Louise Simonson Explained

Birth Name:Mary Louise Alexander
Birth Date:26 September 1946
Birth Place:Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Nationality:American
Write:y
Color:y
Edit:y
Alias:Louise Jones, Weezie
Notable Works:New Mutants, Power Pack, Steel, Conan (as editor), , X-Factor
Awards:Eagle Award for Power Pack;
Comics Buyer's Guide Award for The Death of Superman;
Inkpot Award for Outstanding Achievement in Comic Arts

Louise Simonson (née Mary Louise Alexander; born September 26, 1946[1]) is an American comic book writer and editor. She is best known for her work on comic book titles such as Conan the Barbarian, Power Pack, X-Factor, New Mutants, , and Steel. She is often referred to by the nickname "Weezie". Among the comic characters she co-created are Cable, Steel, Power Pack, Rictor, Doomsday and the X-Men villain Apocalypse.

In recognition of her contributions to comics, ComicsAlliance listed Simonson as one of twelve female comics creators deserving of lifetime achievement recognition.[2]

Early life and career

In 1964 while attending Georgia State College, Louise met fellow student Jeffrey Catherine Jones. The two began dating and were married in 1966.[3] Their daughter Julianna was born the following year. After graduation, the couple moved to New York City. Louise modeled for artist Bernie Wrightson's cover of DC Comics' House of Secrets #92 (June–July 1971),[4] [5] the first appearance of Swamp Thing,[6] and was hired by McFadden-Bartell, a magazine publisher and distributor and worked there for three years.[3] She and Jones split up during this time but she continued to use the name Louise Jones for several years afterward.[3]

Louise met the comic book writer and artist Walt Simonson in 1973, began dating in August 1974,[7] and married in 1980.[8] They collaborated on X-Factor from 1986 to 1989.

Career

Comics editor

In 1974, Jones started her professional comic book career at Warren Publishing. She went from assistant to senior editor[8] of the comics line (Creepy, Eerie, and Vampirella) before leaving the company at the end of 1979.

In January 1980, Jones joined Marvel Comics, where she initially worked again as an editor, most notably on Uncanny X-Men, which she edited for almost four years (#137 - 182) and Conan the Barbarian (#114 - 148). Simonson (as "Louise Jones") edited another X-Men spin-off, The New Mutants, at its debut in 1983. After leaving the series, she had a "cameo" in New Mutants #21, drawn in as a slumber party guest by artist Bill Sienkiewicz.[9] During this period, she also edited Marvel's Star Wars and Indiana Jones comics.[10]

In 2017, she edited the graphic novel Son of Shaolin for Image Comics.[11]

Comics writer

At the end of 1983, Jones quit her editing job at Marvel to try her hand at full-time writing as Louise Simonson. She created the Eagle Award-winning Power Pack.[12] The title, which debuted in August 1984, featured the adventures of four pre-teen superheroes. Simonson wrote the majority of the title's first forty issues, even coloring one issue (#18). Her other Marvel writing work included Starriors, Marvel Team-Up, Web of Spider-Man,[13] and Red Sonja. Louise helped her husband Walt Simonson color his "Star Slammers" story in Marvel Graphic Novel #6 (1983).

In 1986 Bob Layton, writer of the X-Men spin-off X-Factor, was running late on a deadline, and Simonson was called in to write a fill-in issue of X-Factor. This story was never published, since Layton ultimately turned his story in on time, but while writing it Simonson found herself inspired by the characters, to the point where she brought a list of her ideas to editor Bob Harras in the hopes that Layton might use them for the series.[14] Instead, Layton ended up dropping X-Factor shortly after, and at Chris Claremont and Ann Nocenti's suggestion, Harras chose Simonson as his replacement.[14] In #6, her first issue, she and artist Jackson Guice introduced Apocalypse,[15] a character who would go on to make repeated appearances in the X-Men franchise. From #10 of the title, she was joined by her husband, Walt Simonson, on pencils. In #25, the creators gave the character, Angel, blue skin and metal wings in a process which led to his being renamed as "Archangel". It was at Simonson's suggestion that X-Men writer Chris Claremont's "Mutant Massacre" story idea was turned into a crossover through all the "X-books", the first of its kind. Her run on X-Factor included the relevant installments of "Mutant Massacre", and the subsequent crossovers "Fall of the Mutants," "Inferno", and "X-Tinction Agenda".[16] She ended her run on the title with #64 in 1991.

