Protectors, Inc. #2

[superboyprime]

'In one form or another, I've been writing and selling nonstop since I was 17. Never had writer's block. Never sat down at the keyboard without knowing what to write. So when I appear at conventions, I'm often asked how it is that I've been able to write as much as I have . . . Before you sit down at the keyboard, you get to know your characters so well, so intimately, that whatever situation you drop them into, you simply write down what they do. You let the characters do the work for you. Once you can do that consistently, writing becomes a joy, becomes effortless, becomes fun. Soon you're writing as fast as you can just to keep up with it all. You rush to the keyboard every day because you can't wait to see what your characters are going to do next.' - JMS in this issue's letter column

Comments

[lonewolf23k]

Gotta admit, "Selling the wreckage on eBay" is a very creative solution to the whole "paying for the damage of a super-battle" issue.

[silverzeo]

Yeah, well in the Pokemon's GTS, some people will trade a Hunter for a Mew, doesn't mean they'll get it...

[silverzeo]

Wow... everyone seems... creepy with smiles and cracks about dead people...

[glprime]

The cracks I can understand. Many a tale of how veteran homicide detectives (among others) often have to resort to humor to shield themselves. It can strike outsiders as supremely insensitive, but it helps keep a distance.

[lissa_quon]

Okay two things:

One - why is Angel (that is her name right?) wearing those high heeled sandals? Those sort of shoes don't look like they'd stay on especially on someone who flies. Heck I'm sort of baffled why she wears shoes at all since it seems she never touches the ground.

Two - The author's response of "I've already been writing and never had writers block." - I'm sort of doubting this and sort of astounded at his ego.

[icon_uk]

Probably the same reason that people who are completely invulnerable wear clothes... social convention and she happens to like the look of them. (or a sponshorhip deal perhaps)

Perhaps the fact she doesn't need to touch the ground allows her to enjoy shoes that would be even more completely impractical than many of them seem to (As a novice about such things I've never understood anyone's desire to wear footwear that appears to cause physical pain, but to each their own)

[lissa_quon]

It's less the high heel thing - and more the - are those GLUED on? I have shoes sort of like that - they aren't uncomfortable, but they work best when you are standing in them. Any sudden motions you can easily walk out of them or they can fall off.

[althechi]

Yeah, had the artist added one band around her ankle it would've kind of worked, but those seem as practical as flying around wearing flipflops.

[junipepper]

Keeping the shoes on her feet is one of her powers.

[lissa_quon]

THAT one I'll buy.

[michaelhealy]

On point two, it's a load of crap. Either that or he lied on his commentary in the Babylon 5 DVDs where he attributed several bad episodes to writer's block.

[lissa_quon]

Trying to figure out which lie is worse, trying to blame bad episodes on writers block that you don't have cause you are a god-king among writers and just couldn't be arsed to bring your deity level A-Game...

Or claiming that unlike all creative people you are always firing on all cylinders and are some perfect Übermensch of a writer when you in fact aren't you just like wanking your ego off.

Sorry I'm hung up on this, I'm sort of coasting through some creative dry spell myself and not in the best of moods.

[doodleboy]

When I listen to alot of writers talk about writing, it's seems like five percent is what JMS said. The rest is getting stuck and problem-solving, then getting stuck again. Then realizing the last few pages you did was crap and then re-writing it.

I remember an interview from Jonathan Nolan said he never realized what writer's block was. When he found out what it was he thought "Oh, that's every day". Followed by a point about how writing is supposed to be difficult.

[michaelhealy]

Saying that you have to work through your writer's block no matter how difficult is a good thought.

Saying that because you do work through creatively dry times you don't have writer's block, that is just egotistical.

[doodleboy]

I think you misunderstood what he was saying... It's not that Nolan never got writer's block, it's that he gets writer's block every day, that's the natural state of things. He keeps writing anyways.

Although I've haven't done writing professionally so the hell do I know.

[halloweenjack]

Arm pulled off? Wasn't that Redstone's thing in Supreme Power/Squadron Supreme? I guess it's easier to "write nonstop" when you repeat yourself, or get into the "cops have to clean up after superheroes" thing well after others have already blazed that trail.

[ensiform]

I was thinking this was a lot like Supreme Power set in Astro City.

[northstarfan]

Yeeeah, JMS has a bad habit of doing that, though I'm not sure if it's shortcuts or plain old forgetfulness. I dropped Rising Stars when he started reusing plots, powers, and entire conversations from Babylon 5.

[alan_smithee]

I just cannot get past the art in this series, it ranges from 'passable' to 'poor' with odd perspective, size issues and other little oddities (the Crime scene photographer's is pretty weird looking).

[randyripoff]

Oddly enough, I'm kind of liking this. Yes, it's derivative of Powers, but I don't think that's a bad thing. Just because it's similar to something else doesn't mean it can't be well executed.

On the other hand, as a Chicagoan, I wish they'd get the details right. And where are the detective's gloves for the crime scene? Nitpicky I know, but if you're going to do a police procedural, you should get at least a few things right.

[skemono]

And where are the detective's gloves for the crime scene? Nitpicky I know, but if you're going to do a police procedural, you should get at least a few things right.

Given that both the cameraman and the medical examiner are wearing gloves, I assumed the detective just hadn't put any on yet because he wasn't handling anything.

[randyripoff]

In this particular scene, I'm willing to give the benefit of the doubt. However, there are other scenes where this is repeated. To me, it's just a little bit of sloppiness that's easily addressed.

[reveen]

"It's got he handprint in steel!"

No, it's got his handprint in aluminum. It's clearly nowhere near the frame of the car.

Uh, sorry. I was browsing the JMS posts and had an outbreak of pedantitis.