J Michael Straczynski
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Joseph Michael Straczynski (known professionally as J. Michael Straczynski and informally as Joe Straczynski or jms), born July 17, 1954, is an award-winning American writer/producer working in a variety of media, including television series, novels, short stories, comic books, and radio dramas. He is also a playwright, journalist and author of The Complete Book of Scriptwriting, a well-regarded tome on the subject. He was the creator, executive producer, head writer and show runner for the science fiction TV series Babylon 5 its spin-off Crusade and Jeremiah. Straczynski wrote 92 out of the 110 Babylon 5 episodes, notably including an unbroken 59-episode run through all of the third and fourth seasons, and all but one episode of the fifth season. He also wrote the four Babylon 5 TV movies produced alongside the series.
In the last two years, Straczynski has transitioned to an A-List movie writer, working with such stars and directors as Clint Eastwood, Ron Howard, the Wachowski Brothers, Angelina Jolie, Tom Hanks, John Malkovich, Joel Silver, Wolfgang Peterson, Paul Greengrass and Brad Pitt.
Straczynski has also been a long-time participant in Usenet and other early computer networks, interacting with fans through various online forums (including GEnie, CompuServe, and America Online) since 1984. He is often credited as being the first TV producer ("showrunner" in Hollywood parlance) to directly engage with fans on the Internet, and have their comments affect the look and feel of his shows (see Babylon 5's use of the Internet). Two of the more prominent areas where he had a presence were GEnie and the newsgroup rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated. Some of these fans call him The Great Maker (based on a Centauri deity).
Straczynski is a graduate of San Diego State University (SDSU), having earned Bachelor's degrees in psychology and sociology (with minors in philosophy and literature). While at SDSU, he wrote prolifically for the student newspaper, The Daily Aztec, at times penning so many articles that the paper was jokingly referred to as the "Daily Joe." Straczynski currently resides in the Los Angeles area.
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Comic books
Straczynski has long been a comic fan, and began writing comics in the 1980s. His early work in comics includes:
- Teen Titans Spotlight #13 (DC, 1987)
- The Twilight Zone #2 (NOW, 1991)
- Star Trek #16 (DC, 1991)
- Babylon 5 #1 (DC, 1993)
- Babylon 5: In Valen's Name mini-series (DC, 1998)
In 1999 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 Midnight Nation miniseries, and the illustrated fantasy parable Delicate Creatures. Marvel Comics then signed him to an exclusive contract, beginning with a run on The Amazing Spider-Man, from 2001-2007. He has since written for many major Marvel titles, including Fantastic Four.
Straczynski's work for Marvel includes:
- The Amazing Spider-Man - from Vol. 2, #30 (= Vol. 1 #471) to Vol. 1, #545 (including issues of Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man and The Sensational Spider-Man as part of crossovers)
- Supreme Power - 2003 reboot of the Squadron Supreme
- Strange: Beginnings and Endings - miniseries
- Fantastic Four - #527-#541
- Dream Police - one-shot; Icon Comics imprint
- The Book of Lost Souls - Icon Comics, beginning September 2005
- Bullet Points - 2006 miniseries
- Silver Surfer: Requiem - 2007 miniseries
- Thor - July 2007-Present
- The Twelve - with Chris Weston, 12-part miniseries, January 2008-Present
His exclusive contract with Marvel has ended and he will begin a run on The Brave and the Bold for DC.
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
- Squadron Supreme Vol. 1: The Pre-War Years
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)
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)
- Civil War: The Road To Civil War (#536-537 plus others)
- Civil War: Fantastic Four (#538-542)
Rising Stars trade paperbacks
- Volume 0: Visitations (#0, ½, Preview)
- Volume 1: Born in Fire (#1-8)
- Volume 2: Power (#9-16)
- Volume 3: Fire and Ash (#17-24)
- Volume 4: Bright and Voices of the Dead
- Volume 5: Untouchable (Includes Visitations)
Thor trade paperbacks
- Volume 1: Thor (#1-6)
Other
- Midnight Nation – Entire 12-issue series collected in one volume
- Delicate Creatures
- Strange: Beginnings and Endings – Entire 6-issue miniseries
