In 1979, El Vibora magazine launched its first issue. Born in a country already embracing democracy, it stood out as one of the most subversive and rebellious comics publications at kiosks nationwide. Yet even then it carried traces of the dictatorship era, attitudes the publication seemed determined to shake off in the years that followed. It managed to pierce the depths of Spanish society.
Machismo persisted as a stubborn undercurrent, shaping how women were depicted in comics and how female writers were treated in the newsroom. Female creators faced extreme sexualization of female characters by writers and the broader reality of women being cast in narrow, objectified roles, with recognition for female authors slow to arrive, until 1984 when a woman finally signed the magazine cover.
One writer recalls: a cover was allowed for a known intellectual who co-founded Cahiers du Cinema, Josep Maria Berenguer, who encouraged the publication to publish a screenplay and offered to write it after a work was shown to him. While some writers supported the effort, Berenguer was reportedly misogynistic enough to pay her less than male colleagues and keep her waiting for months. As a result, she became the sole female artist granted cover work throughout the decade. Laura Pérez Vernetti, whose Jellyfish cover was recently acquired by the MNAC in Barcelona, shares this memory.
Another contemporary notes that comics originally formed a masculine space, where the gaze, speech, and public discourse were shaped by men and often excluded women. The field has been described as a domain historically dominated by men since the 19th century. Acknowledging this, Marika Vila emphasizes that women themselves must push back against the silence that has overshadowed them, drawing on resilience to challenge the traditional narrative, laughing at past prejudices, and elevating new generations while refusing to disappear again into the shadows.
adult writers
The result of these efforts by female illustrators is clear in the renewed attention to women writers. The exhibition Little Women of the World, Unite revisits the works of adult comics authors from 1967 to 1993, with pieces drawn from the Reina Sofia Museum Library and Documentation Center, Area D, on view through June.
During that era, male writers published widely under widely known titles, while many female authors remained under the radar. A number of creators published under male or gender-neutral names, such as Laura or Pilar, masking their identities. When the subject was explored, it became evident that the works tackled compelling, powerful themes still relevant today, including open sexuality, abortion, women’s work, and social discrimination. These topics were addressed not just in legal terms but within a social context that persisted into the 1980s. Curators Alberto Medina and Guillermo Cobo explain the exhibition’s name and the chosen historical window: the title stems from a Nuria Pompeia caricature that marked the beginning of this period. Pompeia published a work in 1967 exploring motherhood from a non-idealized perspective, set during Francoist Spain, presented solely through drawings without text. The second endpoint, 1993, corresponds to the year Virus Publishing released Trading Powder for Glitter, a collaborative feminist album that broadened the accessibility of women’s voices in Spain.
The earliest works highlighted in the show date back to 1979, the year Totem published a special issue dedicated to female comics creators, featuring both international and Spanish artists such as Marika Vila, Mariel Soria, and Montse Clavé. Although landmark, the issue’s editorial was modest, signaling that recognizing these authors did not immediately translate into sustained publication. It would not be until 1992, with Women’s Rights, that a collective album of works by women writers emerged. Medina and Cobo confirm that the comic book world offered a difficult entry for working women in the 70s and 80s. Many relied on self-publishing or informal distribution to publicize their work. Montse Clavé organized two fanzines through a communist organization and similar authors appeared in the eighties. Martha Guerrero notes that some publications remained underground rather than fully integrating into the mainstream publishing system.
Yet collaboration with professional publishers remained fraught. Marta Guerrero, for instance, was allowed to craft comics but faced resistance and marginalization. Editors sometimes viewed her work as too risky, especially during crises like the pandemic, when Feu’s stories in Viper’s digital edition were omitted. Medina and Cobo recall these tensions vividly.
Many writers grew tired of unstable industry conditions and unequal treatment, choosing to leave the profession. Some exited the scene after not being viewed as serious readers or after facing persistent insensitivity to female artists. They stepped away from a masculinized space and pursued new avenues in illustration or design, while others persisted in the field with resilience, never fully abandoning comics. Today, several of these women writers remain active, alongside Laura Pérez Vernetti. The 1970s and 1980s saw many artists depart because publishers were slow to publish them, and a decline in comic sales in the 1990s led to early dismissals of female writers. The harsh environment left many with no option but to leave the art form behind.
work to do
After decades of being ignored, Little Women of the World, Unite invites the public to rediscover a generation of female writers who were erased by a masculinized and patriarchal system. These authors tackled the same core concerns as their male colleagues but with a different sensibility, while denouncing injustices faced simply for being women.
One writer reflects that the current moment feels like fruit being picked, yet warns against thinking the work is finished. The task endures, requiring ongoing content, roots, and a commitment to ensuring these voices persist. Silence does not express reality; these voices shape diversity and empower shifts in how art is discussed and understood, according to Marika Vila.
Institutions like the Reina Sofia Library continue to acquire work by new women writers to ensure that readers can decide independently whether the women of the seventies and eighties influenced contemporary female authors, without heavy curatorial framing.
Today there are many female comics writers who cover fresh topics and tell candid stories, including biographical pieces about women artists and feminist concerns. They address psychological and social issues, disability, and sexuality from a distinctly female point of view, expanding readership beyond traditional male audiences. This evolution marks a broader shift toward plural voices in the comics world and signals ongoing momentum for gender representation in the medium.