Likewise, Glasgow-based Team Girl Comic has grown and changed from its early days into a group that can absolutely not be ignored. If you haven’t been paying attention to Team Girl Comic, Issue #10 is the perfect place to start.

As explained in the opening story by Claire Yvette and Gill Hatcher, in Team Girl Comic #10, Hatcher didn’t feel like her comics were quite fitting in to the scene she saw around Glasgow in 2009. In an effort to find a community, she began seeking out other girls and women making comics. They began publishing anthologies and holding events, but the companionship and camaraderie they found in each other was the most important.

The diversity of styles and subjects is delightful. MJ Wallace‘s sweetly thoughtful “How I Learned to Stop Worrying & Love Me” illustrates how she made peace with her body image in touching detail, even including some sketches from her life drawing classes. Shona Heaney‘s “The Winston Churchill Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse” delivers on the title’s promise in both hilarious and disturbing ways in bleak, scratchy pen drawings.

There’s diversions into the fantastic, like “GEMS Saltire Squad” by Amanda “Hateball” Stewart, and into the surreal, like Donya Todd‘s “HC.” Many of the stories, though, do deal with what life is like for the modern woman, like Iona “Nondo” Mowat’s all-to-real “Small Talk Frustrations” and Lucy Sweet‘s charming reflection on getting older, “What Will I Be Doing When I’m Forty?”

The centerpiece of Team Girl Comic #10 is, without a doubt, “The Extraordinary Occurrence That Took Place at Comicon, in July 2013” written by the legendary Trina Robbins and illustrated by Hatcher. Robbins writes about how, last year, other than the predictable outcome of a bunch of men winning in the Eisner awards, a surprising number of women won. Hatcher draws the reactions — disappointment and boredom to men winning and happiness and surprise to women winning — in a playful way. What is a simple anecdote becomes an entertaining glimpse into how comics is constantly changing for the better.

By bringing together women creators of all ages and experience, Team Girl Comic #10 definitely feels like the party that’s illustrated on the cover. It’s one where you have friends and you’ll make new ones. Everyone is welcome and everyone is going to have fun.

And I know I’m looking forward to the day when I’m reading Team Girl Comic #20.

PDF provided for review by Team Girl Comic.

Zombre #2 – The Magic Forest: Ansis A. Purins
A friendly but awkward zombie awakens in a campground overseen by a hippie park ranger. After causing some accidental mayhem, he befriends Acorn, a lonely girl with an overprotective father. Entirely cute and fun, this is probably the sweetest, friendliest comic featuring a zombie you’ll ever read. Even the scary part turns out to be OK (the lesson is obviously that zombies are misunderstood and just trying to be nice). The sight gags and general slapstick tone, as well as Ansis A. Purins’ art, reminded me of old Hanna-Barbera cartoons. This was a delight.

Conniption: Erin Gallagher
A beautiful and elegantly designed comic, the story — about a little girl (presumably Erin Gallagher herself) throwing a fit and refusing to do what she’s told — is almost secondary to the format. With bold, screen-printed pages and vellum inserts, this is artistic and moving.

Team Girl Comic Vol. 2: Various artists
The collective Team Girl Comic are back with their second volume. Longer and more diverse than the first, this has some familiar creators from the first volume, including Gill Hatcher and Emma McLuckie, as well as introducing some new ones, such as Karena Moore and Mhairi Hislop. The result is once again an exciting collection of young female creators having fun. I’m glad they’re continuing with this project and I know I’ll be happy to keep reading.

Papercutter #10: Damien Jay, Jesse Reklaw, Minty Lewis
Who does not love Tugboat Press’ anthology series Papercutter? Admittedly, I am not a regular reader of the series, but I’ve loved everyone I’ve picked up.

I know Damien Jay mostly from “Frankie Pug Dog” (although, sadly, that’s not all of it) but his story here, “Willy,” is much more somber. A young woman is the only one who can see her dead brother, who keeps coming to her every night. It’s a moody, inconclusive story that Jay’s loose art done in washes of ink compliments perfectly.

Jesse Reklaw’s contribution is much more fun — a two page-spread called “Perils of the Sea.” It’s full of throw-away jokes and funny images.

Minty Lewis offers another of her office dramas featuring anthropomorphic fruit with “Hello Neighbor.” The content is depressing — mostly about urban (and suburban) loneliness and the disconnect of being coworkers with people without really knowing them. But since it’s fruit, it’s also hilarious. Lewis has a wicked talent in capturing awkward work situations unflinchingly and her spacious, clean drawings are always wonderful.

I’m not going to write a full review of Prison for Bitches: A Lady Gaga Fanzine, but it is pretty awesome and I’m happy to own it. It has a selection of ridiculously good contributors and I think if you’re even the most casual of Lady Gaga fans, you’d probably like this (although, understandably, at $10, it’s probably a bit more than you’d want to pay).

Review copies provided by Ansis A. Purins and Gill Hatcher.

Now, yeah, this kind of thing is made for me, more or less. I love women — especially younger ones — making comics. Even with the stories that weren’t quite for me, I find it hard to criticize anything here.

So, really, I’m not going to.

Certainly, I liked some things better than others — Gill Hatcher’s “Jesty Pesty” comics, about an awkward teenage girl, were funny and all too easy to relate to. Heather Middleton’s beautifully drawn “Decision, Or How to Make Mooli Paratha” gets to the heart of generational conflict quietly and simply.

But even the younger members of the collective show an impressive command of the comics form. While Jessica Hatcher’s comics about Twilight obsession aren’t really for me, they still exhibit a smart understanding of layout and storytelling.

Along with other contributors Emma McLuckie, Iona Mowat and Katie Pope, Team Girl Comic Vol. 1 makes me excited for volume 2.

Read more about Team Girl Comic and find out how to order (it’s currently available at various locations in the UK).

PDF review copy provided by Gill Hatcher.