what needs to be acknowledged from the outset is what a diverse collection of comics shorts this is. Some tackle the subject through intensely honest autobiography or cutting social commentary; others use extravagant visual metaphor, wrapping up their points in the trappings of fantasy or satirical takes on classic comics elements. Won’t Back Down! isn’t only a powerful pushback on oppression it’s also a testament to the potency of comics as a communicative tool of lived experiences.
Work by Sabrina Jones
Some of the standout entries for me include the following stories, work that covers a variety of perspectives on the remit of Won’t Back Down!. ‘Where Are the Great Abortion Paintings?’, for example, wherein Sabrina Jones draws parallels between the suppression of abortion art and reproductive rights. Or ‘The Politics of Abortion’ where Jennifer Camper looks at the sociopolitical realities of recent events and their ties to controlling far-right agendas. In ‘Mis-Carry’ Lee Marrs gives us a four-pager set in the 1960s infused with personal experience that, in its temporal juxtaposition, reminds us of how far we have regressed in the last few years.
Work by Lee Marrs
One of the most visually striking offerings is Sydney Heifler’s ‘Trapped: An All-Too Common Story’ that reflects on the despair of those now trapped, through no fault of their own, by the ramifications of the striking down of Roe v. Wade. Its claustrophobic art and dark colour choices amplifying its message with a stark intensity. Kate Charlesworth in ‘Over Here’, with its UK-centric exploration, is another contributor to echo how attacks on women’s rights are part of a wider rise in social intolerance. Eve Furchgott’s ‘Forced Birth Nation’, meanwhile, is a rallying call for activism which uses symbolism and metaphor to underline that we are at a crucial point in history.
Work by Amy Chase & Steve Leialoha
Robert Triptow’s ‘The Irony’ is one of the book’s most memorable stories. Densely packed, with a knowing wit, it’s a grandmother’s tale of struggle, misogyny and control across the decades. The standout of the collection, though, is a second strip from Jennifer Camper. In ‘Seeds of Life’ Camper turns the status quo on its head and presents a world where men are persecuted for masturbation and even a wet dream is considered murder. Books like this are also always an opportunity for newer voices to find expanded readerships and, in that regard, it’s so pleasing to see the distinctive visuals of Sayra Begum (Mongrel) on the Alison Sampson-written ‘Summerly Street’. A talented artist deserving of far more recognition.
Comics activism at its very finest, Won’t Back Down! isn’t just social commentary, it’s a sequential art act of resistance to injustice and oppression. Undoubtedly one of the most important comics anthologies of this year.
Trina Robbins, Barbara Randall Kesel, Yanick Paquette, Signe Wilkinson, Christopher Golden, Marguerite Sauvage, Gene Ha, Carrie Tupper, Todd Klein, Twyla Dawn Weixl, Sabrina Jones, Stephanie Cooke, Leeann Hamilton, Jennifer Camper, Sydney Heifler, Kate Charlesworth, Dave McCaig, Deanna Soukiasian, Grace Gordon, Joelle Barreto, Isabelle Struble, Grace Desmarais, Tony Parker, Bridgit Connell, Michelle Madsen, Janice Chiang, Jessica Balboni, Perl Barry, Jennifer Camper, Eve Furchgott, Sharon Rudahl, Dee Cunniffe, Sayra Begum, Sofie Dodgson, Robert Triptow, Ryan Oakley, Jeremy Whitley, Lisa Sharkey, Wesley Wong, Dominike “Domo” Stanton, Tom Orzechowski, Emily Bowen Cohen, Amy Chase, Dani Coleman, and Rori • Last Gasp, $25.00
Review by Andy Oliver
Proceeds go to Planned Parenthood
