While attending college, Gregory was exposed to the underground comix movement, one of the first times she had seen widespread works by female comic artists. At school, she contributed full-page strips called "Frieda the Feminist" and other artwork to Phil Yeh's campus humor paper, Uncle Jam, as well as art for the Women's Resource Center newsletter.
Gregory began her career in earnest in 1974 by sending a strip titled "A Modern Romance" to the all-female Wimmen's Comix anthology. She also created the strip Feminist Funnies in 1974, expanding it in 1976 for her own original comic book Dynamite Damsels, after it was rejected by Wimmen's Comix due to an alleged similarity to her other work.[7][8]Dynamite Damsels was the first continuing series self published comic by a woman.[9] Gregory has commented on this, stating that she was unaware of the groundbreaking nature of her work at the time of publishing.[6]
She continued to contribute to many other underground comix in the 1970s, including Gay Comix (later renamed Gay Comics) and Robert Kirby's Strange Looking Exile. She is the most prolific contributor to Gay Comix, having appeared in nearly every one of its 25 issues.[10]
In 1990 Gregory created "Bitchy Bitch" Midge McCracken, a woman angry at the world who frequently explodes with rage.[11] She starred in the 40-issue series Naughty Bits, which was published by Fantagraphics from 1991 to 2004. Bitchy Bitch has a lesbian counterpart character named Bitchy Butch. Beginning in 2001, a series of shorts featuring Bitchy Bitch called Bitchy Bits was shown on the Oxygen Network animated series X-Chromosome.[12]Life's a Bitch, an animated series spun-off from the X-Chromosome shorts, aired from 2003–2004 on Oxygen in the U.S. and on The Comedy Network in Canada.[6]
Gregory's other work includes the fantasygraphic novelWinging It (a spinoff of a comic she wrote for Gay Comix),[8] the 3-issue series Artistic Licentiousness, and the comic strip Sheila and the Unicorn.
Much of Gregory's recent work has focused on illustrated stories of her own and others' cats. Real Cat Toons was initially published as a fundraiser for her cat's medical bills, but was republished with additional material under the title True Cat Toons.[13]
She is one of the contributors to Free to Fight, the interactive self-defense project for women.[14]
She is currently working to complete Mother Mountain, the first chapter of which is available to read free on her website. Originally conceived as a spin-off from Winging It, Gregory has been working sporadically on it since the 1990s. Though it began as a graphic novel, she eventually chose to begin again, limiting it to text only. Gregory has stated that the story will span four novels, two of which are complete. She has also planned to complete a graphic novel prequel. Describing its content, Gregory states that the work is a fantasy romance which deals with the consequences of choices made in youth.[7]
Awards and recognition
Eisner Award, 1992. Naughty Bits nominated for Best Humor Publication
Harvey Awards, 1992. Naughty Bits nominated for Best New Series
Eisner Award, 1993. Naughty Bits#6 strip "Hippie Bitch Gets Laid" nominated for Best Short Story, Gregory nominated for both Best Writer and Best Writer/Artist.
Eisner Award, 1994. Naughty Bits #6-8 strip "The Abortion Trilogy" nominated for Best Serialized Story. Gregory nominated for Best Writer/Artist.
Toonie Award, Cartoonists Northwest, 1998. Received the Golden Toonie for her achievements as a Pacific Northwest cartoonist.[16]
Eisner Award, 2000. Naughty Bits #28 strip "Bye-Bye, Muffy" nominated for Best Short Story.
Haxtur Award, Salon Internacional del Principado de Asturias, 2003. Received the Haxtur for Humor for A Bitch is Born. The collection was also nominated for Best Short Comic Strip, the same year.[17]
Lulu Award, 2006. Gregory inducted into the Women Cartoonists Hall of Fame for Naughty Bits and Artistic Licentiousness.[18][6]
In 1971, she began college at California State University, Long Beach, where she was exposed to the feminist movement and comic influences such as Nanny Goat Productions members Joyce Farmer and Lyn Chevli. She contributed to her college humor paper until 1974, when she began her own Feminist Funnies.[6]
She moved to Seattle, Washington in 1989, where she resides to this day with her long-term partner, author Bruce B. Taylor. Though she chooses not to use labels with regards to her sexuality, Gregory is a long time participant in bisexual newsletter North Bi Northwest and other LGBTQ organizations.[19]
In addition to her comics, Gregory has been employed in many different day jobs, such as a marine biologist, production artist, market researcher, and most recently, a maintenance worker at McCaw Hall.[6]
Follow Your Art: Roberta's Comic Trips (Landis Review, 2011) ISBN0-9619652-4-X
Collections
A Bitch is Born: Adventures of Midge the Bitchy Bitch (Fantagraphics, 1994) ISBN978-1560971566
Naughty Bits vol. 2: As Naughty as She Wants to Be (Fantagraphics 1996) ISBN978-1560971825 — collecting material considered too controversial for the first Naughty Bits collection
At Work and Play with Bitchy Bitch (Fantagraphics, 1996) ISBN978-1560973065 — material from Naughty Bits #10-14
Bitchy's College Daze: Adventures of Midge the Bitchy Bitch (Fantagraphics, 1998) ISBN978-1560972778— stories from Naughty Bits #15-19
Bitchy Butch: World's Angriest Dyke (Fantagraphics, 1999) ISBN978-1560973492 — stories from Naughty Bits #21, 23, 26, and stories from Gay Comix
Bitchy Strips (self-published, 2001) — one-shot collection of weekly strips previously published in alternative weeklies such as the Seattle Weekly and Willamette Week
Life's a Bitch: Complete Bitchy Bitch Stories (Fantagraphics, 2005) ISBN978-1560976561 — first half of Bitchy Bitch stories plus one new story
True Cat Toons (self-published, 2014)
Contributions
Gregory's work has appeared in the following anthologies:
Wimmen's Comix (Later collected into The Complete Wimmen's Comix). Published by Last Gasp (1972-1985), Renegade Press (1987-1988), and Rip Off Press (1989-1992). Gregory appears in issues #4, 7, 10, 14, and 16.
Gay Comix (Later 'Gay Comics'). Edited by Howard Cruise, Robert Triptow, and Andy Mangels, published by Kitchen Sink Press (1980-1984) and Bob Ross (1985-1998). Gregory appears in issues #1-7, 10–17, 20–21, 23, and 25.
Real Smut. Published by Fantagraphics Books (1990). Gregory appears in issues #1 and #5.
Aesop's Fables. Published by Fantagraphics Books (1991). Gregory appears in issues #2 and #3.
Strange Looking Exile. Edited by Robert Kirby (1991-1994).
Love and Rockets. Published by Fantagraphic Books. Gregory appears in issue #2 and #31.
The Gauntlet: Exploring the Limits of Free Expression! Edited by Barry Hoffman, published by Gauntlet Press (1992). Gregory appears in the issue "Media Manipulation."[20]
Bitchy Bits, a series of shorts featuring Bitchy Bitch, was shown on the Oxygen Network animated series X-Chromosome beginning in 2001.[22]
Life's a Bitch, an animated series spun-off from the X-Chromosome shorts, aired from 2003–2004 on Oxygen in the U.S. and on The Comedy Network in Canada.[6]
Further reading
"Bitchy Bitch" in The Spectacular Sisterhood of Superwomen: Awesome Female Characters from Comic Book History by Hope Nicholson, Quirk Books (2017)
