My Influences #2 - Gail Simone (a continuing list)

October 31, 2016 / Chris Morris

I have had many influences over the years, usually in comic books, but this also extends to movies (both animated and live action), TV Shows (again both animated and live action), plays, music, books and on and on. I'm going to start this list and see where it takes me...

Gail Simone

In an earlier post, I professed my love for "Birds of Prey", starting from the beginning with Chuck Dixon's initial run. I loved the relationship between Oracle (Barbara Gordon) and Black Canary (Dinah Lance). Then along came Gail Simone and she took BoP up a notch...

Backing things up a bit, Gail Simone, a longtime comics fan, but concerned about the treatment of women in the medium, started a website called "Women in Refrigerators", pointing out all the examples of women being treated as objects, a story point discarded or killed in order to make the male star (98% WHITE male star) something to get mad about. Simone's passion came through the screen, and people in the comics industry took notice.

"Fridging" became a comic book term thanks to Gail Simone

It took me awhile longer to notice, though. As stated above, I've already talked about my love of The Birds of Prey, first written by Chuck Dixon but eventually taken over by Gail Simone. I love that book and look around on this blog, you'll find out why! So I'll skip BoP and go right to the OTHER main reason I love Gail Simone...SECRET SIX!

Around 2004, DC Comics was getting ready to do a sequel to it's huge 1985 series CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS, which re-did all of DC's continuity. But there wasn't just going to be a INFINITE CRISIS series, they also launched four six-issue mini-series as well; The OMAC Project, Rann-Thanagar War, Day of Vengeance and Villains United! The first three were good, but to me, Villains United was amazing! In the series, Lex Luthor and a team of united villains (hence the title) were getting ready to wreak havoc on the DCU. But there were six villains who didn't want to play along and they formed the Secret Six. Catman, Deadshot, Cheshire, Ragdoll, Scandal and Parademon, with their mysterious leader Mockingbird, who no one on the team knew the identity of.

Right away, the unlikely group fought together, lived together, bickered like crazy and had amazing adventures. Sounds like a great idea for an ongoing series (PS I totally stole this idea for myself, but not as well!). After Villains United wrapped up in December 2005, a Secret Six mini-series was published to test the waters. Later the Six guest starred memorably in Simone's BoP, including a big fight between the two teams and some great interplay.

Finally in 2008, an official Secret Six series was launched. While a wonderful, critically acclaimed series (voted 4th best comic run of the entire decade by IGN; the whole "Get out of Hell Free" card run alone is worth your money), it wasn't commercially successful and unfortunately only lasted 36 issues. But it's legacy lingers on - there is now a new version of the team, a New 52 version, alot different than the other, but still worth a read. It is written by Gail Simone after all!

Justice League Unlimited's "Double Date" starring Green Arrow, Black Canary at odds with Huntress and The Question written by Gail Simone!

Gail Simone has become a comic book powerhouse, working with DC, Marvel and other companies, writing books such as Deadpool, Red Sonja, Action Comics, Wonder Woman, Batgirl, The All-New Atom, Welcome to Tranquility, The Movement, Leaving Megapolis and others! She has also written on my as-stated-before beloved Justice League Unlimited, writing the episode "Double Date", starring Green Arrown, Black Canary, The Question and Huntress, as well as for the great "Batman Brave and Bold" cartoon, "The Mask of Matches Malone!".

Simone's popularity and influence in the industry is legend these days, as can be shown with two recent examples, both involving Batgirl. With the New 52 company re-launch in 2011, DC Comics decided to take Barbara Gordon out of her wheelchair and put her back under the cowl as Batgirl, removing one of the most loved characters in comics, Oracle.

Oracle meant alot to many people, including myself, as not only was a fantastic character, but she was one of the few disabled characters in comics. Alot of people hated this, but the backlash could have been worse, as DC selected Simone to write the new ongoing Batgirl comic. People, including myself, thought "Well, if Gail is writing the book...I'll give it a chance..." That’s powerful!

The second example of Simone's popularity is when she was apparently being fired from Batgirl. Word spread on the internet that this was happening, and, seemingly at the time, the entire internet rallied around Simone and it lead to her being re-hired as Batgirl's writer. There is alot of unrest on the angry internet, everyday in fact. But not alot comes of it, usually. This was one example where the internet did some good.

