Wonder Woman, Y U SO ANGRY?

Crossover events aren't very kind on Wonder Woman. Or really, Wonder Woman isn't really kind in crossover events. There was the 6-issue Amazons Attack, that attacked Wonder Woman's mother and sister amazons storm Washington DC and murder any man in site (adult or child), and attempt to kill the president. I know, but trust me, someone actually wrote this. In Infinite Crisis, she snapped Max Lord's neck, killing him.

In DC's current game-changing crossover, Flashpoint, Wonder Woman and the amazons have taken over England through some sort of violent rampage. The idea of Flashpoint similar to that of Elseworlds - showing DC character of another universe, usually in a very different light. The big "hook," is that Flashpoint takes place in the primary DC Universe. So although one could consider the Flashpoint Wonder Woman has another version of the character, the current trend that Wonder Woman's writing has been taking proves otherwise.

The solicit for Flashpoint: Wonder Woman and the Furies #2/3 - "How many must die to avenge Queen Hippolyta’s death and satiate Diana’s fury?"


In the current Wonder Woman arc, Odyssey (laid out by JMS), WW has a rehashed origin story, and has a noticeably different personality. The Odyssy WW is often bitter, angry, and unless I've misinterpreted some of the panels, she's not afraid to take a few lives either.

After a test screening of the Wonder Woman pilot for NBC (which was recently passed on), many descirbed the violence as "over-the-top," and that "Wonder Woman would kill people without even blinking an eye.” (Source)

For new readers, none of these examples of fair representations of Wonder Woman's character. Here are a few quotes from Gail Simone on WW and woman are written.

"I think it’s okay for Wonder Woman to be angry. When I wrote her, I tried to show her compassion, even in fury. But I had a secret key in my brain…she’s never angry on her own behalf. Slap her in the face, she will laugh at you. Harm an innocent, she will make you regret the day you came out of the womb.

That works for me. When I write the selfless heroes, Superman, Wonder Woman, and my own view of Batman, I don’t like to see them fight for selfish reasons. When I wish the world had superheroes, it’s not for them to fight pointlessly and bicker endlessly. It’s not to stop bank robberies.

It’s to fight things that are unjust, to stand up for people who are being bullied and victimized.

In that case, I think it’s okay for her to knock someone down. What makes Diana different is that she immediately extends her hand to help them back up. That is the KEY of why I love her so much." (Source)

"It’s absolutely true, and some writers, their shorthand for a strong woman is a bitchy, angry woman, usually one who hates men, and yawn, I’m sorry, wake me when it’s not 1974." (Source)

For those interested in jumping into WW comics, I recomend starting out with Greg Rucka's and Gail Simone's runs.

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Tyler, The Creator and Woman in Refrigerators - What kind of exposure helps the cause?

A few days ago I wrote a post about using murder for character development, so I was surprised to see some posts relating to a similar topic last night. Yesterday one of my fellow radio managers at Radio UTD posted a review of Tyler, The Creator's newest album, Goblin. You can check out the review here.

Haven't heard all the buzz about the album? Chelsea, the reviewer, tells of Tyler's popularity - "P. Diddy called them “the future of rap”. Kanye referred to Tyler, the Creator’s video for “Yonkers” as “the video of 2011.”

Currently there is a lot of controversy surrounding some of the lyrics in Goblin. Normally news like this would go through one ear and out the other for me. Music is always stirring up some kind of debate, and my response is usually, "get over it." I feel a little differently about Tyler's lyrics.

In songs like "Splatter," Tyler raps about raping a woman in a retirement home. Misogyny, homophobia, and rape fantasies haunt the album. These topics aren't foreign to music, but in Goblin, they are glorified. And not only are they glorified in the album, critics everywhere are praising the album for its success in addressing taboo topics.

This is the part I have a problem with. I'm not saying that topics like sexual assault should always be censored from music. What I'm trying to say, is that I doubt the effectiveness in making listeners feel uncomfortable by glorifying an obviously evil act to "help the cause" and "destroy social taboos."

Gail Simone was first discovered on her website Women in Refrigerators . The website makes a short, but effective, list of female superheroes and how they have been treated in comics. The site lists when a female character has been "killed, raped, depowered, crippled, turned evil, maimed, tortured, contracted a disease or had other life-derailing tragedies befall her." The list shows that murder and rape are not foreign to comics, and are anything but "taboo." Although the writers did not necessarily always put their female characters through such acts for the same reason that Tyler, The Creator addresses the topics, parallels can be drawn.

In my previous post, I explained that murder shouldn't be the primary tool for a writer to develop a character. On the same note, sexual assault isn't a plot device. When I read a panel about a woman getting sexually assaulted in a comic, my first thought isn't "Wow rape is evil, kudos to these goes for proving it." Most often the intention behind using such acts towards women in comics is to create a "dark" tone or tragedy. Yes, sexual assault is tragedy, but it's very possible to make the same point in a more appropriate manner.

