Gail Simone's Blog, page 90
October 28, 2016
teamsupes:
The People Behind Wonder Woman
In honor of Wonder...
Left to Right: Marjorie Wilkes Huntley, Byrne Marston, Olive Ann Marston, Pete Marston, WMM, Olive Byrne, Donn Marston, Elizabeth Holloway Marston
Left to Right: Olive Byrne, Joye Murchison, Elizabeth Holloway Marston, William Moulton Marston
The People Behind Wonder WomanIn honor of Wonder Woman’s 75th Anniversary here is a summary of the key people responsible for creating the world’s most beloved superheroine, and some facts about their own fascinating lives. (Click on a photo to put names to faces.)
Top Photo–The Marston Family
William Moulton Marston: He was an anomaly among the great comic creators, where they were typically young he was well into his forties when he created Wonder Woman, they were Jewish he was Protestant, their families were new to America where his had been among the Puritan settlers who arrived in the 17th century. He was born into an old New England family, and like all the good sons of old New England families did in those days, he went to Harvard. His freshmen year was marred by a severe depression that eventually left him contemplating Suicide. Only by chance did he discover the passion for psychology that reinvigorated him. It was also during this time that he discovered a passion for feminism.
At Harvard he devised an early version of the lie detector that he spent the next few decades of his life promoting. He also used the lie detector to research human emotions with his wife, Elizabeth, and their common law wife, Olive Byrne. Through this research he formed the psychological theories that became the bedrock of his comic books. He theorized that women had more submissive natures than men and that this in turn made them more compassionate and peaceful. He saw the future of the world as depending on women gaining complete political, social, and economic control over the world. His radical beliefs and living arrangements got him laughed out of academia, but by chance he was hired by one of the publishers that would become DC Comics. At first he was to serve as an editorial adviser to the comics but eventually he got a chance to write his own comic, and the rest is history.
Marjorie Wilkes Huntley: She first met Marston during his brief stint in the army during WWI. She became a frequent presence in his life as well as Elizabeth and Olive. She later said that she, Marston and Elizabeth formed a “threesome,” and when she visited the family after Marston’s death she often shared a bed with Elizabeth. (She was never as close to Olive, who considered her “a lunatic.”) In the 1920s Huntley introduced the Marston threesome to a New Age religion built around notions of free love and women’s sexual power. Meetings were conducted in the nude and focused on ideal sex practices between the Mistress and her submissive partner. Even after the cult broke up she continued to visit the Marstons, burning incense in their attic and assisting with production of the comic books. An ardent feminist until her dying day, in her nineties she moved into a nursing home and hung a poster on her wall that read “When God made man She was only joking.” She passed away in 1986.
teamsupes:
Peony fangirling over both Superman and Wonder Woman...
Peony fangirling over both Superman and Wonder Woman is so relateable.
@ DC, Gail Simone please don’t forget about her, she’s cute. Don’t waste her in this one little short from the 75th anniversary special, she has potential!
I am not doing a lot of dcu stuff right now, but we got a huge response to Star-Blossom. I hope she does get used somewhere!
somewillwin:
I can’t believe I JUST find out that Gail Simone….one of my fav comic writers…wrote my...
I can’t believe I JUST find out that Gail Simone….one of my fav comic writers…wrote my favorite Justice League Unlimited Episode
me @me:
Aw, I am glad you liked it. I ALMOST did another, with the Queen of Fables, but ran out of time in my schedule.
one bi anti-sj to DEFINITELY avoid is b-ko-edits, she's a trump championer that likes to act like lesbians that don't like men are just whiny sjws not acting good like the good upstanding gay people who don't use tumblr. saying this since her edits of arch
Holy shit, that’s awful. Thanks for the heads-up!
I'm having trouble understanding and writing humor. Can you give me any recommendation for funny comics and advise on how to be funny? All I found is "how to be funny on dates", and I don't care about dates. The internet is enough.
I don’t know if you are serious, but several different genres share one element for their power; Horror, erotica, comedy, et cetera, all work off of the power of the unexpected. The surprise moment.
