JMS rare East Coast appearance

[Jan]

Just to spread the word, JMS will be appearing at a New Jersey High School fund-raising comic convention on May 8. More info can be found:

http://www.silverbulletcomicbooks.com/news/108298428452352.htm

Something tells me that the school's art program will get a big shot in the arm since I'll bet the B5 fans will be more generous than just a buck donation. :-)

Jan

[RCmodeler]

I'm skeptical. A famous (and more importantly BUSY) guy like jms, despite not appearing in any other east coast convention (not even WorldCon!), is going to fly all the way across the continent for a *high school*?????

I have my doubts.

I suspect some high school kids are playing a prank.

[Jan]

Why not? He's been known to do tiny little fan-run cons of less than 600 people because he supports fandom and possibly their charity. Also he's arranged fan gatherings on short notice before (Legend of the Rangers). He's from New Jersey originally. He regularly tells people to follow their dreams and that one person can make a difference. This little 'do' can really make a difference to some kids. I think it's perfectly in character. The person I emailed replied as an adult would.


Jan

[RCmodeler]

Soooo....how come jms has not made any other east coast visits?

(just curious)

[Green_Drazi]

This rocks! I live exactly 6 miles from Hawthorne.

I am soooooo there!

[Jan]

WOW!!!! Read this!! :-)

Okay, I'm posting this mainly because it verifies that JMS will actually be attending the Hawthorne High School comic fund-raiser. There's one heck of a clue in there, too, though:

Subject: from jms
From: [email protected] (Jms at B5)
Date: 4/29/04 9:56 PM Eastern Daylight Time
Message-id: <[email protected]>

I know I've been absent for a while now, but there are reasons, especially in
regards to B5:TMoS. In a project of this nature, and this size, there's stage
one (let's do this) stage two (let's make everybody's deal) and stage three
(making it). We're hip-deep in stage two just now, and it's taking a freaking
long amount of time to get through it all. Stage two is also the most
unnerving and nerve-wracking stage when there's a lot of money involved, as
there is in this situation.

So every day is a case of "Are we there yet?" and being told yes...almost.

I swear, it's the kind of thing that could lead a monk to murder.

Thing of it is...there's a LOT happening right now in the B5 universe, on a
multitude of fronts, some of it in response to TMoS, some of it coming up
completely on its own. All I can say at this moment is that if you've been
waiting for new stuff in the B5 universe, you may be getting your wish in
spades very soon.

Soon, I promise, all will be made clear. I don't like being Mr. Mysterioso on
this, but if I say too much, the-powers-that-be will use my head to make a
2.35:1 sized hole in the wall.

On other fronts....

Ibooks/Simon and Schuster just delivered the final production galleys on
Straczynski Unplugged (originally called JMS Unplugged, which I recommended
over Straczynski Unplugged because I couldn't imagine anyone Asking For It By
Name without blowing out an incisor or two, but who listens to me). It
includes some stories from my Twilight Zone anthology, plus "Say Hello, Mister
Quigley," "Cold Type," "We Killed Them in the Ratings" and "The Salvation of
Lyman Terrell," which have appeared in various publications but have never been
gathered together before in one book, plus a new introduction. I think it
should be hitting stores sometime in the coming month.

Ibooks/Simon and Schuster are going to be putting together a whole line of JMS
books, including a shared universe series of novels and other stuff...more when
I can talk about it.

For those who've been considering getting into the Supreme Power series, Marvel
published a graphic novel containing the first 6 issues last month (it ended up
at #3 out of the top 100 titles). It's a good jumping-on point for the series,
which I'm eminently proud of. (I know, a dangling participle, what can I say?)

I'm doing two other books for Marvel, one of which I think they should be able
to announce soon. The other is the Dream Police book, which I brought over
from Top Cow. Mike Deodato is doing the art, and it's just beautiful. (Mike
is also doing the art on Amazing Spider-Man during John Romita Jr's leave of
absence, and it's very nice indeed.) The first scripts are in on both the new
project, and for the Doc Strange miniseries, and artists have been selected,
but it's up to Marvel to release that info.