Let's look back at Tyler, the Creator. When reading reviews of Golbin, the explanation most often used to explain the lyrics content is that Tyler is creating a villain. He is supposedly creating an evil persona to make some sort of grand statement about society. I honestly think this is a really creative and interesting approach. The problem is that Tyler glorified homophobia and sexual assault to create this persona. There are more creative ways for the rapper to do this, and from listening to some of his wordplay, I have no doubt that he is capable of doing so. Comic writers use the exact some methods to make a character seem more evil, and it's getting annoying.

Some say that by glorifying such topics, Tyler is breaking down boundaries so that society will be more open to think about the,m. I did consider this an explanation, until I looked at some of Tyler's responses to his critics. Musicians Tegan and Sara wrote a piece expressing their disappointment in music critics who were praising Tyler, The Creator while ignoring his homophobic behavior. In response, Tyler posted this on his Twitter:



Here's another tweet in response to some of his critics:



If he's trying to make a statement about sexual assault to help prevent it, why would he tell listeners to ignore the lyrics?

"About 33% of rape victims have suicidal thought.

About 13% of rape victims will attempt suicide."

It's my honest opinion that showing sexual assault in a positive light to cause discomfort, or using sexual assault as an easy means to create a certain tone does more harm than good, but I would like to know what other's think. Comment below, but please be mature and courteous.

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Secret Six #33 Video Review

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Free Comic Book Day @ Madness Comic & Games Plano

Two Saturdays ago, May 7th, comics shops all over the country offered free comic books and sales to bring in crazy amount of fans. For FCBD, I headed out to my local comic shop, Madness Comics & Games. Luckily, a video game store next door called FX Game Exchange was also hosting an event called Free Video Game Day, so there were enough reasons to convince my roommates to join me. Although the store opened at 10, I thought getting there at 12 was still early enough to face some modest lines. I'm wrong a lot.

Madness Comics has been my LCS for about 2 years now, and I had never seen it so crowded. I had to park at a Wendy's because the usually huge and empty parking lot was filled with cars. Fortunately, nothing could dampen my spirits, so I enjoyed the long walk with a annoyingly jubilant pace. My indestructible smile was not contagious among my friends, but that's okay, because they are stupid (Immaturity is allowed on FCBD).

Before walking in, I saw the only cosplay of the day. Harley Quinn. And it was perfect! Kudos to that girl that I was too scared to talk to (she was carrying Harley's hammer). The line inside as long as [comic-related simile]. Whew. So you know, super long. I picked up Super Dinosaur, Robert Kirkman's new comic, the Green Lantern Special, Captain America & Thor, Amazing Spider-Man, and some other forgettable on that I can't remember.

Overall the comics were disappointing, but they were free, and the free comic books aren't really the point of FCBD anyways. The whole point is to get more people to come and spend money at their LCS thanks to all the sales and free goodies. So I bought some things! I picked up Bird of Prey 103-107 to complete my collection of every comics featuring the Secret Six.

Madness Comic & Games also gave out some free food, had a local artist drawing commissions, and a buy two get on free sale. Although I can't review Free Comic Book Day as a whole (Yes I can, it was awesome everywhere), it's safe to say that I had a great day at my LCS. The sale, local businesses that helped out, and the overall amount of people who attended made FCBD at Madness an event that I look forward to attending again next year.

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Birds of Prey #12 Review

Birds of Prey #12
Written by Gail Simone
Cover and Art by Jesus Saiz

The Birds are back baby. Cheesy alliterations are necessary, because Birds of Prey is finally free of the Brightest Day label and free to spread its wings. Okay, no more. I promise.

Since BoP 2.0 has started, must have the arcs have been about developing the characters and team dynamic. Those of us who have already read Gail Simone's previous BoP run are familiar with the characters and are completely aware that they're BFF's (Seriously. There closer than Boostle.), so it's nice to see the whole team back in action.

The Story
The issue goes back and forth between Huntress trying to recruit the Question as they check out some dirty cops in the sewers (not dirty because of the sewers) and the rest of the team (Black Canary, Lady Blackhawk, and Hawk & Dove) as they sneak into a Gotham building due to Oracle's suspicions about the residents.

Writing
Without the constraints of reintroducing characters or following an event, Gail seems right back in her element. In the first few pages, Gail sets up the villain of the arc without even mentioning his full name, or really even saying what he's planning to do. The dialogue between Mr.Tripe and the twin women really sets the dark and mysterious tone that the setting carries for the rest of the issue. Along with the suspense, Simone nails the relationship between Huntress and the Question. They two characters have shared a great dynamic in the past and I'm glad to see that Simone's writing is keeping the flame going. Huntress and the Question are so close, they aren't even on a first name basis; they're on a first letter basis. Also, they hug.

