Okay, this is a fun story, s o I am going to retell it quickly.

We live in the boonies, don’t really have neighbors, on a very secluded lake in Oregon. As we live in the woods with lots of water, we get bears sometimes. One decided to live in a tree attached to our house.

https://twitter.com/georgepresnell/status/1977408792741691887

But the thing is, I am not afraid of bears. I should be, but I am not. My husband and son yell at me for chasing them off with a broom.

We called animal control, they said all they could do is shoot them, we didn’t want to do that.

The Joys of Being a Hairdresser, part one.

Many of you already know I used to be a hairdresser. I had a salon of my own, in a nice area of my little town, right near the waterfront. It was lovely. Instead of fashion magazines, I had graphic novels. My clients were great.

1/ Most of my clients were well-off, quite a few were retired, and I never felt unsafe in my salon, even when I was alone.

I had a lot of male clients, they would pick up the graphic novels because there wasn't anything else to read, and they'd scoff a bit, then get hooked.

2/

I have a short little story of a thing that happened yesterday. I don't know what the message is, but it gave me a lot of feelings.

As many of you know, we live in a small town on the Oregon coast. There are a couple grocery stores and one variety store called Bi-Mart.

1/ So we went to Bi-Mart, which is a local chain that is very casual and friendly and less corporate than a lot of national chains. We went to buy key fob batteries and some planters for my garden.

While shopping, there was this older couple there, in their seventies, I'd say.
2/

I feel like people, even some comics pros and publishers, are learning the wrong lessons from the currently most successful comics.

They look at ULTIMATE and ABOSOLUTE and think, 'Oh, people want alternate versions of iconic characters.'

1/ They look at almost all of the hit indie books and think, 'Oh, people want nostalgia.'

I don't think either one of those is the correct conclusion.

People aren't buying Ultimate and Absolute for some version of the Multiverse.

2/

Every year on his birthday (which is today), I write a little letter to @JoeQuesada, wishing him health and happiness for him and his family. We have not spoken in person in years.

In that note, every time, I thank him for asking me, out of nowhere, to pitch for Deadpool.

1/ Because I had a comics comedy column on CBR and I made him laugh. He used to read the column on the phone to friends. Garth Ennis didn't have email, so he called him long distance to read one about Garth TO Garth.

Even when I made fun of JOE HIMSELF, he would laugh about it.

2/

I have been thinking this forever but this morning it really hit me.

@stephenking is a badass.

Just a combustion engine. Love that guy.

1/ There have been a dozen times where the thing getting me through a tough time was simply having a Stephen King novel or anthology or movie adaptation to enjoy.

2/

Okay, I thought it'd be fun to answer a few questions that keep popping up regarding Uncanny X-Men regarding nationality.

We couldn't be happier with the response to issue one. I think people know we put our hearts into this book.

Settle in, this will take a bit. :)

1/ A LOT of people, mostly from countries our new characters come from, asked why I chose to make a superhero who came from their country specifically.

They're not being accusatory, they mostly are delighted, but they are curious as to the process.

There are a couple reasons.

2)

I have a mutant hot take.

I hear all the time, and have thought it myself, why does the world fear and hate mutants, but love the scary-looking oddballs in, say, the Fantastic Four?

Here is a thought about that.

1/ The Fantastic Four comes to save you.

You look out, and you see standing around you;
A woman who disappears
A man on fire
A rock-like golen creature
and the ultimate stretchy body horror.

OR.

2/

When I was in second grade, our teacher read us, over the course of several days, an adaptation of Cool Hand Luke.

None of us knew anything about prisons, Southern culture, road gangs, prisoner abuse, or crime in general, really. We were seven years old, and enthralled.

1/ I remember, NO ONE missed school after the first day.

It starts with Luke, played by Paul Newman in the movie, getting drunk and busting up parking meters, for no good reason, so your introduction to him, in a child’s’ view, is bad, not revolutionary.

2/

One of my favorite moments of the #DeadpoolAndWolverine World Premiere night.

The actual event was loud and flashy, the movie was bombastic. And I’m shy.

After it was over, walking back to my hotel with my beloved hubby…

1/ We saw Chris Claremont (resplendent in his pink jacket) in a quiet spot in a little park across from the huge event facade.

He took a photo, I think, and it might just be my fangirl imagination, but it seemed to me he was contemplating the spectacle and his role in it all…

2/

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 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/

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?

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.

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/

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/

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/

Today is @Dwayne_McDuffie's birthday. He would have been 62 today, if he hadn't passed unexpectedly one day after his 49th birthday.

To me, and most everyone who knew him, Dwayne was a light we all orbited in someway. There are many great creators.

Dwayne was a giant.

1/ I've told this story before but it can't be overstated. I absolutely would not have this career I love, and this life I love, without Dwayne.

I am far from the only person he lifted up and put on the stairway out. Out of poverty, out of an unfulfilling career.

2/

I don’t dislike the Star Wars sequels at all, I find them pretty antertaining and they did a lot right.

My objection is the things they set up and completely squandered.

Chief among them is Finn, whose story could have been an absolute banger.

1/ Finn leading a Stormtrooper rebellion, that’s massive, a sea change and a real evolution of ideas that could have expanded the lore tremendously.

But also Poe, his story isn’t even a real story, there’s no arc.

2/

One time at SDCC, Dan DiDio invited me to lunch at a beautiful seafood restaurant on the bay. He had been given a list of properties that WB owned, many of which DC would have had the ability to adapt to comics.

It was STUNNING. I had no idea, I don't think Dan knew, either.

1/

https://twitter.com/madisoncarter76/status/1742279044643577964

He said that this list could do something for DC that hadn't really been the case in a long time, it could open up a ton of genres with already-popular IP.

Many were very dormant concepts, but many still had active fanbases, and some were huge.

And we could use them.

2/

So, we were getting off the plane in Toronto, and the convention organizer picked us up. He's a lovely fellow, could not have been nicer.

As we were walking to his car, he mentioned that we had been in Montreal recently and had a great time.

1/ He asked if we liked the city of Montreal and we said absolutely yes.

My husband, @rocketspouse, adds, "However, that was also where we saw the Parade of Dongs."

2/

Over the past weeks, I have been to events in three very different places, and there are STILL a ton of people whose dream it is to make comics, some of whom seem very talented.

But a lot of them are hesitant to try, dream or not. Can you guess the number one reason why?

1/ Honest to god, it seemed to be fear of criticism. I'm not making this up, and it does not seem to be a left/right issue. Or a talent issue.

I THINK it's an Imposter Syndrome issue.

2/