From Girls to Children

Abstract In this article I investigate the transformation of transnational girlhood in a recent imprint of comics for young readers published by Danish comics publisher Forlaget Cobolt. Launched in 2021, the imprint encompasses a range of mostly translated comics, including Anglophone graphic novels, a number of Francophone series, and comics from other Scandinavian countries. Many of the titles seem to target an audience of girl readers. However, based on interviews conducted with the acquisitions editor responsible for the line and two translators, I demonstrate that the work of bringing the titles to a Danish audience was guided by attempts to provide quality reading for a range of genders. In this process, transnational girlhood is imagined as non-gender-specific, reflecting contemporary discussions of gender politics and comics reading.