I have had the pleasure of meeting and speaking to Gail Simone a few times recently, and she has always been incredibly gracious and polite, even with me stammering and trying hard to say the right thing, but really probably talking nonsense and gibberish. Her husband Scott is also a wonderful person and great to talk to. I got to talk to him alot at the 2016 San Diego Comic Con, as Gail was doing press and he would be standing by, waiting, and he at one point saw me and pointed and said "Hey you!". We talked for a half hour, and then again a few more times during the con. And thanks to him, I finally got a picture with my writing idol after the Birds of Prey 20th Anniversary Panel. I usually am too shy to ask for pictures but Scott could see this and helped me get a picture with Gail. At least that's my interpretation of what happened. And then I went a little nuts and wanted pictures with everyone who was on the panel! And then I wanted a picture with Scott himself. He seemed shocked but went along with it. :) And I'll always be thankful to him. Well both of them, of course!

Follow Gail Simone on Twitter @GailSimone

Follow Gail's husband Scott on Twitter @RocketSpouse

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My Influences #1 - Dwayne McDuffie (a continuing list...)

September 30, 2016 / Chris Morris

DWAYNE MCDUFFIE

My favourite TV series of all-time is Justice League Unlimited. I LOVE that show. I'll watch it over and over, whether happy or sad, doesn't matter...it just works. According to his Wikipedia page, Dwayne McDuffie wrote, produced or story-edited 69 out of the 91 episodes.

The final run of the "Cadmus" storyline, in particular, saw McDuffie write or co-write the last seven episodes of the season, from "Clash" (where a jaded Superman encounters a naive Shazam) to "Hunter's Moon" (an underrated team-up of Hawkgirl, Vixen and the awesome VIGILANTE) to "Question Authority" (The Question becomes a legendary character) to "Flashpoint" (Superman is a badass and so is Amanda Waller) to "Panic in the Sky" (every character in the JLU is given a moment to shine) to "Divided We Fall" (wrap up to the whole storyline) and then finally "Epilogue" (a crossover with Batman Beyond starring an elderly Amanda Waller that is one of the best Batman stories ever!).

I can't sufficiently explain how much these stories mean to me. I watch them for entertainment, for the wow factor, to see how these characters can be brought to life on my TV screen if done properly. I also dissect them, specifically the writing, how the characters' personalities are shown through actions and dialogue...I could go on but I'm not as good a writer as Dwayne McDuffie so it would be futile. In the last season of JLU, McDuffie brought us "I Am Legion", "To Another Shore", "The Great Brain Robbery", "Far From Home" and the season finale "Destroyer". Sadly, a show that should have gone on forever stopped there.

McDuffie wasn't done though, continuing on writing the Justice League movies "Crisis on Two-Earths", "All-Star Superman" and "Justice League Doom". Even the first two seasons of Justice League, where the creative team was trying to find their footing before JLU, there are great episodes, usually with McDuffie involved. My favourite is "Hereafter", a touching Superman story that I highly recommend to anyone.

After learning who McDuffie was thanks to the Special Features on the JLU DVD's, I wanted to learn more about him.

I learned that he was one of the people behind "Milestone Comics", a 90's minority-owned comic studio that sought to bring african-american super heroes to the world.

He brought us Static Shock the animated series. And worked on the Teen Titans and Ben 10 animated universes as well.

He brought us Marvel's Damage Control.

He had a run on the Justice League comic book and was fired after being honest with fans online about the creative process.

He wrote a PRINCE comic book!

*Fun facts: McDuffie was Prince’s cousin and half-brother to Keegan Michael Key of “Key and Peele”.

Unfortunately he passed away on February 21st, 2011. I can only imagine what his talents would have brought us in those intervening years. What would he have thought of the New 52, for instance?

If you've never heard of Dwayne McDuffie, look him up. Start with the JLU episodes I mentioned above. Then check out the documentary "A Legion of One: The Dwayne McDuffie Story" included on the Justice League Doom DVD and Blu-Rays. He's definitely worthy of the name "legend". And his influence will continue, both in the written word, but also with "The Dwayne McDuffie Fund".

From the GoFundMe page:

"Today, a Dwayne McDuffie gofundme campaign exists to continue his legacy. The funds raised here by his estate and handled by his widow, Charlotte (Fullerton) McDuffie, are to help establish The Dwayne McDuffie Foundation, which will be a non-profit organization to award academic scholarships for diverse students. The fund will also continue to keep Dwayne’s vision alive by managing and maintaining an archival website for research purposes, and applying on behalf of Dwayne’s fans for his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Diversity in entertainment is an on-going effort, more important now than ever. In his all-too-brief lifetime, Dwayne McDuffie had only just begun his meaningful work that is left for us to continue.

Thank you all in advance for your contributions and for sharing Dwayne’s vision."

I've donated to the cause, and you should too! Here is the link to the GoFundMe campaign: https://www.gofundme.com/DwayneMcDuffieFund

And while you are in a reading mood, here are some great articles about Mr. McDuffie...enjoy!

