Tee Franklin is a

comic book A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...

writer who has worked for

Image An image or picture is a visual representation. An image can be Two-dimensional space, two-dimensional, such as a drawing, painting, or photograph, or Three-dimensional space, three-dimensional, such as a carving or sculpture. Images may be di ...

Marvel Marvel may refer to: Business * Marvel Entertainment, an American entertainment company ** Marvel Comics, the primary imprint of Marvel Entertainment ** Marvel Universe, a fictional shared universe ** Marvel Music, an imprint of Marvel Comics ...

and

DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...

. Her work includes ''Bingo Love'' (published by

Image Comics Image Comics is an independent American American comic book, comic book publisher and is the third largest direct market comic book and graphic novel publisher in the industry by market share. Its best-known publications include ''Spawn (comics) ...

), ''Harley'' ''Quinn: The Animated Series: The Eat. Bang! Kill. Tour'' and ''Harley Quinn: The Animated Series: Legion of Bats!'' (published by

), and ''Edge of Spider-Verse #4'' (published by

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

). Franklin is an advocate for increased representation of diversity in comics.

Personal life

Tee Franklin was born on February 11. She was introduced to comics by a family member who would regularly babysit her. She continued to read them until she got married and had kids. Franklin divorced in 2011 and returned to the comic book world, starting out with reviews of comics, and interviews. In 2014, she realized how hard it was to find a comic with someone who looked like her in it or on it, so she took it upon herself to start writing those stories. She regularly speaks out against the lack of representation in comics and has gained the respect of several well-known comic creators, who "peer pressured" her into creating comics. She is a

domestic abuse Domestic violence is violence that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. In a broader sense, abuse including nonphysical abuse in such settings is called domestic abuse. The term "domestic violence" is often use ...

survivor and has written her miniseries ''Jook Joint'' as a therapeutic release. Franklin has

autism Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by differences or difficulties in social communication and interaction, a preference for predictability and routine, sensory processing d ...

and

attention deficit hyperactivity disorder Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, and emotional dysregulation that are excessive and pervasive, impairing in multiple con ...

, and was in a car accident in 2014 that left her permanently physically disabled. She has been using a

mobility aid A mobility aid is a device designed to assist individuals with impaired movement. These devices help people walk, maintain balance, or get around more easily. Mobility aids include walking supports like canes, crutches, and walkers for those w ...

since, and regularly speaks out about accommodating at conventions. She currently resides in

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

. Franklin is

pansexual Pansexuality is sexual, romantic, or emotional attraction towards people of all genders, or regardless of their sex or gender identity. Pansexual people may refer to themselves as gender-blind, asserting that gender and sex are not determ ...

, but prefers the label

queer ''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are non-heterosexual or non- cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against LGBTQ people in the late 19th century. From the late 1980s, queer activists began to ...

Career

Tee Franklin marked her debut as a writer with her graphic novel ''Bingo Love.'' It was kickstarted in 2016, raised $57,000, and was published by

, selling out before it even hit the shelves. The book has been nominated for a GLAAD Media Awards for Outstanding Comic Book and has also won

Prism Comics Prism Comics is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that promotes awareness of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) creators, stories, characters, and readers in the comics industry. It does this through informational booths and pr ...

’s 2017 Queer Press Grant. ''Jook Joint'' was originally written in 2016 following a

suicide attempt A suicide attempt is an act in which an individual tries to kill themselves but survives. Mental health professionals discourage describing suicide attempts as "failed" or "unsuccessful", as doing so may imply that a suicide resulting in death is ...

. Her therapist suggested doing something constructive, after which she began writing about her trauma.

DC Comics

Franklin is credited by

as the writer of 10 comics featuring

Harley Quinn Harley Quinn (Dr. Harleen Frances Quinzel, PhD) is a fictional American character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. She was created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm for ''Batman: The Animated Series'' as a henchwoman for the ...

. These include six comics in the ''Harley Quinn: The Animated Series: The Eat. Bang! Kill. Tour'' series published between August 2021 and January 2022. ''Tis The Season To Be Freezin was released in December 2021 and ''Harley Quinn: The Real Sidekicks of New Gotham Special #1'' was released in August 2022. Two ''Harley Quinn: The Animated Series: Legion of Bats!'' comics were published in October and November 2022. Franklin considers Harley Quinn to be an

anti-hero An antihero (sometimes spelled as anti-hero or two words anti hero) or anti-heroine is a character in a narrative (in literature, film, TV, etc.) who may lack some conventional heroic qualities and attributes, such as idealism and morality. Al ...

and a symbol for domestic abuse survivors. She believes Quinn has

ADHD Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, and emotional dysregulation that are excessive and pervasive, impairing in multiple ...

. Franklin drew inspiration for ''Harley Quinn: The Animated Series: The Eat. Bang! Kill. Tour'' from the 1991 film ''

Thelma and Louise Thelma is a female given name. It was popularized by Victorian writer Marie Corelli who gave the name to the title character of her 1887 novel '' Thelma''. Although the character was supposed to be Norwegian, it is not a traditional Scandinavian n ...

''. Franklin has also stated that she wrote

Poison Ivy Poison ivy is a type of allergenic plant in the genus '' Toxicodendron'' native to Asia and North America. Formerly considered a single species, '' Toxicodendron radicans'', poison ivies are now generally treated as a complex of three separate s ...

as autistic, but "figured DC would be against" this being mentioned in the comics.

Marvel Comics

Tee Franklin is credited by

as a writer of ''Edge of Spider-Verse #4'', which was published in September 2022. ''Edge of Spider-Verse #4'' features Charlotte Webber, aka Sun-Spider, a disabled Spider with

Ehlers Danlos Syndrome Ehlers may refer to: * Ehlers–Danlos syndrome Ehlers–Danlos syndromes (EDS) is a group of 14 genetic connective-tissue disorders. Symptoms often include loose joints, joint pain, stretchy velvety skin, and abnormal scar formation. These ...

who uses crutches and a wheelchair as mobility aids. Sun-Spider also briefly appears in the 2023 movie '' Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse'', where she is voiced by Danielle Perez.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Franklin, Tee 21st-century African-American women writers 21st-century American women writers 21st-century African-American writers African-American comics writers African-American LGBTQ people American comics writers American pansexual people American queer writers American writers with disabilities DC Comics people LGBTQ comics creators LGBTQ writers with disabilities Living people Marvel Comics writers Pansexual women Pansexual writers People with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder Autistic writers Year of birth missing (living people) Autistic LGBTQ people

Personal life

Career

DC Comics

Marvel Comics

See also

References