Finally...for those who want to support a worthy cause...recently I heard about
a high school in Hawthorne, New Jersey (not far from Paterson, where I was
born) which was having a small comic convention to raise funds for its art
program. The high school arts program for the coming year had to be cut
entirely due to lack of funds, to the point where this past year people
literally had to scrounge in junk yards for wire for sculpture classes.

Initially, I was going to just donate to the cause, but the more I looked into
this, the more it became clear that I had to kind of do something. So I'm
going to be flying out for the day to be at the fund-raiser convention for the
school. (I know, I know...I pass all the big conventions that pay big bucks
and I do this instead...I'm not wired up right, I admit it, but...sometimes you
just gotta do what's right, you know?) It's not an alma mater for me or
anything, but in hailing from Paterson (also Newark and Matawan) when I was a
kid I probably got in fights with kids from Hawthorne, so I figure I owe
something, right?

I got my real start as a writer in high school, through teachers who saw in me
something more than a kid from the streets. Those teachers -- specifically
Rochelle Terry and Joanne Massie at Chula Vista High -- gave me the support I
needed to start following my dreams, so it's a crucial time for others as well,
a time that needs our support, particularly at a time when so many schools are
suffering from similar cuts.

The convention is May 8th, Saturday, and I'll be there to talk, answer
questions, and sign autographs. Now, we usually try to limit signatures to 5
or so per person, but I'm taking the cap off...and in another break with
tradition, in which I never ask for a fee to sign stuff, this time I'll be
charging one buck per autograph, with all of the money going to the high
school. So for those of you in the area with twenty copies of various comics
or books or whatever...this is your chance to stock up. There will also be an
auction to further help raise funds.

Details about the fund-raiser and the other fine guests can be found at:

http://www.newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=12223

This is the first appearance I've made at any kind of East Coast convention in
years, and the first time I've been in New Jersey in over 30 years, so there's
no way to know how long it'll be before I get into town again. And admission
is only $3, so how can you go wrong?

It's a worthy cause. So if you're in the vicinity, stop by, step up, and do
some good.

If you can't make it, and can't help, check into your local schools and see if
they need help. Because odds are they do.

jms

I'm going, I'm going....Happy Dance!!!

Jan

[frulad]

Well, I was going to go to Manhattan to see the new release of the original Japanese version of Godzilla, but that can wait until Sunday!

Now I can get my "Day of the Dead" script signed by the man! (Already have it signed by Penn & Teller and Neil Gaiman!)

WOOOOHOOOO!!!!

[Joe Nazzaro]

Jan, thanks for bringing Joe's post to everybody's attention. I spoke to the organizer earlier this evening, and it sounds like it's going to be a very interesting day. I would suggest that anybody planning on attending get there early- I believe the convention starts around 10 am.- because I'm not sure anybody knows how many people are actually going to show up. Do the math: Joe Straczynski, a bunch of top-notch comic book people, for only three bucks a pop, and JMS's autograph for a buck!

I'm going along to hopefully pitch in for the day because I feel the same way as Joe. Coming from a family of teachers who worked in this area of Northern New Jersey, I know how many of them are often strapped for cash. All the profits for the con are going to the school's art department, which sounds desperately under-funded. When their art teacher was trying to do a class on wire art a la Alexander Calder, he had to get his students to bring in their own wire hangers to work with! He also runs a cartoonists club for the kids, many of whom are really into comics, so they'll be right there, volunteering with some of the parents. In the words of Miracle Max, that's a worthy cause. I'm also going to see if I can find some cool B5 stuff for the auction, which may be done Chinese auction style- everybody buys tickets, which are put in a jug for that item, so everybody has a chance to win. So I hope lots of East Coast fans will show up. When Joe showed up at Midtown Comics a few months back for a Spider-Man #500 signing, the line outside Midtown Comics pretty much stretched from Seventh Avenue all the way to Eighth. Here's a chance for people who missed that signing to come along, pay for admission, get an autograph and have a buck left over.

And just in case it isn't clear, JMS is flying out here on his own dime, which definitely puts him in my cool book. I won't be able to match that level of generosity, but I'm going to do my best.

