A former hairdresser, Gail Simone became known in the comics world for her satirical column on the Internet, where she poked fun at all aspects of the industry.

She is now an established comic book writer and is best known for penning DC Comics' Birds of Prey. Her other works include Wonder Woman, Justice League, X-men Unlimited, the children's series Gus Beezer, Teen Titans and Bart Simpsons Comics. She has also written for other media, including the critically-respected Justice League Unlimited animated TV series. She is now working on several projects in the game and film industries.

Giving her age as "100 years old" in her MySpace profile, Ms Simone currently lives on the Oregon coast in the United States with her husband, son, and two "ill-trained" dogs.

She tells AsiaOne about her switch in careers and what makes a comic book writer.

Q Is being a professional graphic novelist or comic book writer something you have always wanted?

A Actually, no. It never seemed a reachable goal. It is very difficult to break into mainstream comics in America. Many very dedicated creators print their own comics first, but I had no idea how to go about such an endeavour, and I can?t draw even stick figures, so realistically, such a thing seemed impossible.

Q So how did you become a comic book writer?

A I actually got a beautician's license and had my own salon for many years. I enjoyed it, but a friend of mine suggested I do some creative things in my spare time. I had been an English major in college, and I've always loved writing, so that seemed a good fit.

I wrote humour columns on the Internet, for my own benefit mostly, and they became strangely popular, and were circulated extensively among creative types in the comics industry and in Hollywood. It became a favorite with editors, and several wrote offering me work.

Q How did you get your first job?

A A very talented artist/animator named Scott Shaw! (he spells it with an exclamation point) read my columns, and he simply insisted that I send in samples to Bongo Comics, the company owned by Matt
Groening, creator of the Simpsons animated series. I was a bit reluctant. I thought that taking a job with Bongo meant taking work away from a REAL writer. But Scott was relentless, and so I tried it and just love it. It's wonderful to see my words being drawn by a gifted artist. And I've been offered much more work than I can handle since. I find it challenging and exciting, and it's wonderful to meet the readers at events like this one (Singapore Writers Festival or SWF).

Q What is the most difficult part of being a graphic novelist?

A Oh, I suspect it's the same for all writers - trying to make sure the ideas are fresh and the execution is as good as I can possibly make it. I feel a strict responsibility to the readers and to myself, as well as to the other creative people working on each issue. I don't want to let any of them down, or to let myself down, either.

Q For you, artist or writer first in comics? Why?

A For decades, the art in most comics was mainly there to service the story. The art had to be clear, rather than distinctive, in most cases, although there were exceptions, of course. Then we went through a period where superstar artists were the draw in the industry, and storytelling almost became a lost art.

I think the preference should be for both to be top-notch, and if the writer and artist are of like minds, if they work together well, then they are able to achieve something that is greater than the sum of its parts.

Q What skills are vital to being a good comic book writer?

A Oh, there are many; a good eye for humanity and a good ear for dialogue, the ability to condense a scene into its bare essentials and still maintain a sense of reality, an understanding of visuals and the real estate of each page and panel, just to start.

Comics is an extremely diverse medium. In the US, many people are very unaware of what a vibrant and powerful art form it is - they're used to, perhaps, Disney comics and Spider-man, and are unaware of the independent, very mature comics produced in America, let alone the wonderful material produced in Asia and Europe and elsewhere.

So I always feel a part of our job is to be ambassadors for the art form we all love so much, to help people see the diversity of material out there.

Q Are you writing full-time? If so, what is a typical day - if there's such a thing - like for you?

A Yes, a little bit more than full-time, most weeks. I have a husband and son, and two loud dogs, so I use the day mostly for answering email, talking with artists and editors and the like, and then I work at night when it's quiet, without distractions. I often work the night through, then get up to get my son to school, and nap in the afternoons as best as I can.

Q Compared to men, there are few women in this industry. What do you think is the reason?

A Well, it's true that there are few female mainstream writers. But, there are many women in the industry, as artists, editors, staffers, and journalists. I was recently at a comics panel in New Zealand with two other women and one man, and no one thought it was odd, which is a big change from even just a few years ago. There is also a great number of females writing and drawing mini-comics, independent books, and webcomics.

