Gutters on Female Comic Creators

dcwomenkickingass:

I woke up this morning to find many messages from readers telling me to check out the Gutters. Today’s comic, written by the always amazing Jill Pantozzi with art by Amy Mebberson, addresses an issue pretty near to my heart. And, of course, the comments have the usual cast of idiots.

So…I wrote this.

I just want to thank everyone for the amazing outpouring of love for the strip. When I was writing it, I was worried it was far too cheesy for what I was trying to go for but it turns out it was just right.

First off, my utmost gratitude to Amy Mebberson for making my vision become a reality. I gave Amy a LOT to work with and she made my dreams come true. 

Thanks to Ryan, Jeff, and Rich of the Gutters crew who got this whole thing happening in the first place.

Thanks to my pals Chris, Susana, and Alan who gave me input on the script while I was stressing over it. And thanks to DC Women Kicking Ass for tumblring it. :)

A few things regarding some of the comments I’m seeing: 

• No, the Jill in the strip is not meant to be me but another curly-haired redhead, Jill Thompson (Scary Godmother, Beasts of Burden, Sandman). I swore we had a picture together, and I wanted to post it, but I can’t find it. 
• Some are worried about the fans being fought off in one panel - these are meant to be seriously crazed fans, the kind that actually scare creators. They’re few and far between but they exist. This was not a dig at the usual, enthusiastic fans, which these ladies love.
• Yes, the dialogue for Kelly/Amanda got accidentally swapped in that panel.
• I’ve seen a few folks say they might start reading Gutters again because of this. First of all, wow, and thank you. But second, I feel people sometimes forget endeavors like this are a group effort. It’s like when someone comments that “The Mary Sue” doesn’t like something or other, as if we’re a hive mind. We have three staff writers and a group of lovely contributors who have differing opinions. Gutters is kind of the same thing. So I guess my point is, don’t rule it out because of one strip.
• Without knowing it, Amy wound up making the girl in the last panel look JUST like my niece.
• Some people said the strip made them tear up or all-out cry. Thanks. Now you’ve made me cry. :)

Lastly, thank you to Gail Simone, Kelly Sue DeConnick, Louise Simonson, Amanda Conner, and Jill Thompson - true powerhouses of the comic industry who inspire me daily. I could not think of a better superhero team to kick ass.