J. Michael Straczynski to be guest of honor at 2009 New York Comic-Con

I will start doing some posts on what’s going to be happening at next year’s Comic-Con, which is happening quite early this time, with events taking place from February 6-8, 2009 at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York City. First story of note is that Babylon 5 creator and Changeling writer J. Michael Straczynski will be the guest of honor at the show. He will appear at New York Comic Con all three days, speaking about his past projects and future plans, and signing autographs for fans.

Read more about it in the official press release below.

New York Comic Con (NYCC) has revealed that J. Michael Straczynski will be a Guest of Honor at the 2009 event. This appearance marks a return to NYCC for Mr. Straczynski who first appeared at the show in 2007. The creator of the acclaimed sci-fi television series Babylon 5, J. Michael Straczynski is a prolific writer with stories gracing media from comic books to the silver screen. Most recently, he wrote the upcoming Changeling — premiering October 24 — for Clint Eastwood and starring Angelina Jolie.

“We are thrilled to be welcoming J. Michael Straczynski back to our show,” notes Lance Fensterman, Show Manager for New York Comic Con. “In so many respects, Mr. Straczynski is a perfect guest for New York Comic Con because he reflects not just the best in comic book creators but the very best in all forms of popular culture and entertainment, which is what our show is all about. His career cuts across many mediums and now he is at the foreground of talented writers who have launched stellar careers in the film industry. I know his many fans will be enormously excited to hear that he will be sharing his talents with us at New York Comic Con.”

“Having JMS as a guest of honor makes perfect sense. Joe’s knack for character, dialogue and compelling storytelling is present in whatever field he’s working in, be it movies, television or comic books,” said Dan DiDio, DC Comics’ SVP-Executive Editor DCU. “It was with that in mind that we brought him into the fold to not only take a crack at some of our icons, but also to re-imagine the Red Circle characters for a modern comic book audience.”

J. Michael Straczynski began his career as a journalist for publications including TIME and The Los Angeles Times. Moving into entertainment, he wrote and produced for series including The Twilight Zone and Murder, She Wrote. He then became famous as creator, executive producer and head writer for Babylon 5, a science fiction television series heralded for its strong narrative and equally strong characters. Rather than resting after this accomplishment, Straczynski would continue on to create two additional television series, Crusade and Jeremiah, and then shift his pen to comics. He has written for Marvel titles including The Amazing Spider-Man, Thor, and The Fantastic Four and DC books including The Brave and The Bold.

While still writing for comics’ biggest publishers, Straczynski began working in film where his career has found new expression. In addition to his work on the upcoming Changeling, he is involved in a growing number of future projects including Lensman for Ron Howard; They Marched Into Sunlight for Tom Hanks and Paul Greengrass; Ninja Assassin for the Wachowski Brothers and Joel Silver; and World War Z for Brad Pitt’s company, Plan B.

When asked about his distinguished and diverse career, Straczynski humbly noted, “I’ve written for every medium except poetry, at which I suck.”

J. Michael Straczynski will appear at New York Comic Con all three days. He will be speaking about his past projects and future plans, sign autographs, and conduct a rare writing workshop, giving his personal insight and advice to a select number of aspiring fans.

Details about Straczynski’s appearance will emerge on newyorkcomiccon.com.