Joseph Michael Straczynski , known professionally as
J. Michael Straczynski and informally as
Joe Straczynski or
JMS, is an American writer and television producer. He works in films, television series, novels, short stories, comic books, and radio dramas. He is a playwright, a former journalist, and author of
The Complete Book of Scriptwriting. He was the creator and
showrunnerShowrunner is a term of art originating in the United States and Canadian television industry referring to the person who is responsible for the day-to-day operation of a television seriesalthough such persons generally are credited as an executive producer...
for the
science fictionScience fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
television series
Babylon 5Babylon 5 is an American science fiction television series created, produced and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. The show centers on a space station named Babylon 5: a focal point for politics, diplomacy, and conflict during the years 2257–2262...
, and its spin-off
CrusadeCrusade is a spin-off TV show from J. Michael Straczynski's Babylon 5. Its plot is set in AD 2267, five years after the events of Babylon 5, and just after the movie A Call to Arms. A race called the Drakh have released a nanovirus plague on Earth, which will destroy all life on Earth within five...
, and of
JeremiahJeremiah is an American television series starring Luke Perry and Malcolm-Jamal Warner that ran on the Showtime network from 2002 to 2004. The series takes place in a post-apocalyptic future where most of the adult population has been wiped out by a deadly virus.Developed by Babylon 5 creator J...
. Straczynski wrote 92 out of the 110
Babylon 5 episodes, notably including an unbroken 59-episode run through 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. From 2001 to 2007, he was the writer for the long-running
MarvelMarvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
comic book series
The Amazing Spider-ManThe Amazing Spider-Man is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics, featuring the adventures of the fictional superhero Spider-Man. Being the mainstream continuity of the franchise, it began publication in 1963 as a monthly periodical and was published continuously until it was...
.
In 2009, Straczynski was nominated for the
BAFTA AwardThe British Academy of Film and Television Arts is a charity in the United Kingdom that hosts annual awards shows for excellence in film, television, television craft, video games and forms of animation.-Introduction:...
for his screenplay for
Changeling.
Straczynski is a long-time participant in
UsenetUsenet is a worldwide distributed Internet discussion system. It developed from the general purpose UUCP architecture of the same name.Duke University graduate students Tom Truscott and Jim Ellis conceived the idea in 1979 and it was established in 1980...
and other early computer networks, interacting with fans through various online forums (including
GEnieGEnie was an online service created by a General Electric business - GEIS that ran from 1985 through the end of 1999. In 1994, GEnie claimed around 350,000 users. Peak simultaneous usage was around 10,000 users...
,
CompuServeCompuServe was the first major commercial online service in the United States. It dominated the field during the 1980s and remained a major player through the mid-1990s, when it was sidelined by the rise of services such as AOL with monthly subscriptions rather than hourly rates...
, and America Online) since 1984. He is credited as being the first TV producer ("showrunner" in Hollywood parlance) to directly engage with fans on the Internet, and allow their viewpoints to influence the look and feel of his show. (see
Babylon 5's use of the Internet). Two prominent areas where he had a presence were
GEnieGEnie was an online service created by a General Electric business - GEIS that ran from 1985 through the end of 1999. In 1994, GEnie claimed around 350,000 users. Peak simultaneous usage was around 10,000 users...
and the newsgroup
rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderatedrec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated is a moderated Usenet newsgroup that focuses on the science fiction television series Babylon 5 and the works of writer J. Michael Straczynski. It was spun off from its un-moderated version, rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5, in 1996...
. Recently JMS has started a new
FacebookFacebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
page to interact with his fans.
Straczynski is a graduate of
San Diego State University (SDSU)San Diego State University , founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, is the largest and oldest higher education facility in the greater San Diego area , and is part of the California State University system...
, having earned a BA with a double major in psychology and sociology (with minors in
philosophyPhilosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
and literature). While at SDSU, he wrote 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 resides in the
Los AngelesLos Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
area.
Early years
Straczynski is the son of Charles Straczynski, a manual laborer, and Evelyn Straczynski (née Pate). He was raised in
Newark, New JerseyNewark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
;
Kankakee, IllinoisKankakee is a city in Kankakee County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 25,561, and 26,840 as of a 2009 estimate. It is the county seat of Kankakee County...
;
Dallas, TexasDallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
;
Chula Vista, CaliforniaChula Vista is the second largest city in the San Diego metropolitan area, the seventh largest city in Southern California, the fourteenth largest city in the State of California, and the seventy seventh largest city in the U.S....
