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Barbara Kesel

{{redirect|Barbara Randall|the Australian botanist|Barbara Rae Randell}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2015}}{{Short description|American writer and editor of comic book}}

{{Infobox comics creator

| image = Barbara Kesel by Gage Skidmore.jpg

| imagesize =

| caption = Kesel at the 2023 WonderCon

| alt =

| birth_name = Barbara Randall

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| nationality = American

| write = y

| edit = y

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| notable works = The First
Hawk and Dove
Meridian
Sigil
Spelljammer

| awards = Harvey Award 1996

| website =

| birth_date ={{Birth date and age|1960|10|2}}

}}

Barbara Randall Kesel (born October 2, 1960){{Cite web |last=Miller |first=John Jackson |author-link=John Jackson Miller |date=June 10, 2005 |title=Comics Industry Birthdays |url=http://cbgxtra.com/knowledge-base/for-your-reference/comics-industry-birthdays |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110218031356/http://cbgxtra.com/knowledge-base/for-your-reference/comics-industry-birthdays |archive-date=February 18, 2011 |website=Comics Buyer's Guide |location=Iola, Wisconsin |df=mdy-all}} is an American writer and editor of comic books. Her bibliography includes work for Crossgen, Dark Horse Comics, DC Comics, IDW Publishing, Image Comics, and Marvel Comics.

Biography

File:Barbara_Randall_Kesel_(2015).jpg

Barbara Kesel initially entered the comics industry as college student after writing a 10-page letter to editor Dick Giordano regarding the portrayal of female comic book characters and Giordano offered her a writing job.{{Cite web |last=Contino |first=Jennifer M. |date=May 2000 |title=The Accidental Writer Barbara Kesel |url=http://www.sequentialtart.com/archive/may00/kesel.shtml |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070311025009/http://www.sequentialtart.com/archive/may00/kesel.shtml |archive-date=March 11, 2007 |publisher=Sequential Tart |df=mdy-all}} Her first published comics story (credited as "Barbara J. Randall") was "He with Secrets Fears the Sound...", a Batgirl backup feature, in Detective Comics #518 (Sept. 1982).{{gcdb|type= writer|search= Barbara+J.+Randall|title= Barbara J. Randall}}, {{gcdb|type=writer|search= Barbara+Randall|title= Barbara Randall}}, and {{gcdb|type=writer|search= Barbara+Kesel|title= Barbara Kesel}} 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.{{Cite web |last=Contino |first=Jennifer M. |date=May 2000 |title=The Accidental Writer Barbara Kesel |url=http://www.sequentialtart.com/archive/may00/kesel.shtml |website=Sequential Tart}}{{gcdb|type=editor|search= Barbara+Randall|title= Barbara Randall (editor)}}

and {{gcdb|type=editor|search= Barbara+Kesel|title= Barbara Kesel (editor)}} In 1988, she wrote a Batgirl Special{{Cite book |last=Manning |first=Matthew K. |title=Batman: A Visual History |date=2014 |publisher=Dorling Kindersley |isbn=978-1465424563 |editor-last=Dougall |editor-first=Alastair |location=London, United Kingdom |page=170 |chapter=1980s |quote=Scribe Barbara Randall and penciller Barry Kitson retired Batgirl after one final adventure in her first solo comic.}} and then co-wrote, with her then-husband Karl Kesel, a Hawk and Dove miniseries,{{Cite book |last=Manning |first=Matthew K. |title=DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle |editor-last=Dolan |editor-first=Hannah |publisher=Dorling Kindersley |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-7566-6742-9 |location=London, United Kingdom |page=234 |chapter=1980s |quote=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.}} followed by an ongoing series that ran from 1989 until 1991. As a solo writer, Barbara Kesel scripted the licensed Dungeons & Dragons series Spelljammer in 1990–1991{{Cite book |last=Appelcline |first=Shannon |title=Designers & Dragons |date=2011 |publisher=Mongoose Publishing |isbn=978-1-907702-58-7 |location=Swindon, United Kingdom |page=21}} and an adaptation of the D&D novel trilogy Avatar in 1991.

She became an editor at Dark Horse Comics in 1991 and later was part of Team 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 of Savant Garde, the miniseries Shattered Image with fellow writer Kurt Busiek, and issues of Stormwatch and WildC.A.T.s. For Marvel Comics, Kesel wrote the limited series Ultragirl (1996–1997) and (with Karl Kesel) the Captain America/Citizen V Annual '98. Kesel also returned to DC and wrote the Alpha Centurion Special (1996), several Superboy issues (1997), and the 'Girlfrenzy!'-oneshot Superman: Lois Lane as well as the Elseworld's Finest: Supergirl & Batgirl one-shot in 1998.Manning "1990s" in Dougall, p. 236: "In this prestige format Elseworlds tale, a new take on the World's Finest team was delivered to readers courtesy of writer Barbara Kesel and plotter/artists Matt Haley and Tom Simmons."

She worked as both a writer and an editor at CrossGen from 2000 to 2004 where she scripted the series Meridian, The First, Sigil and Solus as well as issues of CrossGen Chronicles. In 2007, Tokopop released the first volume of Legends of the Dark Crystal, an OEL manga based on Jim Henson's film The Dark Crystal, written by Kesel. Volume 2 was published in 2010.

