Born: 17 August 1938, United States
Died: NA
Country most active: United States
Also known as: Trina Perlson
The following bio was written by Emma Rosen, author of On This Day She Made History: 366 Days With Women Who Shaped the World and This Day In Human Ingenuity & Discovery: 366 Days of Scientific Milestones with Women in the Spotlight, and has been republished with permission.
Trina Robbins is a notable American cartoonist, well-known for her role in the early underground comix movement. As a pioneering female artist in this movement, she earned a spot in the Will Eisner Hall of Fame.
During the 1950s and 1960s, Robbins was active in science fiction fandom. Her art appeared in science fiction fanzines, including the Hugo-nominated Habakkuk. She started her comics journey in the East Village Other and contributed to the spin-off comic Gothic Blimp Works.
In 1969, she played a key role in designing the costume for the character Vampirella in Vampirella #1 (Sept. 1969).
In 1970, Robbins moved from New York to San Francisco, joining the feminist underground newspaper “It Ain’t Me, Babe.” That year, she co-created the one-shot comic “It Ain’t Me, Babe Comix” with artist Barbara “Willy” Mendes. She championed female comic artists for two decades, notably through the “Wimmen’s Comix” anthology. The first issue featured Robbins’ groundbreaking “Sandy Comes Out,” the first comic strip with an “out” lesbian character.
In 1986, Robbins got involved with Wonder Woman, contributing to “The Legend of Wonder Woman” series. She even appeared as herself in Wonder Woman Annual #2 (1989).
Robbins had strong ties to the 1960s rock scene and counted Jim Morrison and The Byrds as close friends. She’s notably one of the “Ladies of the Canyon” referenced in Joni Mitchell’s renowned song from the album of the same name. In the late 1960s, she operated a ” Broccoli ” clothing boutique in the East Village, creating attire for notable individuals, including Mama Cass, Donovan, and David Crosby. Her memoir, “Last Girl Standing,” was published by Fantagraphics in 2017.
Beyond comics, Robbins is a nonfiction author exploring women’s history in cartooning.
The following is republished from the Library of Congress. This piece falls under under public domain, as copyright does not apply to “any work of the U.S. Government” where “a work prepared by an officer or employee of the U.S. Government as part of that person’s official duties” (See, 17 U.S.C. §§ 101, 105).
When she and sister cartoonists found that their male counterparts in the underground comix movement in the San Francisco area were not open to including their work in anthologies, they drew, wrote, and published their own compilations. Key among these titles, Wimmen’s Comix ran nearly annually from 1972 to 1992, operating as a collective with revolving editors. Founding contributor and occasional editor, Robbins then gravitated increasingly to writing, collaborating mostly with female artists, and researching and producing invaluable works chronicling the history of women in comics.