We've just wrapped up Women's History Month, but the importance of women in comics is pretty much a year-round thing. Case in point: three female-centric graphic novels this month that come highly recommended.
Sabrina the Teenage Witch Vol. 2: Something Wicked (Archie Comics, $14.99)
One of the best aspects of Sabrina is that unlike the other characters at Archie Comics, she hasn't been in continuous publication for 80-plus years. While the kids in Riverdale are frozen in the public's mind as to who and what they are, Sabrina's status quo can be a bit more flexible.
The current Sabrina comics tend to favor the "Chilling Adventures of Sabrina" TV show version of the character, in that she deals with dead-serious magical problems while also juggling the humor and heartache of high school.
Kelly Thompson (writer) and Veronica and Andy Fish (illustrators) make Sabrina into an adorkable and good-hearted character — despite having to deal with Wendigos and a murderous fellow witch. "Sabrina: Something Wicked" is recommended because it's actually something charming.
Adler Vol. 1 (Titan Comics, $16.99)
The conceit of "Adler" is that it resembles Alan Moore's "League of Extraordinary Gentlemen," except in this case, it's gentlewomen. Writer Lavie Tidhar plucks various female characters from Victorian adventure fiction and throws them together for a story that is one part 19th-century reserve and two parts ripsnorting action.
Tidhar places the action in 1902 London, so a number of characters have to be updated from their 19th-century origins to fit the new era. For example, our narrator is Jane Eyre, who is now a former battlefield medic who served in the Boer War.