, where he graduated from high school; and
San Diego, CaliforniaSan Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
. Straczynski's family religion was
CatholicThe Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
and is of
PolishPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
ancestry. His grandparents lived in the area which today belongs to
BelarusBelarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
, and fled to America from the
Russian RevolutionThe Russian Revolution is the collective term for a series of revolutions in Russia in 1917, which destroyed the Tsarist autocracy and led to the creation of the Soviet Union. The Tsar was deposed and replaced by a provisional government in the first revolution of February 1917...
; his father was born in the US, but lived in
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
,
PolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
and
RussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
.
Straczynski cut his teeth writing plays, having several produced at
Southwestern CollegeSouthwestern College is a public, two-year community college located in the city of Chula Vista, California. Southwestern College's football stadium hosts Bonita Vista High School's football games...
and
San Diego State UniversitySan Diego State University , founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, is the largest and oldest higher education facility in the greater San Diego area , and is part of the California State University system...
before finally publishing his adaptation of "Snow White" with Performance Publishing. Several other plays were produced around San Diego, including "The Apprenticeship" for the Marquis Public Theater. During the late 1970s, Straczynski also became the on-air entertainment reviewer for KSDO-FM and wrote several radio plays before being hired as a scriptwriter for the radio drama
Alien WorldsAlien Worlds was a syndicated radio show created by radio personality Lee Hansen. It aired 26 half-hour episodes between 1978 and 1980, becoming well known for its realistic sound effects, high production values and documentary style of dialog....
. He also produced his first television project in San Diego, "Marty Sprinkle" for KPBS-TV as well as worked on the XETV-TV project
Disasterpiece TheatreDisasterpiece Theatre was a comedy television program that aired in the early 1980s on XETV, a station in Tijuana, Mexico owned by Mexican media company Grupo Televisa which broadcasts in English across the border to neighboring San Diego, California...
. While in San Diego he became a journalist for the Los Angeles Times as a special San Diego correspondent and also worked for
San Diego MagazineSan Diego Magazine is a monthly publication concerning life in the San Diego region. This is the city’s longest running lifestyle publication and has continued to prosper and evolve throughout its 60-year history...
and
The San Diego Reader. In 1981 he landed a contract with
Writer's DigestWriter's Digest is an American magazine devoted to both beginning and established writers, offering interviews, market listings, calls for manuscripts, and how-to articles....
to write a book about scriptwriting.
He and
Kathryn M. DrennanKathryn M. Drennan is an American writer, having worked for Carl Sagan on the mini-series Cosmos: A Personal Voyage in the early 1980s and for Michael Piller, producer at the time for Star Trek: The Next Generation, in the early 1990s. She also contributed articles to several magazines, including...
(whom he met at San Diego State) moved to Los Angeles on April 1, 1981 (they would marry in 1983). He worked on his book while planning a transition to television. The book's first edition was published in 1982. In Los Angeles he worked for
The Los Angeles Herald-ExaminerThe Los Angeles Herald Examiner was a major Los Angeles daily newspaper, published Monday through Friday in the afternoon, and in the morning on Saturdays and Sundays. It was part of the Hearst syndicate. The afternoon Herald-Express and the morning Examiner, both of which had been publishing in...
,
The Los Angeles Times,
The Los Angeles Reader,
TV-Cable Week, and
People Magazine. He quit journalism after working for
People, and in 1983, he wrote a
spec scriptA spec script, also known as a speculative screenplay, is a non-commissioned unsolicited screenplay. It is usually written by a screenwriter who hopes to have the script optioned and eventually purchased by a producer, production company, or studio....
for the show
He-Man and the Masters of the UniverseHe-Man and the Masters of the Universe is an American animated television series produced by Filmation based on Mattel's successful toy line Masters of the Universe...
and the producers of He-Man bought it as well as other scripts and then hired Straczynski as a staff writer.
According to the jacket bio for the first edition of his scriptwriting text (see Print below), Straczynski had a play produced when he was 17, a sitcom produced when he was 21, and sold his first movie script when he was 24. By 28, his credits included television and film scripts, radio scripts for
Alien Worlds and the
Mutual Broadcasting SystemThe Mutual Broadcasting System was an American radio network, in operation from 1934 to 1999. In the golden age of U.S. radio drama, MBS was best known as the original network home of The Lone Ranger and The Adventures of Superman and as the long-time radio residence of The Shadow...