In 1987, beginning with issue #55, she became the New Mutants scripter. Similarly to X-Factor, she was originally brought in as a fill-in writer so that Chris Claremont could launch two other titles,[17] but ended up writing the series for three and a half years, ending with #97 in 1991. It was during this run that she and artist Rob Liefeld introduced Cable, another important character in the X-Men franchise.[18] In 1988–89, she and her husband co-wrote the Havok and Wolverine: Meltdown limited series painted by Jon J Muth and Kent Williams.

In 1991, Simonson began writing for DC Comics. She, artist Jon Bogdanove, and editor Mike Carlin launched a new Superman title, [19] — a title she wrote for eight years until #86 in 1999. She contributed to such storylines as "Panic in the Sky" in 1992.[20] Later that year, Simonson (along with Carlin, Dan Jurgens, Roger Stern and others) was one of the chief architects of "The Death of Superman" storyline, in which Superman died and was resurrected. It was during that storyline, in The Adventures of Superman #500 (June 1993),[21] that Simonson and Bogdanove introduced their character Steel, who graduated to his own title in February 1994,[22] with Simonson as writer until #31. The character went on to feature in an eponymous feature film starring Shaquille O'Neal in 1997. Simonson was one of the many creators who worked on the one-shot in 1996 wherein the title character married Lois Lane.[23]

In 1999, Simonson returned to Marvel to write a Warlock series, which featured a character from her previous New Mutants run. That same year, she wrote a miniseries, Galactus the Devourer, in which Galactus died temporarily. In 2005, she wrote stories featuring Magnus, Robot Fighter for the publisher Ibooks, Inc. In 2007, Simonson wrote a one-shot starring Magik of the New Mutants as part of a four-issue event known as Mystic Arcana.[24] In 2009, she wrote two issues of Marvel Adventures featuring Thor. The next year, she scripted the five-part limited series X-Factor Forever and reunited with June Brigman for a new Power Pack story in Girl Comics #3. Simonson also co-wrote the comic World of Warcraft, based on the multi-million player internet game, for Wildstorm, and a manga story, based in the Warcraft universe, for Tokyopop. In 2011, DC hired Louise Simonson to write DC Retroactive: Superman - The '90s, pencilled by her Man of Steel-collaborator Jon Bogdanove.

Simonson wrote the "Five Minutes" chapter in Action Comics #1000 (June 2018)[25] and a twelve-part webcomic tie-in to The Death of Superman animated movie.[26] In 2019, she contributed two stories to DC Primal Age #1 and teamed up with June Brigman again for the one-shot Power Pack: Grow Up.[27] In 2020 she scripted the comic adaptation of Leigh Bardugo's novel Wonder Woman: Warbringer as well as a comic tie-in to the movie Wonder Woman 1984. Simonson revisited her runs on X-Factor and New Mutants with new stories for X-Men Legends, pencilled by her husband Walt and published in 2021 and 2022.[28] [29]

In April 2022, Simonson and her husband were reported among the more than three dozen comics creators who contributed to Operation USA's benefit anthology book, Comics for Ukraine: Sunflower Seeds, a project spearheaded by IDW Publishing Special Projects Editor Scott Dunbier, whose profits would be donated to relief efforts for Ukrainian refugees resulting from the February 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[30] [31] Simonson teamed up with artist June Brigman to produce an original story with new characters created specifically for the anthology.[32]

In 2023, she wrote a four-issue Jean Grey mini-series for Marvel Comics. In 2024, the five-issue retro series Power Pack: Into the Storm by Simonson and June Brigman, with a story that takes place during their original run, was published by Marvel.[33]

Novelist

From 1993 through 2009, she wrote five picture books and eleven novels for middle-readers, many of which featured characters from DC Comics. Two YA novels, Justice League: The Gauntlet[34] and Justice League: Wild at Heart,[35] published by Bantam Books, were based on the Justice League cartoon. She wrote an adult Batman novel and the non-fiction DC Comics Covergirls.[36]

Awards

Bibliography

Capstone Publishers

Dark Horse Comics

DC Comics

Superman - The '90s #1 (2011)

Ibooks

IDW

Image

Marvel Comics

X-Men #1 (2011)

The Devourer #1–6 (1999–2000)

Super Heroes #7, 11 (2009)

