One of GeekGirlCon’s strongest advocates is none other than Gail Simone, the fantastic comic book writer at DC Comics who has worked on Birds of Prey, Wonder Woman, Batgirl, The Fury of Firestorm, and many other great comics.
We are so fortunate to have her back for GeekGirlCon ‘12, where she’s already scheduled to participate in two panels:
Saturday, August 11, 11:30 a.m. – Gail Simone and the Batgirl of San Diego
Sunday, August 12, 11:30 a.m. – A Fate Worse than Death: The Last “Outsider” in Popular Culture – Disability
However, we knew you couldn’t handle just one panel with Gail, so today, we are happy to announce that Gail will have her own spotlight panel on Sunday, August 12. Check out the details below.
Sunday at 1:30 – 2:20 p.m. (Room 205) SPOTLIGHT ON GAIL SIMONE
This spotlight will start with a freewheeling discussion with critically acclaimed author of comics and animation, Gail Simone, and include a question and answer session at the end. She will be discussing her comics work, from Deadpool to Simpsons to Birds of Prey to Batgirl, as well as her views on females in comics and other social issues. This promises to be a lively hour with this popular and entertaining writer! Moderated by Erica J Heflin
Gail will also be doing a media signing starting at 12:45 p.m. on Saturday (check out our full signing schedule). And just to top off this super sundae of awesomeness with a huge bowl of cherries, Gail will be hanging out in the GeekGirlConnections room from 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. on Sunday. During this hour, Gail will be reviewing portfolios and talking to aspiring writers one-on-one.
Gail has been one of our most vocal advocates from day one. She likely convinced many of you to head to our convention (because when Gail Simone tells us to do something, we listen!). Just today, Gail posted this great blog on her website, previewing the convention and its GeekGirlConnections room.
She also had this to say about GeekGirlCon and the GeekGirlConnections room: “One of the most rewarding things, one of the best reasons for me to go to conventions, is to get to meet aspiring creators, and hopefully help give them a little bit of encouragement and real-world advice on how to attain their goals. It’s inspiring to see someone new and watch them learn to share their art and imagination with the audience.”
We can’t wait to have Gail in town for the weekend and are excited to have two more opportunities for you to interact with her during the convention.
Today is part two of our GeekGirlCon ‘12 preview series.
And in honor of San Diego Comic-Con, we want to talk about Batgirl.
You might be wondering what the heck Batgirl, San Diego Comic-Con, and GeekGirlCon have in common. Well, some of you might have read about Batgirl last year at San Diego Comic-Con, or perhaps you were at the convention to witness the event or heard her talk at GeekGirlCon ‘11.
The “San Diego Comic-Con Batgirl” was the woman who stood up during a DC Comics panel, where they were discussing the unprecedented across-the-board re-launch of DC Comics’ superhero titles in 2011. With the “New 52,” DC Comics went from an already small 12 percent down to one percent female creators. Batgirl, who goes by Kyrax2 online, challenged how women were portrayed by the publisher and asked about the lack of female creators.
Other con-goers began to ask similar questions. When DC Comics co-publisher Dan DiDio asked what the company should do, a man in the crowd shouted, “Hire more women,” and the crowd erupted in cheers. The San Diego Comic-Con Batgirl launched a movement that resulted in a promise from DC to hire more women creators and writers.
Gail Simone
That Batgirl will be at GeekGirlCon ‘12, and she’ll be joined by the fabulous Gail Simone, who is writing the new Batgirl title for DC Comics. Simone will have plenty to talk about, as big things happened to Barbara Gordon (Batgirl) in the past year.
Major things.
Last September, when Batgirl #1 hit the stands, fans saw Barbara Gordon transform from a wheelchair-bound Oracle to the healed Batgirl. Many were shocked by the sudden event, but Simone has explained that Batgirl #1 takes place a whole year since her cure.
The September 2011 issue of Batgirl
Simone has handled the reaction from fans with incredible grace. In fact, here’s what another GeekGirlCon ‘12 guest, Teal Sherer (Venom in The Guild), had to say about Gail:
I’m a huge fan of Gail Simone. She actually tweeted me after seeing my “Oracle Addresses the DC Comics reboot” video to tell me she liked it. She’s one classy lady. She took a lot of heat over the Barbara Gordon being healed controversy, and she handled it beautifully. I can’t wait to meet her in person.
We are so lucky to have both Gail Simone back for our convention this year and are even luckier to have Kyrax2/Batgirl join her for GeekGirlCon ‘12.
On Saturday, August 11, the two will be on a panel titled “Batgirls, One Year Later.” They’ll talk about the future of the Batgirl comic, about Gail’s decisions with the comic series, and about the fateful moment at SDCC last year.
You don’t want to miss it. So be sure to buy your passes now for GeekGirlCon ‘12. It is only one month away!