, a dozen plays, and more than 150 newspaper and magazine articles. He taught his craft for years at lectures and seminars in California and elsewhere.
He spent five years from 1987 - 1992 co-hosting the
Hour 25Hour 25 was a radio program focusing on science fiction, fantasy, and science. It was broadcast on Pacifica radio station KPFK in Southern California from 1972 to 2000, and is now distributed over the Internet. It has featured numerous interviews with famous authors of science fiction and fantasy,...
radio
talk showA talk show or chat show is a television program or radio program where one person discuss various topics put forth by a talk show host....
on KPFK-FM Los Angeles with
Larry DiTillioLawrence G. "Larry" DiTillio is an American film and TV series writer. He is most famous for his role as executive story editor of the science-fiction series Babylon 5, and for writing or co-writing most of the episodes in the animated series Beast Wars...
.
Radio
Straczynski has written for radio drama, including the series
Alien WorldsAlien Worlds was a syndicated radio show created by radio personality Lee Hansen. It aired 26 half-hour episodes between 1978 and 1980, becoming well known for its realistic sound effects, high production values and documentary style of dialog....
and scripts for
Mutual Radio TheaterSears Radio Theater was a radio drama anthology series which ran weeknightly on CBS Radio in 1979, sponsored by the Sears chain. Often paired with The CBS Radio Mystery Theater during its first season, the program offered a different genre of drama for each day's broadcast.In 1980, the program...
. He wrote a script called
Where No Shadows Fall for the company Airstage which was produced through KPBS in San Diego and aired on its radio series for the blind. The program was later aired on KPFK-FM in Los Angeles in 1982.
Straczynski has also been an on-air personality. He began by doing a weekly entertainment segment on KSDO News Radio in San Diego from 1978-1980. In Los Angeles, he put in five years as on-air host of the science fiction talk show
Hour 25Hour 25 was a radio program focusing on science fiction, fantasy, and science. It was broadcast on Pacifica radio station KPFK in Southern California from 1972 to 2000, and is now distributed over the Internet. It has featured numerous interviews with famous authors of science fiction and fantasy,...
, which aired on KPFK 90.7 FM from 10 p.m. until midnight. During his tenure, he interviewed such luminaries as
John CarpenterJohn Howard Carpenter is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, editor, composer, and occasional actor. Although Carpenter has worked in numerous film genres in his four-decade career, his name is most commonly associated with horror and science fiction.- Early life :Carpenter was born...
,
Neil GaimanNeil Richard Gaiman born 10 November 1960)is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, audio theatre and films. His notable works include the comic book series The Sandman and novels Stardust, American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book...
,
Ray BradburyRay Douglas Bradbury is an American fantasy, horror, science fiction, and mystery writer. Best known for his dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451 and for the science fiction stories gathered together as The Martian Chronicles and The Illustrated Man , Bradbury is one of the most celebrated among 20th...
,
Harlan EllisonHarlan Jay Ellison is an American writer. His principal genre is speculative fiction.His published works include over 1,700 short stories, novellas, screenplays, teleplays, essays, a wide range of criticism covering literature, film, television, and print media...
and other writers, producers, actors and directors.
In 2000, Straczynski returned to radio drama with
The City of Dreams for scifi.com and an original 20-part radio drama series entitled
The Adventures of Apocalypse Al for the
Canadian Broadcasting CorporationThe Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
that was to debut in 2007 but has not yet aired.
Animation
Straczynski was a fan of the cartoon,
He-Man and the Masters of the UniverseHe-Man and the Masters of the Universe is an American animated television series produced by Filmation based on Mattel's successful toy line Masters of the Universe...
. He wrote a spec script in 1984 and sent it directly to
FilmationFilmation Associates was an American production company that produced animation and live action programming for television during the latter half of the 20th century. Located in Reseda, California, the animation studio was founded in 1963...
. They purchased his script, bought several others, and hired him on staff. During this time he became friends with
Larry DiTillioLawrence G. "Larry" DiTillio is an American film and TV series writer. He is most famous for his role as executive story editor of the science-fiction series Babylon 5, and for writing or co-writing most of the episodes in the animated series Beast Wars...
, and when Filmation produced the He-Man spinoff,
She-Ra: Princess of PowerShe-Ra: Princess of Power is an American animated television series produced in 1985 by Filmation. It is a spinoff of Filmation's highly successful He-Man and the Masters of the Universe series, aimed primarily at a young girls' audience to counter-balance the latter show's popularity with boys...
