GAIL SIMONE ON HER OPENING WONDER WOMAN SALVO

[MattBrady]

This week, it’s finally here.

After a fit and stop or two, Gail Simone’s first issue of Wonder Woman (#14) hits comic shops this week. We first broke news of Simone taking over the DC series back in April, and Wonder Woman fandom, well, rejoiced.

The current Wonder Woman series has had its troubles – and that’s putting it mildly. The new series launched in mid-2006 with writer Allan (The OC, Grey’s Anatomy) Heinberg at the helm, and promised a new future for the Amazon Princess. Shortly after its debut, the series stumbled due to scheduling problems, forcing Heinberg’s initial arc to see its conclusion in the series’ Annual, allowing for acclaimed novelist Jodi Picoult to take a seat in the writer’s chair. Picoult’s run was met with a lukewarm response by fans, with many of them starting to question openly about the future of the character and the series at DC.

And then – Simone was announced as the new writer.

To this day at Newsarama, there has never been (before or since) a discussion thread about a news story that was so overwhelmingly positive for so many pages (12 pages, 277 posts). She was excited about the gig when we spoke with her then, so what about now? How has the reality been treating her, and what’s coming up in her opening arc (issue #14 previewed here)?

We asked.

Newsarama: To start Gail, with Wonder Woman, you’re inheriting a…well, mixed bag. You’ve got the character, true, but there’s a lot of baggage with this particular series, and as a result, the fans are probably best described as “cautious.” Does that affect how you approach the book, that is, do you worry about the tenor of the fans?

Gail Simone: No. Truthfully, I’d rather use the page/panel real estate to start setting off fireworks right away than worry too much about an adjustment period, you know? I believe the readers want the kickassery to start right now, not after taking a few issues to cleanse the palate. I think that space is much better used showing Diana being an unapologetic wonder.

I understand, I think, the reader unhappiness about recent schedule and crossover issues, but story is the grail to all of us; we just want to tell the best Wonder Woman stories we can. I really think that when Allan’s and Jodi’s runs are collected, they’re going to be justly celebrated as the far-reaching stories they are. They’re darn good reads, both of them, and I think they’re going to occupy quite a high place in WW history.

NRAMA: As a result of that, does this job come with a certain level of nervousness?

GS: You know, I would have said ‘no,’ a while back, but I’ve just been to some conventions on the other side of the world, and a Wonder Woman-themed charity event (put on by Andy Mangels and the great Excalibur Books in Portland), and as powerful and huge as the internet and email response has been to the announcement, it’s a thousand times more daunting when someone is looking me right in the eyes telling me I’d better not screw it up. They have WW tattoos and t-shirts and costumes, and they love Wonder Woman. I think they’re very optimistic, but they want to know that we love the character, too, that it’s not just another gig.

So, sure, but on the other hand, I feel absolutely confident that we’re heading in a very exciting direction. I feel like my whole career has been leading to this. It’s weird that this assignment is such a huge deal…interviews with The New York Times and a ton of other news outlets. I’m not used to that level of scrutiny and spotlight. All I can say is everyone involved is putting their whole heart into it, and I rarely go an hour without thinking of the book and new ideas to throw into the stew. It’s exhilarating.

NRAMA: That said, tell us again who Wonder Woman is. We spoke back in April, and you were…giddy about it all, in a good way. Now, you’ve got a few issues under your belt, have spent plenty of time with Diana in your head, so who is she? What traits and characteristics does she have? What traits and characteristics doesn’t she have?

GS: I talked with Allan about this a few weeks ago, and I have to say that the main thematic difference between our versions is that his Diana was asking who she was, she struggled with issues of identity. As a result, I can organically take the next step, a move I think is crucial to how she will be portrayed under my watch—my Diana knows who she is. She’s confident and at ease with herself. That’s not to say that she won’t misstep, but it won’t be out of doubt as to her self-worth or importance.

I played with this a little in Birds of Prey, that Diana is, without even trying, a role model to the already exceptional female heroes in the DCU. Just by being who she is, without apology, she makes characters like Black Canary reach a little higher, and be a little more compassionate. She’s a great counter-balance to characters like Batman in that regard.

My Diana enjoys a good scrape, but approaches combat as the best warrior the DCU has ever had. She’s a chess player as a fighter, and does no more harm than necessary.

And she’s a devoted and true friend. There are darn few characters in comics that can even begin to approach the levels of dynamic complexity that she shows.

She’s a joy.

