Gail Simone's Blog, page 933
September 4, 2012
Another Thing About Kyrax2
…while I am at it.
There are people who try to paint her as this angry, strident, shrill, discontented female, and let me just say for the record, that is sheer, unadulterated horseshit.
Kyrax2 is what a lot of people have been at different times, someone who loves comics who was concerned about the direction she believed they were going in. That’s it.
When you meet her, she’s this lovely, incredibly sweet and kind young woman, who adores comics and adores her family. She’s friends with everyone, no one who actually knows her has an unkind word to say about her.
And SHE, more tellingly, doesn’t have an unkind word to say about anyone, either, including people who could have listened better when she asked her questions the first time.
She went way, way out of her way to let people know that a lot of pros had reached out to her, and been very kind, even when they disagreed. She made a point to say that DC had treated her extremely well this past SDCC. I don’t bring this up to excuse what I think was a poor response the first time (which it was), but to again say, Kyrax2 is incredibly gracious and fair.
All she did was what we all hope we will do when we see something we think is important—she stood up and expressed that she thought it was wrong, and asked for change. She was polite, but direct.
I admire her tremendously…she certainly could have been a lot angrier, instead, she went out of her way to be fair, and to acknowledge improvement, while still pointing out things that need fixing.
I saw a lot of people misrepresent how she behaved considerably after her first appearances at SDCC. They did Kyrax2 and the discussion a disservice.
Sorry, felt I had to get that out.
(I should also add that being an angry loud female is not always such a bad thing…;) )
What Do We Do About Misogyny In Comics?
Someone asked me to make this question from a reader, and my response, rebloggable, so here it is, I hope!
ninjaruski asked: Hi Gail, this week, at Dragon*Con, the Comics and Popular Arts Conference put on several panels where academics (mostly philosophers) discussed feminism in comics and popular arts. The last day, the Conference held a roundtable with three academics (myself one of them) where we discussed the status of women in mainstream comics where they could ask us anything. One of the women in the audience asked us what she could do about misogyny in comics, and we were stuck. How would you have responded?
Well. Hmm.
Okay, first, this is a problem no one person can solve. But it’s also a problem no one person should ignore.
No matter where you are on the gender spectrum, gender contempt is a problem that does no one any good at all.
When I started writing about comics, it was a different world. The publishers not only didn’t know if women read their comics, they didn’t CARE if women read their comics. And every female voice had been subject to an endless parade of crap for standing up and being heard at all. It was not just tolerated, it was encouraged.
I know people think it’s still like that now, I can assure you, it was much, MUCH worse back then. And I’m not talking twenty years ago (I wasn’t in comics then), I’m talking even ten years ago.
Every time I spoke up, there was a line of guys (and some women) who wanted to shut me up and knock me down. Endlessly, just for saying, “Hey, shouldn’t we LOOK at this?”
When I created the Women in Refrigerators page, a page which never mentions misogyny, there was just a THRONG of people who chose to condemn it, and me, without even reading it.
At first it was hurtful. But one day, it hit me. I hate bullies, I hate being bullied, and if I didn’t stand up to it, I’d just be saying that what they were doing was okay, that they were right, and that it was fine to shout someone down.
You wouldn’t believe the names I was called. One creep publisher (who has mostly given up now) went WAY out of his way to try to humiliate female creators and commentators, all with a giggling gaggle of sycophants, some of whom are still around in the industry, cheering him on. It was non-stop, every day there was more of it aimed at me, just for asking the question on the WiR page.
It stopped being hurtful and started being hilarious at some point. And it DID make a difference. I started hearing back from publishers and creators and editors that they hadn’t really known their was a real female audience. And more importantly, I think it helped female readers stand up a little bit, as it became a lightning rod. Other females had spoken up before me for decades (bless you, Trina Robbins! Bless you, Lea Hernandez! Bless you, Colleen Doran!).
But there was something very powerful in asking this question very simply and without histrionics. It made a difference, and it still has an impact today.
I have seen a lot of activism happen since that time. Not all of it has met its stated goals, but it does get heard. And the volume of the voices for change is growing.
We’re not going to win every time. That’s important to know. We’re not going to win every time. No one does.
But we can show that we have voices and platforms and purchasing power.
When I get bummed about change I think is coming very slowly, I think about Kyrax2, the famous ‘Batgirl of San Diego.’
Now, if you’ve met her, you know she’s a wee thing. She’s tiny.