, they both worked as story editors on the show. However, Filmation refused to give them credit on-screen and Straczynski and DiTillio both left and found work with
DICDIC Entertainment was an international film and television production company. In addition to animated television shows such as Ulysses 31 , Inspector Gadget , The Littles , The Real Ghostbusters , Captain Planet and the Planeteers , and the first two seasons of the English adaptation of...
on
Jayce and the Wheeled WarriorsJayce and the Wheeled Warriors is a French/North American animated TV show which first aired on September 16, 1985. It was produced by DIC Entertainment , and animated by Japanese animation studios Sunrise, Shaft, Studio Giants, Studio Look and Swan Production...
.
Straczynski and DiTillio also worked to create an animated version of
ElfquestElfquest is a cult hit comic book property created by Wendy and Richard Pini in 1978. It is a fantasy story about a community of elves and other fictional species who struggle to survive and coexist on a primitive Earth-like planet with two moons. Several published volumes of prose fiction also...
but that project soon fell through when CBS attempted to retool the show to appeal to younger audiences.
While working on
Jayce, Straczynski was hired to come aboard the
Len JansonLen Janson is an American animator, writer and director whose career in animated cartoons and live-action motion pictures spanned several decades beginning in the 1960s. He began work as an in-betweener at the Walt Disney cartoon studio. By 1965 he had become a story man with his first screen...
and
Chuck MenvilleCharles David "Chuck" Menville was an American animator and writer for television. His credits included Batman: The Animated Series, Land of the Lost, The Real Ghostbusters, The Smurfs, Star Trek: The Animated Series, and Tiny Toon Adventures.-Pixilation: career in 1960s and 1970s:Menville was...
project to adapt the movie
GhostbustersGhostbusters is a 1984 American science fiction comedy film directed by Ivan Reitman and written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. The film stars Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis, and Rick Moranis and follows three eccentric parapsychologists in New York City, who start a...
to an animated version called
The Real GhostbustersThe Real Ghostbusters is an American animated television series based on the 1984 film Ghostbusters. The series ran from 1986 to 1991, and was produced by Columbia Pictures Television, DiC Enterprises, and Coca-Cola Telecommunications. "The Real" was added to the title after a dispute with...
. When Janson and Menville learned that there was not only a 13-episode order but a 65-episode syndication order as well, they decided that the workload was too much and that they would only work on their own scripts. DIC head
Jean ChalopinJean Chalopin is a French producer and writer. In 1971, Chalopin created the company DIC Audiovisuel, which later evolved into DIC Entertainment, and wrote and produced programs animated by Japanese studios. Jean Chalopin is married to Chinese/Singaporean ex-Model, Ethel Chalopin...
asked Straczynski to take on the task of story editing the entire 78-episode block as well as writing his own scripts. After the show's successful first season, consultants were brought in to make suggestions for the show, including changing Janine to a more maternal character, giving every character a particular "job" (Peter is the funny one, Egon is the smart one, and Winston, the only black character, was to be the driver), and to add kids into the show. Straczynski left at this point and Janson and Menville took on the story editing job for the second network season. Straczynski then developed a show called
Spiral ZoneSpiral Zone was a 1987 American science-fiction animated series produced by Atlantic-Kushner-Locke. Based in part from a toy line made by Japanese company Bandai, the series focus on an international group of soldiers fighting to free the world from a scientist who controls much of the Earth's...
but left after only one script when his concept for the show was drastically altered and took his name off the series, substituting the pseudonym "Fettes Grey" (derived from the names of the grave robbers in
The Body SnatcherThe Body Snatcher is a 1945 horror film directed by Robert Wise based on the short story The Body Snatcher by Robert Louis Stevenson. The film's producer Val Lewton helped adapt the story for the screen, writing under the pen name of "Carlos Keith". The film was marketed with the tagline The...
).
Straczynski also wrote for
CBS StorybreakCBS Storybreak is a Saturday morning anthology television series that originally aired on the CBS network during the 1985 season. Hosted by Captain Kangaroo's Bob Keeshan , the episodes are half-hour animated adaptations of some of the most beloved children's books published at the time of airing,...
, writing an adaptation of Evelyn Sibley Lampman's
The Shy Stegosaurus of Cricket Creek).
Live action and the 1988 Writer's Strike
After leaving animation, Straczynski freelanced for
The Twilight Zone writing an episode entitled ("What Are Friends For"), and for
Shelley DuvallShelley Alexis Duvall is an American film and television actress best known for her roles in The Shining, Popeye, Thieves Like Us and 3 Women....
