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For those who have bought the DVDs, I have found the Easter Eggs on the Season 1 and 2 DVD's.
On the 6th DVD, go to the Universe of Babylon 5 segment. Go to the Data Files. On each one of the data files available use the left and right keys. In each Seasons DVDs you will eventually find a 5 that pops up. Hit enter when you see the 5. For season 1 you will get the series promotional commercial. For season 2 you get a 3 minute long gag reel. They are both cool.
Have fun
<font face="georgia"><font color="red">We already know "Supreme Power" wasn't solicited for July as expected, and J.M.S. was kind enough to mention here that he's unaware of any delays. I assumed that meant someone botched it, and that we'd see the first issue rush-solicited along with a normal solicitation for the second issue in the next Previews. However, I just noticed that Marvel has the July listings posted, and "Supreme Power" isn't in there. Does anyone know if this has been officially delayed?
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I noticed that it wasn't in the July previews, after it had been set for July 16th, and inquired of Marvel because we're well ahead on art and scripts (I'm working on issue 5 at the moment).
They explained that they'd wanted to debut the comic at Wizard Con (either Philly or Chicago, I can't now remember), but since I couldn't make it, they pushed the debut to August 6th, which allows us to get even further ahead on scripts. Once it hits the ground, we won't have any basis for missing any pub dates for at least half a year, if not more.
jms
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(all message content (c) 2003 by synthetic worlds, ltd.,
permission to reprint specifically denied to SFX Magazine
and don't send me story ideas)
<font face="georgia"><font color="red">I finally got to hear the commentary about the Pagans using the Declaration of Principles during rituals (and at some that I've attended, BTW). And I just wanted to mention that one of the local groups here REQUIRES their new members to watch the entire series as a starting point for discussions about personal responsibility and choices and consequenses.
B5 is a nice, big rock to throw in the pond.</font>
That's really terrific to hear. The funny thing is that I've been hearing more and more of this lately, about the philosophy and ideas behind B5 being used in this way.
In addition to the Pagan groups, I came across a bunch of Technomage sites that use some of those elements, a Buddhist site that's full of B5 quotes, and a Southern Baptist site that used a B5 quote (without attribution) right on its front page.
I hear from so many people these days about this sort of thing...it's vastly rewarding, I must say.
Funny thing is, on an aspect of the B5 philosophy...a while back, in order to be able to use it in the show, I wrote down the whole basic philosophical underpinning, under the heading of the Foundation (Franklin's group). It's quite long and involved, but I felt that the only way to use it properly would be to have it as fully fleshd out as the rest of the B5 universe.
Because so many people seem to respond to it, from time to time over the years I've considered releasing that material...then I hesitate. It's one of those things that either I'll release posthumously or delete altogether.
jms
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<font color="red">So, Joe. Is that your record? I'm betting that you know. If not, what was your longest in and where can I find it?</font>
....eep.
Don't know, never thought about it, never counted it. It's something I do once in a while for effect, because there's something nicely breathless about a run-on sentence, and the goal is to keep it totally grammatically correct, so it's a challenge to be sure, but I've never actually gone so far as to do a word count.
jms
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<font color="red">Because so many people seem to respond to it, from time to time over the years I've considered releasing that material...then I hesitate. It's one of those things that either I'll release posthumously or delete altogether.
Is it too late to slide it into the quote book? Sounds like it might go well there.</font>
Not feasible since it's basically a small book in length on its own.
<font color="red">And speaking of which, any news on a publication date?</font>
The final manuscript should be going in this coming week, so figure a few months thereafter.
jms
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<font color="red">I think it's very important that everything you wrote regarding the series -- notes, index cards, napkin scribbles, the odd graffiti spray-painted on Sun Valley brick walls -- needs not only to be preserved but also released for public access at some time.</font>
Not possible. It's gone. Nearly all of it.
My notes: gone once I used them.
