from jms: rising stars info
Jms at B5
I've now seen the inked and colored final pages on issue 1, and I have to say
that I'm very, very pleased by the final result. It took a bit of doing to get
there, but the result is quite nice. It has the *feel* of a very different
sort of book than everything else out there, something a bit special.
That first issue of RISING STARS, "Nova Placenta," will debut at the Chicago
Comic Con in two weeks, where I'll be attending and signing stuff and talking
and the like. (The main presentation I'm scheduled for has been moved from
Sunday to Saturday at, I think, around 5ish.)
It will hit comic stores/newsstands around the 28th of this month.
Advance orders have already topped 100,000 (before re-orders) and it looks like
that may not be enough.
This is a comic that I feel very strongly about, it's something I've wanted to
do for a long, long time. I think it's something that will appeal to most B5
folks, because it has some of the same elements in the sense that it treats the
genre seriously, tries new and different approaches to characterization, has an
overall story arc with a beginning, middle and end (24 issues from now), and so
on. It also proceeds from a genuine love of the form. I think it'll appeal
equally to non-comics fans and those familiar with the form. It's also
something that I think can be read by a variety of age ranges, all of whom will
get something different out of it.
In any event...I'm very happy with the thing, and wanted to put the word out
there about it.
I'm especially pleased that the first issue will have a forward by Neil Gaiman,
a name that should be familiar to both B5 folks ("Day of the Dead") and comics
readers around the planet.
The book is being published by TOP COW (a division of Image Comics, publisher
of SPAWN), also the publishers of FATHOM and DARKNESS. It should be available
at any goodly-sized comics store, and there are several places on-line where
one can find comics.
It's gonna be a fun book.
jms
(jms...@aol.com)
B5 Official Fan Club at:
http://www.thestation.com
Michael J. Hennebry
Jms at B5 <jms...@aol.com> wrote:
>I'm especially pleased that the first issue will have a forward by Neil Gaiman,
>a name that should be familiar to both B5 folks ("Day of the Dead") and comics
>readers around the planet.
He also co-wrote Good Omens: the Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes
Nutter, Witch, with Terry Pratchett. There is a rumor that Good Omens
might be a movie soon.
--
Mike henn...@plains.NoDak.edu
ValleyCon 24: http://www.netcenter.net/~jnelson/vc/
To artist letter: http://ndsun.cs.ndsu.NoDak.edu/www/hennebry/to.artist.html
"I'm just an old country doctor." -- Bones
Simo Aaltonen
>It's gonna be a fun book.
That I can believe. I read the preview and #0 issues and loved it from the
start. It isn't typical superhero stuff, and even now I find myself
wanting to learn more about all these character, some in particular (names
withheld to protect those who haven't read the issues yet). That's because
I know there is more to each character than is apparent at first.
-Simo Aaltonen
Justin Bacon
Hennebry) writes:
>In article <19990707005926...@ng-cc1.aol.com>,
>Jms at B5 <jms...@aol.com> wrote:
>>I'm especially pleased that the first issue will have a forward by Neil
>Gaiman,
>>a name that should be familiar to both B5 folks ("Day of the Dead") and
>comics
>>readers around the planet.
>
>He also co-wrote Good Omens: the Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes
>Nutter, Witch, with Terry Pratchett. There is a rumor that Good Omens
>might be a movie soon.
As well as NEVERWHERE, SMOKE AND MIRRORS, and a collection of short stories
entitled (I believe) ANGELS AND VISITATIONS.
Plus, I *think* he wrote the scripts for the BBC mini-series made off of
NEVERWHERE... but don't quote me on that.
Justin Bacon
tr...@prairie.lakes.com
Scott Johnson
: That I can believe. I read the preview and #0 issues and loved it from the
: start. It isn't typical superhero stuff, and even now I find myself
: wanting to learn more about all these character, some in particular (names
: withheld to protect those who haven't read the issues yet). That's because
: I know there is more to each character than is apparent at first.
For those that are getting interested in comics for the first time through
Rising Stars, or even for those who have been away for so long you only
remember two Spiderman series <g>, I think this might be a good opportunity
to point out a few other excellent comics that you might enjoy reading.
There are a lot of very good, adult-level comics out there now that are of
the same high quality and intellectual depth as it looks like Rising Stars
will be, and it would be a shame for folks to only read Rising Stars because
it is written by JMS and not find any of the other great stuff that is out
there. If you have liked Rising Stars so far, then you should definitely
check some of these out:
Astro City is a series written by Kurt Busiek, and is also about
superheroes struggling to deal with their powers and with just being
alive. In some ways it deals with a lot of the same themes as Rising
Stars sounds like it's gonna, though of course in its own way. It also
deals with how ordinary peoples' lives are affected by living around super
heros. There are several book anthologies of old Astro City issues out
there now, as well as the current issues. I highly recommend picking up
any of them, but the first anthology is probably my personal favorite.
