Graphic Novelists Who Deserve the Netflix Treatment
The long-anticipated reboot She-Ra and the Princess of Power is now on Netflix, led by showrunner Noelle Stevenson. Think that name sounds familiar? She’s the creator of one of our all-time favorite graphic novels, Nimona, and co-creator of the badass middle grade comic series Lumberjanes. If you’re on our feminism-meets-pop-culture wavelength – and we hope you are – you might be thinking, “Oh hey! I know a bunch of other rad women whose work would thrive on Netflix!” Well, come on board, nerds. Because we were thinking the exact same thing.
Alison Bechdel
We can’t get enough of Alison Bechdel’s rich storytelling style and two-tone graphic memoirs. And while we could consume every iteration of Fun Home ever created – Graphic novel? Check. Broadway musical? Yes, please! – what we’re really itching for is a modern-day Netflix reboot of Bechdel’s Dykes to Watch Out For, and not just because Netflix is hurting for some quality queer content. (But hey, Netflix. We’re begging you.) All hail Alison Bechdel and everything she creates.
Jillian Tamaki
Jillian Tamaki blew our minds when she released This One Summer in 2014. But clearly, we haven’t been paying as much attention to Tamaki as we should have because she’s prolific – both pre- and post-This One Summer. While we’re completely in love with her children’s book They Say Blue, the work of hers that we’d really love to see on Netflix is her young adult graphic novel SuperMutant Magic Academy. This book has everything – underage drinking, unrequited love, mutants and witches! There are showrunners who have the adult cartoon market on lock; why not take over the young adult cartoon market? Frankly, we’re surprised no one’s pitched Netflix on this idea already.
Jen Wang
Thank goodness for Jen Wang. In a world filled with transphobia, Wang has created a traditional fairy tale with a modern twist: The Prince and the Dressmaker. It’s a middle grade graphic novel that tells the story of Prince Sebastian, or Lady Crystallia, depending on how close you are to the protagonist in question, and the dressmaker Frances. It’s a tale of friendship, love, and the gender spectrum and it would make a beautiful Netflix series. We’re tearing up just thinking about it.
Ngozi Ukazu
We were on the edge of our seat after reading the first volume of Check, Please! that of course we want to know what comes next – in any media form possible. Which is why we’re advocating for relative newcomer Ngozi Ukazu to have her own Netflix series, stat. An unlikely – openly gay! – high school hockey player who also loves baking pies? Sign us up; we will watch every episode twice. Especially with Ukazu’s gift for cliffhangers. Why isn’t she writing for every teen show on television?
Kate Beaton
Admit it, you knew we’d get to Kate Beaton eventually. She’s only the silliest, smartest illustrator working in the world of historical and literary characters. And even though we don’t know exactly how Beaton’s one-page comics on everyone from Johannes Brahms to Susan B. Anthony would play in a serialized format, that doesn’t stop us from wanting to see Hark! A Vagrant on the small screen. Let’s start brainstorming, Netflix.
