Author Information

Gina Misiroglu

Gina Misiroglu—also known by her code name, the Taskmistress—has authored or edited more than three dozen books in the popular culture, biography, American history, folklore, and women’s studies genres. She is the editor of the three-volume reference work American Countercultures: An Encyclopedia of Nonconformists, Alternative Lifestyles, and Radical Ideas in U.S. History (2009—winner of the 2010 RUSA Award for Outstanding Reference Source) and the Encyclopedia of Women and American Popular Culture (2012), which explores women’s contributions to film, television, comics, music, fashion, and graphic art. Misiroglu was the co-editor of the first edition of The Superhero Book and its companion title The Supervillain Book, both of which received numerous accolades from the comics and film communities, including a Top Picks selection from SCOOP. She is a frequent speaker at the San Diego Comic Con, where she moderates panels for the Comics Arts Conference, a gathering of scholars who publish in the American studies and popular culture genres.