NRAMA: Let’s put her in context of the DC Trinity – when handled poorly, she’s been a female Superman or even as dark as a Batman. What makes her unique compared to her contemporaries?

GS: I don’t really define her that way. She’s her own thing, and she’s unique in comics, despite dozens, maybe hundreds, of imitators. She’s interesting on her own, not just in comparison to Superman. But she does have defining characteristics, really. Superman’s origins are in science fiction, Batman’s in the pulp and radio crime traditions. Wonder Woman is a creature of myth and magic. She might stop a bank robbery, but it’s not really where her heart is, as she cares about larger things than the movement of currency from one person to another. I think Wonder Woman’s similarity is a need to defend the defenseless…that’s where the Trinity’s common ground shows up.

NRAMA: What’s her reason for doing what she does? Of the trinity, her role has been somewhat malleable over the years, yielding in different motivations and directions. As you see it, why’s she here to do what she does?

GS: Actually, I can’t answer this directly, except to say we’ll be dealing with this a lot in our first year. She has reasons. Part of it is simply the concept of going where she is most needed, which she, as a selfless person, is drawn to dramatically.

NRAMA: Right - Batman has his villains and street crime; Superman has his enemies, space and the world… who does Wonder Woman have, and what’s her “beat” for lack of a better term?

GS: Neither Batman or Superman really quite fits when, say, an army of skeletons attacks, or a hydra, or the like. Basically, if it’s in a Ray Harryhausen movie, it’s in Diana’s domain. But she also has some tremendously twisted foes, new and old, coming up. I’ve said this elsewhere, but it seems the best foes aren’t bent versions of heroes, they’re polar opposites. The insane Joker to the rational Batman, the cerebral Luthor to man-of-action Superman. With Wonder Woman, an avatar of truth, her best villains tend to be liars and manipulators. We’ll see quite a bit of that, and the Secret Society of Supervillains and a new villain that I think may rank as one of the scariest and creepiest in the entire DCU. She’s going to threaten Diana in a way no one has before, I think. Heh. Evil is fun.

NRAMA: Let’s get into specifics of your run - where do things pick up with this issue? Are we going to see pick-ups from and asides in reference to what’s come before in the series, or are you, for all intents and purposes, starting fresh-ish?

GS: It’s issue fourteen of her new run. The first thirteen issues happened, and they inform what we’re doing. But absolutely you can pick it up and it will seem complete, I believe. You don’t need to have read any previous Wonder Woman story at all. As I said in the last interview, Amazon punches gorilla, that’s a lot more fun than painful exposition.

NRAMA: What’s her status among her fellow Amazons, and especially with her mother?

GS: This will all be covered in the first arc, just four issues. We’re looking to tell powerful, shorter stories. Two stories a year at six issues each is simply not enough idea time for a character like Diana. But I will say I think people are going to re-think Hippolyta after this. She is no one’s fool!

NRAMA: Speaking of the other Amazons, this takes place after Amazons Attack – is the world still mistrustful of the Amazons?

GS: Some are. As Hippolyta says, “A debt must be paid in Amazon blood.” But what and who she means I’m keeping under my cloak ‘til our next issue, #15.

But again, you don’t need to read that stuff to follow this at all, promise.

NRAMA: Moving back to Diana - as you’ve said before, Diana Prince – Wonder Woman’s secret identity (with a winking reference to the television series) that Allan established is still around. Let’s dig into that meat – why does Wonder Woman need a secret identity?

GS: You know, the misunderstood royal who wants to experience a real life, free from princess-ly expectations, is a pretty proud literary tradition. I think, seeing the ridiculous intensity we place on our scrutiny of, say, Britain’s royal family, it’s not hard to see how it would be for our Diana. Imagine if the real-world Princess Diana could fly, and then imagine what her paparazzi would be like!

But also, Diana’s a lover of the truth, of knowledge. And I maintain fiercely that it’s perfectly within her character to try to understand the life of the mortal citizen from a vantage point a little lower than the moon or the sky.

NRAMA: You caught us up with where Wonder Woman is – so where’s Diana Prince in her life?

GS: She knows who she is, but she’s still learning who everyone else is. But there’s some violence coming up, some recommitment, and even some very hot passion. She’s hot-blooded in all the good ways.

She’s an agent with the Department of Metahuman Activities, and she’s been forcedly estranged from the Amazons and her mother, and she is banned from Themyscira.

And she doesn’t own a television or ipod, which some houseguests find a little fishy…

NRAMA: And as we saw in the preview, you’ve got the giant apes…can a book with giant apes ever be bad? These are Grodd’s soldiers, right?