- Help Launch "The Dwayne McDuffie Fund"

- The Wife of Legendary Comic Writer Dwayne McDuffie Wants to Make Sure People Never Forget His Legacy

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Comic Con San Diego 2016 Reflections

August 22, 2016 / Chris Morris

This year was my fourth year attending San Diego Comic Con. I first attended in 2010, then again in 2014, 2015 and then 2016. My first time in 2010 was a part of a road trip and a huge whirlwind experience; my first time in California, first time in Los Angeles, first time in San Diego, first time DRIVING to Las Vegas and so on. All this in a rental car because my actual car broke down in Medford, Oregon (I'll always remember the name of the city Medford thanks to "Double Indemnity"; unfortunately no one IN Medford ever said to me "I'm a Medford man..."). Maybe one day I'll write a long article about it but for now...2016!

2016 Comic Con in San Diego was the best one yet for me personally! I got over some of my fears and insecurities, got to hang out with some amazing people and spread the word about "The Supers" project! Also it was an emotional, soul-searching kind of trip, as I was at one point actually re-considering this whole comic book thing but then not long after, more determined than ever to get this sucker done! It was quite the emotional ride!

I love attending panels at Comic Con. I'm not a Hall H guy...I figure whatever exclusive footage they show there will be online soon after. It's usually my routine at night after getting back to my hotel...check out that day's new trailers online, then go to bed. I'm not a line-up-for-autographs kind of guy. Even at smaller cons when it's not that busy, I generally leave "celebrities" alone (although I did get to meet some AWESOME celebrities at this con...more about that later...).

But again, I love panels! I love learning things at comic cons. I tend to gravitate towards panels such as "Comic Book Law School" and writer's panels...I always take notes and get inspired. At so many panels this year, I would get a sudden inspiration after a simple comment by someone on the panel, then I would type it all into my "Notes" on my iPhone. Lots and lots of notes for future issues of "The Supers." It's a wonderful, creative, energetic atmosphere to be around. So why, at one point, was i ready to give this all up?

I attended the panel for Diamond Distribution. They were very encouraging to people, asking who in the crowd wanted to self-publish their own books and wanted to have it distributed through Diamond and a bunch of us put our hand up. These two guys seemed really cool, genuinely loved comic books and wanted to help others accomplish their goals. Then they changes slides on their power point presentation and the subject was "What NOT to do if you want to be distributed by Diamond...NO SUPER HEROES!" I was, of course, flattened, like I'd been struck by a speeding train. Or a powerful bullet, one of the two. They explained that since DC and Marvel and others were focusing on Super Hero comics, then you shouldn't bother, cause they have the market cornered. They were nice about it and said "This isn't a set-in-stone rule, but for the most part..." so the door was left open for a really good, eye-catching super hero project. But it was a slim chance.

This wasn't the first time I'd heard this...in fact many people had told me not to do a Super Hero comic book. But for some reason THESE GUYS made it ring through my ears. Why bother? This project isn't THAT great to be the exception to the rule...nothing I do will ever be THAT great. And I didn't necessarily want to cry or get really upset...I took the news quite well, I think. I smiled and exhaled and thought to myself..."Oh well, it was fun while it lasted." Also "Should I even bother finishing the book?....should I just call it quits now?"

But then a couple of things happened...I had printed off about 200 postcards featuring "The Supers" and dropped about 50 off the first day at the "Free Table" inside the Sails Pavilion. I walked by later on, around noon as I was heading to a panel on the otherside of the Convention Center and I notices all my postcards were gone. I asked the man in charge if he had put them out and he said yes and they were the most popular postcards at the table and asked if I had more with me. I said no but I had more back at the hotel and would bring more the next morning. I did that and all four days, the same thing happened...they would quickly be snatched up by people and the whole stack would be gone by noon. So that felt good.

Then I went to a panel called ".Insights for Independant Creators" that was moderated by Charlotte McDuffie Fullerton (wife of one of my writing heroes, Dwayne McDuffie and quite a great writer herself!) and on the panel was a friend of mine, Hannibal Tabu, so it was a no-brainer for me. Also on the panel was a writer/artist named Russell Nohelty (@russellnohelty on Twitter)...he took over the panel, and was quite adament about EVERYTHING he said. I kinda was worried he was coming off a bit rude at first, but then I slowly realised he was just intense and incredibly passionate about what he was talking about. Later, he became even more intense and said (going off memory, this is what I remember he said) "I made a graphic novel, ten years ago, it put me $10,000 in debt. But then I made a second graphic novel, and it put me another $10,000 in debt. But then the books got around, I went to comic cons with them, I got to meet people and opportunities came from that. Sure I was $20,000 in debt, but who cares about that? And right now, today in 2016, I am at San Diego Comic Con, on a PANEL, with published books and more work coming my way. So my point is, MAKE YOUR BOOK! MAKE YOUR GRAPHIC NOVEL! MAKE YOUR COMIC BOOK! It might take ten years but you'll get to be on a panel at comic con and be working in the industry! Trust me, it's worth it!"

