Gail Simone 💙💛 Profile picture
Sep 24, 2020 20 tweets 4 min read Read on X
Watching the LOTR movies reminded me of one of my favorite days ever. Years ago, as guests of @Armageddonexpo, we were invited to tour @WetaWorkshop in the middle of their work on The Hobbit films. I believe the first film had come out, but not the second. Two fun things...

1/
I was excited, as a huge LOTR nerd and a fan of the films, and the WETA people could not have been nicer, even though they were obviously at crunch time.

You arrive, and the three trolls are in the little garden area outside the entrance, from the first Hobbit Film. :)

2/
We had to agree not to discuss anything confidential if we happened to see anything, which of course, we all agreed. Turns out there's different rooms with different levels of security at Weta, and because we were guests, we would get to see a lot more than the usual tour.

3/
It was incredible, the craftsmanship and care. Room after room of swords and armor. You don't realize while watching the films, but even amongst, say, the elves, there would be different themes to a set of bows and knives, for different clans. Same with each race.

4/
One of the most astounding things was a room where they had the 'bigature' of Minas Tirith, which was massive...even knowing it was not full size intellectually, from across the room, it looked like a real city, like it was in the distance, not in HO scale, as it were.

5/
They ALMOST walked us into a huge warehouse room and someone stopped the guide and said no no no no, you can't go in there!

Apparently, SMAUG was in their in some manner, and if we'd seen it, they would have to kill us.

6/
Okay, the two most weirdly memorable things for me were...we went into one room where they had huge wheeled tubs, I think, and we couldn't see what was inside til we got closer...

It was feet and hands. Dozens of feet and hands.

7/
Specifically HOBBIT feet and hands. They were the prosthetics worn by the actors every day, all day long. Each hair on each foot was inserted by hand, and there were an UNTOLD number.

They asked if I wanted to try one of the hands on...

8/
They were masterfully made, just incredibly believable even without anyone in them. So, I said yes, of course, because hobbits.

The hands actually had 'flesh,' some sort of heavy latex, all the way up to the elbow. It felt bizarre and constricting.

9/
After just a minute, I couldn't wait to get it off, it felt like you're pulling your hand out of an octupus' tentacle embrace, it was genuinely unsettling. And the actors had to where these on their hands and feet every day for YEARS.

10/
The gentleman guiding us said that these were vastly improved and more comfortable than the ones from the first set of films. He said those were more akin to torture.

I will never disrespect actors again, that must have been hell.

11/
The other thing that happened was kind of funny. There was still a lot of discussion about which characters might show up in the Hobbit, since they had gone so far off the book's direction. Tom Bombadil? Who knows.

But I was hoping for Beorn, one of my favorite characters.

12/
But all of that was hush hush at this point. We were taken to a room and they were explaining something. I think it was orc weapons.

And I noticed a size comparison chart on a wall, out of the way, most people probably didn't give it a second glance.

13/
It had a drawing of several characters, from smallest to tallest. I believe it started with Gollum, went to a hobbit (to be honest, I don't remember the order) and then ended up with, I think a troll.

But the NEXT tallest...was a full body sketch of Beorn.

14/
So I was staring at that, knowing I wasn't supposed to see it, and knowing it was a secret and the internet was still speculating on him being in the movie, and here's proof he is AND what he looks like...

15/
I must have been staring like a goofus because someone came into the room, looked at me, looked at the poster, moved to stand in FRONT of the poster, blocking the view, and he says...

"You didn't see this."

16/
I paused a moment and then gave the blankest expression I could...

"Didn't see what?" I said.

But he knew, and I knew, and I thought that was the coolest thing of the entire visit, somehow.

17/
Final note, Beorn is a bear and bears are cool.

The end.

:)
Ps. This is what just outside the entrance to Weta looks like. Image
PPS., thank you, @WetaWorkshop for being so lovely that day, but more, for your incredible contribution to film and fandom.

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More from @GailSimone

Jul 9
All right, so this will take a bit, but this is a thread I have wanted to do for a while.

This is it, the X-MEN: FROM THE ASHES mega-thread!

Interested in the upcoming X-books but a little overwhelmed by the new characters, creative teams, and titles?

Well, I had an idea!