GS: They’ve been trained by Grodd, but really, it would be wrong to call them his soldiers. They’re fodder, and he’s a master manipulator. He loves to cause annoyance, dissent, and pain.

NRAMA: Not that you probably have ever had to, but have you discussed Diana’s look with Terry and Rachel? What are some of your thoughts about how Diana should look, from costume to demeanor? For one, as a poster as pointed out, the “Wonder-thong” is gone…

GS: The Wonder-thong is just, eh, it just shows some people can only see a woman in one context, even if they supposedly ‘love’ the characters. It’s so dreary and predictable. On the other hand, I’m a defender of her costume, I like it, I think it has the appropriate wow factor, and in the hands of great artists like Terry and Rachel, it’s sexy in a context of power, rather than the more typical strip club veneer. There are plenty of superheroines who look like you could stick a dollar in their briefs. Wonder Woman shouldn’t be one of them.

There’s some sexy stuff coming up, but it won’t be about butt-floss.

NRAMA: Fair enough. Okay - let’s wrap with a solid tease – what are some of the subplots that you’re playing with, as well as the larger threats that we’re going to be seeing in your first arc?

GS: I’ve been talking about the fun and wow stuff in the book a lot lately, but I do want to say, don’t be completely fooled. There’s some fairly mature, fairly disturbing stuff in our first year. So, let’s see…what’s in our first year?

A mysterious stranger from the DCU’s past breaks into Diana’s home (hint: he had a short-lived series at one time). Diana uses a famous DC sword, not of Amazon make. Someone cuts their hair off, pre-battle. We see what really happened on the night of Diana’s birth. A huge statue of Diana with an alien head. Someone collecting dust from the site of every major genocide of the last century. A cast member from the past returns, with a loaded gun. Birthday cake. Topless Nemesis. Unexpected houseguests. An invisible helicopter. A Khund using an ipod. The Amazon menagerie. Why Diana’s costume represents the sky. Odin in the snow. And more reasons why messing with the magic lasso is one of the all-time worst ideas in the DC Universe, akin to tugging on Superman’s cape. And that’s just the stuff I can say.

There is just a mountain of cool stuff coming, and the art is freakishly brilliant.

We’re going to have a great time. Hope you all join us!

[Dragavon]

As always, looking forward to anything written by Ms. Simone.

[Nobody]

Lookin' forward to it.

[Grievous]

Sold,

I can finally pick up wonder woman again.,


i dropped it at issue 7.

[newfoundma]

So excited for this! Diana is my favorite character, and Gail is one of my favorite writers!

Originally Posted by MattBrady

Topless Nemesis.

And with this, Gail proves that she has a)a sense of humor and b)knowledge that sexy means many things in comics. I'll be there, Gail!

[Dragavon]

Originally Posted by Grievous

Sold,

I can finally pick up wonder woman again.,


i dropped it at issue 7.

Wow, you lasted that long! You must have nerves of steel.

[<sage>]

my Diana knows who she is. She’s confident and at ease with herself. That’s not to say that she won’t misstep, but it won’t be out of doubt as to her self-worth or importance.

All I can say is: Thank God! I cannot wait to have #14 in my hands. What a terrific interview, just when I thought I couldn't get anymore excited.

[CBG_Steve]

I'm soooo excited for Gail to start writing this series! Can't wait for this to be the book I know it can and should be. You go Gail!

[WC Brooks]

Gail Simone and Wonder Woman

How can you not love these women!

[Ace]

It's funny but I sort of miss Diana as a character, which is strange because all through my youth, through college, she didn't really matter much to me, but through reading Greg Rucka's run, I got the sense that I really came to know her as a chracter, and I've sort of come to miss that monthly fix (the same sort of feeling I get from Donna after reading the Wolfman/Perez Titans, actually. I never made that connection, strangely enough).

I think Greg's run on WW is one of the best runs at DC on any book, ever, up there with Peter David on Supergirl and Denny O'Neil on the Question and Ostrander on Suicide Squad/Spectre/Martian Manhunter. And if it can't be Greg, then I can't really think of anyone I'd want on the book quite as much as Gail. It's just like Brubaker on Daredevil. It just makes sense.

So here's to having a monthly shot of Diana as a person again. Didn't realize it until now, but I sort of missed it.

[Lex]

This is going to be a great book!

[sol]

I struggled through all the issues...never dropped it. I even read them. However, now that Gail is on board, I will be a little happier with the expense. And I really like the Dodson's artwork.

