The Official Ask Gail Thread

[Mordru]

What do the amazons call their monthly visit?

I GOT SKIPPED! And I don't mean that the Skipper caught me at the waterfall without my soap on a rope.

[sk716]

Locked to give Gail a chance to catch up again.

[Gail Simone]

What do the amazons call their monthly visit?

ANTI-MENstruation.

[Gail Simone]

How many times do you get the question "How can I become a skilled writer like you" and when you say practice, you can just tell they were hoping there's a trick to learning it over night?

All the time, all the time, sometimes it's even worse than that. I get twitter and facebook messages that are so clueless and ridiculous and even rude, that you would not believe it.

These people aren't realistic. Even if I had the time, I couldn't help the.

[Gail Simone]

I know I've asked this before, but i really don't have any other question

Why isn't Speedy in Birds Of Prey?

I don't think she'd be that good a fit, actually.


there are many reasons why i ask this a lot
1: Its 100% logical given her connection to Black Canary and the story that got Canary back in the birds

Well, the Birds is still Oracle's show.

2: There is probably no other female character at DC that would have a better time getting mentored by Oracle (Well maybe "Proxy")

I don't really see it, I'll be honest.


3: she sure as hell didn't have anywhere else to go

Yeah, truthfully, I'm not that big a fan of the character. I'd have to read up and give her a second look.

[Gail Simone]

Will you be answering this next batch of questions?

Oh and have you ever been asked to write one of those mega-crossover event?

Yeah, a couple times. It's a complicated deal. We had one in play and approved when the Wonder Woman thing came up, and I put it on the side-burner.

I don't really worry about what comics are 'good for my career' that much. If I do one, I want it to be something that I can actually say something with. I would love to have that big sandbox, but don't want to do the standard thing.

[Gail Simone]

It's weird that you feel this way about Wolverine, but you loved writing Wonder Woman. That's not a dig... I'm just saying that she's been changed and revamped so many times, I kinda think she's the same as Wolverine in that sense.

I have a tough time with DC characters because I find that the alter egos have nothing to them. In costume, they're wonderful. Out of costume, it's basically "meh." I feel, in the stories I've read, that it's always a rush to get the character back into costume and into action.

The thing I miss about Wolverine is the fact that he didn't give a fuck what you thought, he was going to do what he wanted to. That included smoking cigars and drinking booze. Because of his healing factor, smoking didn't do anything to him. When they decided to clean him up, because it's not a good influence on the kids... I felt he sort of lost that rebellious side to him. That and the fact that are now a billion other characters who have claws and it's watered-down the coolness of Wolverine, especially for new readers.

I think he just lost his edge. Again, this is a long time since I read a Wolvie book, but that was my impression. Not that he lost his violence, but he lost the unpredictability.

I like most of the DC alter-egos. Marvel might have been better at that.

[Gail Simone]

This is one thing that has always bugged me about super heroes. They know their friends are unstable, but usually ignore it.

Like Jason Todd. Why has Alfred not suggested inviting him over for dinner or holding an intervention?

When I wrote Arcade, the first thing I did was give him a medication that controlled his mental disorder. Having him be lackadaisical and apathetic for a change, while on the meds before his mania returned, made him actually scary, for me.

[Gail Simone]

I has a question about Jeanette. Will we be getting more of her backstory in the coming months, or perhaps her full backstory? There's a lot of cool little bits there, but one seemed slightly inconsistant to me; she was living during the time of the Blood Countess but her first husband was a Viking (was he meant to look like a Viking or Celt?) ?? I that gonna be cleared up? Will we see her death and her deal with a banshee? Will we find out why she doesn't like to wear knickers?

It does seem inconsistent...


...I promise it isn't. Jeannette gets a bit of a spotlight right after the Skartaris story!

And she doesn't wear knickers when around Deadshot just in case they get a free moment to slam it.

[Gail Simone]

Hey Gail, who created Jeanette's design? Did Nicola come up with it, or you?

I had the rough ideas, the green overcoat/dress, the boots, the white hair and comb, and general attitude, I believe. But Nicola did everything. She used to be in fashion design, so she ALWAYS does something amazing.

Nicola Scott is one of the best n the business.