Gail Simone's Blog, page 1016
May 23, 2012
Coming out late in life isn't uncommon or impossible. Depending on the writer, I've seen several slightly different versions of Bruce Wayne and Wonder Woman and Superman. I feel compelled to give DC the benefit of the doubt, since I believe there would be
I am completely not in the loop on this development, it could be as bad as some cynics have predicted.
But I submit that there have been some very excellent lgbtq characters created or ‘outed’ in the last decade, so I am hopeful.
Another Hmmm.
” suckerinsixty said: Gail, please just admit some of DCs faults. You don’t have to be pro-DC all the time. This outing is a publicity stunt and there’s nothing positive to be said about the company.”
I’m sorry, but I hate this kind of post.
First, I just SAID I am concerned about these recent announcements being stunts. But my opinions of Dan’s support for lgbt characters isn’t based on internet mythology, it is based on actual conversations with the man and an awareness of what the accomplishments are.
I have expressed plenty of concern over choices made by DC and other companies I have worked for both publicly and privately. You are certain this is purely a stunt, based on what, exactly? Do you know who the character is? Do you know the creators involved? Do you know the approach that will be used?
People said this same stuff about Renee as the Question and Kate as Batwoman, and those both ended up being incredibly positive and sincere developments.
It’s one thing to disagree, it’s another to call someone a shill. I do not support DC when I think they are wrong. But when I physically observe someone trying to do something positive, over and over again, with my own eyes, I am going to mention it. I am a positive person, hoping for change. Sometimes my optimism might get in the way of objectivity, but honest to God, sometimes I feel like ANY positive change should be celebrated.
There’s a lot about the reboot that baffles me, some that saddens me. But it DOES seem like a good time to rethink a predominantly white, straight stable of characters. I will also add that DC’s promotion of this development was fairly low-key, it seems to be the gossip sites and message boards that are making a big deal about it, at least as far as I can see.
And again, I have seen Dan talk about this topic. He cares about it. There are many places where we don’t see eye to eye, but this isn’t one of them. That’s all.
Hmm
Gail, I’m gay and even I’m perturbed by the hooplah over the DC outing (I don’t know what to call this event yet.) I feel like my sexuality is being used as a stunt.
Furthermore, I’d rather see a new gay male character in the DCU. I’d rather see new characters period instead of more rehashes of characters we already know.
P.S. I also want my Catman back! (And I was even a little upset when you said he’d be bi when he returns but at least that doesn’t contradict anything.)
Well, hmm.
First, I have some mixed feelings about some of this stuff as well. I don’t want lgbt people to be publicity stunt fodder.
In some ways, some of these things feel like baby steps. But it’s clear that these baby steps do still need to be taken. And while I am concerned about the ‘stunt’ potential, it is at least a positive thing to see companies COURTING a gay and gay-friendly audience, rather than merely ‘tolerating’ them. That seems positive to me.
Catman spoke to me as a bi character, from fairly early on. I wish I had gotten it in canon while the book was still around instead of Dumbledore-ing it, but I make no apologies for outing him as bi. That is who the character is, to me.
I think people can have valid objections to changing a character…I pointed these examples out because they seemed genuinely hostile to the very idea of a prominent DC character being gay.
I often hear, “I would rather DC create a NEW character that is lgbtq or POC than remake an old character lgbtq or POC.” I get the thinking, but I think it is unrealistic in some ways. We are in an industry where the tentpole characters were almost ALL created during the times of the Comics Code Authority, where even the mention of an lgbtq character was not allowed.
If our tentpole characters are all from that time, it is going to skew the DCU (or MU) heavily towards a white, cis-gendered, straight default EVERY TIME. Creating new characters is wonderful and important, but we can do both. We can have a Latina QUESTION and an Hispanic BLUE BEETLE and an Asian ATOM, and a gay BATWOMAN, and still create lots of new characters to help make the DCU and MU look more like a modern, breathing, growing fictional landscape that INCLUDES diversity. One thing does not preclude the other. If it’s done tastefully, and with care, look at what happens…you get a Renee, a Jaime, a Ryan, and a Kate. I think they, among others, are the perfect argument for why this is worth doing and that it can be done well.
No one is saying people can’t be upset their favorite characters get changed, sometimes. I just think these posters on Dan’s board were mad for the wrong reasons.
Wow.
I just kind of randomly looked at Dan DiDio’s Facebook page for a minute this morning.
Holy crap.
Okay, let me first get this out. Dan does care about lgbtq portrayals. It’s important to him, I’ve had a dozen conversations with him about it. Out writers like Marc Andreyko have been told, by Dan, not to shy away from gay storylines, characters, and content. And he was a major reason why Batwoman finally got printed. Whatever else you may disagree with, I know this is important to him, and he’s backed it up in many ways.
