Gail Simone's Blog, page 342

So I was reading your comic survival kit posts + other writer/artist interviews, and I think it's mentioned multiple times that writers/artists generally seem to prefer Marvel business methods?

Oh, boy, no, I would not say that’s true.

A huge number of Marvel writers work full-script, which is what people often think of as the “DC method.”

Marvel method basically means the writer writes a plot, gives basic page descriptions, then the artist breaks it down to panels and pages, with the writer coming over those pages to write dialog.

I hate it, it’s my least favorite way of making comics. Some artists prefer it, because they feel it gives them more freedom, which makes sense.

But I feel two things strongly:

1) I write full-script and the artist STILL always has the opportunity to rethink a page if they want to, I encourage it. If they have a better way, I totally trust them to do that, and I will fix the dialog to adjust.

2) I feel like artists should get writing credit on books done the Marvel Method way. They are breaking down the pace of the story, they are co-writing. I don’t get why they don’t get at LEAST co-plotting credit and pay.

I know a bunch of people disagree with this. 

I am not sure what the breakdown is, but most writers I know do full-script regardless of the company they work at.

Do your 'bosses' read your tumblr posts? Would you ever get in trouble for talking about problems with editorial?

It’s been brought up a few times.

I think people remember the things that are negative and forget the things that are positive, so it sounds like it’s more voluminous than it is. I had editorial problems of note on Firestorm and Batgirl, and I am not going to lie about it or pretend I didn’t. But it’s rarely a one-way street, I can be stubborn and I fight for things I believe in and I’m sure there were a million other factors, and my frustration probably made things a lot harder, as well.

But that’s two books in recent memory. Virtually every other book I have worked on, I have nothing but positive things to say about editorial, they have been supportive, patient, and creative. The current group of editors I have, and it’s quite a number of people, are among the best I have ever worked with, every single one. 

When I was having all this bad stuff happen in my personal life, the editors I have now, each and every one, reached out to me and offered help and support. It’s their job to keep the books running on time and they STILL were more concerned about me being okay. So, Matt, Mark, Marie, Shelly, Rowena, Molly, Joseph, Dave, Roxy, and anyone else I might be missing, BLESS YOU GUYS A MILLION TIMES, and I would seriously take a bullet for any of you.

I couldn’t be happier with the editorial teams I am fortunate enough to have right now. And in general, the vast, vast majority of editors I have had have been wonderful. Not just at DC, but at Marvel, Bongo, Dynamite, Dark Horse, and elsewhere.

It’s a very, very difficult job. I couldn’t do it, I would be terrible at it. The people who are great at it are more precious than jewels. They are just as dedicated as the creative teams and get almost none of the credit.

There was a lot of friction when the new52 started up, new things were being tried and it didn’t work well for everyone. But those things have lightened up and I think it shows in the books.  I am very happy at DC and still love the characters more than just about anything else, and the people there, too. 

Sometimes you squabble with people you care about. :) It doesn’t mean you don’t love them.

Anyway, things are wonderful now and DC seems poised for a huge creative upswing and I want to see that happen! 

When you got offered your first comicbook writing job, had you ever had professional creative writing experience? I know you ran a blog, but did you start out wanting to write creatively?

Well, yeah, but I thought it was an impossible dream. I thought writers were special people made in a lab somewhere. I sound like I’m kidding, but I thought they were different from me, different from normal people, and I would never be one. They were like astronauts or people who won the lottery or something.

What happened in short was, I wrote some joke things for friends, about comics, on message boards, just kidding around, nothing serious. Just like the silly stuff I post here or on Twitter, but a little longer. They started getting passed around by editors and creators. It was nothing I planned.

I didn’t sign my name to them, it never occurred to me. Then someone tried to take credit for them, and that made me mad, so I wrote a couple more to prove I wrote them. 

That led to me getting a column on a comics website, and the column became a big hit, which I didn’t expect, and led to a bunch of pros and editors asking me if I wanted to write comics. None of it was planned, I was completely in shock that anyone read anything I’d written at all. 

I actively turned down the first bunch of offers of work because I thought I would be taking the work away from a ‘real writer.’ I didn’t know writers were all just people at one point, as weird as that sounds.

It took a long time for me to call myself a writer. I kept my day job for years after it made any sense. I refused to call myself a ‘pro’ or even refer to myself as a ‘writer,’ and to this day, I feel a twinge when I use the word ‘creator.’

Some things you don’t outgrow.

Three Questions with RED SONJA Writer Gail Simone

Three Questions with RED SONJA Writer Gail Simone:

cbldf:

Gail Simone is a force to be reckoned with. An incredibly talented and outspoken writer, she has challenged — and changed — the comics landscape through relentless and frequently humorous commentary on the role women play both in the pages of comics and as creators.

Virtually any character…

Support some great charities and pick up a RIDICULOUS amount of great books for whatever amount of dollars you want to pay.

Seriously, this is THE BEST BARGAIN IN COMICS OF THE YEAR and that’s not hype. Wagner, Waid, Willingham, and ME and lots of other creators, on characters like Sonja, Django, Zorro and many, many more.

I HAVE the books and I still bought the deal!

http://gaks20.tumblr.com/post/1055324...

http://gaks20.tumblr.com/post/105532460985/para-la-mole-comic-con-de-marzo-del-2014-los-dias:

gaks20:

Para La Mole Comic Con de marzo del 2014, los días 13, 14 y 15, se han confirmado dos nuevos invitados especiales, la primera invitada es:

Gail Simone

Posiblemente la escritora de cómics más importante de la industria…

Yahoo!

I will be at LA MOLE COMIC CON in Mexico City this March, this is not only my first con in Mexico, it’s my first time in Mexico for any reason. Weird, but I have never been there at all. I can’t wait!

Lots of wonderful guests, it’s gonna be huge fun. Who all is going?

januariat:i did this instead of things I was supposed to...

januariat:

i did this instead of things I was supposed to do….ororo is a stone cold badass

Wow, gorgeous!

iridessence:keithboykin:After police shot and killed...

iridessence:

keithboykin:

After police shot and killed 22-year-old John Crawford in August for picking up a legal BB gun in a Walmart store in Beavercreek, Ohio, police detective Rodney Curd interrogated Crawford’s girlfriend Tasha Thomas for 90 minutes, suggesting she may have helped him take a gun into the store, even though Crawford had no gun. Detective Curd didn’t tell Thomas that her boyfriend Crawford was dead until the end of the interrogation, the Guardian reported. A grand jury decided in September not to indict the officers who killed Crawford.

"Your eyes are kinda messed up looking."
Probably because she was crying?!

Jesus Christ.

Is it true that you're going to write a tell-all about your experiences with DC editorial?

Heh! 

No. Truthfully, it would be a pretty dull book as the vast majority of editors were absolutely wonderful. 

And that makes for terrible storytelling. :)

I don't want Red Sonja to end.:(

Me, either.

I hope to be telling Sonja stories in one way or another for a long, long time.

SHE IS KIND OF THE COOLEST.

it's late and i've been drinking and i love batgirl

it's late and i've been drinking and i love batgirl:

jurynelson:

I loved Batgirl when the daughter of the Police Commissioner decided to take her skills and her drive to protect people and her inspiration from this Batman character to start a side job as a caped crusader. I loved when she did it without being asked, and when she tried and succeeded without…

This is absolutely lovely.