The comics industry has given birth to a range of characters with extraordinary powers and stories that are out of this world in a literal and figurative sense. But historically, it’s also had its limitations.

As The A.V. Club’s Oliver Sava wrote last year, “There’s no question about it: Straight white men dominate comic books, both on and off the page.”

In the 80 years that comic books have been produced in the U.S., the role of women and people of color in their creation has been minor, if not non-existent.

Laurenn McCubbin, a professor at Columbus College of Design (CCAD) and comic artist who’s drawn and designed for publishers ranging from powerhouse Marvel to indie purveyors like Milkfed Criminal Masterminds (Bitch Planet), offered some current industry numbers: “At Marvel Comics, about 14 percent of their creators are women and people are color. DC has about 15 percent, and Image Comics has about nine  percent. And the numbers aren’t much better in independent comics. There’s still a big disparity.”

McCubbin noted that there’s been some movement in the mainstream recently, promoted by readers with a hunger for something different. They’ve made bestsellers of titles like Ms. Marvel, featuring a female Muslim superhero, and a new version of Thor with a woman assuming control of the hammer.

Nonetheless says McCubbin, “The way that comics tend to work, like many other industries, is that people go with what they’re comfortable with.” She added. “If your entire editing staff is white dudes, unless they’re making an effort, they’re going for other white dudes. We have some catching up to do.”

On the local front, comic artists and professionals are working to be one step ahead of the industry as a whole. When Cartoon Crossroads Columbus (CXC) made its debut in October as the newest American festival for the art of comics, its first satellite event, Sol-Con, focused on the work of black and Latino artists. And when CXC’s first Emerging Artist Award was presented, the recipient was a woman—Brooklyn-based graphic novelist Katie Skelly (Operation Margarine). Taking the award, Skelly dedicated it to “all the bad bitches” now staking a claim in the comics landscape.

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