's
Nightmare Classics, adaptating
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, which was nominated for a
Writer's GuildThe Writers Guild of America is a generic term referring to the joint efforts of two different US labor unions:* The Writers Guild of America, East , representing TV and film writers East of the Mississippi....
Award).
Straczynski was then offered the position of story editor on the syndicated live-action science fiction series
Captain Power and the Soldiers of the FutureCaptain Power and the Soldiers of the Future is a 1987–88 science fiction/action television series, merging live action with animation based on computer-generated images, that ran for 22 episodes in Canadian/American syndication...
. Straczynski constructed a season long arc with lasting character changes and wrote a third of the scripts himself. After one season, the toy company
MattelMattel, Inc. is the world's largest toy company based on revenue. The products it produces include Fisher Price, Barbie dolls, Hot Wheels and Matchbox toys, Masters of the Universe, American Girl dolls, board games, and, in the early 1980s, video game consoles. The company's name is derived from...
demanded more input into the show, causing Straczynski to quit. He recommended DiTillio to take over the job as story editor for a second season, but the toy company financing fell through and that season was never produced.
Soon after, the
1988 Writers Guild of America strikeThe 1988 Writers Guild of America strike was a strike action taken by members of both the Writers Guild of America, East and the Writers Guild of America, West against major United States television and film studios represented by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers...
began. Straczynski met
Harlan EllisonHarlan Jay Ellison is an American writer. His principal genre is speculative fiction.His published works include over 1,700 short stories, novellas, screenplays, teleplays, essays, a wide range of criticism covering literature, film, television, and print media...
during this time and would later become friends with him.
After the strike ended, the producers of the new
Twilight Zone needed to create more episodes to be able to sell the series into syndication with a complete 65-episode package. They hired Straczynski as executive story editor to fill in the remaining number of needed episodes. Straczynski wrote many of the scripts himself, in addition to one from Ellison, "Crazy as a Soup Sandwich".
Network shows and Babylon 5
After leaving
Twilight Zone, his agent of the time asked him to pitch for the show
Jake and the FatmanJake and the Fatman is a television crime drama starring William Conrad as prosecutor J. L. "Fatman" McCabe and Joe Penny as investigator Jake Styles. The series ran on CBS for five seasons from 1987 to 1992. Diagnosis: Murder was a spin-off of this series...
. Initially wary, Straczynski finally did and was hired on as story editor under
Jeri TaylorJeri Taylor is a television scriptwriter and producer who is known for her contributions to the Star Trek series. She is an alumna of Indiana University, where she was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta.-Star Trek screenwriting:...
and David Moessinger. When Taylor and Moessinger left the show, Straczynski left as well in solidarity with them.
When Moessinger was hired as executive producer for
Murder, She WroteMurder, She Wrote is an American television mystery series starring Angela Lansbury as mystery writer and amateur detective Jessica Fletcher. The series aired for 12 seasons from 1984 to 1996 on the CBS network, with 264 episodes transmitted. It was followed by four TV films and a spin-off series,...
, he offered Straczynski a job as co-producer. Straczynski joined
Murder for two seasons and wrote 7 produced episodes. Moessinger and Straczynski moved the protagonist, Jessica Fletcher, from the sleepy Maine town of Cabot Cove to New York City to revitalize the show. The move effectively brought the show back into the top ten from the mid-thirties where it had fallen. Straczynski made Jessica an instructor in writing and criminology, and he emphasized her role as a working writer, with all the deadlines and problems involved in that profession.
Straczynski also wrote one episode of
Walker, Texas RangerWalker, Texas Ranger is an American television action crime drama series created by Leslie Greif and Paul Haggis, and starring Chuck Norris as a member of the Texas Ranger Division. The show aired on CBS in the spring of 1993, with the first season consisting of three pilot episodes. Eight full...
for Moessinger between the pilot and first season of B5.
In late 1991,
Warner Bros.Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
contracted with Doug Netter and Straczynski as partners to produce the show
Babylon 5 as the flagship program for the new
Prime Time Entertainment NetworkThe Prime Time Entertainment Network was a United States television network launched in 1993 by the Prime Time Consortium, a joint venture between Warner Bros. Domestic Television and the Chris-Craft group of independent stations...
.
