Eisner-Award Winning Nonprofit, Women in Comics Collective, Take on San Diego Comic Con
For more than 10 years Women in Comics Collective (WinC) has been an advocate for women and marginalized genders in the comic book space. Their work has been instrumental in uplifting voices, and in 2024 they received the Bob Clampett Award for Humanitarianism at the Eisner Award ceremony.
Founded by Regine L. Sawyer, the WinC team returned to San Diego Comic Con (SDCC) with insightful panels and a continued resolve to make the world of comics more inclusive.
“It’s only been a year since we received the Bob Clampett Award, but we’ve been going to SDCC long enough to have it down to a science,” said Sawyer. “This year we leveraged our multiple members to keep our ongoing panels such as Race and Gender in the Comic Book Medium as well as our Creator Symposium. This year we were super excited to add Comics & Advocacy.”
Aside from Sawyer, several WinC members such as Shamika Ann Mitchell, Ph.D. and Jodi Tong ensured WinC’s presence was known at SDCC. In addition to their SDCC programming, WinC annually hosts a table at the main exhibit showroom to raise awareness about their work.
“I remember when Regine and I were just the two of us tabling together at conventions and eventually we got to meet so many more ladies and became a group. It made sense for us to make a collective out of us and help each other out. We always keep saying there are no women of color or anything in the
industry but we’re here. We just don’t get seen,” said Tong.
Below are the panels hosted by WinC or in coordination with other comic industry groups at the 2025 SDCC:
Creator Symposium
Banned in the USA? Freedom, Comics, & Education
Comics & Advocacy
Race, Gender & The Comic Book Medium
Oh, Grow Up! Adulting in Anime and Manga
For more on Women in Comics Collective, be sure to follow WinC on Instagram.
Quotes for this article were edited for clarity. This piece was written by Seth Adrian Romo and edited by Samuel Mason White.
Women in Comics Collective Member, Jodi Tong.