The idea that the comic universe is the domain of men is—or should be in the minds of all thinking people—as dead as Maxwell Lord.

“Women in comics” panels have been a staple of comic conventions for almost a decade, and there are numerous books, websites and blogs on the subject, mostly written by the very women who have been at the forefront of this changing tide. There’s even a documentary “”She Makes Comics” in the works.

The real evidence of the paradigm shift in the world of comics, however, is the recognition of it by the industry leaders themselves. In March 2014, for example, Image Comics publisher Eric Stephenson declared women are the fastest growing demographic for the comic industry. That sentiment was shared by Marvel’s Editor in Chief Axel Alonso, who said, “The eyes don’t lie. If you go to conventions and comic stores, more and more female readers are emerging.”

From my experience at conventions, Alonso nailed it. I was shocked at the number of women I saw walking around, working behind the artist tables, and celebrating their heroes. For those who need hard evidence though, there’s even data to support the shift. A February 2014 article on Comics Beat reported that almost 47% of comic fans are female.

With all that as a backdrop, the big question is: how did we get to this state when, even as recently as 1994, a survey of DC Comics readers found that 92 percent of its customers were men? At the time this was not an industry that was even trying to appeal to women. I must confess here that back in those days my particular tastes in comic art only encouraged that mindset, but I have evolved, as has the industry as a whole. The credit for that belongs entirely to the women themselves.

There has always been an undercurrent about the role of women in comics. Criticisms of comic portrayals of women, mostly for their physical attributes and costumes (or lack thereof) have long been matched by comments and concern over how the vast majority of female characters have been treated. To summarize: female characters were predominantly props, eye candy, sidekicks or expendable plot tools used to advance the stories of male characters. (One notable exception was Wonder Woman—even famed feminist Gloria Steinem became a fan, going as far as to choose Wonder Woman for the cover of the first issue of Ms. magazine in 1972.)

My beloved Wonder Woman aside, these very fair criticisms existed for decades. If there was a tipping point in the entire conversation, however, it was when a former hairdresser named Gail Simone and a team of cohorts launched a website in 1999 called Women in Refrigerators. The name was inspired by a scene in Green Lantern #54, in which the hero comes home to find his girlfriend murdered, dismembered and stuffed into the refrigerator.

The site featured a list of female characters that had been injured, abused, killed or devalued, which was then circulated all over the Internet.

The site wasn't intended as a protest blog as much as it was meant to be a wake-up call to the publishers. Simone herself said the website’s simple point was always “If you demolish most of the characters girls like, then girls won’t read comics.”

Women in Refrigerators got attention. To this day the term “fridging” still refers to killing a character in a gruesome manner and leaving them to be found in some horrifying or degrading way. More importantly however, Simone herself got audiences with leaders in the comic industry, and went on to become one of the most influential women in comics today. She holds the honor of being Wonder Woman’s longest running female writer and many of the titles she’s worked on, including Birds of Prey and Batgirl, are lauded as examples of comics that give female audiences the two things they want most: a good plot that doesn’t focus on the lead character’s gender, and characters that dress and act in a manner that hasn’t been developed simply to appeal to male readers.

To that point, illustrator Cassandre Bolan says female characters can be strong and beautiful without just being props or eye candy.

If you ask me, Gail Simone IS Wonder Woman – a title she deserves for what she’s done to raise awareness of women’s roles in comics, inspire other women to get into the industry, and set an example for young girls about respecting themselves first and foremost. I had the pleasure of telling her that WonderCon in Anaheim this year. I think she appreciated it…

In the years since Women in Refrigerators, the industry has undergone a slow, but significant and positive change. There are still legitimate criticisms of sexism and objectification of women, but the women working in the industry who I’ve talked to say they have felt nothing short of welcomed.

I certainly welcome them. As a 40-something male, I might still be the target demographic of comic publishers, so I hope publishers are listening. I am a huge fan of the tough, smart, ass-kicking woman that has been making her way into comics and movies for the past decade, and much more prominently in the past 3-4 years. That’s why I’ll never stop reading Wonder Woman, but also why I look forward to new stories of Captain Marvel, X-Men, Storm, She Hulk and other comics that have women playing all the lead roles.

Moreover though, I applaud the real women who did more than just demand that the industry change—they stepped up and made it happen. People like Trina Robbins, Kelly Sue DeConnick, Jeanine Schaefer, Janelle Asselin and so many others. As a writer myself, I don’t simply label their efforts as the work of female creators, but as outstanding practitioners of the craft.

My guess is that’s exactly what the women who create and enjoy comics want to hear. Beyond that, I wouldn’t dare to presume to speak for them. I just want them to know I’m here to cheer them on.