Gail Simone's Blog, page 1071
February 19, 2012
Would You Rather...
This is a hypothetical question, no judgments made, and honest answers appreciated.
If you have a creative effort that is your dream—if you want to be a writer, an artist, a musician, an actor, whatever—would you rather have a small audience that absolutely understands and adores what you do deeply, and the fringe critical respect that that usually entails, or great commercial success, but no deeply moved audience and poor critical response?
Think carefully.
February 17, 2012
lipsofpoison:
firefly20ffm:
reavien:
raindropsandthunder:
tea...
Red Hood and the Outlaws #6
On one hand, the man writing Jason clearly has no idea why he's mad at Bruce. On the other, Jason is undressing him. I have conflicting emotions.
Clearly DC's editors don't even know who their characters are anymore.
For GOD'S SAKE, did you just NOT read Under the Red Hood?!?!?! HE FORGAVE BRUCE. And Bruce never LEFT HIM. Jason disobeyed Bruce's orders to stay put because he wanted to SAVE HIS MOTHER. And he KNEW THAT. His BEEF is that Bruce never avenged him. Not that Bruce….AUUGH.
This makes me SO ANGRY, I can't even.
^ Exactly. I can't sum it up any better.
I'm sorry but I see no way I'll enjoy this book as long as Lobdell is writing. Even the good things are completely overshadowed by the bad and I just can't.
Also, if Dick had the red suit when Jason came back….does that mean that the finger stripes/blue Nightwing suit are completely retconned away? :/
This pissed me off no end.
I haven't read the series, but dang, that's a really nice panel arrangement.
Ask Maridee: Women Don't Read Comics Says DC and Kevin Smith
The rising discontent with the treatment of female comic book readers and creators by the comics mainstream bubbled over on social networks this week after two new releases: the results of DC's Neilsen Survey on their New 52 reboot and the premiere of Kevin Smith's Comic Book Men. DC's…
This is a great response to the whole controversy thing. And I agree, I did ask a more open ended question than the survey did, it was completely off the cuff.
However, stores were routinely saying that their comics buying customers were up to 30%. I don't think it necessarily suggests that it means those customers aren't buying DCnU titles, it is just as likely, if not more so, that it suggests that the survey was flawed.
Which I absolutely think it was. We need a much, much wider in store sampling. 167 in store surveys is statistically too few to pay attention to.
There are anecdotal questions as well, and methodological ones. First, my friends who were hit up for surveys said the questioners were incredibly aggressive. That may well have been a turn-off for potential female participants. I also want to know when these surveys took place, as several store owners said their female customers are much less rigid about showing up on new release day.
I think the survey was very flawed. It's possible that retailers who saw my question are biased somewhat towards female customers being significant, but when stores are routinely saying women are 20-30 percent of their base, it would be a fatal flaw to allow the idea of a 7% female readership take hold without scrutiny.
I think it would be more useful to ask the retailers directly. They are there every day, they know their customer base.
But I am deeply skeptical.
I live in China mainland. I'm a woman. This is the imported comics I purchased through Amazon. cn last year. You can even see the Chinese version of Green Lantern: Secret Origin. (It was officially introduced into China last year.) This stack of comics made me SVIP of Amazon. cn last year, because exchange rate made them cost me dearly.
Thank you Mr. Smith, for letting me know that since I own such a stack, I'm just not any kind of female humanbeing. Thank you. I might just buy a tablet instead to maintain my SVIP, and read some serious English novel or professional books.
I'm sorry that comment made you feel that way, I don't blame you a bit. All the work that's been done to promote and celebrate the wider readership, which included people of all genders, and we still have goofyass comments like this. It's ridiculous, and the justifications for it ("It's reality!") are insulting.
I have never had a beef with Kevin Smith, he does what he does and that's fine for the people who want that.
But Kevin Smith does not speak for the industry or all of us IN the industry or for all comic shops, many of whom are run by women, owned by women, and supported by women.
