Gail Simone: What's next?

[nnelg]

I think I will be dropping Batgirl after she leaves. here is what I want her to do at Marvel.1. Excalibur 2.Alpha Flight 3.Shadowcat(do for her what she did for Batgirl) She is one of the must read author's to me .DC only has one other and thats Johns. If they give her Superman or any other title I will buy it and I have no interest in Superman.

[Samy]

I'm also wtf why only female characters? Simone isn't a good "writer of females", she's just a good writer, period.

[Mr. Holmes]

I'm also wtf why only female characters? Simone isn't a good "writer of females", she's just a good writer, period.

It's more of an allocation thing. There are few female writers, but so many female characters.

[Samy]

Uh, why would you need to allocate the female writers to the female characters? Why can't the female characters be written by men just like male characters can be written by women?

[Mr. Holmes]

Because most male writers don't know how to write female characters.

[Samy]

Does the reverse hold true? Most female writers don't know how to write male characters? Or is this just a one-sided bias?

[Mr. Holmes]

Hard to tell with so few of them. Simone is pretty decent with male characters in Secret Six.

[Samy]

So, female writers can write both genders decently but male writers can only write men decently?

[Power Torch]

NEXT a Secret Six book, with Poison Ivy! Wishful thinking! But ya, I hope she works for DC still lol.

[the4thpip]

So, female writers can write both genders decently but male writers can only write men decently?

That is EXACTLY what "hard to tell" means.

[finfangfool]

Don't care what she writes, she's done enough good in her time (imo) that I'll give whatever it is a shot. Unless it's another Wolverine ongoing (I was so hoping the Cornell/Davis book was going to be anything else).

[PwrdOff]

So, female writers can write both genders decently but male writers can only write men decently?

That is true for the most part, at least when you just control for overall writing ability. Being able to write passable male characters is a requirement for all writers who want to put food on the table, while for the most part the same is not true for female characters. And your writing style is as much shaped by the stories you grew up reading as your own personal experience, so few female comic book writers would have had the chance to follow and idolize competent female protagonists, which for men of course is something that is wholly expected and taken for granted.

As for Gail, I do wish she would stick around at DC but I imagine it would be difficult given the way they've treated her, and I don't really expect her to go to Marvel since she has spoken in the past of a kind of frathouse mentality there that wouldn't exactly be conducive to letting her tell the kind of stories she wants to tell. On the other hand, she probably does need a job at one of the major publishers in order to pay the bills, so I wouldn't be surprised if they try to kiss and make up in some capacity.

[42n8s1]

Gail Simone is like Ann Nocenti for me.
She's written a few arcs that I enjoyed so much I will always give her a chance (BoP for GS, DD for AN).
For both there have been several books I wish I'd passed on but I will always buy the first two or three issues of anything they start.

(And I'm a dude. . . if it matters.)

[Fate's Faith]

I think she should focus on something with male characters. Her female characters just seem off to me.... strangely.

[Brave Sir Robbin]

That is true for the most part, at least when you just control for overall writing ability. Being able to write passable male characters is a requirement for all writers who want to put food on the table, while for the most part the same is not true for female characters. And your writing style is as much shaped by the stories you grew up reading as your own personal experience, so few female comic book writers would have had the chance to follow and idolize competent female protagonists, which for men of course is something that is wholly expected and taken for granted.

As for Gail, I do wish she would stick around at DC but I imagine it would be difficult given the way they've treated her, and I don't really expect her to go to Marvel since she has spoken in the past of a kind of frathouse mentality there that wouldn't exactly be conducive to letting her tell the kind of stories she wants to tell. On the other hand, she probably does need a job at one of the major publishers in order to pay the bills, so I wouldn't be surprised if they try to kiss and make up in some capacity.

Frathouse Mentality? And people struggle how to get female fans of superhero books. I don't read Marvel but if she goes there, I will read whatever she writes. I sure it will be great. But I hope she does independent stuff if she can afford it. I would love to see her write a book without a braindead DC editors screwing it up.