Marvel: Author Neil Gaiman backs Ironheart writer Eve Ewing
- Published
Author Neil Gaiman has come to the defence of a comic-book writer after some on social media questioned her experience.
Eve Ewing has been chosen to pen Marvel's new Ironheart comic-book series but the writer is perhaps better known as an award winning poet and academic.
In response to a Twitter user who questioned how many stories Ewing had written, Gaiman replied: "I'd only published three short stories before I started writing comics. I wrote comics once and the poetry I'd written was more useful than the fiction."
Gaiman's Twitter exchange also involved comic-book writer Kurt Busiek and prompted a discussion around how transferable poetry skills were to storytelling.
Poetry is also about language, and ideas, and elegance of thought and expression. For that matter, so is nonfiction. A writer is a writer.
— Zach Rabiroff (@zachrabiroff) September 2, 2018
FlorbFnarb, who had questioned Ewing's credentials, replied that a good writer of one genre was not necessarily skilled in another.
I agree entirely that elegance of thought matters. I do not agree that a writer is a writer. A good fiction writer does not automatically make a good nonfiction writer; a good novelist would not automatically make a good playwright.
— FlorbFnarb (@FlorbFnarb) September 2, 2018
Gaiman then stated that historically poets often wrote comics, as did playwrights and journalists.
I agree: being able to write prose fiction ≠ you can write comics. Many tried & failed. The key seems to be enthusiasm for & interest in the medium & the characters and being able to convince others that you can do it. Comics writers were often poets, playwrights, journalists.
— Neil Gaiman (@neilhimself) September 2, 2018
The Sandman comic book series writer also responded to @ComixFanboy on Twitter, who said comic-book authors "should have a track record within the industry", explaining that the industry had taken a chance on him.
In the kindest possible way, this is ignorant twaddle. I was hired by DC having not published any comics yet, with 3 published short stories to my credit. I’d journalism background so they knew I understood deadlines. But they liked my pitches+my enthusiasm, & they took a chance.
— Neil Gaiman (@neilhimself) September 3, 2018
Twitter user @ComixFanboy later said he was "satisfied" with Eve Ewing's experience in comics.
I'm not even asking for a high bar. I want some experience in fiction or experience that translates to comics in some way...any way. That's why when they said Eve Ewing wrote some comic pages I withdrew my complaint. Other people might want more. I'm satisfied with that.
— Comix the Fanboy (@ComixFanboy) September 3, 2018
Touched by the fact that Gaiman would defend her ability to write comics, Ewing took to Twitter to have a conversation with her 15-year-old self.
She told the teenager that she would one day write for Marvel and people would "argue" about it.
[travels back in time to 15-year-old self] hey guess what?! one day you’ll be a marvel comics writer
— wikipedia brown aka eve ewing aka lil muji pen (@eveewing) September 3, 2018
me: omg that’s great
me: but people on the internet will argue for days over whether you’re qualified
me: oh...
me: but Neil Gaiman will indirectly defend you...?!
me: WAT https://t.co/Z8eMaoLwvz
The Chicago-born author told users she would rather people did "not" fight about her on the internet.
There has been support for Ewing's appointment.
An online petition with more than 2,600 signatures urged Marvel to make her the author of the comic book because "she's a disciple in the craft of graphic narrative". The petition points to her book Electric Arches, a story about an Alien's arrival in 1990s Chicago, as evidence of this.
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Ironheart follows the adventures of Riri Williams, a teenage genius, who designs a suit of armour inspired by the superhero Iron Man.
Speaking to Marvel in August, Ewing said of the series: "Ironheart symbolises what happens when you combine incredible strength and might with a sense of love, care and a true desire for justice.
"[Riri] and I have a lot in common and it's been so fun to write her so far. Not just as a black woman but specifically as a black woman from Chicago and an awkward nerd."
The first "solo" Ironheart comic, with Ewing as author, will be released in November.
This November, Riri Williams sets out in her own solo series from writer @eveewing and artist @KevinLibranda! Learn more about "Ironheart" #1: https://t.co/7UOS9oNlqH
— Marvel Entertainment (@Marvel) August 20, 2018
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