Now, I was rejuvenated! I wanted to run up and hug him but I didn't cause he was still intense and kinda scary but he had said exactly what I needed to hear! Really, in this life we live today, when aren't we going to be in debt? If I don't finish this book, I might not have as much debt in ten years but I will have regret and wonder about "what if?"

So hopefully The Supers will be finished soon, books will be printed and after you are done reading this you will be able to purchase The Supers #1. Cause this book is going to be completed. Not just because I want to...Cause I HAVE TO!

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BLOG #1 - Why Not?

June 29, 2016 / Chris Morris

So why at this point in my life am I self-publishing a comic book? Why not?

I have been fascinated by comic books my whole life. I remember going into a general store in a small town in Northern BC in Canada, seeing a "spinner rack" full of comic books and wanting all of them. I settled on an issue of World's Finest, the Superman/Batman monthly team up book. They were fighting Dr. Double-X. A Google search tells me it was #276. Also in that book, Green Arrow was involved in a prison riot, another story starred Zatanna, another starred Hawkman and yet another starred the Captain Marvel (Shazam) family. All this for $1; for "Non-stop action Cover to Cover!" That's the first comic I remember owning. And soon after, I had many more comics, boxes of them! I remember getting ready for a sleepover at a friends' house, he had told me to bring some comics, and I couldn't decide which one to bring, so I brought them all! Somehow they managed to all fit into my backpack! Can't do that today!

World's Finest Comics #276 - $1 of Non-Stop Action Cover to Cover!

My favourite was always Justice League of America, the George Perez era! To this day, when I think of the Justice League (or The New Teen Titans for that matter) I think of Perez's designs. They filled my dreams with adventures starring the greatest superheroes in the world! I vividly remember reading #212 over and over again, as it was basically one long fight scene, very little dialogue (ironic for me, as you'll get to know my work) and no context...from page #1 the entire JLA must team up, in groups of two or three, of course, all over the world to fight off an alien invasion. I'm sure there was a reason the aliens were invading (it had to do with THAT MAN in the middle of the cover!) but I didn't care!

Justice League of America #212 by George Perez

After school I remember getting on my bike and as a "latch-key kid" (a kid with two parents who worked, no one waiting for me at home) I could go to my favorite used book store/comic store and look at the comics. I would stand there going through all the comics, the covers at first, make a stack and look at them all. The store manager, Roz, says now that she never minded, as I would always take care of the books and when I was done, I would put them back neatly where I found them.

One book I also loved was DC Comics Presents, a monthly book where Superman took turns teaming with every DC superhero/heroine and sometimes even villain in the universe! Superman was always my favorite (I never really got why people liked Batman, still to this day really...) and I would always love his adventures teaming up with He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, The Phantom Stranger AND The Joker (all in one issue!), THE GLOBAL GUARDIANS (more on them later) and O.M.A.C. Even the Legion of Substitute Heroes got a chance to team up with the Man of Steel! The covers, of course always got my attention. Whether it was Superman and Wonder Woman making out in front of the Washington Monument or Supes and Shazam punching each other at just the right moment, the covers were what initially got my attention.

The more I look back at the covers that caught my attention the most, they had something in common...usually they featured Superman throwing a punch, or about to throw a punch. Something that simple fascinated me.

Another comic book I loved was the New Teen Titans, also by George Perez but by Marv Wolfman and, unlike the action heavy JLA, who left the character development to their characters to their name sake's titles, TT was about action but also emotion! We got to know them as people, and part of that reason was they lived together, dated each other, were like family...they were still discovering their powers! The Judas Contract storyline hit me like a ton of bricks! Robin became Nightwing, finally his own man! Now comics weren't just about action but also I cared about the characters! Their villains were badass! Deathstroke, Slade Wilson, HIVE and The Fearsome Five were all badass!

