Women In Comics Month: The Art of Ashley Woods & Yishan Li

by Troy-Jeffrey Allen

Every March, PREVIEWSworld celebrates Women in Comics Month by focusing on the creators that have helped and continue to help shape the comics industry. And 2019 was destined to be no different. We did, however, switch it up a bit this year by focusing specifically on comic book artists. Over the next few weeks, we'll introduce you to a range of diverse talents. In the process, we'll discover what got them into comics as well as their artistic process.

Up first, to close out International Women's Day, we talk to Ashley A. Woods and Yishan Li.

Ashley A. Woods (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook)

Ashley on how she got into comics as a reader:

"In my childhood home, I stumbled across some old copies of Cable, X-Man, and X-Men (among other titles that I can't quite remember) and that sparked a fascination with the medium. Soon after, I began to create makeshift comics at home with pages of copy paper stapled together based on stories centered around my favorite toys at the time (Barbies and Legos)."

Ashley on how she got into comics as a pro: 

"January 2015, I met Amandla Stenberg and Sebastian A. Jones from Stranger Comics at a convention called BCAF in San Francisco. They were impressed with my work and offered me the project of "Niobe: She Is Life" soon after. After releasing the 4 issue mini-series between 2015 and 2016 which went on to gain much attention, I moved on to BOOM! Studios with Lady Castle, Dark Horse Comics' Tomb Raider, and HBO's LoveCraft Country." 

Niobe: She is Life (AUG171969) is available now at your local comic shop.

Yishan Li (Instagram, Twitter)

Yishan on how she got into comics as a reader:

"Through manga! I was reading a lot of Japanese manga books when I was a kid, then the habit carried on into comics when I grew older."

Yishan on how she got into comics as a pro: 

"Like a lot of people who loves reading comics, I always tried to draw. After doing it long enough at home, I submitted my sample to a small independent publisher and got accepted to draw a short story. Then it began! That was like 20 years ago."

Paradox Girl (MAR190110) is available at your local comic shop on May 29, 2019.

If you're looking for more deep dives into contemporary comic art then check out our monthly "Got It Covered" series.  There you'll discover some of the industry's top talents and witness their artistic process.

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Troy-Jeffrey Allen is the producer and co-host of PREVIEWSworld Weekly. His comics work includes BAMN, Fight of the Century, the Harvey Awards-nominated District Comics, and the Ringo Awards-nominated Magic Bullet.