Gail Simone's Blog, page 239

Thank you Gail. I feel a little, tiny bit less sad about Sonja knowing that you picked out the next writer and approve. But I'll treasure your whole run!

Thank you, it’s one of my favorite things I have ever worked on.

And trust me, I think you will love the next writer. This isn’t hype. When this person agreed, I squeed out loud.

i think you really got the cookiness that marston was going for in the original ww comics. i wish theyd keep your team of gorilla's as a permanent thing but writers always seem to change stuff when they write ww instead of trying to build on it like most o

Yeah, absolutely true. I think part of it is that editorial hasn’t really found a version they believe in 100%.

Like, I was not allowed to use Greg Rucka’s brilliant version of the gods. Similarly, I’m sure writers were asked not to refer to my additions to the myth. Or maybe they just didn’t like them or didn’t read it, I don’t know.

But my entire plan was, EVERYTHING HAPPENED. My idea was that ever version of Wonder Woman was in the myth somewhere. So I tried not to negate previous stories, even if I thought those stories were awful.

In retrospect, I don’t know if that was a worthwhile idea. It took tremendous effort and it might have been baffling to newer readers. But I was proud that I didn’t tear things down to try to tell my stories.

There are two things I really wish new writers kept, maybe it’s vanity or maybe it’s because I think they are solid ideas.

One is, I think the origin story I had for Diana’s costume was very tight, and less convoluted than the previous one (which I still tried to keep in continuity). And I think having the island guarded by megalodons is a fun idea that makes a lot of sense. I can certainly see not keeping the gorillas, that could get tiresome over time, maybe.

The cool thing is, David Finch says he’s promised to bring the megs back, so THANK YOU, DAVID!

thoughts on new 52 donna troy? im kinda missing old donna and the old amazons

Have not read it, sorry!

jgiampietro-art:gailsimone has been knocking it out of the...

jgiampietro-art:

gailsimone has been knocking it out of the park with Secret Six. Loving Catman’s new costume.

Drawn in ink and marker, colored in Photoshop    

This is just so gorgeous I am reblogging it again!

Gail Simone on her version of Red Sonja, and writing women in general (with tweets) · BeckyHop13

Gail Simone on her version of Red Sonja, and writing women in general (with tweets) · BeckyHop13:

beckyhop:

Provided gailsimone herself is cool with it, I’ve compiled her recent amazing Twitter rant in an easy-to-read format.

Are there strict guidelines about when you can include major characters in your stories? I'm thinking of when Batman and Catman have that awesome confrontation on the rooftops of Gotham. How do you go about including such a major character in your stories?

Oh, yeah, you can’t just drop Batman in your script without getting it all approved.

It’s totally fair, Batman is in a lot of books, they want to make sure his appearances elsewhere are effective and don’t mess with the main books. 

The big companies are not arbitrarily trying to make if less fun for writers, it’s just common sense to try to keep an eye on what your flagship characters are doing. 

I believe you've neglected the most important question: will Sonja still be a stinky under the new writer's hand?

I can only hope that Sonja will retain her much-beloved, iconic funk. :)

I was wondering if you could tell us why you won't be writing Red Sonja anymore? Is someone else taking over? I don't think it'd be the same, but I feel like comics would be missing something special without her.

I have been getting a lot of very sweet letters like this. 

It’s true that issue eighteen is my last issue. Turning in that script made me very sad indeed.

Let me just say a couple quick things. 

First, this is IN NO WAY reflective of my relationship with Dynamite Comics. They have been amazing to me, one of the funnest and most supportive companies I have ever worked with. They have given me incredible freedom. I adore them. They let me have their best known character and really re-think her, that takes guts. I love you, Dynamite!  

I also love that in the past year, they have gone from being one of the most porny-pinup style companies, at least on their covers, to a company that hires more women by percentage than almost any other major publisher. Women artists, writers, editors, everything.

It is NOT reflective of my love for Sonja. These days, when you agree to write a licensed book, it’s almost always for a set number of issues. I agreed to write Sonja for SIX issues. I thought I might have ONE great Sonja story to tell, and I didn’t want to overstay my welcome. Six issues and done.

But I fell in love with her, guys. I am head over heels, I love that lady.

So I kept asking for more. Six issues became twelve. I added the five issue LEGENDS OF RED SONJA mini. I added a zero issue. I added a story to RED SONJA 100 and RED SONJA 1973. I added six issues of Swords of Sorrow, which is largely Sonja-based. And even all of that wasn’t enough and I asked for six more issues.

So I went way, way over what I meant to do, doing something like three years of stories in half that much time. 

I love her, I hope I am not done with her. But I went way, way over what I committed to do. :)

And guys, seriously. I hand-picked the writer following me on Red Sonja.

There is no better choice. I have read their Sonja, and their outline for what’s coming.

It is going to ROCK.

I get being sad, but I wouldn’t leave Sonja in bad hands!  :)

Issue 17 is one of my favorite issues of Red Sonja, it’s my penultimate issue. It’s sexy, fun,...

Issue 17 is one of my favorite issues of Red Sonja, it’s my penultimate issue. 

It’s sexy, fun, creepy and thoughtful, I think, and the art by Walter Geovani is ridiculous, outstanding. He gets better every issue and he’s at a ridiculous level now.

This is a very good example of what I hoped this book could be. It’s part one of a two parter, no further knowledge of the characters needed.

I hope you try it, I am very, very fond of it.No other book like it on the stands.

I was thinking of making a series of wooden figures based on Wonder Woman villains and I was wondering...Would I get in trouble with DC if I tried to sell them at a convention?

I really, really don’t know. I see this stuff all the time and it SEEMS like the big companies have some patience for it, but I don’t know the legalities or the limits. I’m sorry. I think one day it’s entirely possible that Disney or Warners or some other big company might just decide not to allow this stuff anymore.