JMS 2012 Convention Appearances

[Jan]

Here I am, your intrepid reporter, all ready for WonderCon! As usual, since I'm on the iPad, you'll have to excuse any typos...especially since my keyboard lost two keys.

Nothing to report so far. I arrived yesterday afternoon and was able to pick up my badge ahead of time. Today's JMS items are his Sptlight panel at 3:30 and an autograph signing at 5:00. This panel may be particularly interesting since for the first time that I know of, JMS has a moderator, DC co-publisher Dan Didio. I've got a couple of possible questions all ready to ask. We'll see if I get the chance.

Will report back later!
Jan

[Jan]

Just a quickie, as I'm about to leave for dinner with Smile of the Shadow. JMS's panel was a lot of fun - Dan DiDio moderated it and handled it similar to the show "The Actor's Studio" (not sure of the title) covering aspects of JMS' carreer from the beginning to now. At the end, Dan asked the usual 10 questions and JMS's answers were fun. I'll transcribe them later.

I had a chance to ask one of the few questions there was time for and JMS told of having an outside wall painted at his house. What he wanted was a beach. No people, no ships...but he did have one rquest - he wanted a zombie coming out of the water. It was a fun story.

JMS has posted on FB that his MTV panel tomorrow is cancelled due to the MTV reb falling ill. There's still the writing panel tomorrow as well as the Before Watchmen panel.

Jan

Later!

[SmileOfTheShadow]

Originally Posted by Jan

Just a quickie, as I'm about to leave for dinner with Smile of the Shadow. JMS's panel was a lot of fun - Dan DiDio moderated it and handled it similar to the show "The Actor's Studio" (not sure of the title) covering aspects of JMS' carreer from the beginning to now. At the end, Dan asked the usual 10 questions and JMS's answers were fun. I'll transcribe them later.

I had a chance to ask one of the few questions there was time for and JMS told of having an outside wall painted at his house. What he wanted was a beach. No people, no ships...but he did have one rquest - he wanted a zombie coming out of the water. It was a fun story.

JMS has posted on FB that his MTV panel tomorrow is cancelled due to the MTV reb falling ill. There's still the writing panel tomorrow as well as the Before Watchmen panel.

Jan

Later!

Was a pretty funny panel. The two men play very well off of each other. Not much new info other than New Watchmen book comments, which I'm sure we'll get a lot more detail tomorrow.

[Quarxius]

<delurk>

New interview from Wondercon with JMS about "Before Watchmen" at IGN.

http://comics.ign.com/articles/122/1220758p1.html

That is all.

<lurk>

[Jan]

Thanks, Quarxius! That is a great interview. Sadly, I missed the Before Watchman panel yesterday so this is great to see.

I did make it to JMS' writing workshop and there were some great questions. No real news, since the panel focused on the questions from the aspiring writers who came.

Jan

[Jan]

Here's a great write-up of JMS' spotlight:
http://www.comicbookresources.com/?p...ticle&id=37619

[Jan]

Looks like this may be the entire panel - or most of it. I think my recording is a little longer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-awBy23ry8

(At 38:54 is me asking for a Fairy Tale and getting a funny story. )

Jan

[Jan]

Found on Facebook:

Originally Posted by Fans of J. Michael Straczynski

I can now confirm that I will be attending the C2E2 expo in Chicago the weekend of April 13-15. First time back there in ages.

Originally Posted by Fans of J. Michael Straczynski

C2E2 addendum: autographing Friday, Before Watchmen panel Saturday, Spotlight on Sunday.

Jan

[Jan]

C2E2 panels have been posted. JMS' schedule:

Fri. Apr. 13 2:15 PM - 3:15 PM
J Micheal Straczynski Autographing Table 3

Sat. Apr. 14 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
DC All Access – Special Edition: Before Watchmen S401abc

Sun. Apr. 15 12:15 PM - 1:15 PM
J Micheal Straczynski Spotlight S401abc


Jan

[Jan]

Here's a fun mini-interview with JMS from WonderCon:

http://www.dccomics.com/videos/watch...el-straczynski

Jan

[Jan]

JMS just posted about an additional autograph session at C2E2:

Originally Posted by Fans of J. Michael Straczynski

For those who said they couldn't make the Friday autograph session at C2E2, another has been scheduled for 3:00 Saturday at the DC booth.

Jan

[Jan]

And another panel has been added:

Originally Posted by Fans of J. Michael Straczynski

Just had another panel added for C2E2, a DC Entertainment All Access panel on Friday from 5-6 in room S402ab.

Jan

[SmileOfTheShadow]

Nothin from C2E2?

[Jan]

More detail later but JMS was in rare form today! At one point when the room next door got too loud, he got a bunch of folks from the audience onstage to pound on the connecting wall. Then when the noise didn't abate he sent the tech guy from our room over there to turn down the sound. Meanwhile, he grabbed the wireless mike and ran around the room taking questions. Very fun time.

No real announcements. He did mention that one of the TV series he's developing has a 5-year arc. I asked about the Houdini film and JMS said that there's discussion over making it bigger or keeping it an intimate story.

There was a little more info about one of the comic projects he's taken on but I
'll have to listen to the recording.

Very fun day!

Jan
Your loyal on-the-spot reporter

[Jan]

I'm hooommmeee! Whew, what a quick weekend. I was actually in Chicago for all of 35 hours and packed in seeing friends and familiy as well as the JMS stuff at C2E2. Great weekend!

Here's a tidbit that I didn't mention yesterday - JMS just signed on to do a graphic novel for Legendary Comics. This may be one of the two comics projects he mentioned a couple of weeks back.

Another: JMS just heard from a Studio that's interested in him both writing and directing an adaptation of Midnight Nation.

Toward the end of the Q&A, The showrunner of Detroit Fanfare just presented JMS with a Shel Dorf award for Best Graphic Novel for 2011 for Superman: Earth One. The presenter was just one of the audience waiting to get called on so I don't think JMS was aware that it was going to happen. It was a nice moment.

A story I hadn't heard before: Back when JMS was flying back and forth to Vancouver while working on 'Jeremiah' he used to speed up the Customs process by mentioning that he was a TV producer. Until one day he ran into one who recognized his name from his passport and searched his stuff *very* diligently because he'd said some 'unfortunate things' about Star Trek over the years.

(pulling this off of a report so it may be paraphrased but it's close: The last question of the day was what work JMS was most proud of. He took a moment to think and said:

"Just doing it. Growing up, no one in the world thought I could pull this off. Everyone in my neighborhood either became garage mechanics or went to prison. People kept telling me to let it go, and I never let go."

"The reality of the writing profession is becoming a writer is easy, but staying a writer is hard. And that I'm still here now, I'm just thrilled. Thank you all for coming here today!"

Afterward, a number of people wanted to have JMS sign some things so he led them out into the hall so the folks waiting for the next pannel could start to file in.

Jan