And while we have you here, let’s talk about comics. What do you think of the new Batgirl title? If Batgirl isn’t your top choice, who is your favorite superheroine in comics?
As we draw closer to GeekGirlCon 2012 (August 11 and 12, get your passes now!), we will be previewing some of the guests and panelists attending and participating in our weekend festivities. We won’t share all the juicy details, just enough to ensure you HAVE to come to GeekGirlCon 2012.
Actress Teal Sherer
Today, the spotlight is on Teal Sherer, an actress who plays the character Venom in The Guildand who also has her own web series coming out this summer, My Gimpy Life. Teal is going to be participating on a panel during GeekGirlCon 2012 titled “The Last ‘Outsider’ in Popular Culture – Disability,” moderated by Day Al-Mohamed.
More than 1 in 10 Americans live with an apparent disability. But this isn’t reflected in books, comics, films, or television. In fact, did you know that less than 2 percent of TV show characters display a disability, and only 0.5 percent have speaking roles? Day, Teal, and other panelists (including Gail Simone!) will examine the reluctance to include characters with disabilities, as well as some of the common myths, stereotypes, and controversies using examples from popular and geek culture, personal experiences in the industry, and discourse with audience members.
You won’t want to miss this panel, or the great answers Teal shared with GeekGirlCon PR Manager Susie Rantz. Enjoy!
When did you first get involved with acting?
In college at Oglethorpe University in Atlanta. I had to take a theatre class as part of my Communications major and fell madly in love thanks to my amazing professor Troy Dwyer. Troy cast me in my first play Federico García Lorca’s The House of Bernarda Alba. I played one of the daughters, Amelia. Because it was a period piece I had to use an antique wheelchair which was pretty cool.
Blogger, vlogger, columnist, and author of several books, Bonnie Burton is a geeky tour de force. Her website includes celebrity interviews with prominent geek girls like Felicia Day, Adrianne Curry, and Margaret Cho. As a staff writer for StarWars.com, she has developed a large fan base. Burton recently wrote The Star Wars Craft Book, which was featured in Star Wars Insider Magazine, and will help Burton will host crafts at the first-ever GeekGirlCon. Her dedication to Star Wars knows no bounds. On August 13, 2010, Burton wed her long-time sweetheart, R2D2. Nearing their first anniversary, GeekGirlCon wishes them well.
Nancy and Belle Holder are a delightful duo with many accomplishments between them. Nancy Holder is an acclaimed author who has written geeky novels, short stories, and articles. Her blog includes contests and highlights her appearances, upcoming work, and book releases. Her love for Joss Whedon’s work is illustrated by her significant contributions to Whedon-themed writing. Nancy’s work was featured in GeekGirlCon’s June book club selection, Whedonistas: A Celebration of the Worlds of Joss Whedon by the Women Who Love Them.
Belle Holder is a renaissance girl. Among her many interests, she is involved in crafts, science, costuming, and gaming. Bell is a go-getter who attended the San Francisco Maker Faire and the San Diego City Science Fair. As a mother-daughter team, Nancy and Belle joined forces to create the character of Lightening Merriemouse-Jones. They will be signing for charity at San Diego Comic Con’s California Browncoat booth .
Greg Rucka
Photo Credit: Linnea Osterberg
Greg Rucka is a powerhouse author with topics spanning a variety of geeky genres. He has written a variety of novels, short-stories, and comics. Whiteout, a comic he created with Steve Lieber, was made in to a major motion picture. Rucka also wrote the storyline for Syphone Filter: Logan’s Shadow and created comics featuring Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. Rucka’s Stumptown was announced as a nominee for a Best Limited Series Eisner award, and his I Am An Avenger contribution was nominated for a Best Short Story Eisner award. GeekGirlCon wishes him luck at the San Diego Comic Con Awards.
Greg’s website recently announced his involvement with Tr!ckster, showcasing his latest creative project, Lady Sabre & The Pirates of the Ineffable Aether. Follow his twitter account and blog for more information on his upcoming appearances and recent achievements.
Trina Robbins
Trina Robbins is an experienced geek girl and writer. She has created a variety of characters and written about many genres and topics. As an author and herstorian, Robbins has made splash writing about Women in with such titles as Eternally Bad: Goddesses with Attitude and The Great Women Superheroes. Her blog features many of her adventures and upcoming publications. She is currently visiting San Diego Comic Con and has dedicated a separate portion of her blog to this year’s exploits. Robbins’ work has previously been nominated an Eisner award and a Harvey award. As a speaker, she has lectured in many prestigious locations. GeekGirlCon looks forward to her contributions this October.
Gail Simone
Gail Simone has written a variety of comics for DC and won several awards for her work. She took over writingBirds of Prey and Wonder Woman. Simone’s blog discusses prominent discrimination in comics, including (but not limited to) gender, race, and sexual orientation. Her ground-breaking list entitled Women in Refrigerators illustrates the many comics depicting violence toward women.