As of 2008, she was part of the packaging company "The Pack" with Lee Nordling, Brian Augustyn, Gordon Kent, and Dave Olbrich.{{Cite web |date=n.d. |title=Barbara Randall Kesel/Co-founder |url=http://www.the-pack.biz/kesel.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071231185154/http://www.the-pack.biz/kesel.htm |archive-date=December 31, 2007 |access-date=April 15, 2008 |publisher=The-pack.biz |df=mdy-all}} The same year, Barbara Kesel began to work for IDW Publishing, writing a four-part Ghostwhisperer comic miniseries, another miniseries based on the adventure novel series Rogue Angel and the comic adaptation of the animated film Igor.

In 2015, she wrote a Wonder Woman story for DC's digital series Sensation Comics, later published in print as Sensation Comics #13. When fellow comic book writer Kurt Busiek put together creative teams for the eight standalone, oversized issues of his Marvels Snapshots series, he hired Barbara Kesel to write the first issue starring the 1980s Avengers which was published in 2021.{{Cite web |title=Kurt Busiek Assembles Amazing Talent for 'Marvel Snapshots' |url=https://www.marvel.com/articles/comics/kurt-busiek-assembles-amazing-talent-for-marvel-snapshots |access-date=2022-05-25 |website=Marvel Entertainment |language=en}}

Currently (in 2022), she's working for tech-startup Urus Entertainment, creating a forthcoming new twist on comics.{{Cite web |date=2022-06-08 |title=Barbara Randall Kesel |url=https://www.comic-con.org/cci/2022/special-guests/barbara-randall-kesel |access-date=2022-11-26 |website=Comic-Con International: San Diego |language=en}}

Kesel is an outspoken opponent of sexism in the comic book industry. She is known for her strong female characters and created Grace, the ruler of the Golden City location in Comics' Greatest World.

Personal life

She was married to fellow comic book writer Karl Kesel but they have since divorced.{{Cite journal |last=Eury |first=Michael |date=July 2017 |title=Hawk and Dove: Birds of a Different Feather |url=https://issuu.com/twomorrows/docs/backissue97preview |journal=Back Issue! |location=Raleigh, North Carolina |publisher=TwoMorrows Publishing |issue=97 |pages=44–45}}

Awards

Kesel has been nominated for the 1991 "Best Editor" Eisner Award for Badlands, Aliens: Genocide and Star Wars.{{Cite web |title=1992 Will Eisner Comic Industry Award Nominees and Winners |url=http://www.hahnlibrary.net/comics/awards/eisner92.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160411082753/http://www.hahnlibrary.net/comics/awards/eisner92.php |archive-date=April 11, 2016 |publisher=Hahn Library Comic Book Awards Almanac |df=mdy-all}} In 1995, she was nominated for "Best Anthology" and "Best Graphic Album of Previously Published Material" Harvey Awards for, respectively, Instant Piano and Hellboy: Seed of Destruction.{{Cite web |date=2016 |title=1995 Harvey Awards |url=http://www.harveyawards.org/previous-awards-nominees/1995-harvey-awards/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160315094606/http://www.harveyawards.org/previous-awards-nominees/1995-harvey-awards/ |archive-date=March 15, 2016 |publisher=Harvey Awards |df=mdy-all}} She won the 1996 "Best Graphic Album of Previously Published Work" Harvey Award, for Hellboy: The Wolves of St. August.{{Cite web |date=2016 |title=1996 Harvey Awards |url=http://www.harveyawards.org/previous-awards-nominees/1996-harvey-awards/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160315032543/http://www.harveyawards.org/previous-awards-nominees/1996-harvey-awards/ |archive-date=March 15, 2016 |publisher=Harvey Awards |df=mdy-all}} Received a Comic-Con International Inkpot Award on July 22, 2022, for "Achievement in Comic Arts".

Bibliography

= Archaia =

= ComicMix =

  • Mine! OGN (among others) (2018)

=CrossGen=

=Dark Horse Comics=

=DC Comics=

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==Amalgam Comics==

{{div col end}}

= Flux =

= IDW Publishing =

=Image Comics=

= Lion Forge Comics =

=Marvel Comics=

= Silver Dragon Books =

  • Animal Planet: The World's Most Dangerous Animals (among others) (2012)

=Tokyopop=

  • Aqua volume 1–2 (English adaptation) (2007–2008)
  • Arcana volume 1–5 (English adaptation) (2005–2007)
  • Legends of the Dark Crystal volume 1–2 (2007–2010)

Characters created

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References

{{reflist|30em}}

External links

  • {{comicbookdb|type=creator|id=577|title=Barbara Kesel}}
  • [http://www.mikesamazingworld.com/mikes/features/creator.php?creatorid=837 Barbara J. Kesel (Randall)] at Mike's Amazing World of Comics

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{{succession box|title=Watchmen editor|before= Len Wein|after=n/a|years= 1987}}

{{succession box|title=The New Teen Titans vol. 2 /
The New Titans
editor|before= Marv Wolfman|after=Mike Carlin|years= 1987–1989}}

{{succession box|title=The Flash vol. 2 editor|before= Mike Gold|after=Brian Augustyn|years= 1988–1989}}

{{s-end}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kesel, Barbara}}

Category:1960 births

Category:American comics writers

Category:American feminist writers

Category:American comic book editors

Category:American female comics writers

Category:Living people

Category:Inkpot Award winners

Category:DC Comics people