[leahcim]

I heart you Gail! The only way this could get better (other than putting her back in heels) is if Nicole joins you on as rotating artist to the Dodsons! Give the boys my luv.

[Ye Olde Iowa]

It's quite simply absurd how excited I am about Gail's run on Wonder Woman. I am excited to the point of giddyness!

[onestar]

Gail's energy and love of the character is why I'll likely be adding this to my pull list again.
I can't wait.

[aceatkins]

YAAAAAAAAAAAY!

I'm so excited for this, I cannot even say. All of Gail's teasers sound awesome individually; as a group I'm confident they'll add up to a great run on this book. Cannot wait until Wednesday!

[Jimmy Palmiotti]

I cannot wait to read this . Gail is doing amazing work everywhere these days and wonderwoman is a perfect fit for her!

congrats!

JIMMY

ps: I know someones mom is happy about this as well. [ inside joke folks]

[Thacher]

It makes me feel dumb that Gail is able to sum up the Trinity's origins and roots in traditional genre fiction (Superman in SF, Batman in crime, WW in fantasy), and that has always kinda flown over my head. It's one of those "It's so brilliant it's obvious" moments.

I wish the current titles were able to explore these origins and such a lot more, as opposed to the "superhero" genre. Grant Morrison is doing so in the All-Star Superman title, and I think he's producing some of the best Superman stuff ever.

[Bender-braü]

Originally Posted by Gail Simone

I’m a defender of her costume, I like it, I think it has the appropriate wow factor, and in the hands of great artists like Terry and Rachel, it’s sexy in a context of power, rather than the more typical strip club veneer. There are plenty of superheroines who look like you could stick a dollar in their briefs. Wonder Woman shouldn’t be one of them.

I always loved this character and she generally had the most practical personality of the three members of the trinity.
Superman's emotions always seemed too controlled.
Batman's a little...well, he has...issues.
Wonder Woman in the hands of a good writer tends to react in a manner that I would consider the most human. If you pushed her too far she'd drop you faster then a ton of bricks (I'm talking to you Maxwell Lord).

But two thngs I always had a tough time getting past: Viking's named Thor who talk like Shakespeare and an amazon dress in a bikini.

[bcondray]

~bows before the creative madness/genius that is the Great Gail Simone~

I have never been this hungry for a comic book..and I am 42 years old.
The lines that caught my eye...butt floss and Odin in the snow.

[hugo]

Diana uses a famous DC sword, not of Amazon make.

Wonder () what sword it could be ?

Sword of Atlantis ? Not very known.

Sword of the Atom ?

Sword of the Shining Knight ?

Blade of Katana ?

A Khund using an ipod.

How in the world could this book be bad ?

[Lukecash]

NRAMA: Moving back to Diana - as you’ve said before, Diana Prince – Wonder Woman’s secret identity (with a winking reference to the television series) that Allan established is still around. Let’s dig into that meat – why does Wonder Woman need a secret identity?

GS: You know, the misunderstood royal who wants to experience a real life, free from princess-ly expectations, is a pretty proud literary tradition. I think, seeing the ridiculous intensity we place on our scrutiny of, say, Britain’s royal family, it’s not hard to see how it would be for our Diana. Imagine if the real-world Princess Diana could fly, and then imagine what her paparazzi would be like!

But also, Diana’s a lover of the truth, of knowledge. And I maintain fiercely that it’s perfectly within her character to try to understand the life of the mortal citizen from a vantage point a little lower than the moon or the sky.

Yes, because there is nothing more down to earth and realistic than being a spy of James Bond caliber.
I don't have a problem with her having a secret identity. But to use the spy background as a way of knowing truth seems odd considering it's all about lying and trickery.

Other than that and the lack of Steve Trevor...I'm good with Wonder Woman and look forward to Gails run

[SpyGuy]

Originally Posted by Gail Simone

Topless Nemesis.

Hopefully, this means "Sean Connery as James Bond in bed with a female agent" topless and not "Glorified Chippendale's dancer" topless...

[KoozyK]

wonder thong?

did i miss something?

[Kevenn]

I'm so glad I'm not going to work tomorrow so I can pick this up as soon as my shop opens!!!

Hippolyta is no one's fool!!! Ya' got that right.

However, the only thing I disagree with, is that the only thing the Heinberg and Picoult runs will be remembered fondly for is the Dodson art. Certainly not for the writing.

wonder thong?

did i miss something?

Mike Deodato's run on the book in the mid-90's.