B5 & Mongoose - Straczynski not pleased

[Storm Raven]

TNT had been doing an examination of their ratings and discovered that those who came for Babylon 5 left immediately after it was over. They wanted viewer retention, and figured that Straczynski's shows weren't delivering it.

Of course, the rational observer would conclude that the remaining TNT lineup was the problem, since there wasn't anything to make B5 viewers want to stick around. Then again, television executives rarely seem to behave in rational ways.

 

[Arnwyn]

If you're going to be a whore, don't be surprised when the john doesn't buy you dinner or bring you flowers. I have no patience for "artists" that want to sell their works for large sums of money and then act like it still belongs to them. If you can't let go, don't sell the rights. Act like you're an adult that understands how the world works.

My very first thought after reading the link.

Does JMS own any part of B5? If not, he's got no right to whine. "Telling the person who wrote those scripts that you're DOING it" indeed.

 

[frankthedm]

edit too rough clensing...

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

A bit snippy there huh frank?

Anyway, I'm a big fan of B5, bought the DVD sets and all that, but I don't think JMS has much room to stand on this one. He sold the rights, WB can do what they want with them. Mongoose has a license to do novels and game books apparently and WB can call them canon if they so desire.

And after the sheer mind numbing horror of JMS's writing on Spider-man I think maybe the luster of his work has worn off a bit. Spider totum B.S. my ass....*grumble*

 

[Storm Raven]

The B5 fans that feel the auther still deserves respect if not 'creative control' should simply boycot all further products. That will not likely happen since that would require them to give up thier 'fix'.

Somehow, I have a hard time generating a lot of sympathy for an author who, through the sale of his creative product, made many millions of dollars from the endeavor when he turns around and wants to claim continued creative control.

I am a big fan of Babylon 5, but JMS has been more than compensated for his "baby".

 

[Ranger REG]

To me the author’s response in the email sounds like something I could picture Peter Atkinson feeling after he found out just what selling wotc to Hasbro actually meant. Realizing far too late one has sold their ‘baby’ is going to put one in the mood to lash out.

You could picture it, but it hasn't happened yet, did it?

The B5 fans that feel the auther still deserves respect if not 'creative control' should simply boycot all further products. That will not likely happen since that would require them to give up thier 'fix'.

I can give JMS a little respect, but I'm not going to deify him. I can understand why he considers B5 his own baby, since he wrote all the aired episodes for the third and fourth seasons. Makes me wonder why he needed a writing staff in the first place, other than to lower Hollywood's unemployment rate. But he relinquished his parental right when he sold it to WB.

 

[DreadPirateMurphy]

Have to say, Mongoose sounds polite, while JMS sounds like an arse. In the big picture, it is completely irrelevant whether JMS is justified in his anger, because the way he addresses the issue gives the reader no confidence that he is acting in a reasonable and informed fashion. You can't take somebody seriously when they're screaming.

I love the B5 TV show, I like the books, I liked the Agents of Gaming expansion of the back story, and I like most of what Mongoose has done with the license. I'm happy to get more product associated with the universe. While I appreciate that JMS created that universe, and respect his talents, I would eagerly buy more quality product without regard to his opinion. He no longer owns the property, and he was fairly compensated for that.

 

[KaosDevice]

I suppose the big question is, is Mongoose going to go ahead with their novels,canon or no?

 

[Einan]

Removed due to unnecessary content.

Nothing to see here. Look away.

Einan

 

[Morrus]

Then close your eyes and plug your ears. If you don't want to know the unpleasant truths, stick to the Corporate websites that spoon-feed fans only the information the company wants them to know.

If you like living on a placid island of ignorance, the internet may not be a good place to poke around. If you don't want to know if the people who made your cloths live in soul-crushing poverty, don't go poking around on the web about where the cloths are made. If knowing the creator of you favorite series was royally ripped off and then screwed over by the company that bought the rights, avoid the websites that deal in honesty.

Over 2000 posts. You're hardly new. You know better.

Please drop out of this thread immediately.

Everyone else, do not reply to frank's post.

A further post from frank or a reply to frank's post automatically comes with a 3 day ban.

Thanks, folks.