The art is also excellent, with covers by Alex Ross.
The Tick is a more tongue-in-cheek look at the superhero life. This is
a much more well known title now that the cartoon show has been on
television. You should start with the anthologies of the original 13
issues, since later ones are written by different people. They're good,
too, but they're a little different. The books are a bit more adult than
the shows were, so you might want to look them up even if you didn't like
the cartoon.
The Sandman has been well discussed here, but you should definitely read
it if you haven't yet. Very literary in scope, with wonderful stories.
This was written by Neal Gaiman.
The Watchmen by Alan Moore is another JMS mentioned favorite. It is a
limited series telling the story of an ex-super-hero trying to find out who
has suddenly started murdering other ex-super-heroes. Also available as
an anthology book.
These are pretty popular comics, so you shouldn't have too much trouble
finding them in your local comic or book store.
There are also a few independent comics that are harder to find, and a bit
more esoteric, but some folks enjoy 'em. If you are interested, check
out:
Flaming Carrot -- yes, a superhero who is dressed as a flaming carrot and
has an IQ to match. Very odd, but strangely entertaining.
Dork Tower -- a magazine by a gamer, for gamers. Basically, it gives you
the humor and comic enjoyment of what the Dragon Magazine humor section used
to be about 10 or 15 years ago. The next issue is even going to be a
Babylon 5 parody. :-)
Two Fisted Science -- A comic book about events from the life of Richard
Feynman and a few other famous scientists. If you are at all interested
in science or the people who make it, this is a good read. It is only
available in a book anthology form, so you won't find it with the
individual issues. It also happens to be written by a friend of mine, but
I really do like it regardless. :-)
I'm sure there are lots of other great comics out there that other folks
on the newsgroup could recommend. And please don't take this article as
trying to take anything away from JMS or Rising Stars. I've enjoyed the
two preview issues and am looking forward to the full series with great
anticipation. But as a comic fan himself, I'm sure he would be happy if
Rising Stars got new people interested in reading other quality comics
besides his own.
Cheers,
--
Scott Johnson sco...@eecs.umich.edu
Dept. of EECS, Univ. of Michigan http://www.eecs.umich.edu/~scottdj
(734) 763-5363
Finger for PGP public key.
Simo Aaltonen
>For those that are getting interested in comics for the first time through
>Rising Stars, or even for those who have been away for so long you only
>remember two Spiderman series <g>, I think this might be a good opportunity
>to point out a few other excellent comics that you might enjoy reading.
I've never stopped reading comics since I started with Donald Duck (yes,
that's right... don't laugh, though - Carl Barks's and Don Rosa's work is
brilliant) and then found Marvel with Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four
(John Byrne era). From there on, I broadened my reading to include all
kinds of stuff, from Krazy Kat to Moebius. In later years, though, my
other hobbies have pushed comics more to the background, but I still keep
my eye on the comics being published out there.
-Simo Aaltonen
---
"This may be even more serious than even I had been at first imagining.
Strange... strange line..."
-Monty Python
sha...@eskimo.com
Aaltonen) wrote:
>there is more to each character than is apparent at first.
That's part of any good writing. I'm sure he's sketched
out a full unrevealed background for each character. It's
coming up with such intriguing characters that's part of
the writers job.
Tammy Smith
which cover to get, though! Anyway, I like the story so far, & the
artwork is really good. Can't wait for the next issue!
Tammy
Lisa Webster
Neil Gaiman also wrote Stardust which was released as a graphic novel and as
a novel with only words :) It's a trippingly light fairy tale that's pretty
good. The art in the graphic novel is by Charles Vess and it's gorgeous.
Lisa
Justin Bacon <tria...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:19990718072716...@ngol01.aol.com...
Lisa Webster
news:37c4afd5....@eskinews.eskimo.com...
Just so you know, there's a decent reference section on Top Cow's website
which has some basic character summaries. I found it helpful while reading
#1. www.topcow.com
Lisa
Lisa Webster
news:13236-37...@newsd-131.iap.bryant.webtv.net...
> I was able to get a copy locally today. I had a time trying to decide
> which cover to get, though! Anyway, I like the story so far, & the
> artwork is really good. Can't wait for the next issue!
Just so you know:
#2 is expected in stores around 9/6-9/10
Lisa