Gail Simone
Infobox Comics creator
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Gail Simone is an American writer of comic books. Best known for penning DC's "Birds of Prey", she is the writer of "Welcome to Tranquility" and "All-New Atom" and in the late 2000s became the first female ongoing writer of "Wonder Woman".
Early work
Simone first came to fan attention with her Web site "Women in Refrigerators", [cite web|url=http://www.unheardtaunts.com/wir/|title=Women in Refrigerators] listing the many instances in which female comic book characters were the victims of violent attacks because of their gender (rape, miscarriage, murder) or whose attacks were used as a plot device for a male character. The site brought her into contact with many people working in the comics industry. Her popular humor column "You'll All Be Sorry!" appeared weekly on [http://www.cbr.cc Comic Book Resources] . Topics ranged from short, satirical summaries of comic books ("Condensed Comic Classics") to fan fiction parodies.
Simone worked for Bongo Comics, scripting many of their comics based on "The Simpsons". Her contributions include stories for "Simpsons Comics", an annual "Treehouse of Horror" special, and regular scripts for "Bart Simpson Comics". Simone also penned many Sunday strips for the syndicated "Simpsons" comic strip.
Mainstream
Following her "Simpsons" work, Simone entered the comics mainstream with a run on Marvel Comics' "Deadpool". When "Deadpool" was canceled and relaunched as "Agent X", Simone continued as writer but eventually left the series after a conflict with the series' editor. [ [http://www.comicsbulletin.com/ambi/104611396520415.htm The Gail Simone Dialogues] ] Simone did however return to pen the concluding arc to "Agent X" some months after the series' initial cancellation.
After the dispute with Marvel, Simone moved on to DC Comics, where she was given the "Birds of Prey" title (beginning with issue #56) featuring the all-female group consisting of Oracle, Black Canary, The Huntress and Lady Blackhawk. Though humorous at times, "Birds of Prey" tends more to the serious than her "Deadpool" work.
Simone took over "Action Comics" after writer Chuck Austen, with John Byrne penciling. Simone continued her other projects, including the 2005 "Villains United" limited series - part of the "Infinite Crisis" crossover - in which she revitalized the Catman character. She also wrote a two-issue story arc that focused on the new Hawk & Dove for the third "Teen Titans" series, with Rob Liefeld penciling. While Simone maintained her usual enthusiastic stance, fandom was quick to lambast the promotional art Liefeld produced in tandem with the PR announcement. [ [http://www.newsarama.com/DC/liefeld/titans.htm Newsarama] ] The controversy lay with Liefeld more than with Simone, a situation Simone acknowledged on the DC Comics message boards [ [http://dcboards.warnerbros.com/web/thread.jspa?threadID=2000039216&start=30&tstart=0 DC Comics message boards] ] soon after the first Simone/Liefeld issue reached stores.
Simone is also the writer of DC's 2005 "Villains United" limited series (part of the lead-in to "Infinite Crisis"), and its spin-off, the limited series "Secret Six". Other work by Simone includes a run on the Superman title "Action Comics", a brief stint on "The Legion", a "Rose and Thorn" limited series at DC Comics, and a revitalization of Wildstorm's Gen¹³. For Oni Press, Simone wrote "Killer Princesses" with co-creator and artist Lea Hernandez, "Gus Beezer" specials for Marvel Comics.
Simone also wrote an "Atom" series, based on ideas by Grant Morrison and penciled by her "Action Comics" artist, John Byrne and later Mike Norton. Other work includes a "Gen¹³" series and a creator-owned project, "Welcome to Tranquility", for Wildstorm.
On April 12, 2007, DC announced that Simone would be the new regular writer of the third volume of "Wonder Woman", first scheduled to start with issue #13 but later changed to #14. [ [http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=108610 Gail Simon Named New "Wonder Woman" Writer] ] [ [http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=125340 Simon's Wonder Woman Debut Pushed Back a Month] ]
Other media
Simone penned the "Justice League Unlimited" episode "Double Date", which features Question, Huntress, Green Arrow and Black Canary in a romantic adventure tinged with revenge and jealousy. Originally, Simone wrote the episode to feature Batgirl Barbara Gordon. After Gordon is injured while working a case, Batman forbids her from continuing. She reinvents herself as Oracle and contacts Black Canary and the Huntress to finish the case. Neither heroine meets Gordon in person. Due to the Bat Embargo, Simone replaced Batgirl with Green Arrow and The Question. Simone stated that she was interested in working on the show again, having in mind a "Queen of Fables" story which she felt would look good animated. [cite web|url=http://jl.toonzone.net/episode43/episode43.htm|title="Double Date"|accessdate=2007-10-12]
In August 2007, Simone created and wrote an episode of GameTap's , entitled "Pre-Teen Raider." [cite web|url=http://blog.wired.com/games/2007/08/pre-teen-raider.html|title=Pre-Teen Raider: Interview With Writer Gail Simone|date=2007-10-09|accessdate=2007-10-12]
Awards
In 2007, Thomasina Lindo of Welcome to Tranquility was named Best Female Character in the Glyph Comics Awards.
References
External links
* [http://www.fanboyrampage.blogspot.com/2005_06_01_fanboyrampage_archive.html The "Action Comics" controversy] (scroll to Tuesday, June 14, 2005)
* [http://www.silverbulletcomicbooks.com/ambi/104611396520415.htm Interview with Silver Bullet Comicbooks]
* [http://www.comicbookresources.com/columns/archive.cgi?column=yabs The 'You'll All Be Sorry!' archives]
* [http://www.simoneindex.com/index.php The Simone Index]
* [http://happystains.blogspot.com/ Bloodstains on the Looking Glass] Gail Simone's blog.
* [http://www.popsyndicate.com/site/story/cape_3_gail_simone_interview/ Gail Simone Interview]
* [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/27/books/27simo.html?_r=2&ref=books&oref=slogin&oref=slogin New York Times profile, 11-27-07]
Источник: Gail Simone