1/
In this thread, I am going to give an unapologetic personal opinion about each of the upcoming titles, starting with tomorrow's X-MEN #1.

I admit up front I am biased, okay? These are MY opinions, I have not consulted with the creative or editorial teams.

2/
I have read all the issues of all these books so far. They are all creative teams I like. They are all pushing for the best books they can. And I am on a bit of an X-Men high and don't deny my OBVIOUS enthusiasm.

So bear that in mind. Get it? "Bear!"

3/
Read 30 tweets
Jun 30
I have a @jimlee story. Legendary comics writer John Ostrander needed eye surgery. A couple others and myself went all around SDCC to ask artists for an art donation to raise the funds to literally save not just his eyesight, but his eyes.

1/
It was for John Ostrander. And so I asked legendary artists that normally I would be intimidated just to talk to. We got pieces from Neil Adams, Matt Groening, and lots more.

Again, because it was for John, I worked myself up to ask the giants.

Everyone was lovely.

2/
But it was still intimidating. Asking legends whom I know get asked for stuff ALL THE TIME.

At the time, just as now, Jim was the biggest artist in comics. Not to mention…

…he was also my boss.

3/
Read 18 tweets
Jun 8
DR. PHIL: Now, I’m just an impartial observer, okay?

PENNYWISE: Heh heh heh we all float slobber drool heh

DR.PHIL: You’re an entertainer, You do great work with kids.

PENNYWISE: come down into the sewers Georgie heh heh hee

DR. PHIL: You have a great smile, you know that?
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DR. PHIL: I want to thank you for agreeing to an interview, but I warn you, I won’t be pulling ANY punches.

ZOMBIE: …

DR. PHIL: Zombie, why don’t people like you?

ZOMBIE: BRAINS

DR. PHIL: You have a thick skin.

ZOMBIE: SKIN YUM YUMMERS

DR. PHIL: Well, I’M sold.
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DR. PHIL: Dr. Lecter, I’m just gonna say it. I think you got railroaded by a ‘woke’ court system and the lamestream media who focused on the word ‘cannibal,’ and—

LECTER: Excuse me.

DR. PHIL: Pardon?

LECTER: My agent set this up. You disgust me. (Leaves)

DR. PHIL: Golly!
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Read 6 tweets
May 12
I have a Roger Corman story. It’s fun, but weird, as I am gathering most Roger Corman stories tend to be.

I was a fan of his movies and his legend and legacy.

At the very beginning of my comics career, his office contacted me.

1/
I was very new to writing professionally. I didn’t become a writer to make films, comics were not a stepping stone. And I had mostly been drafted, so my sense of value in myself as a writer was a bit shaky and tinged with a lot of, ‘how did I get here? What’s happening?’

2/
The idea that a legendary movie guy would contact me for anything made no sense. I still had my hair salon. I hadn’t even written very many comics, and I was pretty sure it was all going to go away very quickly.

Then I get this call.

3/
Read 17 tweets
Apr 30
I remind everyone of this each year, apologies for repeating myself.

This Saturday, May 4th, is @Freecomicbook Day! Please go and enjoy and have a wonderful time. Some great shops have sales, cosplay, events, guests, even treats planned for you, PLUS FREE COMICS!

1/
Howerer, this is just a gentle reminder that, unlike what many think, the stores DO have to pay for the comics they give away for free. They pay for them in bundles. This year there are dozens of individual comics being given away...imagine how much that might cost!

2/
But that's not all. They also pay (often outrageous) shipping on all those books.

Stores often pay for extra employees, decorations, advertising, cosplayers, guests, and lots more. It is EXPENSIVE.

3/
Read 8 tweets
Apr 22
Here is my central core thought while writing Deadpool.

It is no secret that I don't like endlessly 'zany' Deadpool. He was described as 'serial killer Daffy Duck' to me early on, that's the version I don't care for.

1/
I also don't care for endlessly bleak, 'nothing matters,' kill everyone Deadpool.

I think that could be a thousand other characters, and it's far from the magic potion that makes Deadpool fun.

2/
So the Deadpool is a subverted version of both of those.

He is a goddamn loudmouth, whose humor comes from tragedy.

But he's so endlessly high energy that it saves him from being insufferable and dreary.

And ALSO so internally sad and broken that he's not a constant punchline.
Read 10 tweets

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