Oh, and Frulad, I know how you feel about your Day of the Dead script. I was in LA to cover the episode, and director Doug Lefler, who directed 'Day,' was somebody I'd interviewed a number of times in the past. On the last day of shooting, he gave me his own script, which has now become a precious possession. Not so much for the script itself, but for the fact that Doug had a habit of doodling impromptu storyboards for each scene in the margins!

[DougO]

This is great, I'm glad that he is taking the time to help out a school program in financial need. I hope the school has the capacity to handle the crowd that may show up. I predict this comic convention will be a success for everyone involved.

On the subject of convention appearances, I wonder if JMS plans to appear at the San Diego Comic-con this year? I don't think I've seen any mention of it yet.

-DougO

[Jan]

Originally posted by RCmodeler
Soooo....how come jms has not made any other east coast visits?

(just curious)

He used to come to various central Florida cons pretty regularly but after B5 ended, he quit doing more than a couple per year and those in his own 'neighborhood' such as San Diego Comic Con which is his favorite of all. Also, iiirc, he's mentioned in passing that at 6' 4", he really hates flying across country.

Jan

[Jan]

Originally posted by DougO

On the subject of convention appearances, I wonder if JMS plans to appear at the San Diego Comic-con this year? I don't think I've seen any mention of it yet.

-DougO

Several of us from the Moderated Newsgroup are going to be there, Doug, so we'll be sure to ask.

Jan

[Jan]

Originally posted by Joe Nazzaro
I'm going along to hopefully pitch in for the day because I feel the same way as Joe. Coming from a family of teachers who worked in this area of Northern New Jersey, I know how many of them are often strapped for cash. All the profits for the con are going to the school's art department, which sounds desperately under-funded.
<snippety>
And just in case it isn't clear, JMS is flying out here on his own dime, which definitely puts him in my cool book. I won't be able to match that level of generosity, but I'm going to do my best.

Oh, and Frulad, I know how you feel about your Day of the Dead script. I was in LA to cover the episode, and director Doug Lefler, who directed 'Day,' was somebody I'd interviewed a number of times in the past. On the last day of shooting, he gave me his own script, which has now become a precious possession. Not so much for the script itself, but for the fact that Doug had a habit of doodling impromptu storyboards for each scene in the margins!

Hey, Joe, that's very cool of you! Hope I'll get to meet you as I and several of the Moderated Newsgroupies will be attending. Frulad and Green Drazi, hope to be able to meet you, too.

I'm sure to have at least a couple of scripts with me. Mine were from a member of the Art Dept and I loved reading the notes he wrote.

Jan

[frulad]

Hey folks, while talking about htis with a friend at the local comics shop, I had an idea. If you're traveling a little ways to get to the signing on Saturday (like the 2 hours I am) ask around and see if there are people who can't go, but would still like to get stuff signed. My friend is going to mention it to various customers at the shop and we're going to see if I can't take stuff for other people. The more autographs JMS signs, the more cash is raised for this school.

[Jan]

Originally posted by frulad
The more autographs JMS signs, the more cash is raised for this school.

I've already got 2, maybe 3 people sending me stuff. None of them even flinched when I set a $5 per autograph minimum donation (even though they know JMS only said $1). After all, the actors get anywhere from $15 to $35 each autograph.

I'm hoping that the school will really see how cool B5 folk really are.

Jan

[Joe Nazzaro]

Hey guys, bear in mind that if things get really crowded, the organizers may have to limit the number of items getting signed. At a buck per autograph, there are probably going to be a couple of people thinking, 'This is my chance to get my 25 favorite items signed!' Multiply that number by just ten people and you've already got 250 items to be signed. I know, I may be exaggerating a bit here, but if you've ever stood on an endless convention line behind a rabid fan who's brought his entire collection to be signed, you'll know what I'm talking about. I'm pretty sure they want to do a panel with Joe as well, which may prove problematic if there's a four-hour autograph line of people still waiting.

I know I sound like an alarmist, but better to bring these things up ahead of time just in case the con turns out to especially well-attended. Personally, given the choice, I'd rather hear the man talk!