Art
I wasn't familiar with Saiz's work before this issue, but he suits the series perfectly. The cover alone was enough to sell me. The heroes walking in suits, with their masks still on, away from an exploding building completely fits the tone with the issue. Saiz's art is even able to keep up with Simone's humor. The images of Lady Blackhawk kissing Mr.Tripe or Hawk struggling with his undercover persona perfectly compliment the humor in the writing. I'm a little disappointed on his take on the villain that is revealed at the end, but I'll wait until the next issue pass full judgement.

Verdict
If you haven't picked up any of BoP 2.0 already, this is the place to start. Gail Simone is on her A game and Jesus Saiz brings the art style that the series has been searching for. Birds of Prey #12 feels like the real start to the republication, and is sure to reignite the interest of past fans. Also, you'll most likely finish this issue thinking that the Birds of Prey are cooler than James Bond. Don't scoff, it's true.

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Stop Killing All The Ryan Choi's

To start off, the first comic I had read with Ryan Choi as the Atom was Titans: Villains for Hire under the Brightest Day label. Besides being one of the worst comics I had read in a while, the issue was also responsible for showing the death of Ryan Choi, the newest Atom. Actually, "death" makes it sounds more okay than it was. When reading it, without any prior knowledge of Ryan Choi, I was extremely taken aback when he was murdered. Even then, I felt like the only point of his death was to make Deathstroke look like a bad-ass.



I apologize for posting such a gruesome image, but this is what DC comics felt was necessary to make reader takes the "Evil Titans," or whatever they were, seriously. COMIC WRITERS TAKE NOTE: Killing a "B-list" hero isn't the only way to make your villain seem super duper scary and evil. I honestly feel like it's the laziest way to build a character.

I could continue to talk about how Ryan Choi was one of the few Asian-American superheroes around, and his death just supported claims of racial inequality in comics. I could talk about how killing a woman and stuffing her in a fridge won't make your hero seem more interesting. But instead, I want to recommend examples of how building a villain can be done right, and fairly.

Check out Gail's Secret Six: Unhinged TPB and the recent Birds of Prey #12. I don't want to spoil the newest Birds of Prey issue, but read it and you'll understand. In the Secret Six arc, Gail introduced the new character Junior, and sets the villain to be so frightening and evil, that you'll have pee your pants. And guess what, she does so without killing a fan-favorite character. IT IS POSSIBLE.

I don't want every person a character knows to be killed or sexually assaulted, just to make him/her seem engaging. I want great writing to prove that a character is interesting.

If your interested in Ryan Choi, I definitely recommend picking up Book One of the All-New Atom, My Life in Miniature. I without a doubt like Choi more than Ray Palmer.




Also, Barry Allen and Hal Jordan are kind of boring. I want more Wally West, John Stewart, and Kyle Rayner please.

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Who the heck is Ragdoll?

Should he make you laugh? Should he disgust you? Should he terrify you? Will you love him? Yes.



Currently starring in Secret Six, Ragdoll shares the name of his father, the original Rag Doll, Peter Merkel. The original Rag Doll was born triple-jointed and was able to contort his body into ridiculous positions. Unfortunately for Peter Jr., he was not born with his father's natural skill and was put through hundreds of surgeries to reach the same level of flexibility. His bones were replaced with "self-lubricating and fully rotating implants," so it able to sustain many injuries while in combat.

Ragdoll made his first appearance in Simone's Villians United as one of the six villains who refused to join Luthor's Secret Society. When Gail began the ongoing Secret Six series in 2008, the first major villain that the team faced was Ragdoll's sister, Junior. Recently in Secret Six, Ragdoll stole a "Get Out of Hell Free" card from team member Scandal Savage to transport himself to hell and retrieve his lost friend Parademon.

Ragdoll is very androgynous, although Black Alice seems quite fond of him, and often acts as the comic relief in Secret Six. Actually, he's not really the relief, since the whole series is pretty damn funny. I guess he's the creepiest? Either way, there isn't another character like Ragdoll in comics today, so do yourself a favor and pick up some Secret Six TBP's to fall in love (or cringe in disgust) with him.

Recommended Readings:
Villains United TPB
Secret Six: Six Degrees of Devastation TPB
Secret Six: Unhinged TPB
Secret Six #31-33

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Breaking Into the Comics Industry

Recently, Gail posted a very long piece on her Tumblr titled "Brutal Tips On Breaking Into Comics" Although I do not have an interest in getting into the Comic industry, I found the post an incredibly interesting read. I thought that I would break down Gail's post, and summarize the information for those who just want the gist of it. SOOOOOO...

