ATTN JMS: Top Cow?!

[B5JMS Poster]

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From: "Jacob Corbin" <jacobkosh at hotmail.com>
Date: 26 Oct 1998 22:35:44 -0700
Lines: 66

     As a lifelong comix geek, I'm tickled eighty shades of mauve to 
hear that JMS has got a 4-color bun in the oven.  Seeing as he seems to 
have an instinctive understanding of the methods unique to comix writing 
(balloon separation, word emphasis, and--most importantly of 
all--pacing, pacing, pacing), I've got every confidence that the writing 
will be of superior quality.

     Buuuut....(there's always a "but", isn't there?)...I have to wonder 
why JMS picked Top Cow, of all places.

     Top Cow isn't exactly known for their great artwork (all the 
house-artists seem to deliberately swipe off of company owner Marc 
Silvestri, who himself swiped off his fellow X-Men alumnus Jim Lee, who 
in turn attached himself, remora-like, to "Green Lantern/Green Arrow" 
artist Neal Adams) or their original ideas (such as "X-Me.." ooops, I 
meant "Cyberforce"; or Random Superendowed Anatomically-Impossible Women 
#s 424785- and 6, namely "Witchblade" and "Darkchylde").

     (--Hmmm...perhaps JMS networked with these guys through the TNT 
production of "Witchblade"?)

     Anyway, despite their claims of artistic freedom (Silvestri left 
Marvel's X-Men books to cofound Image with several other disgruntled 
Marvel artists, and in turn left Image two years ago to start Top Cow) 
Top Cow is ripe for the kind of meddling that TNT tried to pull 
recently--or, worse, JMS could end up with a penciller who takes it upon 
himself to lavishly render each of the 3,206 shells coming from the 
hero's gun while simultaneously ignoring the basics of human anatomy.

     It's not like TC is the only game in town.  Certainly Marvel is 
busy flushing itself down the crapper after its prolonged brush with 
Chapter 11, and I can easily imagine JMS trying to avoid DC after what 
they did to the original run of "B5" comics (though its "Vertigo" 
imprint is perfect for this kind of material, and JMS already has a 
contact there in the form of Neil Gaiman), but that still leaves such 
concerns as Dark Horse and Oni Press, both of whom have a reputation for 
treating creators' material with the utmost respect.

     However, it's entirely possible that JMS has a top-notch team on 
board for this project (Alex Ross?  Alex Ross?  Alex Ross? --At least 
for a cover or two?) and if this turned out to be the case I'd go so far 
as to hijack the weekly Diamond truck just to be the first in my town to 
own a copy.

     Jacob



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From: jmsatb5 at aol.com (Jms at B5)
Date: 27 Oct 1998 01:15:05 -0700
Lines: 17

I'd actually heard a lot of good things about Top Cow, and my understanding
going into this was that I would have total creative freedom, and it would be a
writer-driven book.  The artist they've talked to is someone whose work I've
admired, and this book is going to have a very different look from the rest of
their titles.  The folks over there seem to really have their act together. 
They only launch about 2 new titles a year, and that means they have to be
special...and they want this to be that kind of project.

 jms

(jmsatb5 at aol.com)
B5 Official Fan Club at:
http://www.thestation.com




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