Early drafts of scripts: gone. I'd write the script, make my notations in hand, get the revised one in hand, toss out the one with my notations and put out the final draft. There are no surviving scripts from B5 with my handwritten notes or edits on them.
B5 correspondence and memos: unless they're in the hands of other people: gone.
I have, to all intents and purposes, erased my footprints in the sand. Only the finished work remains. It was a deliberate decision from day one. I don't want people poking in to find where "I" am in this, where my brain was at this point or that point. I ain't the issue. The story, as told, is the issue.
The only things that remain in my possession are the script books with the final draft of each script, shooting schedules, and in some cases, art or prosthetics designs. Some blueprints. The rest I threw out.
The only real document about the making of Babylon 5, from stem to stern, is the one I wanted to leave behind: this conversation, on line, with the folks who stayed with us for five plus years.
It's the only thing that really means anything to me.
jms
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<font color="red">Joe, one of the problems that Mark Twain scholars have to deal with is that a number of his writings weren't published until after his death, and were often then bowdlerized to the point that there's still debate about his original opinions and intent. (MT is my favorite author...)</font>
Same here. He's always been a seminal influence on my work. I have pretty much everything he's ever written, absent the five volume set of his journals that's only available to libraries. "The Man Who Corrupted Hadleyburg" is still one of my favorite pieces, as is "The War Prayer," leading to its nod in B5.
His essays, to which you refer, are some of his best work, especially his takes on Adam, Eve, heaven, hell and the rest.
For anyone looking on: there is one book I tell anyone who wants to be a writer, to read. Twain's autobiography. It is, quite honestly, probably the best book, best autobiography, ever written. Funny, inspiring, moving, sad, and deeply profound. We think of bios from that time as being dry or irrelevant...TRUST me on this one. It's anything but. I consider it one of the best books I've ever read.
As for the problem of who really wrote what, and what got changed: we have one benefit he didn't have: read-only PDF files.
jms
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<font color="red">Can someone post WHICH Mark Twain autobiography JMS suggested we get? My search showed many printings and many odd titles. Even the basic "Mark Twain autobiography" weren't consistant. Prices ranged from $1.25 to $50.</font>
A biography is written by a third party; an autobiography is written by the person himself.
There has only been one autobiography written by Twain.
jms
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(all message content (c) 2003 by synthetic worlds, ltd.,
permission to reprint specifically denied to SFX Magazine
and don't send me story ideas)
<font face="georgia"><font color="red">what I want to know and probably the rest of this newsgroup also wants to know; have you written an autobiography yourself, are you in process writing one or when are you going to write it?
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In order of questions: no, no, and either when I'm old enough to have done enough to merit one, or not at all.
jms
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(all message content (c) 2003 by synthetic worlds, ltd.,
permission to reprint specifically denied to SFX Magazine
and don't send me story ideas)
A paraphrased repost since it seems my first one got lost in the ether....
Just an FYI for those who've been keeping an eye on this one...on August 6, Supreme Power will hit the stands, with pre-orders being taken now at comics stores. Up until now, I'd always felt that Midnight Nation was the best thing I'd ever managed to pull off in comics. (I enjoy the heck out of writing Spidey, but there's just something about Midnight Nation that won't let me go.)
Supreme Power may, I finally think, supplant that one.
There's something going in in Supreme Power, a strong emotional core, that pulls me in every time I sit down to write it. It's got an edge, it's profoundly sad in places, and weirdly funny in other places. Some elements are bound to be a bit controversial, but that's part and parcel of telling this particular story. Emotions are, for me, the whole point of telling a story, and those who've read and reviewed Midnight Nation as it slowly revealed itself know what I'm talking about.
Not coincidentally, Gary Frank is doing the art, who also did the art on Midnight Nation. So that may also be a part of it. The art is just stunning, especially the way he captures the emotion of the characters in their eyes.
Given the reactions of some folks who've seen the black and whites proofs of the first issue, I think this is going to move out pretty fast, and Marvel for the most part doesn't reprint issues, so if it ain't ordered in advance, it might not be available until the gather it together for the trade.
