EARTH PRIME TIME: GAIL SIMONE FIRED FROM BATGIRL

Batgirl #5 - Ardian SyafSomething’s amiss in Gotham and the Bat-Family is suffering a huge loss. Sure, some of us have been dumped by text messages or have accidentally posted “I Quit” status updates on our companies’ Facebook page, thinking it was our own. We’ve never been fired for being a role model over e-mail. Last Wednesday, our holiest of comic book days,Gail Simone was fired from DC Comics. What forensic evidence is left behind from this crime against comics? Barbara Gordon as Batgirl and Oracle act as role models to both young women with able bodies and with challenged bodies. Gail stands out as one of DC’s lone female creators in an industry dominated by men. Karen Berger leaves DC Comics’ Vertigo imprint after 20 years early next year. Everyone is baffled.

The comic industry rolls on, churning out the Bat-Family and all the Spider-Man books a month that are the backbone to the thing. Sure, people get fired, creative teams change, books and whole universes get rebooted. Like, constantly. So, why all the drama and shout outs on Twitter andTumblr this week? Because Gail Simone is amazing.

Many think this decision is unfair and we were all caught by surprise. Who are we to comment on the small speck of paint on Warner’s intellectual property canvas that we were staring at? We’re comic fans, dammit. It’s kind of our thing.

We wanted to eek out at least another year of issues with Gail at the helm. She had us going rooting for bad guys with her Secret Six run (Secret Six was a pre-New 52 team book of villains starring Dark Knight Rises taskmaster Bane alongside Deadshot, our favorite CatmanRag Doll, and more). Another team book Simone directed was Birds of Prey with Barbara Gordon as a paralyzed and empowered OracleBlack Canary and The Huntress.

[READ MORE at DIGBOSTON.com]