With the mainstream companies, like DC (where I work primarily, as I am under exclusive contract with them for any comics work I do), or Marvel, I believe it was only recently that the companies realised there was even a female audience, let alone would-be writers.

Up until the fifties and even sixties, there were a great many comics aimed at girls in the States, then they almost completely disappeared. But, the Internet is bringing women back to comics in very surprising numbers and the companies will have to adapt to supply these new readers, in my opinion.

Q Does gender make a difference in this profession? Why?

A I think there is a difference in perception. Until not long ago, a female writer would be typecast in the kinds of books she would be offered. But, I think that time is past - I'm writing Wonder Woman now, but I've also been offered Superman, the Justice League, and other books with male leads. I believe the audience is actually very open to the idea. They just want good stories.

DC in particular has bent over backwards to make sure my voice is heard and my opinion counted. Times are changing, for the better!

That said, I'd love to see lots more women involved, and more people from outside the US, as well, although quite a few of the most popular creators in American comics live outside the US. It gives us a wider perspective, thank goodness.

Q Singapore has a late start developing this creative industry. In general, we are only beginning to see more interest in this field. Anything that a budding comic writer can do to catch up?

A There's never been a better time to try. At one time, it was almost impossible to break in unless you went to New York City, where most of the larger companies are. But that's no longer the case, now that the Internet is such a huge part of the business.

I was writing professionally for a long time before ever meeting anyone in the industry face-to-face, and in fact, only went to the DC offices in NYC for the first time less than a year ago.

Many of the artists I work with are Brazilian, Chinese, or Australian. I personally love working with artists whose life experiences are so different from my own.

The truth is, the comics readership is hungry for writers from other countries, I believe. Manga and European graphic albums sell very well in the States. We were slow to catch on to the world market, but that's changing as well.

My best advice is to work on your art, be it writing, penciling, colouring, inking, painting, whatever, constantly. All the time. Talent knows no border, and talent will be recognised.

Q Is being a graphic novelist a good mid-career move? Or it is better to start young? Why?

A Well, I started a bit late, but it's been a wonderful career for me, and I've never been happier. I get to travel extensively, the readers are wonderful, the artists I work with are remarkable. I highly recommend it!

But you have to be prepared - most people breaking in get a lot of rejections before they get regular work, or they end up spending their own money to print their own books, and that is a very risky proposition if you want all your money back, let alone to make a profit.

If you really have a love for the medium, and a burning desire to tell stories, you'll be willing to sacrifice at first, just like almost any creative career.

Q Can you become rich and famous as a graphic novelist? Why?

A It does happen, certainly. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles started as a comic book produced by two guys in a garage on money they borrowed from relatives. Frank Miller, who wrote Sin City and 300 as comics, I'm sure did quite nicely out of their huge hit film adaptations.

But, for most of us, I don't think getting rich and famous is the goal. You can make a very decent living, and you can be well known in the industry, but it's not like the average taxi driver or waiter is going to give you the star treatment, as they have no idea who you are. There is only a handful of names of people, who started in comics, who have really attained household name status, but for most of us, that's fine.

I certainly have no desire to be famous, I just want to tell stories. I'm paid very well, and I'm delighted about that, but I'm not out looking for a movie deal, really. If it happens, wonderful, if not, I'm still very happy.

Q What is the most misunderstood or cliche thing that others assume about the comic book writer?

A Well, as I said, many people think comics haven't changed or expanded since they read comics as a child, so they think, if I write comics, I must be writing Archie or Spider-Man. Sometimes it's nice - people have tremendous affection for, say, Wonder Woman, and when I tell them I write her book, they have a nice memory of the television series, or reading her adventures as a child.

But, I write a lot of other material as well, characters I've created, and that's a harder thing to explain. All I can do is write the best books I can and hand out copies.

Gail Simone will be in Singapore on Dec 1-2 as one of the participants in this year's Singapore Writers Festival (SWF). Catch up with Ms Simone at these events:

• Dec 1, 2 - 3pm
  MEET-THE-AUTHOR: Gail Simone
  Chamber, The Arts House
• Dec 1, 4 - 5pm
  IN CONVERSATIONS WITH: For Adults Only (with Kurt Busiek)
  Chamber, The Arts House
• Dec 2, 1 - 2pm
  FICTION FACTORY: The Wonder of Women
  Play Den, The Arts House

For more information, visit the SWF website.

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