But when it came to INFLUENCE, nothing comes close to the BWAHAHAHA era of the Justice League International. After the 1st DCU reboot, Crisis on Infinite Earths (long story, you probably know it) all the titles were relaunched and alot of the DC big names were off limits, so the creative team of Keith Giffin, J.M. DeMatteis and Kevin Macguire had to take a rag-tag group of superheroes and do something DIFFERENT with them. Batman was allowed, along with Jonn Jonzz and Black Canary from the old JLA, add Blue Beetle, Mr. Miracle and Oberon, Green Lantern Guy Gardner, Booster Gold, Rocket Red, Captain Atom and newcomer Maxwell Lord and have them not only have some great adventures (largely forgotten now) but the biggest ingredient was HUMOUR! It was genuinely LAUGH OUT LOUD funny!

Justice League #1 (remember this cover!) :)

I remember in particular reading issue #8, an issue where the JLI don't fight villains but MOVE INTO THEIR NEW HQ! That's the entire issue! It was only about them moving and all the humor and misadventures that came along with that! SUPERHEROES ON MOVING DAY! It was amazing! I laugh just thinking about it now...when Mr. Miracle crashes the new JLI jet into the roof...great stuff!

Later the League expanded to two teams, another one called Justice League Europe, who would tangle with another former super hero team, The Global Guardians! The Guardians included superheroes from countries all over the world! Godiva from England! The Wild Huntsman from Germany! Green Flame from Brazil! Jack O'Lantern from Ireland! Rising Sun from Japan! Icemaiden from Iceland! The Olympian from Greece! These heroes didn't get their own series, so they appeared here and there, and when they did, I would grab that comic immediately! I remember as a kid collecting The Super Friends comic and in particular loving the two-part story where the Super Friends have to team up with the Global Guardians to SAVE VILLAINS! Craziness, of course, ensued!

Super Friends #45 & #46 featuring The Global Guardians! How could you see this cover and NOT buy it!

The Global Guardians caught my attention and I've been fascinated with the idea of other superheroes ever since. I mean, why were all the superheroes American? And white, for that matter? What's up with that? And then later, I fell in love with another book, The Birds of Prey and one character in particular, ORACLE!

Birds of Prey, at first by Chuck Dixon but made famous by Gail Simone!

Oracle, the paralysed former-Batgirl Barbara Gordon, still wanting to fight crime but unable to physically, becomes a computer hacker and field leader for The Birds of Prey, a team that at first consisted of Black Canary but later included Huntress and several other great female characters. I loved the early adventures, with Oracle sending Canary on covert missions all over the world, their banter together, the trust that forms between them despite Canary not knowing who Oracle really is, and that moment they finally meet in issue #21 is historical!

I loved Oracle as a character, but later I would find out that she was more than just a comic book character. Oracle was one of the few characters in wheelchairs (without powers, I might add) and she meant something to ALOT of people. Especially after DC Comics did their 2nd (3rd?) reboot with The New 52 and took Oracle away from us and put Barbara back in the Batgirl suit. Alot of issues came to the front in those days...it was the first time I really felt the power of the Internet and Social media. Why couldn't there be an Oracle? Why aren't there more Black Superheroes? Latino superheroes? Gay or LGBT superheroes? Canadian superheroes? Coincidentally around that same time I started a podcast, Trilogy Comes in 3, later Trilogy Spoilers!, and got to vent my frustrations. But somewhere along the way, I decided to not just complain about it, but to do something about it.

I had wanted to write a comic book for years. I always loved ensemble casts, even when I wrote screenplays or plays, I just got bored writing one character. I loved having three, four, five characters in scenes for them to play off of. I know that came from my love of the Justice League but also The Teen Titans, The Outsiders and many other team books. So a team book was what I wanted to do. Being Canadian meant that there HAD to be a Canadian on the team! And I loved the idea of this team not being THAT TEAM, being a few notches below the top guys, the type of superheroes who might be watching an alien invasion on TV rather than stopping it themselves...there was humor there, I thought. And there had to be HUMOR! Everything in 2011 in comics was DEAD SERIOUS! Even when they rebooted the Justice League International, it was serious. No jokes, no lighter tone...nothing. Comics should never take itself too seriously. If anyone was going to be doing a "Brokeback" pose, it was the guys! If anyone was going to be "fridged", it was going to be a dude!

And if a character wore a skimpy costume, it was for a good reason! Characters will die and come back! The team will have more women than men, have black people, LGBT heroes, a hero in a wheelchair, a hero with alopecia, a hero who is balding and has a beer gut, a hero who texts during fights, a hero who has a normal body compared to "normal people" but in a typical super-outfit, feels self-conscious...like normal people! Cause everyone deserves to have a hero of their own!

So The New 52 happened in summer of 2011. Here I am, on Canada Day of 2016, launching the website for The Supers: 3rd Best Superhero Team in the World! It's been a long five years, working with the amazing Ricky Gunawan, the artist who draws what my brain writes. And I am very proud of what The Supers have become! I hope you enjoy it!

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