Gail Simone, the fan-favorite comic book author most frequently associated with DC’s Birds of Prey, has given the movie adaptation her seal of approval, calling it “an amazing film.” The outspoken author took to social media to reaffirm her love of the movie in the face of reports that she had major gripes regarding the finished film.
While not the creator of the Birds of Prey team (an honor that belongs to DC Comics editor Jordan B. Gorfinkel), Gail Simone is widely regarded as the definitive writer on the series. Simone took over the title in 2003 and expanded its line-up, introducing the vigilante Huntress into the mix alongside the team’s original dynamic duo of Black Canary and Oracle. Simone later added Lady Blackhawk into the series as the team’s pilot and expanded the base concept to include a rotating team of DC Comics’ superheroines.
Simone has been incredibly expressive in declaring her support for the Birds of Prey movie for the past several months on her personal Twitter account. While not involved in the production of the film, Simone both met with the film’s stars at New York Comic Con and had the chance to visit the set during production. Simone was particularly vocal about being amazed by Margot Robbie’s ability to learn new skills in a short time and heaped special praise on Jurnee Smollett-Bell’s portrayal of Black Canary. The admiration goes both ways, as Smollett-Bell regularly referenced Simone’s comics during press for the movie, noting that she had read the comics in order to better understand the character of Dinah Lance and loved Simone’s work.
While the vast majority of Simone’s discussion of Birds of Prey has been complementary, she did voice concerns about the film’s version of Cassandra Cain – chiefly that she bears no resemblance to the character from the comics. Simone also acknowledged that the original base concept for Cassandra Cain was steeped in cliche tropes (i.e. a mute Asian martial arts master) and while Cassandra was later developed into a complex character who struggled with illiteracy and socialization, there was still a danger of her base concept being viewed as a stereotype, no matter how well her story was told. However, she did praise the new version of the character and actress Ella Jay Basco.
Ultimately, Simone praised Birds of Prey for being the movie it is. She further encouraged comic readers to see the movie and judge it on its own merits, rather than holding it to some impossible purity test based on what it didn’t contain. “My feeling is, with Canary and Harley and Huntress, they gave us fresh, updates takes layered on top of EXACTLY what I love in the comics,” Simone explained. “Is Huntress quirky from years of isolation? Does vengeance leave her empty? Yes. That IS Huntress. Her awkwardly making friends IS Helena. What costume she wears pales in importance in comparison.”
More: Birds of Prey: 10 Most Relatable Details Only Women Noticed
Source: Gail Simone