How To Get Into The Comic Industry (According to Gail Simone)

Step 1: Know What You're Getting Yourself Into

Don't get all excited about the positive aspects of working in the industry without considering the negatives. Big publishers receive tons of applicants on a daily basis. Free-lancing most likely will not keep you financially sound, so be prepared to make sacrifices. With all the hard work you'll have to put forth just to break into the industry, don't think that you'll be able to sit back and relax and job security when you're starting out.

Step 2: Prepare Yourself

Have a portfolio made. Compare your works to some of your favorites, and ask yourself whether or not you've reached the same level of quality. "You have to be 90% ready and prepared to learn the other 10% immediately." Create a project that fits your likes and talents.

Step 3: What Are You All About?

Identify how you can bring something new to the industry. Create a unique product that a group of people who see tons of offers everyday cannot refuse. Don't try to be the next anybody, just bring something new, and know what that something is.

Step 4: "Get It Seen"


Put your stuff on the web. Put it where people in the industry will see it. Follow other editors/writers/artists on Twitter/Facebook. Make a Tumblr, a blog, or even a webcomic. Provide content that will get people demanding more from you. People in the industry have to want to look at your work. Make a plan on how to get your work out there so the right people can see it.

Step 5: Leave The Right Impression
Your portfolio isn't everything, you need to make them want you. Have work that you would have to produce on the job ready for your interview. Don't make excuses as to why you only have certain material, just be prepared. As far as getting into the industry goes, fan fiction will get you nowhere. If you are lucky enough to get an interview, come prepared and with a plan.



Okay that's it. I tried to make it succinct enough as to not scare anyone away, but the people who really care about this information should definitely take the time to read the original piece.

Gail was discovered because of her website, so I'd like to leave with an excerpt from one of her older posts that pretty much gives her philosophy on how to write good characters.

"It can't all be flowers. I often hear would-be writers pitching their dream DC or Marvel project, and I can't get away from the cloying scent of lilacs in abundance. Yes, we want our heroes to triumph, but if there isn't also the possibility, of failure, of temptation, then I submit this question to you--what in god's name is the point? If you truly love your readers, you will do them the very great favor of poking them with an ice pick, just a little, when they reach down to smell your roses."

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Batman's First Birthday - Gail's Batman History

So I kind of dropped the ball on this one. With all of the stress of school, radio management applications, and work, I forgot about Batman's anniversary. 72 years ago (yesterday) Batman was first introduced in Detective Comics #27. To honor the caped crusaders, let's take a look at all of Gail Simone's contributions to all things Batman.

Birds of Prey
Gail took the helm of Birds of Prey at issue #56 in August of 2003, and continued writing until July of 2007. In May of 2010, a new volume of Birds of Prey began, with Simone still as its scribe. When Simone took over in 2003, she added Huntress to Oracle and Black Canary's team, and all three characters have remained a part of the book since then.

The Birds of Prey can be connected to Batman by their occupation of Gotham City, and their usual team-ups. Because Oracle was the first Batgirl, Bruce places a large amount of trust in her team and allows them to work independently, while occasionally asking for/providing assistance. The Birds of Prey aren't femme fatals. They use their feet more than their "sexuality." To kick asses I mean.

Bane

Batman & Robin ruined Bane. The movie portrayed the character as a weak Arkham inmate who was (un)lucky enough to receive an injection of the steroid, venom. In the actual DC Universe, Bane was an experienced, strong fighter before the venom steroid, and was a tactical genius. I mean, the guy broke down Batman emotionally and physically.

With the release of the new Secret Six series November '08, Simone reintroduced Bane in a new light. Bane has now denounced venom to take on a more "righteous" path, and has created a sort of father-daughter relationship with Scandal Savage. Plus he still kicks all kinds of ass. Bane will most likely always be known as the man who broke the Bat, but for those interested, Simone has developed him into a more interesting and relatable character.

The Pointy-Eared Man Himself



Enough said.

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New Blog vs. The Internet

Do you love comic book character? Do you hate comic book characters? But do you really love comic book character?

Exactly. This blog is for you.

Talking Gorillas is a blog dedicated to Gail Simone's contributions to the comic industry. Whether I'm talking about her writing, characters, or overall loveliness, be prepared for some class A adoration.

Along with covering her poopin' good writing, Talking Gorillas will also highlight Simone's success in fighting that nasty habit of poor character treatment in comics. That's right comic industry, I'm talking about female, minority, and LGBQT characters. AND I'M TALKING TO YOU.

But don't grab your wrist-mounted blades and guns just yet. This blog won't be another "OMG LOOK WHAT THAT COMIC PUBLISHER DID LET'S ATTACK THEM" kind of blog. No no no. Talking Gorillas is purely about Gail Simone's achievements in helping the industry move forward to a safe world for all comic book character and readers.

No more of "the good, the bad, and the ugly." This is all about the good. And the fad. And the pretty. That's right, I said it. Pretty.

Feel free to comment on any Gail-related topics that you'd like to see covered in the future!

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