Kelly Sue DeConnick was first introduced to the comics industry by writing copy for photos in adult magazines. She eventually moved on to posting her own stories on a message board for fellow comic book authorWarren Ellis. He invited her to work on his new website at the time, artbomb.net, where she wrote catalog entries for comic-book issues.[3] Later in life, she got a job adapting translations of Japanese manga comics forTokyopop andViz Media.[4]
To ensure the dialogue she was adapting to English still followed the story arcs, she worked with a translator. DeConnick did this for seven years, and estimates she wrote more than 11,000 comic-book pages. About her work in foreign adaptation she said "... when people say dialogue is the best part of my scripts, it's because I had a lot of practice."[3]
DeConnick began writing DC'sAquaman with issue #43 in December 2018.[8] She was interested in writing the character because he's not as well known as hisJustice League counterparts. In a 2018 interview, DeConnick said "Aquaman is [...] considered second-tier. [...] [T]hat makes him an underdog to start with, which is a place I really like to work from."[9] In response to those worried about her changing the character, DeConnick said "I'm writing my Aquaman. I've done my research...Taking an interest in a character is one thing, but crafting your own unique approach is another."[9]
From 2021 to 2022, DeConnick commemorated the 80th anniversary of DC'sWonder Woman by writing a three-issue limited series titledWonder Woman Historia: The Amazons.[10] Inspired byGeorge Pérez's reworking ofWonder Woman,Wonder Woman Historia: The Amazons takes place before the birth ofDiana and tells of the creation of theAmazons and howHippolyta became their queen. The first issue ofWonder Woman Historia: The Amazons was illustrated byPhil Jimenez, the second byGene Ha, and the third byNicola Scott; an omnibus edition of the comics miniseries was released in June 2023.[11]
Kelly Sue DeConnick was raised on various military bases because her father was in theUnited States Air Force. She says that comics were a part of "base culture" and her mother used to buyWonder Woman comics thinking they were Go Girl books to give to DeConnick as rewards.[12] She earned a drama degree from theUniversity of Texas at Austin.[3]
DeConnick is married to fellow comic book writerMatt Fraction with whom she has two children, Henry and Tallulah.[13][14][15]
DeConnick is a self-proclaimed feminist and uses her position in comics to promote feminism and feminist ideas. She started the #VisibleWomen movement onTwitter in March 2016 "to disabuse folks of the notion that women comic artists are rare, to get eyes on said artists & to get them work.".[16]
In another effort to support new artists, DeConnick helped found Creators for Creators, a non-profit organization that provides grants and mentoring to new artists.[16] When asked about handling sexism in the historically male-dominated comic industry, DeConnick advised, "Be terrifying."[17]
DeConnick makes a point to break the "damsel in distress" trope in her work. She received backlash from comic fans for several of the changes made toCarol Danvers comics during her time as a writer forMs. Marvel andCaptain Marvel, which resulted in accusations of being "an angry feminist" and taking "the character and [inserting] her feminist agenda."[18] Regarding the opportunity to write Carol Danvers, DeConnick said, "Pretty much any chance I get to write female characters I'm going to write them because I want to see more of them."[12] She received criticism over her approach of the character before the first issue was even published because of the worry that her feminist beliefs would become more important than good writing of the character.[19] Using her family background in the Air Force, she was able to "add an extra dimension" to Danvers' character development and "gave it a personal angle."[19] During this time, the character's codename and uniform were changed, although DeConnick noted that plans for these changes predated her involvement.[20] With this new Carol Danvers, DeConnick influenced the story foundation for the 2019Captain Marvel movie.[19]
According to a 2014 study, the fastest growing demographic for comic readers was young adult women, crediting DeConnick's comicPretty Deadly as one of the titles capturing this growing demographic's attention.[21]