Tokyopop

Valiant

Virtual Comics

Warren Publishing

Welsh Publishing Group

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: John Jackson Miller . Miller . John Jackson . Comics Industry Birthdays . . June 10, 2005 . Iola, Wisconsin . December 12, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110218031356/http://cbgxtra.com/knowledge-base/for-your-reference/comics-industry-birthdays. February 18, 2011. dead. mdy-all.
  2. Web site: A Life's Work: 12 Women Who Deserve Lifetime Achievement Recognition . January 29, 2016 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20160630033418/http://comicsalliance.com/women-lifetime-achievement-awards/ . June 30, 2016 . dead . Louise Simonson has influenced superhero comics to a degree that few women have.. mdy-all.
  3. Cooke. Jon B.. 'Weezie' Jones Simonson - Louise discusses her life & times as a Warren editor. Comic Book Artist. 4. 92–94. TwoMorrows Publishing. Spring 1999. Raleigh, North Carolina.
  4. Book: Levitz, Paul. When Swamp Thing debuted in this issue of House of Secrets as a "one-shot", no one could have known it would lead to an enduring hit franchise, least of all its cover model, future comics writer Louise Simonson.. Paul Levitz. The Bronze Age 1970-1984. 75 Years of DC Comics The Art of Modern Mythmaking. Taschen. 2010. Cologne, Germany. 978-3-8365-1981-6. 481.
  5. Web site: Louise Simonson Declares War on Cartoon Network in IDW's Super Secret Crisis War. Karl. Keily. May 28, 2014. Comic Book Resources. https://web.archive.org/web/20140816222224/http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=53082. August 16, 2014. live. mdy-all. May 29, 2014.
  6. Cooke. Jon B.. Like a Bat Out of Hell Chatting with Bernie Wrightson, DC's Monster Maker. Comic Book Artist. 5. TwoMorrows Publishing. Summer 1999. Raleigh, North Carolina. June 13, 2013.
  7. Cooke. Jon B.. Simonson Says The Man of Two Gods Recalls His 25+ Years in Comics. Comic Book Artist. 10. 23. TwoMorrows Publishing. October 2000. Raleigh, North Carolina.
  8. Shooter, Jim. "Bullpen Bulletins", Marvel Comics cover-dated July 1981.
  9. Web site: New Mutants #21 (November 1984). UncannyX-Men.net . https://web.archive.org/web/20131030010628/http://www.uncannyxmen.net/db/issues/showquestion.asp?fldauto=887 . October 30, 2013 . dead . June 2, 2013 . mdy-all .
  10. Shooter, Jim. "Bullpen Bulletins," Marvel Comics cover-dated November 1983.
  11. Web site: Son Of Shaolin OGN. Image Comics. en. 2019-06-17.
  12. Book: DeFalco. Tom. Tom DeFalco. Gilbert. Laura, ed.. 1980s. Marvel Chronicle A Year by Year History. Dorling Kindersley. 2008. London, United Kingdom. 218. 978-0756641238. Working with artist June Brigman...Louise created the preteen super-hero team called Power Pack..
  13. Book: Manning. Matthew K.. Gilbert. Laura, ed.. 1980s. Spider-Man Chronicle Celebrating 50 Years of Web-Slinging. Dorling Kindersley. 2012. London, United Kingdom. 147. 978-0756692360. Spider-Man swung into the pages of an all-new ongoing series in this first issue by writer Louise Simonson and penciler Greg LaRocque..
  14. News: Peter . Sanderson . Peter Sanderson . October 1986 . Walt & Louise Simonson . . 39 . 42–57 . Fictioneer Books.
  15. DeFalco "1980s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 227: "Simonson liked the idea of introducing a Darwinian character who would initiate disasters to help stimulate humanity's evolution."
  16. Manning, Matthew K. "1990s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 251
  17. News: Grant . Paul J. . August 1993 . Poor Dead Doug, and Other Mutant Memories . Wizard

