Behold, One X-Men Writer Just Shut Down Gatekeeping With One Glorious Retort

In a back-and-forth on X, Simone gently, but effectively responded to an attempt to nullify her accomplishments, starting by pointing out that her resume entails "over 700 comics" in the decades she has been in the industry, writing primarily for both DC and Marvel.

When the commenter tried to suggest that no one has read those comics – a reply as outrageous as it is silly – Simone responded by reiterating that she is currently authoring the most famous X-Men title in Marvel Comics history.

Before diving into what makes Gail Simone's response so great, it is worth exploring, in more detail, what makes the comments she was responding to so easy to dunk on. Generally speaking, troll comments are, by design, two things:

1. Arguments made in bad faith
2. Attention-seeking

The comments directed at Simone check both these boxes; it is supremely unlikely that anyone, even the commenter, legitimately believes that no one reads the author's work, but saying so elicited a crumb of attention, which is exactly what it was designed to do.

Still, it is satisfying to witness Simone putting her detractor in their place. Her current run on Uncanny X-Men is just the latest stage of a flourishing career, and while a nonsensical negative voice on the internet can't take that away, it must certainly still be bothersome for the author, whose hard work and creative ingenuity has made her beloved by comic book fans, and by other creators in the industry, for over two decades. While it is sad that criticism – however illegitimate – tends to rise above compliments, it is clear that Gail Simone is wholly unfazed.

Gail Simone's "Uncanny X-Men" Has Been A Success For Marvel – And That Is A Fact

Sales Numbers Don't Lie

The reason Gail Simone's response, in this case, stands out, is the way it casually undermines the original "argument." That is, Simone recognizes that she need not present more than the most bare-bones fact to neutralize the trollish comments – she is the author of Uncanny X-Men, plain and simple. The title has consistently ranked among the top comics since its debut last year, and it has routinely received praise from critics and fans alike over the course of its early issues.

It is not difficult to find this information, but the comments directed at Simone on social media were not intended to be well-informed, or to present a reasoned argument. They were designed as a baseless attack, and the author's retort is akin to an "I'm rubber, you're glue" comeback – it gave her a chance to remind followers of her comic book bona fides, while making the commenter look foolish. For anyone who wasn't already familiar with X-Men author Gail Simone, this exchange perfectly encapsulates what makes her a must-follow on social media.

Source: Gail Simone on X