And THAT'S reality, Kevin.
I understand that. :)
I am still not warm up enough for the nU, but that will always need time, and storylines may change into something I like. And there's always enough old stories for me to choose. (BTW, I have all the trades of BoP v1 :) )
It's just that, sometimes comments like "girls don't reads comic" weird me out a bit. The superhero comic fans population in China is still small, but at least half of them are female readers. Although people don't talk so much about discrimination, no one would say something like this.
And the money I pay to the books also pay these people's bills, it's kind of irritating. I can understand that no business can satisfy all their customers. Things can always be improved but perfection just doesn't exist. But good PR would still help when you can't satisfy you customers, and thus benefit the business in long run. Irritating customers is risky, irritating them constantly is just bad move. Things get viral easily these days. The company should really consider better PR(or even better HR), not to waste all the effort put in just because of someone's says "girls doesn't read comics".
Oh, man, I hope there isn't a language gap or something and my message was clear. I am absolutely NOT criticizing or disagreeing with you. I feel for you right down the line on your original statement. It IS insulting to hear this stuff. You are clearly a comic book reader, and yet, people want to say you don't exist, it's offensive.
I was annoyed on your behalf, not at you at all! Just want to make sure I was clear—I just woke up a little while ago. ;) I agree with everything you said.
Thank you for supporting BOP, I hope you find some stuff in the new 52 to like.
Can I ask what part of the mainland you are in? I have been missing China terribly and trying to find an excuse to go back for an extended visit.
No, you didn't offend me, Gail. It's OK. I guess the language gap is mostly on my English skill, lol. *hug*
I live in Guangdong province. :)
Not at all, your English is exemplary, I just was concerned I'd posted while still half-asleep.
So are you by Ghangzhou? Or maybe Shenzhen? I spent some time in both cities but had no idea there were superhero comic readers there. The comics we saw in newsstands were really lively and interesting, but were either from HK or imported from Japan or Korea, as far as I could tell.
megan rosalarian gedris: jetpackexhaust: The 8 Stupidest Defenses Against Accusations of...
The 8 Stupidest Defenses Against Accusations of Sexism
A while back I wrote an article on the most hilariously sexist superhero costumes, because most comics are to blatant sexism what printing and distributing pictures of powerful women forced to prance and flex around…
That was a fun article…I've faced ALL of that shit at some point.
Ask Maridee: Women Don't Read Comics Says DC and Kevin Smith
The rising discontent with the treatment of female comic book readers and creators by the comics mainstream bubbled over on social networks this week after two new releases: the results of DC's Neilsen Survey on their New 52 reboot and the premiere of Kevin Smith's Comic Book Men. DC's…
This is a great response to the whole controversy thing. And I agree, I did ask a more open ended question than the survey did, it was completely off the cuff.
However, stores were routinely saying that their comics buying customers were up to 30%. I don't think it necessarily suggests that it means those customers aren't buying DCnU titles, it is just as likely, if not more so, that it suggests that the survey was flawed.
Which I absolutely think it was. We need a much, much wider in store sampling. 167 in store surveys is statistically too few to pay attention to.
There are anecdotal questions as well, and methodological ones. First, my friends who were hit up for surveys said the questioners were incredibly aggressive. That may well have been a turn-off for potential female participants. I also want to know when these surveys took place, as several store owners said their female customers are much less rigid about showing up on new release day.
I think the survey was very flawed. It's possible that retailers who saw my question are biased somewhat towards female customers being significant, but when stores are routinely saying women are 20-30 percent of their base, it would be a fatal flaw to allow the idea of a 7% female readership take hold without scrutiny.
I think it would be more useful to ask the retailers directly. They are there every day, they know their customer base.
But I am deeply skeptical.
I live in China mainland. I'm a woman. This is the imported comics I purchased through Amazon. cn last year. You can even see the Chinese version of Green Lantern: Secret Origin. (It was officially introduced into China last year.) This stack of comics made me SVIP of Amazon. cn last year, because exchange rate made them cost me dearly.
