Gail Simone's Blog, page 1110

Hello, Gail. I want to know how you deal with the nitpickers and whiners who say you insult them with having Barbara back in the cowl. I've heard so many people criticize you and DC for basically getting rid of Oracle. I do miss Oracle, but I grew up wi

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No one believes me when I say this, but I just don't see this in those terms. People loved Steph, they loved Oracle, it doesn't make them whiners. Or they think Barbara regaining her mobility is a bad idea, it doesn't make them nitpickers.

I have to say again, on the whole, I think people have generally been very fair.  Some were immediately down with the idea, some were skeptical but open, and some were and are dead set against it. I understand all those reactions, I have some of all of them myself.

I often feel strong reactions to story elements about characters I love. Sometimes, someone would make an attack that I felt was unfair—just today I read something from a poster I really like that deliberately and completely made up a bunch of quote-like statements I never said. That's hard to face, I just don't get the point of that. But it's not like it's isolated to this discussion.

But that's rare.  Most everyone's been pretty straightforward. Lots of people gave the book a chance because I was writing it, that's pretty wonderful, really. Some like my work and still won't try it. That's understandable, too.

I just don't see it as whining. Some people feel this was a bad mistake, it's not like they're being dishonest, most aren't even being personal at all.

I guess I just don't see it as whining, it seems more like passion to me.

Hello, Gail. I want to know how you deal with the nitpickers and whiners who say you insult them with having Barbara back in the cowl. I've heard so many people criticize you and DC for basically getting rid of Oracle. I do miss Oracle, but I grew up wi

*********

No one believes me when I say this, but I just don't see this in those terms. People loved Steph, they loved Oracle, it doesn't make them whiners. Or they think Barbara regaining her mobility is a bad idea, it doesn't make them nitpickers.

I have to say again, on the whole, I think people have generally been very fair.  Some were immediately down with the idea, some were skeptical but open, and some were and are dead set against it. I understand all those reactions, I have some of all of them myself.

I often feel strong reactions to story elements about characters I love. Sometimes, someone would make an attack that I felt was unfair—just today I read something from a poster I really like that deliberately and completely made up a bunch of quote-like statements I never said. That's hard to face, I just don't get the point of that. But it's not like it's isolated to this discussion.

But that's rare.  Most everyone's been pretty straightforward. Lots of people gave the book a chance because I was writing it, that's pretty wonderful, really. Some like my work and still won't try it. That's understandable, too.

I just don't see it as whining. Some people feel this was a bad mistake, it's not like they're being dishonest, most aren't even being personal at all.

I guess I just don't see it as whining, it seems more like passion to me.

Hello, Gail. I want to know how you deal with the nitpickers and whiners who say you insult them with having Barbara back in the cowl. I've heard so many people criticize you and DC for basically getting rid of Oracle. I do miss Oracle, but I grew up wi

*********

No one believes me when I say this, but I just don't see this in those terms. People loved Steph, they loved Oracle, it doesn't make them whiners. Or they think Barbara regaining her mobility is a bad idea, it doesn't make them nitpickers.

I have to say again, on the whole, I think people have generally been very fair.  Some were immediately down with the idea, some were skeptical but open, and some were and are dead set against it. I understand all those reactions, I have some of all of them myself.

I often feel strong reactions to story elements about characters I love. Sometimes, someone would make an attack that I felt was unfair—just today I read something from a poster I really like that deliberately and completely made up a bunch of quote-like statements I never said. That's hard to face, I just don't get the point of that. But it's not like it's isolated to this discussion.

But that's rare.  Most everyone's been pretty straightforward. Lots of people gave the book a chance because I was writing it, that's pretty wonderful, really. Some like my work and still won't try it. That's understandable, too.

I just don't see it as whining. Some people feel this was a bad mistake, it's not like they're being dishonest, most aren't even being personal at all.

I guess I just don't see it as whining, it seems more like passion to me.

I've read several books that you've worked on and created and I've noticed you have a penchant for more "fringe" or "darker" characters on the whole and that you really shine when you're writing for underdogs or characters that aren't as a-list/Hollywood/b

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I appreciate it…I do like the morally murky characters, but I have to say, I had an absolute blast writing Superman and Wonder Woman.

Every book has its own core, it's own center. I don't feel it's my job to impose my voice on it so much as to find a way that I can bring that core out, that central bit of wonder, that most books have in them somewhere. With the Six, the core is that they are people who don't fit in anywhere, no one else wants them.  With Wonder Woman, it really is about love. I like writing both. I think I'd get bored writing just one type of story forever.

That said, I AM really missing writing a team book. This is the first time in many years, I think, that I haven't been writing a team book of some kind.