DeConnick also proposed the "Sexy Lamp Test" adjunct to theBechdel test.[20][22] In a 2012 interview, she said "If you can replace your female character with a sexy lamp and the story still basically works, maybe you need another draft. They have to be protagonists, not devices."[20]In response to male fans' criticism ofCaptain Marvel, DeConnick created her seriesBitch Planet. She explained, "If you want to see 'angry feminist,' then I will show it to you."[18]Bitch Planet is adystopian series where "non-compliant" women are sent to a "correction facility" on another planet.[23] DeConnick citesMargaret Atwood'sThe Handmaid's Tale andRoboCop as influences in the creation ofBitch Planet.[24] InBitch Planet, women who do not follow the rules of thepatriarchy and are put in jail are given “Non-Compliant” tattoos. Many fans of the comic have gotten these same symbols tattooed on their bodies because they connect with the women in the comic. She brought it up in a 99U talk and said "You don't get that tattoo to celebrate something in the book, you get that tattoo because the book celebrates something in you."[25]
In 2012, DeConnick attendedDundrum International Comics Expo as a guest. When an associated Irish comic news site referred to her only in relation to her husband, fans and fellow professionals created a "not the wife of Matt Fraction" meme in response. Following the attention, the website amended their listings.[26] In 2014, Graham Crackers, a Chicago-based comic shop jokingly referred to DeConnick as "Mrs. Matt Fraction" when reviewing her seriesBitch Planet, referring toMatt Fraction as "Mr. Kelly Sue DeConnick" in the same set of reviews. Fans accused them of underestimating the complicated history of referring to a woman by her husband's name and demanded she receive proper recognition for her work. The comic shop later issued an apology and revised the names of the couple on the reviews.[27]
At a 2013 convention panel, she stated that "I am willing to make people uncomfortable so that my daughter doesn't have to!"[28] Following up in an interview the following year, she explained "I don't think it's a goal to make other people uncomfortable. It's something I'm willing to do. I do purposefully try to push myself out of my comfort zone. Which is fairly cliché, but one of those clichés that got there for a reason."[29]
About using her full name Kelly Sue DeConnick, she said "I didn't grow up Kelly Sue. I was Kelly. I use Sue and I insist on using Sue so that when someone sees a book with my name on it, they know it was written by a woman. I want a little girl who sees that to know that that's something she can do."[12]
"Untitled" (with Christopher Sebela, Dexter Soy and Filipe Andrade, in #7–12, 2012–2013)
Avengers: The Enemy Within (tpb, 152 pages, 2013,ISBN0-78518-403-1) collects:
"The Enemy Within" (with Scott Hepburn, Matteo Buffagni, and Gerardo Sandoval, in #13–14,Avengers: The Enemy Within #1,Avengers Assemble vol. 2 #16–17, 2013)
"Untitled" (with Filipe Andrade, in #17, 2013)
"Kiss Today Goodbye" (withJen Van Meter and Patrick Oliffe, in #15–16, 2013, collected inInfinity Companion, hc, 688 pages, 2014,ISBN0-78518-886-X)
Avengers: The Enemy Within (tpb, 152 pages, 2013,ISBN0-78518-403-1) collects:
"The Enemy Within" (with Scott Hepburn, Matteo Buffagni, and Gerardo Sandoval, in #16–17, Avengers: The Enemy Within #1, Captain Marvel vol. 7 #13–14, 2013)
"Infinity" (withBarry Kitson and Jen Van Meter, in #18–19, 2013, collected inInfinity Companion, hc, 688 pages, 2014,ISBN0-78518-886-X)
The Forgeries of Jealousy (tpb, 112 pages, 2014,ISBN0-78516-798-6) collects:
"Untitled" (with Matteo Buffagni,Warren Ellis, Paco Díaz, Neil Edwards, and Raffaele Ienco, in #21–25, 2013–2014)
^Cowsill, Alan; Gilbert, Laura, ed. (2012). "2010s".Spider-Man Chronicle Celebrating 50 Years of Web-Slinging.Dorling Kindersley. p. 335.ISBN978-0756692360.Picking up whereSiege had left off, this five-issue limited series, written by Kelly Sue DeConnick and drawn by Emma Rios, started with Osborn as a prisoner.{{cite book}}:|first2= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^Kelly Sue DeConnick (April 21, 2014).Strong Women & the Creators that Empower Them. WonderCon Anaheim 2014. Event occurs at 0:37. RetrievedNovember 23, 2018 – via YouTube.I'm looking foragency. What that means is, I want the character to be a human being. ... They have to have something that they want. They need to have an interior life. What can happen with female characters,... you can rob them of that. You can make them into a plot device, or a motivating factor for another character. Some of you have heard me describe 'the sexy lamp test'. If you can take a female character out, and replace her with a sexy lamp, and your plot still functions,... you're a hack. When I'm looking for a strong female character, I'm looking for a character that has a purpose in that story. ... I don't want them to be props.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
^DeConnick, Kelly Sue (2015).Bitch Planet. Image Comics.
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