Something had been rumored to be going on behind the scenes of Batgirl for a little while, but confirmation of it just came on Twitter, resulting in a bit of an explosion on there.
| @GailSimone: On Wednesday of last week, new Batgirl editor Brian Cunningham informed me by email that I was no longer the writer of Batgirl. |
Note that Simone makes a point of saying she was informed by e-mail. So not only was she fired from Batgirl, but it was done in a less than courteous way. Both creators and fans alike have responded in support of Simone and condemnation of DC Comics. From what little is known so far, the decision and the way it was carried out does seem inexcusable.
When DC made the choice to give Barbara Gordon the use of her legs back and return her to the role of Batgirl, it was Gail Simone who bravely hit the frontlines to carry out that decision. As probably the most profilific writer of Barbara Gordon, Simone was DC's only chance in hell of making this into anything but a disaster. She didn't only serve as a buffer between DC and the angry Barbara Gordon fans. She made the new Batgirl the most successful title starring a female lead around. Oh, there are still many who vehemently hate the destruction of Oracle, but this has been mitigated by many people's love for Simone's writing of the character.
In a way, Simone took a bullet for DC. Being the one to write away Oracle was more likely to hurt her career than help it and tarnish her legacy with Barbara Gordon. She did it anyway and made a success of it for DC. In return, she seemingly got nothing from DC. Higher profile writing assignments were given to writers with smaller fanbases, or in some cases artists. She walked off her other New 52 title, Fury of Firestorm: the Nuclear Men, apparently due to an editorial mess. Now, she is being evicted from the house that she basically built.
Simone is expected to make a statement later that should clarify some of what happened behind the scenes leading to this decision. And a large portion of her fanbase is expected to go with her wherever she goes next.
What does this mean for DC Comics, though? It seems possible that they have just run off another of their top writers. At this rate, do they have enough artists and editors to write their books for them? Things also look bleak for Batgirl. It's hard to imagine who at DC could follow Simone on the series, even if she wasn't leaving under circumstances that are angering the fanbase.
Hey, maybe there is still time for her to get in on Marvel NOW!