    X-Men Turn Thirty

    . 66–69.
  18. Manning "1990s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 248: "Writer Louise Simonson and penciller Rob Liefeld introduced one of the hottest stars of the 1990s, the mysterious mutant known only as Cable."
  19. Book: Manning. Matthew K.. Dolan. Hannah, ed.. 1990s. DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle. Dorling Kindersley. 2010. London, United Kingdom. 978-0-7566-6742-9 . 250 . DC editorial saw the chance to give their hero a fourth ongoing monthly book, Superman: The Man of Steel was born, with the first issue written by Louise Simonson and with art by Jon Bogdanove, Tom Grummett, Bob McLeod, and Dan Jurgens..
  20. Manning "1990s" in Dolan, p. 253: "In this seven-part adventure...writers Dan Jurgens, Jerry Ordway, Roger Stern, and Louise Simonson, with artists Brett Breeding, Tom Grummett, Jon Bogdanove, and Bob McLeod assembled many of DC's favorite characters to defend the world."
  21. Manning "1990s" in Dolan, p. 259: " The issue also featured four teaser comics that introduced a group of contenders all vying for the Superman name...Construction worker John Henry Irons found a new purpose in life as the future Steel in a story by Louise Simonson, with art by Jon Bogdanove"
  22. Manning "1990s" in Dolan, p. 265: "Steel finally stepped out of Superman's shadow in his own ongoing series by writers Jon Bogdanove and Louise Simonson, and artist Chris Batista."
  23. Manning "1990s" in Dolan, p. 275: " The behind-the-scenes talent on the monumental issue appropriately spanned several generations of the Man of Tomorrow's career. Written by Dan Jurgens, Karl Kesel, David Michelinie, Louise Simonson, and Roger Stern, the one-shot featured the pencils of John Byrne, Gil Kane, Stuart Immonen, Paul Ryan, Jon Bogdanove, Kieron Dwyer, Tom Grummett, Dick Giordano, Jim Mooney, Curt Swan, Nick Cardy, Al Plastino, Barry Kitson, Ron Frenz, and Dan Jurgens."
  24. Web site: Emmett . Furey . Louise Simonson - Where has the 'Magik' gone? . . May 8, 2007 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131214114039/http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=10156 . December 14, 2013 . live . January 27, 2010. mdy-all.
  25. Web site: Action Comics #1000 Shows Superman Still Looks Good at 80 Years Old. Jim. Johnson. April 18, 2018. Newsarama. https://web.archive.org/web/20180426144840/https://www.cbr.com/action-comics-1000-superman-review-2018/. April 26, 2018. live. mdy-all. Louise Simonson and Jerry Ordway typify the Man of Steel’s miracles in 'Five Minutes,' while providing a fun look at the conflict Superman creates in the life of Clark Kent..
  26. Web site: 2018-08-01. DC Returns to The Death of Superman in New Comic. 2020-10-04. Comic Book Resources. en-US.
  27. Web site: POWER PACK returns in new one-shot by Louise Simonson, June Brigman, and Gurihiru. Grunenwald. Joe. 2019-05-14. The Beat. en-US. 2019-06-17.
  28. Web site: Adams . Tim . 2021-01-06 . X-Men Legends Recruits Louise and Walter Simonson for a New X-Factor Story . 2022-05-25 . . en-US.
  29. Web site: Varona . Henry . 2021-10-08 . X-Men Legends Begins the Search for Apocalypse's Next Horseman . 2022-05-25 . . en-US.
  30. Web site: ZOOP launches benefit anthology COMICS FOR UKRAINE: SUNFLOWER SEEDS. Kaplan, Rebecca O.. The Beat. en-US. live. April 18, 2022. April 26, 2022. April 18, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220418170150/https://www.comicsbeat.com/zoop-launches-benefit-anthology-comics-for-ukraine-sunflower-seeds/.
  31. Web site: 'Comics for Ukraine: Sunflower Seeds' to benefit Ukrainian refugees. AIPT. Brooke, David. en-US. live. April 18, 2022. April 26, 2022. April 26, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220426153140/https://aiptcomics.com/2022/04/18/comics-for-ukraine-sunflower-seeds/.
  32. Web site: Comic Book Creators Team for Ukraine Relief Effort Anthology 'Sunflower Seed'. The Hollywood Reporter. Kit, Borys. en-US. live. April 20, 2022. April 30, 2022. April 20, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220420202544/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/arts/comic-book-anthology-sunflower-seed-ukraine-relief-effort-1235131833.
  33. Web site: Johnston . Rich . 2023-09-13 . Louise Simonson & June Brigman Revive Power Pack From Marvel Comics . 2024-05-11 . bleedingcool.com . en.
  34. Book: Simonson, Louise. Justice League: The Gauntlet. Bantam Books. 2002. New York, New York. 160. 978-0553487732.
  35. Book: Simonson, Louise. Justice League: Wild at Heart. Bantam Books. 2003. New York, New York. 160. 978-0553487756.
  36. Book: Simonson, Louise. DC Comics Covergirls. Rizzoli Universe Promotional Books. 2007. Milan, Italy. 208. 978-0-7893-1544-1.
  37. Web site: Inkpot Award Winners . Hahn Library Comic Book Awards Almanac. https://web.archive.org/web/20120709055558/http://www.hahnlibrary.net/comics/awards/inkpot.php. July 9, 2012. live. mdy-all.

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