This stuff isn’t coming from Dan, this is just a sampling of some of the posts people have sent him on his Facebook page in the last couple days.
“Just giving you a heads up because you’ve been a fair guy, If Wally West comes back gay, i’m done with DC comics forever. Nothing against LBGT, but they can’t have my favorite character.”
“Who will be the gay character?, Please no Superman, Batman, The Flash or Green Lantern!. I’ll throw away my collection and will not buy any. I have gay friends, but the characters who were not gay do not have to be now.”
“Mr. D, I sure hope you all aren’t planning to make Superman gay. You all have already torn the character down enough, please don’t ruin the character for the shock value. Not sure what DC has against having characters that are good role models…married and have a respect for their parents views.”
Yeesh.
turnitover:
gailsimone:
angelophile:
The Traveling Wilburys -...
The Traveling Wilburys - Poor House
It’s just a silly, disposable country parody. Or should be. But then Harrison’s lead guitar kicks in and the song soars.
Well said. Those two albums are astounding…Rolling Stone got it right in their review, when they said, “Well, it certainly sounds like it’s more fun being a Wilbury than being Bob Dylan.”
The rerelease had some beautiful moments in the bonus material, including a fun remake of, “Runaway,” and a truly heartbreaking version of, “Nobody’s Child.”
You’ve reminded me to listen to these two CD’s again, Angelophile!
LOVE the Traveling Wilburys. Tweeter and the Monkey Man?? So good.
Tweeter and the Monkey Man, while ostensibly a parody of Bruce SPringsteen, also manages to show why Dylan has the reputation he has as a lyricist and songwriter. It’s parody, and it still manages to burn images into the brain!
Please Signal Boost! WisCon 36 POC Dinner – Friday
Just an FYI: there will be a POC dinner at WisCon again this year. The reason I haven’t announced it officially yet is that we’re still nailing down a venue. We’re trying to find a place that can accept 50+ people, is close enough to the hotel that people will walk to it, and is inexpensive. Triangulating this has proved very complex :)
However, the general plan is for the event to happen during the sinner space in programming and before the opening ceremonies. We hope to get GOH Andrea Hairston and Mary Anne Mohanraj to attend, even if just for the beginning since they’ll need to leave early.
After the dinner, those of you who do not want to go to the opening ceremonies can join me in the POC Safer Space to talk about how folks can and should use the room during the con.
Just doing a signal boost here.
angelophile:
The Traveling Wilburys - Poor House
It’s just a...
The Traveling Wilburys - Poor House
It’s just a silly, disposable country parody. Or should be. But then Harrison’s lead guitar kicks in and the song soars.
Well said. Those two albums are astounding…Rolling Stone got it right in their review, when they said, “Well, it certainly sounds like it’s more fun being a Wilbury than being Bob Dylan.”
The rerelease had some beautiful moments in the bonus material, including a fun remake of, “Runaway,” and a truly heartbreaking version of, “Nobody’s Child.”
You’ve reminded me to listen to these two CD’s again, Angelophile!
May 22, 2012
shleechan:
gailsimone:
shleechan:
gailsimone:
dumbthingswhite...
Tonight I was hit with a hand full of eggs and huge rock on my back and called “Nigger” by a white guy in the backseat of a dark blue truck as I was riding my bike on Westheimer and Jeanetta. They drove too fast for me to get the license plate number. I had to get a cop to drive me home. This night makes me wonder how blacks did it back in the day, and why the community is looking the way it is now. I am trying not to cry, but I am in physical pain from the rock and not understanding why I deserved this.
uugh
Reblogging because solidarity.
You don’t know me, but I got your back, any day, any hour, any minute.
I once saw a large truck full of african american males switch lanes, come towards where I was standing on the curb in the rain and purposefully go REALLY fast to hit a large puddle to make it splash me, then saw them roll down the windows and point at me as they laughed.
I am a single white female. I hate to bring race or anything into this and I am sure white people are just as much as ass holes but racism of any kind HAS GOT TO STOP it’s not okay no matter what race you are to hate on any other races! I have been targeted SO MANY times because I am white and female, mostly by men either white OR black doesn’t matter.
I remember once I was in a long line at McDonalds, I would have been next to be served when another lane opened up and the clerk motioned to me to step over to be served. I moved, HUGE black guy who just walked in the store (I saw him enter cause of the position of the doors) Tried to shove me away so he could get helped first. I might have made a face but I know I said, “I have been waiting I was next” he said, “I was clearly here first.” I said, “No you just came in I’ve been waiting in that line.” He gets REALLY uppity and starts shouting, “WELL WHEN YOU’RE WHITE YOU’RE RIGHT” and starts throwing this huge fit.
