JMS on ComicBookResources.com

[Jan]

When they didn't find any mention of JMS in the June solicitations for DC, Comic Book Resources went to him directly to ask for news of when - and what - he might be writing for DC. JMS replied:

“In my talks with [DCU Executive Editor] Dan [DiDio], the writing on the project they want me to do would start probably July, so it won’t come out until the fall, most likely.”

...but still can't give any info on what specific projects he might work on:

“What I can say, in general, is that I’ll be starting on one established title in July, and folding into a new title that would be launched in early 2009 that will be very highly visible.”

JMS also shared that both titles are ongoing and “set inside the DC Universe.”

You can check out the entire article at Comic Book Resources

Jan

[Joe Nazzaro]

It's interesting that JMS has gone from writing several books for Marvel to just Thor and The Twelve. Obviously things were very different when he was under exclusive contract, but the fact that he seems to have made a conscious decision to do a lot of his work elsewhere would suggest to me that there's an untold story there. Then again, maybe he's been waiting all this time to write a bunch of DC characters when he finally got the chance, but I sort of doubt it.

[Jan]

Something that's incorrect in the CBR piece is that JMS went non-exclusive with Marvel recently. What JMS said at WonderCon is that it's about a year and a half since he didn't sign another exclusive contract and went exclusive on a month-to-month basis, gradually pulling back.

Jan

[sftv]

JMS Comics - Marvel Vs. DC

I think one of the telling comments about why he is no longer at Marvel is the response to the question about Thor, in which his reply was "Thor is not a Skrull". This is the latest Marvel big crossover and I think Joe got tired of having to tie things in with other Marvel events.

It will be interesting to see what Joe ends up doing at DC, since they've been having big events as well, but I think will be doing less of the tying all of the books together stuff which would give Joe a chance to tell the stories he wants to do without having to do much. The whole Sinestro Corps War story was pretty much contained in the GL titles for the most part even though they did bring in pretty much the entire DCU at the end. The other possibility is he could be doing an All-Star title which pretty much exists in its own continuity.

I'd think Martian Manhunter might be a good bet for one of the projects, since it does have the science fictional elements to go with it. If it ties into somethat that comes of the Final Crisis, then maybe he'd get to tell some new Barry Allen tales. I figure at some point he'll get to do some sort of Superman series, since I'm sure he's been thinking of Superman stories to tell for years. Maybe the ongoing he's taking over is the All-Star Superman?

Tad Williams was the most recent writer on Aquaman, and from talking with him last year at WesterCon, he was somewhat frustrated by it. Never mind that DC pretty much announced they were ending the run even before his first issue came out and he had to really cram in a lot of stuff to bring the storyline to somewhat of an ending. He didn't really have to tie it into the ongoing crossovers, but he did want to use guest characters that weren't available to him. Personally, I think the wholesale change they did with Aquaman was pretty lame and even the explanation for it got pretty short shrift when the finally showed how it happened at the end of 52.

Lee

[frulad]

It will be interesting to see what Joe ends up doing at DC, since they've been having big events as well, but I think will be doing less of the tying all of the books together stuff which would give Joe a chance to tell the stories he wants to do without having to do much. The whole Sinestro Corps War story was pretty much contained in the GL titles for the most part even though they did bring in pretty much the entire DCU at the end. The other possibility is he could be doing an All-Star title which pretty much exists in its own continuity.

From what I recall reading, FINAL CRISIS will be entirely self-contained, except for two side miniseries or one-shots (can't remember which) and a mention in a title or two. Certainly not as sprawling and encompassing as things have gotten over at Marvel from HOUSE OF M forward.

I don't think DC even has any big plans past the conclusion of their INDENTITY/INFINITE/FINAL CRISIS trilogy except for next summer's LANTERN CORPS WAR but, like you said, that's all contained in the GL titles.

Unfortunately, since ALL-STAR books are outside regular continuity, that would preclude JMS taking one up as he said that both books were "inside the DCU". (Unless you count the entire DCU as the multiverse and then factor in that Frank Miller has said that ALL-STAR BATMAN is set in the same continuum as DARK KNIGHT RETURNS and that could be one of the 52 universes and.... uh-oh, headache coming on! )

[Joe Nazzaro]

I think the DC universe is chock-full of characters that JMS could breathe new life into without fear of having to tie it in with countless other unrelated books. Witness Delano's Animal Man, Morrison's Doom Patrol or even Gaiman's Black Orchid as examples of B-list or even C-list characters that were successfully brought back and gained a loyal fan following.

Incidentally, I tend to think that the 'One More Day' storyline may have been the last straw for JMS; anybody who's seen my column in the current issue of Sci-Fi Now will have seen my opinion on what a travesty that was. But Joe being a professional isn't the kind of guy to take his ball and go home (especially since it was a borrowed ball) when he could keep the door open and play in somebody else's playground for a while.

[frulad]

Joe- While I know what you're getting at, I'd say that Morrison was far more responsible for reinvigorating Animal Man than Delano's run was.

As for B or C or even D, E, and F string DC characters I'd like to see JMS tackle, how about Space Cabbie? Turn it into a scicence-fiction noir series perhaps?

[Joe Nazzaro]

I'm sure you're right; I remember interviewing Delano and Morrison within months of each other, so my brain just mixed them up. But my basic point is still the same, that a good writer can take a moribund character or franchise and turn them around. You could probably add Alan Moore's Swamp Thing to that list, where somebody comes in and deconstructs a character so thoroughly that it's difficult to remember what came before.