| Barbara Kesel | |
|---|---|
 Kesel at the 2023WonderCon | |
| Born | Barbara Randall (1960-10-02)October 2, 1960 (age 65) |
| Area | Writer, Editor |
Notable works | The First Hawk and Dove Meridian Sigil Spelljammer |
| Awards | Harvey Award 1996 |
Barbara Randall Kesel (néeRandall, born October 2, 1960)[1] is an American writer and editor ofcomic books. Her bibliography includes work forCrossgen,Dark Horse Comics,DC Comics,IDW Publishing,Image Comics, andMarvel Comics.
Kesel initially entered the comics industry as college student after writing a 10-page letter to editorDick Giordano regarding the portrayal of female comic book characters, when Giordano then offered her a writing job.[2] Her first published comics story (credited as "Barbara J. Randall") was "He with Secrets Fears the Sound...", aBatgirl backup feature, inDetective Comics #518 (Sept. 1982).[3] After receiving her college degree in drama studies in 1983, she became an associate editor at DC Comics in 1984, and was promoted to editor the following year.[2][4] In 1988, she wrote aBatgirl Special[5] and then co-wrote, with then-husbandKarl Kesel, aHawk and Dove miniseries,[6] followed by an ongoing series that ran from 1989 until 1991. As a solo writer, Kesel scripted thelicensedDungeons & Dragons seriesSpelljammer in 1990–1991[7] and an adaptation of theD&D novel trilogyAvatar in 1991.
Kesel became an editor atDark Horse Comics in 1991[4] and later was part ofTeam CGW, responsible for most of the design and creation of the setting and characters in the Golden City location. In the second half of the 1990s, she also wrote for Image Comics, scripting all seven issues ofSavant Garde, the miniseriesShattered Image with fellow writerKurt Busiek, and issues ofStormwatch andWildC.A.T.s. For Marvel Comics, Kesel wrote the limited seriesUltragirl (1996–1997) and (with Karl Kesel) theCaptain America/Citizen V Annual '98. Kesel also returned to DC and wrote theAlpha Centurion Special (1996), severalSuperboy issues (1997), and the "Girlfrenzy!"-oneshotSuperman: Lois Lane as well as theElseworld's Finest: Supergirl & Batgirl one-shot in 1998.[8]
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From 2000 to 2004, Kesel worked as both a writer[3] and an editor[4] atCrossGen, where she scripted the seriesMeridian,The First,Sigil andSolus as well as issues ofCrossGen Chronicles.[2] In 2007,Tokyopop released the first volume ofLegends of the Dark Crystal, anOEL manga based onJim Henson's filmThe Dark Crystal, written by Kesel. Volume 2 was published in 2010.
As of 2008, she was part of thepackaging company "The Pack" with Lee Nordling,Brian Augustyn, Gordon Kent, andDave Olbrich.[9] The same year, Kesel began to work forIDW Publishing, writing a four-partGhostwhisperer comic miniseries, another miniseries based on the adventure novel seriesRogue Angel and the comic adaptation of the animated filmIgor. In 2015, she wrote aWonder Woman story for DC's digital seriesSensation Comics, later published in print asSensation Comics #13. When fellow comic book writerKurt Busiek put together creative teams for the eight standalone, oversized issues of hisMarvels Snapshots series, he hired Kesel to write the first issue starring the 1980sAvengers, which was published in 2021.[10]
As of 2022, Kesel started working for a tech-startup called Urus Entertainment.[11]
Kesel is an outspoken opponent ofsexism in the comic book industry. She is known for her strong female characters and createdGrace, the ruler of the Golden City location inComics' Greatest World.
She was married to fellow comic book writerKarl Kesel;[2] they have since divorced.[12]
Kesel was nominated for the 1991 "Best Editor"Eisner Award forBadlands,Aliens: Genocide andStar Wars.[13] In 1995, she was nominated for "Best Anthology" and "Best Graphic Album of Previously Published Material"Harvey Awards for, respectively,Instant Piano andHellboy: Seed of Destruction.[14] She won the 1996 "Best Graphic Album of Previously Published Work" Harvey Award, forHellboy: The Wolves of St. August.[15] She received a Comic-Con InternationalInkpot Award on July 22, 2022, for "Achievement in Comic Arts".[16]
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Scribe Barbara Randall and penciller Barry Kitson retired Batgirl after one final adventure in her first solo comic.
Written by Barbara and Karl Kesel and drawn by future superstar Rob Liefeld, this five-issue miniseries reestablished the famous pair for a new generation.
| Preceded by | Watchmen editor 1987 | Succeeded by n/a |
| Preceded by | The New Teen Titans vol. 2 / The New Titans editor 1987–1989 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | The Flash vol. 2 editor 1988–1989 | Succeeded by |