So, I guess if I had a choice, I'd pick something as far away from Batgirl as possible, simply for variety, and I'd want it to have lots of voices.

I've read several books that you've worked on and created and I've noticed you have a penchant for more "fringe" or "darker" characters on the whole and that you really shine when you're writing for underdogs or characters that aren't as a-list/Hollywood/b

******************

I appreciate it…I do like the morally murky characters, but I have to say, I had an absolute blast writing Superman and Wonder Woman.

Every book has its own core, it's own center. I don't feel it's my job to impose my voice on it so much as to find a way that I can bring that core out, that central bit of wonder, that most books have in them somewhere. With the Six, the core is that they are people who don't fit in anywhere, no one else wants them.  With Wonder Woman, it really is about love. I like writing both. I think I'd get bored writing just one type of story forever.

That said, I AM really missing writing a team book. This is the first time in many years, I think, that I haven't been writing a team book of some kind.

So, I guess if I had a choice, I'd pick something as far away from Batgirl as possible, simply for variety, and I'd want it to have lots of voices.

I've read several books that you've worked on and created and I've noticed you have a penchant for more "fringe" or "darker" characters on the whole and that you really shine when you're writing for underdogs or characters that aren't as a-list/Hollywood/b

******************

I appreciate it…I do like the morally murky characters, but I have to say, I had an absolute blast writing Superman and Wonder Woman.

Every book has its own core, it's own center. I don't feel it's my job to impose my voice on it so much as to find a way that I can bring that core out, that central bit of wonder, that most books have in them somewhere. With the Six, the core is that they are people who don't fit in anywhere, no one else wants them.  With Wonder Woman, it really is about love. I like writing both. I think I'd get bored writing just one type of story forever.

That said, I AM really missing writing a team book. This is the first time in many years, I think, that I haven't been writing a team book of some kind.

So, I guess if I had a choice, I'd pick something as far away from Batgirl as possible, simply for variety, and I'd want it to have lots of voices.

I've read several books that you've worked on and created and I've noticed you have a penchant for more "fringe" or "darker" characters on the whole and that you really shine when you're writing for underdogs or characters that aren't as a-list/Hollywood/b

******************

I appreciate it…I do like the morally murky characters, but I have to say, I had an absolute blast writing Superman and Wonder Woman.

Every book has its own core, it's own center. I don't feel it's my job to impose my voice on it so much as to find a way that I can bring that core out, that central bit of wonder, that most books have in them somewhere. With the Six, the core is that they are people who don't fit in anywhere, no one else wants them.  With Wonder Woman, it really is about love. I like writing both. I think I'd get bored writing just one type of story forever.

That said, I AM really missing writing a team book. This is the first time in many years, I think, that I haven't been writing a team book of some kind.

So, I guess if I had a choice, I'd pick something as far away from Batgirl as possible, simply for variety, and I'd want it to have lots of voices.

I've read several books that you've worked on and created and I've noticed you have a penchant for more "fringe" or "darker" characters on the whole and that you really shine when you're writing for underdogs or characters that aren't as a-list/Hollywood/b

******************

I appreciate it…I do like the morally murky characters, but I have to say, I had an absolute blast writing Superman and Wonder Woman.

Every book has its own core, it's own center. I don't feel it's my job to impose my voice on it so much as to find a way that I can bring that core out, that central bit of wonder, that most books have in them somewhere. With the Six, the core is that they are people who don't fit in anywhere, no one else wants them.  With Wonder Woman, it really is about love. I like writing both. I think I'd get bored writing just one type of story forever.

That said, I AM really missing writing a team book. This is the first time in many years, I think, that I haven't been writing a team book of some kind.

So, I guess if I had a choice, I'd pick something as far away from Batgirl as possible, simply for variety, and I'd want it to have lots of voices.

ceebee-eebee:"Suffolk. Lovely. Fancy a trip to the...

ceebee-eebee:

"Suffolk. Lovely. Fancy a trip to the seaside?"

WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE.

So after reading your post about Knockout this morning, it got me thinking: Had Kay not been killed and had been a regular in the Secret Six monthly from the beginning, what character do you think you would have left out? Do you think you still would have

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That is astute.

It's true that if Knockout had lived, Jeannette would probably not have been invented. This is the interesting thing about unwelcome editorial decisions, sometimes they force the writers to do creative things, and those things mitigate whatever destructive things have been thrust upon them.

It was the same thing with the destruction of the clock tower in Birds of Prey. That was thrust on us for a very uninteresting crossover, and it suddenly left us without a base.

Which led to the Aerie One, which needed a pilot. Which led to Lady Blackhawk joining the team, which turned out to be wonderful.

Shared universe fiction, it's a bag full of frustration and wonder.