Thread by @GailSimone

I love crossovers. A lot of writers hate them because they often are enforced by editorial. But I love them, they were my favorites as a kid, and even when they are sort of inflicted upon an arc, I love trying to make them feel like they belong.

1/

My problem with big event crossover books is not that they the usual stuff, it's that I think they should FEEL like events. Too many are a formula from a committee; ie. this hero dies, this hero loses an arm, etc. etc.

They should feel like they're special.

2/

I enjoyed Death Metal because it was just such a balloon full of nitro. I enjoyed Secret Wars because it didn't really feel like any other Marvel story at the time. Those kinds of stories always stick out for me, because they feel special.

3/

I have been the 'showrunner' or lead writer for several anthologies and event books, and a participant of many more. A lot of publishers have already learned that the way to get me on a book is to say, HEY! What if ______ met _____?

I CAN'T HELP IT.

4/

I was doing some research for a cool non-comics project, and it came to me that I was the first person to have Red Sonja meet and fight (in different projects), in canon:

Conan
Tarzan
Dejah Thoris

That was the stuff I used to DREAM of as a kid.

5/

I loved those, I loved Wonder Woman/Conan, I had a blast doing Legends of Red Sonja, with a bunch of my favorite writers.

But probably the FUNNEST big event book I conceived and ran was SWORDS OF SORROW, for @DynamiteComics. That was a huge fun hectic blast.

6/

Dynamite asked me if I wanted to do a big event book, and I did, they have so many pulp and pulp-like characters I really love. But I wanted to do something that felt different, that felt like it was SPECIAL.

So we did some cool stuff. :)

7/

First, Dynamite has a cool element where they have as many female headline characters as male. At that time, they had access to an incredible line-up of big name female leads, more than some bigger companies by far.

So I thought, let's team THEM up.

8/

That meant characters like Red Sonja, Vampirella, Dejah Thoris, Irene Adler, Lady Zorro, Lady Rawhide, Kato, Pantha, Jungle Girl, Jennifer Blood, Jane Porter, Irene Adler, Masquerade, Miss Fury, and lots lots more.

That was exciting, like a grocery list of comics history.
9/

It felt wonderful, because it was characters from literature, radio, comic strips, comics, just all the great panorama of adventure fiction. @dynamitecomics was great, almost every character we wanted, they got AND they added the Chaos characters, which was fun as well.
10/

THEN we decided, hey, what if we did tie-in books, and all the writers were great women writers?

So we added several one-shots and minis by top writers.

It had grown to a HUGE project. And I was writing the main series, I had to have every character DOWN.

11/

I put aside almost all other work, this just consumed my schedule for quite a while. It was research research research, then editing and organizing (there were proper editors for those tasks, my job was just to keep the hull integrity), then writing...it was a lot.

12/

But for me, you just could not have given me a more wonderful assignment. Kato fights Jennifer Blood? Tars Tarkas fights Sonja? That stuff is why I want to write adventure comics in the first place.

Plus working with the incredible writers was just a joy.

13/

We had;

One of my favorite writers of prose, and the VASTLY underrated comics writer @nancycollins doing a Vampirella and Jennifer Blood mini series, it was dark and beautiful.

14/

And we scored (then rising, now established) superstar @EvilMarguerite doing just a killer three issue Red Sonja vs. Jungle Girl mini, she nailed it perfectly.

15/

The unbelievably talented @MairghreadScott did our prequel story, focusing on the Chaos characters. I have loved everything of hers I've ever read and she's currently tearing it up in animation.

16/

Our amazing good fortune continued when we got the incredible @GWillowWilson to write a Masquerade and Kato one-shot. She wrote a story that was just non-stop action, fists and swords and car chases, I love it.

17/

ANOTHER of my favorites, the fantastic @leahmoore, whose Sherlock Holmes stories (with @johnreppion) are among the best comic stories of that character, came aboard for a Dejah Thoris and Irene Adler mini that evoked the best of Conan Doyle and ERB.

18/

The wonderful
@EricaSchultz42
writes terrific espionage stories, so we went against type and gave her the high adventure of BLACK SPARROW and LADY ZORRO and she killed it, perfect little gem!

19/

We got writer of Judge Dreed and Dr. Who, @emmabeeby for a fun Pantha and Jane Porter one shot that I loved, it reads great even on its own. A highlight!

20/

And finally, I get to say that I got bestselling author @Karnythia (Mikki Kendall), her first ever comics job, Miss Fury and Lady Rawhide. Miss Fury is REALLY important in the history of comics and Mikki NAILED it on this one-shot.

21/

It was a LOT to deal with, writing the main six issue story, coordinating all the other scripts, dozens and dozens of characters and worlds, all the independent licensors...it was a lot. Stressful at times.

But to this day, probably the funniest and happiest gig ever.

22/

There were some jokes that this many women couldn't get along, and some even said it NOT as a joke.

But the truth is, we never had a single cross word between us. Everyone worked together and supported each other without exception.

We were the She-vengers. :)

23/

No comic project I have ever worked on or could even imagine, really, is closer to my ultimate dream as that one. Mixing the worlds of Doyle, ERB, REH, the Green Hornet, Warren, and the inspiration of radio, television, movies, literature, comic strips and more.

24/

All with the best team-mates. To have a project that big with that many moving pieces, all great heroines from all kinds of media, written all by women writers...it was freaking awesome.

It had never happened before, hope someone does it again some day. :)

25/

I told the writers not to do scenes of characters having coffee in a diner somewhere.

Put them on a train headed towards a bridge loaded with dynamite while Nazis are parachuting down firing machine guns. I wanted a serial feel. They delivered.

It was the most fun ever.
26/

Anyway, if you haven't read it, pick it up, it's a massive volume, full of awesome heroines kicking all kinds of ass.

I had a blast and hope you will, too. :)

27/

Big thank you to the She-Vengers, who absolutely BROUGHT it, to a person. And to everyone at @DynamiteComics, who busted their butts to make sure it all came out on time, as scheduled.

Sometimes, a gig is just the best.

Happy Monday, everyone!

end/

This is my favorite page in all of Swords of Sorrow, drawn by the great Sergio Davila. I got chills writing it, and Sergio only made it better.