THE comic art world is one seemingly dominated by men whether they be bulging biceped superheroes, cynical detectives or hard-bitten private eyes.

However, one woman has been credited with opening up the art form to women by creating strong female characters who don’t mind taking on the Super and Spider men at their own intergalactic games.

Writer Gail Simone is regarded as one of the most influential women in the American comic book industry and she will be jetting into the UK next week for a special guest appearance at the much-awaited and exciting Lakes International Comic Art Festival to give a unique perspective on her work in comic art, which includes crafting adventures for iconic female characters such as Batgirl, Tomb Raider Lara Croft and Wonder Woman.

Gail has worked for eminent US comic giants Marvel and DC.

At Marvel she was a writer on comics featuring enigmatic anti-hero Deadpool before moving to DC where she worked on stories for numerous characters, including Batgirl and Justice League. During this time she also became the longest-running female writer on the Wonder Woman titles.

Last year she penned a new and much-praised series of Red Sonja stories that follow the thrilling adventures of a mythical female warrior who first featured in the classic Conan the Barbarian stories by Robert E Howard.

The issue of how women are represented, and often sexualised for a largely male audience in comics, is one frequently addressed by Gail through her influential blog entitled Women in Refrigerators and also her outspoken Twitter account, which has more than 55,000 followers.

Lakes International Comic Art Festival director Julie Tait said that Gail was a force to be reckoned with in every sense - as a spokesperson and advocate for all that was good about comics and as one of the leading writers in the superhero genre in the world.

She added: “It's an honour to be able to welcome her to the Lakes and our festival and to be able to celebrate and appreciate her talent and to see her convert many more people to the joy of reading comics.”

Batgirl and Beyond by Gail Simone is at Kendal's Brewery Arts Centre on Saturday, October 18 at 11.45am.

Lakes International Comic Art Festival runs at the Brewery and other venues in Kendal from October 17-19.

As well as scores of exciting and informative films, talks, workshops, and masterclasses, there will be the Comics Clocktower at Kendal Town Hall on the Saturday and Sunday.

Brewery box office 01539-725133.