Thank you Mr. Smith, for letting me know that since I own such a stack, I'm just not any kind of female humanbeing. Thank you. I might just buy a tablet instead to maintain my SVIP, and read some serious English novel or professional books.
I'm sorry that comment made you feel that way, I don't blame you a bit. All the work that's been done to promote and celebrate the wider readership, which included people of all genders, and we still have goofyass comments like this. It's ridiculous, and the justifications for it ("It's reality!") are insulting.
I have never had a beef with Kevin Smith, he does what he does and that's fine for the people who want that.
But Kevin Smith does not speak for the industry or all of us IN the industry or for all comic shops, many of whom are run by women, owned by women, and supported by women.
And THAT'S reality, Kevin.
I understand that. :)
I am still not warm up enough for the nU, but that will always need time, and storylines may change into something I like. And there's always enough old stories for me to choose. (BTW, I have all the trades of BoP v1 :) )
It's just that, sometimes comments like "girls don't reads comic" weird me out a bit. The superhero comic fans population in China is still small, but at least half of them are female readers. Although people don't talk so much about discrimination, no one would say something like this.
And the money I pay to the books also pay these people's bills, it's kind of irritating. I can understand that no business can satisfy all their customers. Things can always be improved but perfection just doesn't exist. But good PR would still help when you can't satisfy you customers, and thus benefit the business in long run. Irritating customers is risky, irritating them constantly is just bad move. Things get viral easily these days. The company should really consider better PR(or even better HR), not to waste all the effort put in just because of someone's says "girls doesn't read comics".
Oh, man, I hope there isn't a language gap or something and my message was clear. I am absolutely NOT criticizing or disagreeing with you. I feel for you right down the line on your original statement. It IS insulting to hear this stuff. You are clearly a comic book reader, and yet, people want to say you don't exist, it's offensive.
I was annoyed on your behalf, not at you at all! Just want to make sure I was clear—I just woke up a little while ago. ;) I agree with everything you said.
Thank you for supporting BOP, I hope you find some stuff in the new 52 to like.
Can I ask what part of the mainland you are in? I have been missing China terribly and trying to find an excuse to go back for an extended visit.
thebirdandthebat:
In all this Comic Book Men nonsense,...
In all this Comic Book Men nonsense, @BryWaltQ has never engaged me in a conversation. I understand being angry that someone doesn't like your show/product/etc. but choosing to attack that person, who was simply giving their opinion on it and not saying anything personal about you, is just sad. I'm not sure which one of them actually wrote that tweet but it's a shame. People saying they don't like your work comes with the territory.
But my "drivel" has gotten me to where I am today, working full-time at a popular geek girl culture website and a weekly opinion column on a popular comic book website (among other stuff) so I'm happy with it. If you don't like my writing, that's cool. Like everyone in this world, you are entitled to your opinion.
And that's all I have to say about that.
For reference:
I hope you are holding your head up high, Jill. You did nothing but conduct yourself with dignity and fairness.
These guys showed they aren't even in your league, frankly.
adventuresofcomicbookgirl:
Superman - Billion Dollar Limited...
Superman - Billion Dollar Limited (1942)
guys Lois Lane was biggest badass in the world from the second she was created. it's a fact, here's some more proof.
This is what drives me, sorry, but completely batshit.
THIS IS WHAT LOIS WAS IN THE FREAKING 1940's.
She was always the best reporter on the Planet. Clark had to cheat to even keep up with her. She was braver, ballsier and smarter than all the guys.
It took a concentrated effort to make her into the marriage-hungry conniver she later became. It's a sin.
This is STILL Lois, to me.
Ack! Guest Stars!
I am excited about some of the guest stars coming up in Batgirl. I get to write some of my favorites, WOOT!
Just got to Gail Simone's piece in "The Masked Anthology" by Lou Anders et. al...
