Gail Simone's Blog, page 360
November 23, 2014
Do you think this push for characters "who just happen to be gay" is necessary or counter productive? I'm an effeminate, confident gay dude and I'd love to see a character portrayed as both strong and obviously gay.
I go into automatic side-eye mode over “just happens to be” almost anything. When people say this, sometimes they mean that it’s just part of the character’s tapestry. But what they OFTEN mean is that they haven’t put any thought into it at all.
What we need is a variety, enough characters out there so that no one character has to shoulder representation for any group, and so that some can be brave and some timid, some perfect and some less so.
Hey Gail, I was hoping to get some advice. I'm in a guy in high school and whenever I try to ask this girl on a date, my tongue gets tied and I become nervous. How can I become more relaxed when doing this?
I will just say that I think it’s a myth that someone, a guy in particular, has to be this unassailable wall of confidence when they ask someone out. That does not appeal to everyone, I promise. Many people find a little nervous awkwardness attractive.
The other thing is…the person being asked? Odds are they feel a little awkward as well. And even really gorgeous people often feel very nervous in these situations, maybe way more than you think.
I would have a simple plan ready to go, ask the girl if she would like to go do a specific thing, don’t leave it up to her to decide what to do for you because that is putting a lot of pressure on her on the spot. If she can’t or doesn’t want to to that thing, have a back-up. Being prepared is probably better than being overflowing with unnecessary bravado.
Also remember, being turned down is not the worst thing in the world. If someone turns you down, it is entirely possible they are doing you a favor. They are saying they don’t feel it would work out, or they are otherwise engaged, or not at a place where they want to date, and it’s better to know that upfront, I always think. Being turned down is not the worst thing that could ever happen—the worst thing is not to try.
I am not an expert on this stuff at all. But that’s my feeling. Good luck!
November 22, 2014
Does Babs know King Shark?
She mostly knows bacon.
Is Greg Rucka's Wonder Woman worth tracking down. Really love your run on the character and wondering where to go next/
Oh, good lord, yes, one of the best runs in the character’s history WITHOUT QUESTION.
OMG, you play DOA?! I thought I was the only girl who played those games! What's your favorite character? Mine is a tie between Christie and La Mariposa. Also, do you favor speed over power in your fighters?
No, DOA is by far my favorite fighting game, I am a huge fan.
Whenever I play, I have to earn every costume for every girl character (don’t care what the guys wear, ha!).
Hello. Can I just ask one thing of you. Can you be mean and unreasonable about something? Just once. So I can stop assuming you stab kittens in your basement or something, because you always seem so nice!
Urgh, I am unreasonable and mean and all those things often, I get stuff wrong, I make mistakes and just generally stuck on a regular basis.
But thank you for the kind thought. Trying to do better.
Have you ever considered writing Elsa Bloodstone? Given what Marvel properties you said you were interested in, she seems right up your alley.
I did write Elsa Bloodstone.
This story is not very well-known, but during the Buffy frenzy, Marvel wanted their own Buffy-like character, and so they thought Elsa might be that character. They had two well-known comics writers do a mini-series featuring the character.
But it was felt at Marvel (this had nothing to do with me, I had never even heard of the character) that the book they produced did not feel authentically female. I was brought in to look at the script and see if I could make it feel a bit more female and add to the urgency a bit (the book was very tongue-in-cheek).
I was brand new, I’m not sure if my Deadpool issues had even come out. I didn’t know how this stuff worked. I was told that the writers were okay with me giving their script a pass (I later found out that was not true). So I rewrote some of the dialog and moved pages around and Marvel liked it a lot better and the book was still not a hit, but everyone seemed happy and it was actually kind of fun to do. I was aware that I would not be credited, it was my first experience with ghost writing.
When I found out the two writers were not aware I was doing a pass over their script, I was crushed. I admired them both very much (and do to this day), and I realized I should have spoken with them directly but again, I had NO pro experience and didn’t know.
They both very graciously and kindly forgave me but I vowed never to be part of anything like that again and I have kept my word on that! :)
Elsa’s a neat character, I like her!
Hey Gail! I was wondering if you still collect comics? Do you still have any particularly cool issues/collections, or do you donate all of them?
I donate almost all of them. I keep my own books, and some choice books I want to read, or re-read, I keep a few for my son when there is something he would like. I donate the rest to comic shops and charities.
Gail Simone's Blog
- Gail Simone's profile
- 1223 followers
