Rating: 3/5
Pretty in Ink is a history book about women who have drawn comics and comic strips. The content is well researched, and there are a lot of great examples for each of the eight time periods covered. It was nice to see how the drawings progressed over time, and in some cases how things have stayed the same.
The book took me a couple chapters to get into it though. This is because a lot of the early works are comic strips and the subject matter in them doesn't particularly appeal to me. Plus, I got a couple of the artists mixed up. That wasn't a huge problem though. As the book progressed through the different time periods, it was clear how events shaped the creators and their pieces.
The later chapters presented a different problem for me: the writer brought in her own works and experiences. This isn't necessarily an issue, but it signaled a change in objectivity to me. I think that could have been handled better. The chapter covering the most recent time period felt stunted to me. There are so many female artists working in comics now that it is difficult for all of them to be included, but the last chapter felt lacking on artists and really important works. Even a listing at the back of the book covering some of these items would have been great.
Despite the few things that didn't work for me, I enjoyed this book. It gives another perspective on the development of comics. There are a wide range of creators included, most of whom have at least one example of their art included. I was impressed by the skill of the artists and some of the content they were able to get away with.
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