It's the stuff of legend. Barbara Randall Kesel writes a 10-page letter to Dick Giordano, DC's head honcho in the 80s, explaining why the publisher was failing both its female character and readers. Next thing you know, she's offered a writing gig (taking on a Batgirl backup feature in Detective Comics) and enters the male-dominated comics industry as a new voice for equality. She goes on to become an editor at DC, co-writing, with then-husband Karl Kesel, a Hawk & Dove miniseries that was one of artist Rob Liefeld's first major projects. Hopping around publishers, she helped Dark Horse establish their superhero universe with Comics' Greatest World, took a turn at Image with WildC.A.T.s and Savant Garde, and joined GrossGen, where she wrote and edited several titles, including Meridian. She's even mastered licensed comics, with stints on My Little Pony, Ghost Whisperer, and Legends of the Dark Crystal. Barbara is an outspoken critic of sexism in comics, and she's seen her share of marginalization throughout her career. She gets into all of it this episode, so sit up and listen closely: you might even learn something!

You can follow Barbara on Facebook (facebook.com/brkesel) and Twitter @barbarakesel.

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Thank you to Sam Fonseca for our theme music, Sean McMillan for our graphics, and Pat McGrath for our logo.