I had to resist the urge to correct the grammatical and spelling errors, in there. ^_^
But, dammit, Gail!
Everything you write is so freaking heart-wrenchingly BEAUTIFUL, touching, both in a psychological and sociological sense of the words, just makes me think about society, as a whole, and makes me think of our impact to others in our lives, that, like Thug, can affect ourselves both on an emotional level as well as a physical and psychological one, like this story.
Well done, Gail! Well done!
Aw, thank you, you are a sweetheart.
Paul Cornell is the guy who suggested me to the editor of that book. I haven't really written much prose, and my first published piece was in this book, which had a bunch of fiction GIANTS in it, so that's intimidating.
I get asked by agents to write prose a lot, and I'm working on a YA novel. We'll see how it goes.
And I am very glad THUG meant so much to you!
Ask Maridee: Women Don't Read Comics Says DC and Kevin Smith
The rising discontent with the treatment of female comic book readers and creators by the comics mainstream bubbled over on social networks this week after two new releases: the results of DC's Neilsen Survey on their New 52 reboot and the premiere of Kevin Smith's Comic Book Men. DC's…
This is a great response to the whole controversy thing. And I agree, I did ask a more open ended question than the survey did, it was completely off the cuff.
However, stores were routinely saying that their comics buying customers were up to 30%. I don't think it necessarily suggests that it means those customers aren't buying DCnU titles, it is just as likely, if not more so, that it suggests that the survey was flawed.
Which I absolutely think it was. We need a much, much wider in store sampling. 167 in store surveys is statistically too few to pay attention to.
There are anecdotal questions as well, and methodological ones. First, my friends who were hit up for surveys said the questioners were incredibly aggressive. That may well have been a turn-off for potential female participants. I also want to know when these surveys took place, as several store owners said their female customers are much less rigid about showing up on new release day.
I think the survey was very flawed. It's possible that retailers who saw my question are biased somewhat towards female customers being significant, but when stores are routinely saying women are 20-30 percent of their base, it would be a fatal flaw to allow the idea of a 7% female readership take hold without scrutiny.
I think it would be more useful to ask the retailers directly. They are there every day, they know their customer base.
But I am deeply skeptical.
I live in China mainland. I'm a woman. This is the imported comics I purchased through Amazon. cn last year. You can even see the Chinese version of Green Lantern: Secret Origin. (It was officially introduced into China last year.) This stack of comics made me SVIP of Amazon. cn last year, because exchange rate made them cost me dearly.
Thank you Mr. Smith, for letting me know that since I own such a stack, I'm just not any kind of female humanbeing. Thank you. I might just buy a tablet instead to maintain my SVIP, and read some serious English novel or professional books.
I'm sorry that comment made you feel that way, I don't blame you a bit. All the work that's been done to promote and celebrate the wider readership, which included people of all genders, and we still have goofyass comments like this. It's ridiculous, and the justifications for it ("It's reality!") are insulting.
I have never had a beef with Kevin Smith, he does what he does and that's fine for the people who want that.
But Kevin Smith does not speak for the industry or all of us IN the industry or for all comic shops, many of whom are run by women, owned by women, and supported by women.
And THAT'S reality, Kevin.
Caring about Kevin Smith's input on the comic industry and all of this jazz is about on par with caring about Jean-Claude Van Damme's opinion on the fighting game community.
Just saying it's not worth getting bothered by it or taking it as an informed opinion.
Respectfully, people have the right to be annoyed by what annoys them. If Kevin's comment was an orphan incident, and not part of a seemingly endless parade of ignorance that diminishes anyone who isn't white, straight, and male, that would be one thing.
But it's not, it's another salvo in a crappy firefight that only one side seems to want to keep going. It's insulting.
Here, a woman has a rack full of tpbs she's clearly cherished and taken care of, that cost her a small fortune. She has the right to be offended at comments that try to paint her as not only not mattering, but not existing at all.
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