I had some lengthy talks with the book's editor, a very sharp and
perceptive individual, and outlined what I thought would be a good approach to
the comic. As a comics reader, what makes me crazy are books published as
media tie-ins that are ONLY that, just tie-ins, throwaways, unchallenging, and
restricted by the same rules that limit a TV show. In a comic, you don't
*have* the same limitations of budget, and location, and casts. So why lumber
a comic with those restrictions?

The editor and I both feel the same way...that the stories should be
challenging, and inventive, and sometimes comtroversial, and should try and
*surpass* the series. I know they had a problem with another SF show comic,
where they were constantly being hit with rules, and you-can-do this, you
*can't* do *that*.

What I recommended was that the book be written in three-issue story
arcs, using different writers and some different artists from time to time,
tailoring the look of the book to the story itself...so you could go from
realistic to surreal to stylized, depending on the story. You could then open
up the book to some terrific comic and SF writers who wouldn't tie themselves
down to a whole year's worth of stories, but would be willing to do one 3-
issue arc. And they will be given a great deal of freedom; my only
requirement is that it take place somewhere in the B5 universe, and preferably
have at least one of our characters in it, at any point in the past or present
or (depending on the story) future. The whole point of *creating* Babylon 5
was to see what other writers would do with it, when turned loose. That's
half the fun. Why ride herd on them?

DC and the editor (I'm not using the editor's name only because I don't
know if I'm supposed to at this point or not) have been nothing short of
terrific to work with. There was a meeting out here in March, another meeting
in New York just before Icon, and we're *very* much on the same wavelength.

I'll probably be writing the first issue, which will tie into the first
episode of Year Two of B5. What's neat is that in the premiere of season two,
you'll see a story that references something that happens somewhere else. The
comic will *show* that something else. You can watch and enjoy the show just
fine without it, but reading the book will show you, for lack of a better
term, the other side of the story.

Although I own something like 3-4,000 comics, I've never defined myself
as a *collector*...I've always been just a comics *fan*. And as such, I
really want this to be a book I'd like to pick up as a reader. And I think
this has a very good chance of being just such a book.

jms