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For fictional versions of J. Michael Straczynski as a character within comic books or other media,
visit this disambiguation page.

Personal History

Joseph Michael Straczynski is an award-winning American writer/producer of television series, novels, short stories, comic books, and radio dramas. He is also a playwright, journalist and author of a well-regarded tome on scriptwriting. He was the creator, executive producer and head writer for the science fiction TV series Babylon 5 and its spin-off Crusade, as well as for the series' Jeremiah and Sense8. Straczynski wrote most of the Babylon 5 episodes, notably an unbroken 59-episode run including all of the third and fourth seasons.

Professional History

Straczynski has long been a comic aficionado, and wrote a few comics during the 1980s, namely an issue of Teen Titans Spotlight, The Twilight Zone, and Star Trek. With the exception of the Babylon 5 comics, television work took over most of his writing duties throughout the 1980s and 1990s, until 1999 when he started writing Rising Stars for Top Cow/Image Comics. Eventually he worked mostly under his own imprint, Joe's Comics, for which he also wrote the acclaimed Midnight Nation miniseries, and the illustrated fantasy parable Delicate Creatures.

Soon, Straczynski developed a good reputation in the comics industry, and Marvel Comics signed him to an exclusive contract, beginning with a run on Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 2), Marvel's flagship title. Other successful titles for Marvel followed, including Supreme Power and a run on Fantastic Four.

Straczynski's work for Marvel includes:

  • The Amazing Spider-Man - from Vol. 2, Issue 30
  • Supreme Power - acclaimed 2003 reboot of the old Squadron Supreme
  • Strange: Beginnings and Endings - miniseries detailing Doctor Strange's origins
  • Fantastic Four - from Issue 527
  • Dream Police - under the Icon Comics imprint, one shot
  • The Book of Lost Souls - ongoing series, started in September 2005, Icon Comics imprint
  • Bullet Points - miniseries, 2006
  • Silver Surfer - miniseries, 2006
  • Thor (Vol. 3) - ongoing, 2007-2009

Controversy[]

Straczynski's run on Amazing Spider-Man has included several controversial retcons, such as suggesting that Spider-Man's powers may be mystical/totemic instead of science-based.

Other notable stories include Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 2) #36 where Spider-Man comments on the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center, Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 2) #38, where Aunt May learns about Peter's secret identity once and for all, and Amazing Spider-Man #509514, an extremely controversial story arc. In it, Spider-Man deals with the memory and past actions of his dead girlfriend Gwen Stacy, including the discovery of her having given birth to Norman Osborn's children.

Graphic novels and collections[]

Supreme Power trade paperbacks[]

  • Volume 1: Contact (#1-6)
  • Volume 2: Powers And Principalities (#7-12)
  • Volume 3: High Command (#13-18)
  • Supreme Power: Hyperion mini-series

The Amazing Spider-Man trade paperbacks[]

  • Volume 1: Coming Home (#30-35)
  • Volume 2: Revelations (#36-39)
  • Volume 3: Until The Stars Turn Cold (#40-45)
  • Volume 4: The Life & Death of Spiders (#46-50)
  • Volume 5: Unintended Consequences (#51-56)
  • Volume 6: Happy Birthday (#57-58, #500-502)
  • Volume 7: The Book of Ezekiel (#503-508)
  • Volume 8: Sins Past (#509-514)
  • Volume 9: Skin Deep (#515-518)
  • Volume 10: New Avengers (#519-524)
  • Spider-Man: The Other (#525-528 plus others)
  • Civil War: The Road To Civil War (#529-531 plus others)
  • Civil War: Amazing Spider-Man (#532-538)
  • Back in Black: Amazing Spider-Man (#539-543)
  • One More Day: Amazing Spider-Man (#544-545 plus others)
  • Amazing Spider-Man by JMS Ultimate Collection Book 1 (#30-45)
  • Amazing Spider-Man by JMS Ultimate Collection Book 2 (Vol 2 46-58 + Vol 1 500-502)
  • Amazing Spider-Man by JMS Ultimate Collection Book 3 (#503-518)

Fantastic Four trade paperbacks[]

  • Volume 1: (#527-532)
  • Volume 2: The Life Fantastic (#533-535, Wedding Special, My Dinner With Doom and Death in the Family)

Rising Stars trade paperbacks[]

  • Volume 0: Visitations (#0, 1/2, Preview)
  • Volume 1: Born in Fire (#1-8)
  • Volume 2: Power (#9-16)
  • Volume 3: Fire and Ash (#17-24)

Graphic novels[]

  • Midnight Nation - Entire 12-issue series collected in one volume
  • Delicate Creatures
  • Strange: Beginnings and Endings- Entire 6-issue miniseries

Work History

See Also

Links and References

jmsnews.com

References

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