JMS hinting heavily

[Jan]

Okay...I know what this looks like to me; what does this look like to you guys?

The DC work has gone and is going extremely well. WeÆre about six scripts deep into ôThe Brave and The Bold,ö believe it or not. I just wrote Batman and Brother Power, the Geek, and it may be the best of the bunch, so we're way ahead since the first issue doesn't ship until September. All four Red Circle scripts are in and drawn, and I'm working on a secret project for DC that I hope we can discuss at San Diego Comic-Con. Suffice to say: anyone who knows me knows that there's something I've wanted to do for my entire creative life, something that I'd give my right arm to write...something I've been actively chasing for over ten years. There's one character, one property, that if George Lucas said "Here's a million dollars, go write whatever you want and I'll shoot it, but you'll have to drop that book," I would say no and never, ever look back.
And I hope I can explain that in more detail at San Diego.

Emphasis mine.

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=21780

Jan

[Karen]

In the leaving Thor thread Jan posts a link to an article with the name of the character JMS has been wanting to write. I guess I'll start picking that title up again.

[JoeD80]

For DC? Superman.

if there's any book I'd love to do (after any of the Superman titles), it'd be the Legion of Superheroes.

When I was a kid, Superman was It. Because of that singular character -- invulnerable, unstoppable, whose single goal was to find the right thing and do it -- I decided that I could do anything I set my mind to doing. Truth, justice, and the American way. Yeah, it's corny as hell, and maybe it doesn't parse too well in a "stick it to 'em" society, but as a kid, it *meant* something to me.

(If nothing else I go to SDCC just to shop in the dealer's room for cool Superman stuff.)

I think I'd have to hesitate, because I don't know if I could do Batman correctly. I'd really have to think about it (whereas Superman would be a total non-brainer).

[SmileOfTheShadow]

JMS might be one of the few people that could make superman fresh and interesting again. Please say it's true.

[vakie]

I think he's already got about a desk drawer full of Superman stories written down... just in case. How many dreams can one man accomplish? He already did Spidey which I think was a pretty big one on his list as well.. He's doing big sci-fi movies like Lensman and Forbidden Planet.. and now the Superman comic, looks like. I guess a Superman film can't be far away...

I have to admit, along with Batman and Spidey, Supes was the biggie for me as well as a kid, the comics and the movies.. will be interesting to see what Joe does with him, haven't really followed the comic for a long time.

[SmileOfTheShadow]

Until the DC editors say "now look, we have this new 52 part crossover that's going to change your character and you need to write this..." and he quits.

[glindros]

Until the DC editors say "now look, we have this new 52 part crossover that's going to change your character and you need to write this..." and he quits.

And what's wrong with that? He is an artist. They are getting him for his creative vision, not to just fill 20+ pages of dialog. If he doesn't feel he can do justice to a change in creative direction he should leave rather than write what what would obviously be someone else's creative vision.

[Jan]

And what's wrong with that? He is an artist. They are getting him for his creative vision, not to just fill 20+ pages of dialog. If he doesn't feel he can do justice to a change in creative direction he should leave rather than write what what would obviously be someone else's creative vision.

I don't think that SOTS was complaining, just predicting. Planning a Big Event effecting every other title seems to be the instinctive and *only* reaction the Big Two ever have to a successful title. After a while you'd think they'd learn to leave the golden goose alone to do what he does best.

Jan

[SmileOfTheShadow]

I don't think that SOTS was complaining, just predicting. Planning a Big Event effecting every other title seems to be the instinctive and *only* reaction the Big Two ever have to a successful title. After a while you'd think they'd learn to leave the golden goose alone to do what he does best.

Jan

Exactly what Jan said. JMS got wrapped up in civil war for spidey and FF and had editorial tell him too much to do, so he dropped them. Thor - he told them "listen, don't pull me into any big crossovers" and they said "okay" and they did anyway because Thor is a surprise success and they want to boost sales all around on the short term.

What the editors of the big 2 don't realize - is that these crossovers all the time do boost sales in the short term, but year over year is always way down. When Marvel comes out with 39 titles in 1 week at 3.99, you're alienating your fanbase because they can't afford that much. So there's people who quit reading comics. Now JMS brings with him an audience that doesn't usually read comics and so he brings those sales. When it gets pulled into a crossover, it messes up his storytelling because he can't do what he planned to do, what editorial told him he could do to begin with. Cuz you know he runs his story arcs by them first.

This kind of action by marvel and dc are just causing people to drop comics. I used to read whole lines, but I'm cutting back these days. I'm pretty much just reading JMS/PAD, Daredevil and some Image stuff because those don't seem to be effected by the crossover madness.

[Jan]

To be fair, from what I read JMS only asked Marvel to leave him alone for the first six issues. He's enough of a businessman to know that unless they let him have a pocket universe they couldn't leave him out of things forever.

Let's hope that DC lets him have a pocket universe for whatever the Big Announcement title is.

Jan

[Karen]

I'm sick of crossovers. I buy the titles I want and to heck with the rest. I never pick up any of the books in conjunction with a crossover story unless I regularly pick up that title anyway. I get very irritated when the ones I read have a "part" of a story. I find that I am buying less and less of the big 2 and more and more independents. (And don't get me started on how they've ruined certain characters just because they could, instead of trying to tell a decent story. So much easier to do something "shocking") They brought back Barry Allen and now they are bringing back Captain America. Their deaths meant nothing.

OK, I'll be winding down now. Sorry for the rant.

[Jan]

I'm with you, Karen.

I can't say that I'm sorry that JMS will be doing more in the way of small series that can be completed before the first one hits the stands. I do hope he'll consider doing some nice long ones, though, on the order of 12+ issues.

Jan

[Karen]

As long as we're wishing, I'm gonna wish that he'd write a bunch of B5 books. The telepath war, crusade, the rangers.... There's so much more I want to know.

[glindros]

I wonder if jms would have walked away from B5 if WB was heavily influencing B5.

[Jan]

I guess that depends on how 'heavily' heavily was. I'm sure it would have been much harder to walk away from his dream.

Still, given his non-return to Jeremiah and his short walk-out on Crusade, I think he probably would have at once he felt that the show no longer reflected his vision for it.

We also know that he stopped the comics. With the possible eventual exception of the 100-page graphic novel.

Jan