Hand Job: A Labor of Love
By The Adventure School for Ladies
Published by Pressing Concern Books

October Spud Pick

Hand Job: A Labour of Love is an anthology of comics inspired by statistics on the depiction of women and transgendered people in comics and their presence as creators. This anthology was created through the Adventure School for Ladies, an experimental grad program founded by activist and writer Anne Elizabeth Moore that explores gender, cultural production, political engagement, and social divisions. Hand Job: A Labour of Love was written and published in 2012 during a two-week collaborative comics intensive within the Adventure School. The cover of this anthology was printed here at Spudnik as a part of this program!

The short comics presented in this book explore the difficulties of being a woman or transgendered artist in a variety of ways, from personal narratives to accounts of historical events. The stories told are at times funny, sad and informative. For those who feel frustrated by the male domination of the art world, especially in comics, this book will offer a sympathetic voice, as well as some illuminating thoughts on gender, politics and culture!

You can find Hand Job: A Labor of Love in the Small Press Library in the Annex.