And she stood up in the big hall at San Diego, SURROUNDED by a hostile, booing audience, at the microphone, and asked a few questions herself, of the most powerful editors and creators in comics.
Not once, but every panel she went to.
While all around her, people were booing her, she asked why there weren’t more female creators, why female characters were being retconned, etc. Simple stuff, and she wasn’t the least bit rude or unkind. And it FREAKED PEOPLE OUT.
The hilarious thing to me was, people were asking about things like, Barry or Wally, as if that was the most important thing in the world, and then yelling at this Batgirl cosplayer for talking about gender, as if that was the LEAST important thing in the world.
And here’s the thing. Kyrax won. DC had to respond on the net and in print. I know it has been discussed a lot. Changes were made.
Because the people who make up DC are not bad people, and they knew she had a point. They didn’t handle it right at the time, but they knew she’d had a point.
So, one tiny woman, in a huge sea of people who did NOT want to hear her message, moved the rudder almost single-handedly.
I think the thing to do is, to be a little bit like Kyrax. Have some courage, speak out, refuse to be cowed or shouted down.
That’s if you’re a reader.
If you’re a creator or an editor or a retailer, same thing, take your principles with you, stand up, make your voice heard.
It’s not a matter of one blast of dynamite destroying a boulder that’s in the way of progress, it’s a series of people with chisels who chip it away until there’s nothing left and the road is open.
We can do that.
Hi Gail, this week, at Dragon*Con, the Comics and Popular Arts Conference put on several panels where academics (mostly philosophers) discussed feminism in comics and popular arts. The last day, the Conference held a roundtable with three academics (myself
Well. Hmm.
Okay, first, this is a problem no one person can solve. But it’s also a problem no one person should ignore.
No matter where you are on the gender spectrum, gender contempt is a problem that does no one any good at all.
When I started writing about comics, it was a different world. The publishers not only didn’t know if women read their comics, they didn’t CARE if women read their comics. And every female voice had been subject to an endless parade of crap for standing up and being heard at all. It was not just tolerated, it was encouraged.
I know people think it’s still like that now, I can assure you, it was much, MUCH worse back then. And I’m not talking twenty years ago (I wasn’t in comics then), I’m talking even ten years ago.
Every time I spoke up, there was a line of guys (and some women) who wanted to shut me up and knock me down. Endlessly, just for saying, “Hey, shouldn’t we LOOK at this?”
When I created the Women in Refrigerators page, a page which never mentions misogyny, there was just a THRONG of people who chose to condemn it, and me, without even reading it.
At first it was hurtful. But one day, it hit me. I hate bullies, I hate being bullied, and if I didn’t stand up to it, I’d just be saying that what they were doing was okay, that they were right, and that it was fine to shout someone down.
You wouldn’t believe the names I was called. One creep publisher (who has mostly given up now) went WAY out of his way to try to humiliate female creators and commentators, all with a giggling gaggle of sycophants, some of whom are still around in the industry, cheering him on. It was non-stop, every day there was more of it aimed at me, just for asking the question on the WiR page.
It stopped being hurtful and started being hilarious at some point. And it DID make a difference. I started hearing back from publishers and creators and editors that they hadn’t really known their was a real female audience. And more importantly, I think it helped female readers stand up a little bit, as it became a lightning rod. Other females had spoken up before me for decades (bless you, Trina Robbins! Bless you, Lea Hernandez! Bless you, Colleen Doran!).
But there was something very powerful in asking this question very simply and without histrionics. It made a difference, and it still has an impact today.
I have seen a lot of activism happen since that time. Not all of it has met its stated goals, but it does get heard. And the volume of the voices for change is growing.
We’re not going to win every time. That’s important to know. We’re not going to win every time. No one does.
But we can show that we have voices and platforms and purchasing power.
When I get bummed about change I think is coming very slowly, I think about Kyrax2, the famous ‘Batgirl of San Diego.’
Now, if you’ve met her, you know she’s a wee thing. She’s tiny.
And she stood up in the big hall at San Diego, SURROUNDED by a hostile, booing audience, at the microphone, and asked a few questions herself, of the most powerful editors and creators in comics.
Not once, but every panel she went to.
While all around her, people were booing her, she asked why there weren’t more female creators, why female characters were being retconned, etc. Simple stuff, and she wasn’t the least bit rude or unkind. And it FREAKED PEOPLE OUT.
