Mary Wings

Wings's only stand alone novel, Divine Victim, is a lesbian mystery-thriller that won the 1994 Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Mystery.

Divine Victim (1993) - Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Mystery winner

In 1987, Wings returned to San Francisco after the publication of her first novel. Upon her return, she became once again active with gay and lesbian causes, participating in the San Francisco Gay and Lesbian History Project and the Frameline Film Festival.

Lesbian detective fiction first appeared in 1984 in response to the decline of the coming out story and the assertion of lesbian identity as separate from feminist theory. Wings was one of the originators of lesbian detective fiction, publishing her first mystery novel, She Came Too Late, in England in 1986 and the United States in 1988. She Came Too Late was a success and gave Wings notoriety as the book appeared for seven weeks on the London City Limits Bestseller List and won Best Novel of the Year in the 1986 Reader's Poll. She later wrote four other mysteries starring the same lesbian detective, Emma Victor.

In 1980, Wings left San Francisco and moved to the Netherlands where she became fluent in Dutch.

Wings later published two other comic books, Dyke Shorts and Are Your Highs Getting You Down?. The latter, Are Your Highs Getting You Down, was funded by a California Arts Council grant in 1979, tackled the growing issue of drug addiction and abuse. She also contributed to Howard Cruse's publication, Gay Comix. She wrote comic strips for issue numbers one and two.

Wings was not originally a cartoonist or part of the 1970s underground comix movement when she created her first comic book, Come Out Comix. This comic book was created in response to Trina Robbins' comic in Wimmen's Comix #1, "Sandy Comes Out" — the first comic about lesbians. Wings was angered by "Sandy Comes Out," believing that the complex process of coming out was misrepresented by Robbins, a straight woman. She wrote Come Out Comix in seven days. Wings self-published Come Out Comix, printing copies in the basement of a karate studio. The plot of this comic book focuses on the character Maggi, who is coming to terms with her lesbian identity and finding a lover in the process. Come Out Comix is influenced by the author's own experience of coming out. Wings is also attributed with creating the first homosexual non-erotic comic book because comic books pre-dating Wings often fetishized any homosexual themes.

Mary Wings (born April 14, 1949, in Chicago, Illinois as Mary Geller) is an active American cartoonist, writer, and artist. She is known for highlighting lesbian themes in her work. In 1973, she made history by releasing Come Out Comix, the first lesbian comic book. She is also known for her series of detective novels featuring lesbian heroine Emma Victor. Divine Victim, Wings' only Gothic novel, won the Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Mystery in 1994.

Mary Wings was born on April 14, 1949, in Chicago, Illinois as Mary Geller.