The cashier (she was black) tells the man that he’s being immature and that she clearly saw I was next and motioned for me to come over, that bringing race into this was not an issue. The guy would just not shut up about me being a white princess and spoiled, when dude I was at the same McDonalds he was in the same bad part of town where I always hung out cause clearly princesses eat at McDonalds in Downtown cleveland. Anyway he had to be removed claiming racial discrimination when even the other people of his race were looking at him like he was a total idiot.
Like I said this has to stop, so I reblogged to share your story as well.
Wow.
You thought sharing your experiences as a white woman was the right way to go here?
You decided to turn the lens onto you and your experiences instead of focusing on what was at hand.
You were not a victim of racism. This young woman was.
This is not about you.
so let me get this straight
because the second victim was white and because she wasn’t struck what happened to her was automatically not racism??
that’s ridiculous and you sound ridiculous
both of these people were victims of racism, albeit different forms, and the second woman was only sharing her story to sympathize with the op
^^^
Identifying, sympathizing, and sharing a similar experience with someone is not a bad thing.
In fact, it’s the one of the things we should be doing more of.
^^^
YES
If I had something like this happen to me as a Latina I wouldn’t be offended for anyone’s sharing their own experience.
I’m sorry this happened to you OP, and to anyone who this has happened to.
holy shit black people cannot have fucking nothing without fucking crackers busting in talking about their racism
fuck all of you
in the face
This is horrible. I hope the scumbags who did this to the op drove right over a fucking cliff. God dammit, why are people so hideous?Racism is racism is racism. It doesn’t matter what color your skin is. Prejudice is prejudice, and I have met African Americans who try to play the race card just to get something out of it, just like White people do too. The OP’s story is really sad, and so is the other poster’s story. Just because the other poster is white doesn’t make it NOT racism.
The ONLY way people are going to be able to stop racism is to stop saying that it only goes one way and not another. It’s the same with accepting all sexualities; just because someone says something negative about heterosexuals doesn’t make that not-prejudiced. It’s prejudiced either way.
And it’s disgusting.
Jesus, it’s not about YOU. How can anyone not get that? “Play the race card” my ass. Look at these photos, THAT is what the race card looks like. Not some clueless twit inconvenienced at McDonald’s. Christ.
Gail, I respect you, but it’s racism REGARDLESS. It doesn’t matter. What happened to the OP is SUPER upsetting, and that’s why I reblogged this entire thing in the first place.
THE COLOR OF A PERSON’S SKIN DOES NOT MAKE A DIFFERENCE WHEN THEY ARE THE VICTIM OF HATE OR VIOLENCE. Neither does their sexuality, nor their gender. And both of these posters, the OP and the “white girl” were victims of hate. Hate is HATE. It doesn’t matter who it comes from or to whom it’s intended. You can read the rest of my blog if you think I’m some super white supremacist, because you’ll be surprised to find out that I’m as hateful and discriminating as a gnat.
People share their stories to invoke sympathy and empathy with someone. The reason this is even about race is because EVERYTHING is about outlining the DIFFERENCES people have, and making sure they’re clear cut and defined so we can say when one thing is hate but another isn’t. And that’s not how you wipe out shit like racism or sexism or anything like that. You share your stories, and not one single person gets to say “because I was born THIS way, that means I’m more entitled to feeling a certain way.”
And that is what you guys are perpetuating with this. Because this girl was born black, she’s more entitled to feel outraged and hurt because of a hate crime than a white girl who felt outraged and hurt because of hate against her as well?
THAT is not cool. Racism is racism, no matter what direction it comes from or what direction it goes. Sexism, sexual discrimination, prejudice of ANY kind is still prejudice, regardless of who it comes from or where it’s directed.
I’d expect more out of someone like you, honestly.
This thread is not about you, and it’s not about me, so I am not going to be part of further derailing it.
I think your argument is fallacious from the word go.
To the op, I am sorry for derailing, and sorry those disgusting people hurt and insulted you.
Any chance the character of yours being brought back is Queen of Fables? :D
Nope. Better.
Much better. ;)
hi Gail, i was wondering if your most recent Birds of Prey run was in TPB form or not? i am re-reading through my stephanie brown batgirl run, and there are references to oracle that i am curious about, that i think would be answered in your birds of prey
Yes, my last bop stories are in two collections; ENDRUN and DEATH OF ORACLE. Hope you enjoy them.
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