The hilarious thing to me was, people were asking about things like, Barry or Wally, as if that was the most important thing in the world, and then yelling at this Batgirl cosplayer for talking about gender, as if that was the LEAST important thing in the world.
And here’s the thing. Kyrax won. DC had to respond on the net and in print. I know it has been discussed a lot. Changes were made.
Because the people who make up DC are not bad people, and they knew she had a point. They didn’t handle it right at the time, but they knew she’d had a point.
So, one tiny woman, in a huge sea of people who did NOT want to hear her message, moved the rudder almost single-handedly.
I think the thing to do is, to be a little bit like Kyrax. Have some courage, speak out, refuse to be cowed or shouted down.
That’s if you’re a reader.
If you’re a creator or an editor or a retailer, same thing, take your principles with you, stand up, make your voice heard.
It’s not a matter of one blast of dynamite destroying a boulder that’s in the way of progress, it’s a series of people with chisels who chip it away until there’s nothing left and the road is open.
We can do that.
Will you be at Rose City Comic-Con this week?
Ah, I’m afraid not. Sorry!
You are now a member of the Bat Family. What do you do first?
Get Alfred to make me some salmon fritters.
I just read the CraftCon stream. That sounds like something incredibly special. If you all somehow end up finding a way to put it together, I would find some way to attend, regardless of budget, location, etc. I'm studying creative writing in college an
For those not in the know, a very special thing happened on Twitter last night. I believe it started with a conversation between Scott Snyder and myself, regarding the “Marvel Method” of writing scripts (which means giving the artist a plot, which he draws, then adding dialogue to finished art) and “full script” (meaning the writer hands the artist a script with plot, panel breakdowns and dialogue). Some people like one, some the other, some do both.
It became bizarre, as more and more really respected pros showed up to discuss this and offer opinions…people like Adam Hughes, Erik Larsen, Jerry Ordway, Yildiray Cinar, Greg Rucka, Phil Jimenez, Cully Hamner, Kurt Busiek, Ron Marz, Ron Randall, David Macho, Mikel Janin, Peter G. Krause, Warren Ellis, Chris Burnham and many others.
It was amazing to watch as so MANY people I respect came out to offer opinions on this topic (and related topics). I hated to go, but it was fascinating.
A lot of aspiring readers got the idea that it would be lovely to have an event like this, called CRAFTCON, where the emphasis wouldn’t be on typical con stuff, but more exclusively about the craft of scripting and drawing comics.
I’m not sure if it will happen, but some people are talking about it right now, trying to see how the funding and organization would work.
I am very big on new voices. But we, as established pros, can’t really help one person at a time, not very effectively. Something like this could be VERY helpful to those who are aspiring to make comics, and are serious about it.
Guys like Brian Bendis and Scott Snyder both teach writing to small classes…how great would it be if they could share their brilliance with a larger group? How great would it be to see a class taught by Adam Hughes?
I learned a lot just by listening to pros I admire last night and I have written something like 350 comics already. There’s still so much to learn—I think the definition of an artist includes that desire to learn more all the time.
Anyway, I hope this happens…it would mean a lot to a lot of people.
schwathing:
wordpunning:
itomakichan:
theillusionistsong:
My...
My Peej cosplay. Photo credit to Orochi77. Taken on Day 1 of STGCC 2012.
Shamelessly reblogging self again.
LOOK AT YOU
Because gurl, you were AWWSUUUMMM.
Come on.
I mean, come on. LOOK AT THAT POWER GIRL!
jjbarrett:
gailsimone:
dangerous-ladies:
jjbarrett:
Okay so...
Okay so I just finished 7 days straight of work and can finally get started on editing Fanexpo pictures. Preview because it’s one of my favs.
I believe it was one of our favs from the weekend too :o
WHY IS MY TUMBLR FILLED WITH SO MUCH AWESOME.
Glad ya like it!
“like it” is a huge understatement. It’s gorgeous. Thank you and the ladies here for an awesome cosplay shoot!
September 3, 2012
Men Reading Women in Comics: Author Kelly McCullough reading Gail Simone's Birds of Prey
My friend, the photographer Kyle Cassidy tweeted about this tumblr designed to dispel the myth that men aren’t interested in reading comics by and about strong, diverse, interesting women. As an author who feels it’s very important to have strong smart women characters in my books I decided…
Aww!
That’s really nice. Also, great photo!
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