SIMONSON, WALTER (WALT) 579
their thoughts. Simone went on to write a weekly column called “You’ll All Be Sorry” for
the Web site Comic Book Resources (1999–2003). She later began scripting Simpsons
comics for Bongo.
Marvel Comics’ Joe Quesada suggested Simone pitch for the title Deadpool which
was later revamped as Agent X. Simone left Marvel over creative diff erences and began
work at DC Comics where she wrote for various titles, including Action Comics, and a
Rose and Th orn limited series (2004). Simone also wrote Killer Princesses for Oni Press
with co-creator and artist Lea Hernandez.
In 2003, Simone took over DC’s Birds of Prey title (formerly written by Chuck
Dixon) with issue #56 and added Helena Bertinelli/Huntress to the line-up of Barbara
Gordon/Oracle and Dinah Lance/Black Canary. Under her direction, Birds of Prey
became one of DC’s steadiest selling and most critically acclaimed books. Simone’s
success as a comic book writer, as well as her enjoyment of it, led her to give up hair-
dressing to focus on writing full-time. In 2006, she was the writer for a limited series
of Th e Secret Six , a DC superhero team that originated in the Silver Age. In 2007, she
took over writing duties on Wonder Woman with Issue #14. Additionally, Simone’s
commitment to creating diverse casts of characters led her to win a Glyph Comics
Award for Best Female Character in Th omasina Lindo—one of the lead characters in
Welcome to Tranquility—a creator-owned comic published by WildStorm. Simone has
also worked on a reboot of Gen for WildStorm and All-New Atom for DC. She has also
done work in scripting for television and fi lms based on comics. She wrote an episode
of Justice League Unlimited and early drafts of the Wonder Woman animated direct-to-
DVD feature fi lm that was released in 2009.
Selected Bibliography: Garrity, Shaenon. “Th e Gail Simone Interview.” Th e Comics
Journal 286 (November 2007): 68–69; Stuller, Jennifer K. Ink-stained Amazons and
Cinematic Warriors: Superwomen in Modern Mythology. New York: I. B. Tauris, 2010.
Jennifer K. Stuller
SIMONSON, WALTER (WALT) (1946–). Born in Knoxville, Tennessee, comic book
writer and artist Walter Simonson graduated from Rhode Island School of Design in
- His thesis project Star Slammers would serve as his fi rst portfolio and would later
form the basis for a graphic novel and a miniseries. His widely recognizable signature
in the shape of a brontosaurus refl ects his early interest in paleontology. Although he
started in the industry illustrating war comics for DC Comics and other companies,
Simonson’s big break actually came from writer Archie Goodwin, who invited him
to draw Manhunter in 1973, which ran in the back of Detective Comics. Simonson’s
four-year stay with DC also included reviving the Metal Men.
At Marvel Comics, Simonson did a number of comic book movie adaptations
including Battlestar Galactica, and Star Wars, and worked on X-Factor with his wife,
writer Louise Simonson. He is best known for taking over Th e Mighty Th or in 1983
and creating story arcs that raised the level of the book to that of its earlier Stan Lee/
