Dude means well. Dude’s tweeting to Marvel in favor of more diversity.  Dude states (inaccurately) that Marvel has two women writers — M. Liu and K. DeConnick, the latter being ‘a lady with an inside connection.’

Just like that—fwoosh.  Didn’t work my way in.  Got in because of who I’m fucking.  I mean, my wording is crass, but is that not how that parses? 

She wrote it BUT… she had an inside connection.  

I mean, I assume that Dude assumes that my ‘inside connection’ is my husband and not, say, Joe Quesada or Warren Ellis or Steve Niles or Neil Gaiman or Stuart Moore or Joey Cavalieri or Wil Rosado or Maggie Estep or any of the other writers, editors or creators I knew before I knew my husband. Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe Dude knows I was a professional writer before I started writing comics.  Maybe Dude knows I co-founded Artbomb.net with Warren Ellis and Peter Rose. Maybe Dude knows that I met Fraction on the WEF because of a shared love of comics. That I’ve written about 11K pages of manga adaptations.  That i was blind-submitted for the Women of Marvel initiative and that Ralph Macchio was not told that I was married to Fraction until after he’d accepted not one but two of my pitches.  

Maybe Dude knows that it was actually Steve Niles who got me my first big gig in 30 Days of Night: Eben & Stella…?  

Wait! Maybe! Niles is the ‘inside connection’ to whom Dude refers…?

But if that’s the case, I’m curious as to why I’m the only creator he mentions whose ‘inside connection’ comes up.  Am I the only creator with ‘connections’ in the industry before my name appeared in Marvel section of Previews…?  

No. No, I’m not.  

I’m supposed to let this stuff go.  I’m not supposed to call it out.  ”Beat ‘em on the field, kid.”  ”Don’t punch down.”  ”Don’t let them know they got to you.”  

Not today.  Today you see my hand shake.  

You win, asshat.  

But just for today.