Gail Simone's Blog, page 136

I just saw the question about your Gamera decorated Twitter. I am a huge Kaiju fan and have read a few textbooks on Godzilla and Toho Studios. Did you know that there was a plan to film a movie starring Godzilla, Batman, and Batgirl? I know this sounds rid

!!!!

Free Comic Book Day on Saturday!I know I say this every year, but a lot of people believe that the...

Free Comic Book Day on Saturday!

I know I say this every year, but a lot of people believe that the comics the comic shops give away are given free to retailers.

They are not. Retailers have to pay for the books. They pay a reduced fee, but they still pay for them. They also have to pay shipping. They have to pay for ads and they have to usually pay for extra employees, and many shops pay to have guests or other special events. It can end up being a huge expense, and even though a lot of new readers might come by, part of it is also a celebration of comics, and a lovely little bonus for the shop’s loyal customers.

It’s a great deal of effort, as well, in most cases.

What I would ask everyone to do is, when you go to get your free comics, please take a little bit of extra time, even if it’s crowded, to shop in the store. Try a couple new comics off the rack or a new trade collection you have been thinking about. Maybe if you buy Magic cards or game supplies somewhere else, usually, think about buying some at the hosting store while you are there. It will add up and make their Free Comic Book Day much more successful and everyone will be happy, and it’s a nice way to say thank you.

Just a thought, but when picking up your free comics, please send a little bit of shopping love to the store that is putting on the event for you. Do it ON Free Comic Book Day so that they know the day is a success and that all their expense and effort is appreciated.

Your comic store will love you and I will love you!

I just want you to write Batgirl for as long as you want. You did such a wonderful job with her and I really miss reading good Batgirl kicking butt.

That’s very kind of you. I think the current team had a very valid vision. But it does sound as if the new Batgirl comics will be a little more like the traditional versions, maybe a hybrid of the current BG and the more classic version. 

For me, I feel like my time with Barbara is done. I love her so much but I don’t want to keep inflicting myself on the character, and she’s changed so much I don’t really have the insight into the character that I have always felt. So I feel like it’s time to let new voices have their chance, you know?

Would you ever want to write (as an original idea not a licence/existing property) a movie, a novel, or an all-ages comic?

I have worked on a couple movies in one capacity or another. I have not done much prose yet. And I am working on an all-ages comic, WONDERFALL.

I have also done all-ages comics in the past, like Bart Simpson and Gus Beezer. I love doing those. 

For me, comics are not a stepping stone to other stuff, they’re the thing I most love, so I am not dying to get into other media, as some are. I get asked to do novels, games and film stuff all the time. It’s not a priority for me, but I do take some of the opportunities when I can fit them in and am interested. 

Which Alan Moore comics are your favorites?

I actually loved Big Numbers, but that never got finished. My favorite of his works is probably FROM HELL, but I also feel his SWAMP THING has been sort of pushed aside in favor of his later works, but man, I love his run on that book.

I find Watchmen amazing to read but dreary, I don’t have the love for it that most people do, somehow. I like the first Extraordinary League quite a lot. And I really thought his political book, I think it was called BROUGHT TO LIGHT, was brilliant. 

Which is your favorite era of comics? Golden, Silver, Bronze, etc.?

Hmm.

Well, I get a kick out of reading the Golden Age stuff, but I don’t actively pursue it. Silver was before my time. I don’t know the exact timeline of Bronze.

But there was a time when I was a kid and comics seemed to have endless possibility. Vertigo was sending up rockets, manga was starting to be translated, lots of black and white books were coming out that had real creativity in them. 

I guess that time? Early Vertigo, maybe? I was just a kid.

How do you feel about Storm? She's my fav C:

I love Storm to pieces. When I see a great Storm cosplayer, my heart skips a beat.

I am dying for her to be portrayed well in a film.

Have you checked out the new Mockingbird series by Chelsea Cain? It is so good, oh my goodness.

I have heard it’s really good!

Hey gail if a writer wats to introduce a new character to become a sidekick to a prestablished character i.e. "Wonder woman & wondergirl, superman & supergirl, and batman & robin etc."is there a certain process that must be undergone

Well, any new member of an icon family like that would have to be vetted, sure. You can’t just add them without working it out first.

Basically, that would mean pitching your idea to editorial, they take it up higher on the food chain, you wait around and eventually get an answer.

YO, HOW SWEET WOULD IT BE FOR PORCELAIN TO BE ON ARROW OR THE FLASH? (i know you don't watch either, but FORREEAL PORCELAIN IN LIVE ACTION AAAAAAH)

I would love that. To have a genderqueer superhero (and I do think of them as heroic) would be a lovely, lovely thing.

Who knows? They use a lot of my concepts and characters on those shows, so it’s not impossible.