[B5JMS] Fiona Avery?

[b5jms at cs.columbia.edu]

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
From: Felicia Harmon <feliciaharmon at hotmail.com>
Date: Sat, 05 Jul 2003 00:39:18 -0400
Lines: 15

This is an honest question, not a whiny indictment, criticism, or snide
comment.

I've noticed that when it comes to comics, it seems wherever JMS goes
Fiona Avery follows shortly thereafter. Between the ASM annual, her RS
mini-series, and others, a great many jobs seem to be found for her. But
there is yet to be anything of particular note.

I understand there's something of a mentor/mentee relationship between
the two, but is there bad blood from others who feel she's riding JMS's
coattails, or getting assignments a la Ron Zimmerman, as a result of
favoritism rather than proven talent?

Many thanks for any cogent and interesting answers to this one.


=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Lines: 42
From: jmsatb5 at aol.com (Jms at B5)
Date: 05 Jul 2003 22:09:53 GMT

>I've noticed that when it comes to comics, it seems wherever JMS goes
>Fiona Avery follows shortly thereafter. Between the ASM annual, her RS
>mini-series, and others, a great many jobs seem to be found for her.

Let me jump in here for a second....

Every writer tends to follow every other writer a bit as they first start off. 
The reason I was able to first write a Teen Titans Spotlight was that I knew
the guy who was the editor of the book; ditto for my other first comics.  You
go to people you know, usually friends.  That's the gatekeeping process.

Guys do this all the time, whether it's the British mafia of
Moore/Morrison/Gaiman or others.  Moore also mentored Gaiman, and brought him
on to write the comics he was involved with, such as Miracleman.  But nobody
every mentions that, it's when the other person is a female that suddenly some
people have a hard time with it.  

Everybody goes through a learning curve when they enter a medium; Moore, me,
Neil, Fi, the first few years are rocky.  That's the nature of the craft.  

Top Cow and I rely on her for the RS follow-ups because she knows my universe
very well, and has learned to kind of write in my style, so there's a certain
level of consistency there.  She's doing the book in part because I asked her
to do so, because I wanted someone there I could trust.

She's also done and doing a great deal of work that has nothing whatsoever to
do with me.  She wrote for Earth: Final Conflict, she created the No Honor book
which she is currently adapting as a series for television for Gale Ann Hurd
(which again has no connection to me), she's just finished off two novels, has
published stories in magazines that have nothing to do with me...she's doing
just fine on her own.


 jms

(jmsatb5 at aol.com)
(all message content (c) 2003 by synthetic worlds, ltd., 
permission to reprint specifically denied to SFX Magazine 
and don't send me story ideas)