| Barbara Kesel | |
|---|---|
 Kesel at the 2023 WonderCon | |
| Born | Barbara Randall October 2, 1960 |
| Nationality | American |
| Area(s) | Writer, Editor |
Notable works | The First Hawk and Dove Meridian Sigil Spelljammer |
| Awards | Harvey Award 1996 |
Barbara Randall Kesel (born October 2, 1960) [1] is an American writer and editor of comic books. Her bibliography includes work for Crossgen, Dark Horse Comics, DC Comics, IDW Publishing, Image Comics, and Marvel Comics.
Barbara Kesel initially entered the comics industry as college student after writing a 10-page letter to editor Dick Giordano regarding the portrayal of female comic book characters and Giordano offered her a writing job. [2] Her first published comics story (credited as "Barbara J. Randall") was "He with Secrets Fears the Sound...", a Batgirl backup feature, in Detective Comics #518 (Sept. 1982). [3] After receiving her college degree in drama studies in 1983, she became an associate editor at DC Comics in 1984 and was promoted to editor the following year. [4] [5] In 1988, she wrote a Batgirl Special [6] and then co-wrote, with her then-husband Karl Kesel, a Hawk and Dove miniseries, [7] followed by an ongoing series that ran from 1989 until 1991. As a solo writer, Barbara Kesel scripted the licensed Dungeons & Dragons series Spelljammer in 1990–1991 [8] and an adaptation of the D&D novel trilogy Avatar in 1991.
She became an editor at Dark Horse Comics in 1991 [5] and later was part of Team CGW, responsible for most of the design and creation of the setting and characters in the Golden City location. In the second half of the 1990s, she also wrote for Image Comics, scripting all seven issues of Savant Garde, the miniseries Shattered Image with fellow writer Kurt Busiek, and issues of Stormwatch and WildC.A.T.s . For Marvel Comics, Kesel wrote the limited series Ultragirl (1996–1997) and (with Karl Kesel) the Captain America/Citizen V Annual '98. Kesel also returned to DC and wrote the Alpha Centurion Special (1996), several Superboy issues (1997), and the 'Girlfrenzy!'-oneshot Superman: Lois Lane as well as the Elseworld's Finest: Supergirl & Batgirl one-shot in 1998. [9]
She worked as both a writer [3] and an editor [5] at CrossGen from 2000 to 2004 where she scripted the series Meridian , The First , Sigil and Solus as well as issues of CrossGen Chronicles . [2] In 2007, Tokopop released the first volume of Legends of the Dark Crystal , an OEL manga based on Jim Henson's film The Dark Crystal , written by Kesel. Volume 2 was published in 2010.
As of 2008, she was part of the packaging company "The Pack" with Lee Nordling, Brian Augustyn, Gordon Kent, and Dave Olbrich. [10] The same year, Barbara Kesel began to work for IDW Publishing, writing a four-part Ghostwhisperer comic miniseries, another miniseries based on the adventure novel series Rogue Angel and the comic adaptation of the animated film Igor.
In 2015, she wrote a Wonder Woman story for DC's digital series Sensation Comics , later published in print as Sensation Comics #13. When fellow comic book writer Kurt Busiek put together creative teams for the eight standalone, oversized issues of his Marvels Snapshots series, he hired Barbara Kesel to write the first issue starring the 1980s Avengers which was published in 2021. [11]
Currently (in 2022), she's working for tech-startup Urus Entertainment, creating a forthcoming new twist on comics. [12]
Kesel is an outspoken opponent of sexism in the comic book industry. She is known for her strong female characters and created Grace, the ruler of the Golden City location in Comics' Greatest World.
She was married to fellow comic book writer Karl Kesel [2] but they have since divorced. [13]
Kesel has been nominated for the 1991 "Best Editor" Eisner Award for Badlands , Aliens: Genocide and Star Wars . [14] In 1995, she was nominated for "Best Anthology" and "Best Graphic Album of Previously Published Material" Harvey Awards for, respectively, Instant Piano and Hellboy: Seed of Destruction . [15] She won the 1996 "Best Graphic Album of Previously Published Work" Harvey Award, for Hellboy: The Wolves of St. August. [16] Received a Comic-Con International Inkpot Award on July 22nd, 2022 for "Achievement in Comic Arts".
Richard Joseph Giordano was an American comics artist and editor whose career included introducing Charlton Comics' "Action Heroes" stable of superheroes and serving as executive editor of DC Comics.
Kurt Busiek is an American comic book writer. His work includes the Marvels limited series, his own series titled Astro City, a four-year run on The Avengers, Thunderbolts and Superman.
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Batgirl is the name of several superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, depicted as female counterparts and allies to the superhero Batman. Although the character Betty Kane was introduced into publication in 1961 by Bill Finger and Sheldon Moldoff as Bat-Girl, she was replaced by Barbara Gordon in 1967, who later came to be identified as the iconic Batgirl. The character debuted in Detective Comics #359 by writer Gardner Fox and artist Carmine Infantino, introduced as the daughter of police commissioner James Gordon.
Barbara Gordon is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with the superhero Batman. The character was created by television producer William Dozier, editor Julius Schwartz, writer Gardner Fox, and artist Carmine Infantino. Dozier, the producer of the 1960s Batman television series, requested Schwartz to call for a new female counterpart to the superhero Batman that could be introduced into publication and the third season of the show simultaneously. The character subsequently made her first comic-book appearance as Batgirl in Detective Comics #359, titled "The Million Dollar Debut of Batgirl!" in January 1967, by Fox and Infantino, allowing her to be introduced into the television series, portrayed by actress Yvonne Craig, in the season 3 premiere "Enter Batgirl, Exit Penguin", in September that same year.
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Scribe Barbara Randall and penciller Barry Kitson retired Batgirl after one final adventure in her first solo comic.
{{cite book}}: |first2= has generic name (help)Written by Barbara and Karl Kesel and drawn by future superstar Rob Liefeld, this five-issue miniseries reestablished the famous pair for a new generation.
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