Anyway...I don't want to belabor the point. I don't generally come on to promote something unless I feel strongly about it, and this one I *definitely* feel strongly about.
I'm inestimably proud of this book, and I hope you'll check it out.
jms
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(all message content (c) 2003 by synthetic worlds, ltd.,
permission to reprint specifically denied to SFX Magazine
and don't send me story ideas)
I think I will have to procure this comic.
<font face="georgia"><font color="red">Just an FYI for those who've been keeping an eye on this one...on August 6, Supreme Power will hit the stands,
I'm really looking forwards to this one it's got to be said</font>
Thanks...as it happens, I forgot to include the url to a peek at the book (in
addition to the pieces in this month's Wizard and Diamond Comics Preview):
http://previews.diamondcomics.com/ed...remepower.html
<font color="red">Couple of quick bits though...
When might we see the last few Rising Stars issues? PLEASE!! </font>
That depends entirely on a situation with Top Cow that is in need of resolution. The delay in writing has not been a delay in writing; it's been working through some problems with Top Cow for the last...almost year now. The final issues won't be turned in untnil those issues are resolved.
<font color="red">JQ has mentioned that a new Dr Strange series is being "worked on". I know you've said you'd love to be part of this. What are the chances of you being involved? </font>
100%.
jms
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<font color="red">I'd be curious to know if there has been any independent audience research since Quemas took over. They seem confident that what they are doing is a dead-cinch to improve the books readability, but what evidence do they have beyond Jemas's hubris over his gifts for storytelling cultivated through years of working at a baseball card company?
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Focus groups and audience testing have been two of the biggest reasons for the general decline in quality television programs over the last few decades. Nothing of value is ever learned, and the results are always used to justify dumbing down the stories to appeal to the lowest common denominator. Shows that test poorly often do very well; shows that do well with audience testing almost always fail. I was watching a focus group once where an audience member, during testing, said he didn't like a given show because it "wasn't science fiction."
Upon being asked by the group facilitator what he would consider to be good SF, he replied, very earnestly, "Power Rangers." This is in no way or shape an exaggeration or distortion. That's what he said.
Hearing that comics were going to focus groups/audience testing would be the fastest way to get me the heck out of comics permanently.
jms
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(all message content (c) 2003 by synthetic worlds, ltd.,
permission to reprint specifically denied to SFX Magazine
and don't send me story ideas)
You mean "Power Rangers" isnt good Scifi? LoL....( puke )
<font face="georgia"><font color="red">I know that I personally, having bought every issue of every book you have written thus far, feel RELUCTANT (to say the least) to jump into a new and *unknown* entity like Supreme Power (as opposed to say, Dr. Strange) without Rising Stars being concluded (due to their similarities).</font>
Except, of course, that they're not similar in any way, manner, shape or form. This is an extension of the world that Mark Gruenwald created long ago, predating RS. Yes, it's a world that has not previously seen super heroes, but that's just about any fictional universe before, say, Kal-El lands. The two stories do not touch each other at any two contiguous points.
<font color="red">So, IMHO, it's probably more in your interest to get the end of RS out then it is for Top Cow. That's the problem with waiting on Top Cow.</font>
If someone is not doing right by you, and they want something from you, it's in your best interests to get them to do right by you before you give them what they want. It's about being a professional business person and living up to agreements. I always honor mine, and tend to make sure others do the same. If you hire a contractor to build you a home, and two thirds through reneg or otherwise back off on the business arrangement, a reasonable person doesn't expect the contractor to continue working anyway. The logic you employ is the logic constantly used to screw writers. I don't work that way.
jms
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<font color="red">I was wondering if you could tell us what sort of things you will be doing at Comic-Con this year. Perhaps a sneak preview of Supreme Powers and other interesting items.?</font>
Haven't heard yet from programming, but I imagine there will be a spotlight, some panels, and yeah, I'd like to talk about Supreme Power a bit.
