'Arion, Son of Atlantis' #25.
Cara Sherman Tereno was one of the few women to work in mainstream American comics during the 1980s. She has mostly worked for DC Comics on titles like 'Arion, Lord of Atlantis', but was also active in alternative and fandom circles.
Early life and career
Born in 1952, Sherman was originally from Nevada. She left her home state to attend Wheelock College in Boston. She later studied at the Joe Kubert School of Art, where he met her future husband Lloyd Tereno.
Star Trek
Between 1971 and 1975, Sherman published five issues of Romulan Wine, a fanzine dedicated to the sci-fi TV series 'Star Trek'. It featured stories and articles by Sherman and others, including the artist Dave Puckett (D. Puck). Sherman and Puck cooperated on a story about Ancient Vulcan, the origin planet of the franchise's extraterrestrial humanoid species, the Vulcans. To be sure, Sherman wrote 'Star Trek' creator Gene Roddenberry for his approval, and received it! The fifth issue was called 'The Porno Issue' and contained explicit erotic fanfiction.
Comics career
In the 1980s she was active in the mainstream comic book scene. She made an appearance in the May 1984 issue of DC's 'New Talent Showcase' with her 6-page story 'Moon River'. In 1984 and 1985 she worked on several issues of the sword and sorcery title 'Arion, Lord of Atlantis', created by Paul Kupperberg and Jan Duursema. In 1984 Sherman provided additional artwork for the first issue of Marvel's fantasy-supernatural series 'Timespirits' by Tom Yeates and Steve Perry. She had a story published in 'Tales of Terror' #4 by Eclipse in 1986 and drew a story with Chris Warner for the third issue of the superhero comic 'The American' (Dark Horse, 1987), created by Mark Verheiden.
Sherman furthermore drew the fifth issue of 'Evangeline' (First Comics, 1988), the "sexy killer vigilante nun" created by husband and wife team Chuck Dixon and Judith Hunt. In 1989 she also drew a story for DC's 'Wonder Woman Annual'. For herself and the non-mainstream press she produced gay vampire erotica, such as the story 'Life With The Vampire', which was drawn in 1978, but published in Taboo #2 in 1989.
Death
Cara Sherman Tereno died of leukemia in February 1996, aged 44.
'Life With The Vampire'.