Predictability can be mined for dread or humor, but the memorable stuff, the stuff that goes deep in your brain and stays there, is the the thing you did not see coming. The predictable stuff is just trying to recapture that thrill.
So try to do proper construction, then surprise the reader. And be careful with words, a single extra syllable can really drag down a premise.
My advice is write, then rewrite. Having a reader you trust is very helpful as well. If you’re not laughing, and they’re not laughing, odds are you need to start over.
hellyeahteensuperheroes:
WOCtober Teen Superhero Parade...
WOCtober Teen Superhero Parade Presents: Sarah Rainmaker a.k.a. Rainmaker and Holly Rae Hunter a.k.a. Virtue!Sarah is a proud Apache and a feminist and also one of Gen-Active kids, born with the power of controlling weather. She is mostly known as a member of teenage superhero team Gen 13 of Wildstorm Universe and was notable for being an openly bisexual heroine at the time of the 90s, where homophobia was even more rampant than today.
Since Wildstorm Universe ceased to be with New 52, Sarah has shown up on main DC Earth, as a member of The Movement – a team of socially aware young superhumans lead by Holly Rae Hunter alias Virtue. Virtue created the Movement to create a world, where people in a position of power help others without judgment and compassion is not seen as a weakness. Along the way, Holly and Sarah developed feelings for each other and are now in a relationship.
Recommended Readings:Sarah:
Gen 13 #43-44, 60-77 – While Sarah shows up in all of Gen 13 series, that book is kinda, how to say it…Early Image Comics, okay? As such if you are interested in her from that era, I suggest sticking to run by Adam Warren, generally considered where the book was at its best.
Gen 13 (2006 series) #1-31 – Alternatively there is series from the early 00s, pretty much Wildstorm’s last attempts at surviving before being absorbed by New 52.
Convergence: Superman: The Man of Steel #1-2 – Sarah shows as one of the members of Gen 13, whose reality has been trapped in one of the zones by Brainiac and forced to battle for its survival against a version of Metropolis protected by Steel.
Sarah and Holly:
The Movement #1-12 – The short-living series by Gail Simone, that introduces Virtue, later re-introduces Rainmaker and develop their relationship.
I loved the story you and Colleen did for WW75! Was Diana's line about meeting Aquaman written by you or did she suggest it? I know she's had a long-time crush on Aquaman so it made me smile :)
I wrote it, but it was also a little nod to Colleen’s well-known Aquaman lust. :)
And thanks!
pls pls pls do a rawhide kid miniseries for marvel
It’s funny you would ask that because I am kind of a fan of those weird old Marvel Westerns. So much so that one of the first heroes I created at Marvel was a descendent of the Outlaw Kid, called Outlaw, over in Deadpool.
Someday, maybe. I love writing Westerns!
In your Wonder Woman 75th anniversary story, was the character of Star Blossom based on anything, or was she an original creation?
An original creation. We are seeing SO many new young girls reading comics, and I wanted to create one that was about fun and hope and optimism. Colleen Doran took my notes and did a lovely design.
The response to Star-Blossom has been big and really rewarding. I am hoping someone at DC uses her in a book soon. People have asked what her powers are, since we had so little space in the book…I would say they are very similar to, say, Iceman of the X-men. She keeps a little pouch of flower seeds at her waist, and she can accelerate their growth instantaneously, and manipulate them telekinetically. Whether she could do this with other plants, we don’t know yet, she really only likes flowers.
We need some smiling, positive new heroes, especially girl heroes, I think, but really all genders. It’s been a grim whinefest for a long time.
October 27, 2016
dimaiv-nov:
Greetings Ladies and Gentlemen! Commisions are...
Greetings Ladies and Gentlemen! Commisions are open!
Once again I am accepting commissions. A big variety of techniques available, including digital illustrations, watercolor or inked pieces, digitally painted figures and so on.
Feel free to check out my blog for more examples of my work.
If you want to discuss / suggest / ask something, e-mail me at dima.ivaanov@gmail.com
Spread the word! :)
- Dima
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