Will be offering the last of the Sleeping in Light scripts with missing material that I had at Wondercon. And that will be the last time they will be made available at a convention.
jms
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<font color="red">I was wondering if the elequent speeches that G'Kar spoke were actually written as part of the regular dialogue or if they were added in, also, if they were written by JMS solely or with assistance?</font>
I wrote every line of G'Kar's dialogue, inclusive of speeches, in the episodes that bear my name. In the episodes written by others, it was either written by them and left alone, or written by them and revised by me.
jms</font>
(all message content (c) 2003 by synthetic worlds, ltd.,
permission to reprint specifically denied to SFX Magazine
and don't send me story ideas)
<font face="georgia">Okay, this probably ranks with one of the stupider messages I've ever posted, but....
For some time now, slowly and surrepticiously, cats have moved onto the area around Casa Straczynski (how they pronounce it is anybody's guess), and the problem there is that where cats go, kittens follow.
I'm about to start to process of snaring and spaying the adults, getting them their shots and the like...but that leaves the kittens on hand (or paw) to deal with.
I'd like to find them a good home. A safe, reliable home. So I thought I'd come to you bunch first.
Here's the requirements: you have to live in the LA area, so you can come pick them up in person in neutral territory. I want your name, phone number, and address, and I want to receive periodic (once a year) updates on their condition (complete with jpgs), to make sure the little guys don't land in a lab or something.
If you're up to the task -- they're slightly feral kittens, about a month old, but they've been around people and should be easily enough to domesticate -- they're cute as buttons: some gray tabby, others white-and-black, lemme know in private email.
Thanks.
jms
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<font color="red">Not to bring up old memories, but since that's what you did in your expansion; i.e., dig deeper into the characters, etc. how strange does this sound coming from Johnson, and what is your reaction to his statement? </font>
It's certainly the approach I would take in his position, and did when I did my script. But by the same token, if someone were bringing back a show that I'd created, I'd much prefer to be the one writing it than use somebody else's script.
So I think it's great, he's certainly in the position to do a great job with it, and I say good luck.
jms
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<font color="red">And here's a snippet of it: "Demographers at the magazine analyzed lifestyle characteristics that they say are good indicators of future wealth. Those characteristics ranged from the number of people under 45 with a household income of more than 100-thousand dollars to more obscure things, such as watching the sci-fi program 'Babylon 5' or reading Architectural Digest."</font>
See? I always said that there were benefits to being a Babylon 5 viewer.
That'll be a dollar, thankyewverymuch.
jms
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<font color="red">It's been almost two years since the first season of Jeremiah ended - have the plans to film season two been shelved?</font>
First, the statement above is not correct. The season finale aired July 19, 2002, so it's less than one year since the season ended.
Second, last I heard the show was going to run starting the first week in September so that it could conclude with the last four shows in November sweeps.
jms
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<font color="red">My question would deal with today's time. At what point would the killing of an individual be warrented? </font>
The first answer, and the easy answer, is: in self-defense, in one's home or in wartime.
The less easy answer comes when you get into the legal system. Where does justice end and vengeance begin?
I think that when you knowingly and deliberately take someone's life, you forfeit your own. But for me, that means life without the possibility of parole as a better option than the death penalty. (This is a position that's taken me a while to get to, to be honest.)
The death penalty and life without parole both are deterrents in that they permanently remove the offender from society, and I think life in prison is a far worse fate than a quick death. The difference is that life without parole allows for the possibility of correcting the few errors that get through, where the death penalty does not.
The idea of taking someone's life, with malice aforethought (I'm not talkling about accidental manslaughter or the like) and getting out in five to ten years is abhorrent.
But that's just me.
jms
([email protected])
(all message content (c) 2003 by synthetic worlds, ltd.,
permission to reprint specifically denied to SFX Magazine
and don't send me story ideas)</font>