Straczynski and Netter hired many of the people from
Captain Power, as well as hiring Ellison as a consultant and DiTillio as a story editor. Babylon 5 won two
Emmy AwardAn Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
s, back-to-back
Hugo AwardThe Hugo Awards are given annually for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year. The award is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories, and was officially named the Science Fiction Achievement Awards...
s, and dozens of other awards. Straczynski wrote 92 of the 110
episodes, as well as the pilot and five television movies. The show concentrated on character-driven
space operaSpace opera is a subgenre of science fiction that emphasizes romantic, often melodramatic adventure, set mainly or entirely in outer space, generally involving conflict between opponents possessing advanced technologies and abilities. The term has no relation to music and it is analogous to "soap...
, emphasis on realism, and it pioneered extensive use of
CGIComputer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...
for its
special effectThe illusions used in the film, television, theatre, or entertainment industries to simulate the imagined events in a story are traditionally called special effects ....
s. The show ran for its planned 5-season run but its sequel
CrusadeCrusade is a spin-off TV show from J. Michael Straczynski's Babylon 5. Its plot is set in AD 2267, five years after the events of Babylon 5, and just after the movie A Call to Arms. A race called the Drakh have released a nanovirus plague on Earth, which will destroy all life on Earth within five...
was the victim of TNT Network Executive interference, and only 13 episodes were commissioned, ending production even before the first episode had aired.
In 2005, Straczynski began publishing his
Babylon 5 scripts. This process ended in June 2008, with the scripts no longer being available from the end of July of that year. His scripts for the television movies were published for a limited time in January 2009.
Recent Television Projects
Straczynski's most recent television series was
JeremiahJeremiah is an American television series starring Luke Perry and Malcolm-Jamal Warner that ran on the Showtime network from 2002 to 2004. The series takes place in a post-apocalyptic future where most of the adult population has been wiped out by a deadly virus.Developed by Babylon 5 creator J...
, loosely based on the Belgian
post-apocalypticApocalyptic fiction is a sub-genre of science fiction that is concerned with the end of civilization due to a potentially existential catastrophe such as nuclear warfare, pandemic, extraterrestrial attack, impact event, cybernetic revolt, technological singularity, dysgenics, supernatural...
comic of the same name. Straczynski ran the series for two seasons but was frustrated with the conflicting directions that MGM and Showtime wanted from the show, and even used the pseudonym "Fettes Grey" for the first time since
Spiral Zone on one of the scripts. In the second season, Straczynski decided to leave the show if things did not improve, and the show ended after 2 seasons.
In 2004, Straczynski was approached by
Paramount StudiosParamount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
to become a producer of the
Star Trek: EnterpriseStar Trek: Enterprise is a science fiction television series. It follows the adventures of humanity's first warp 5 starship, the Enterprise, ten years before the United Federation of Planets shown in previous Star Trek series was formed.Enterprise premiered on September 26, 2001...
series. He declined, believing that he would not be allowed to take the show in the direction he felt it should go. He did write a treatment for a new
Star Trek series with colleague
Bryce ZabelBryce H. Zabel is an American television producer, director, writer, and occasional actor. He is known as the chairman/CEO of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences who was forced to twice postpone the Emmy Awards following the September 11 attacks...
.
Straczynski also wrote and produced the pilot
Babylon 5: Legend of the Rangers, a pilot for the SciFi Network, and wrote, directed and produced
Babylon 5: The Lost TalesBabylon 5: The Lost Tales is an anthology show set in the Babylon 5 universe. It was announced by J. Michael Straczynski, creator of Babylon 5, at the San Diego Comic Con in July 2006...
as a two-hour direct-to-DVD movie.
Television bio
- He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe is an American animated television series produced by Filmation based on Mattel's successful toy line Masters of the Universe...
- Staff Writer; wrote 9 episodes
- She-Ra: Princess of Power
She-Ra: Princess of Power is an American animated television series produced in 1985 by Filmation. It is a spinoff of Filmation's highly successful He-Man and the Masters of the Universe series, aimed primarily at a young girls' audience to counter-balance the latter show's popularity with boys...
- Uncredited Co-Story Editor; wrote 9 episodes
- Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors
Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors is a French/North American animated TV show which first aired on September 16, 1985. It was produced by DIC Entertainment , and animated by Japanese animation studios Sunrise, Shaft, Studio Giants, Studio Look and Swan Production...
- Staff Writer; wrote 11 episodes
- The Real Ghostbusters
The Real Ghostbusters is an American animated television series based on the 1984 film Ghostbusters. The series ran from 1986 to 1991, and was produced by Columbia Pictures Television, DiC Enterprises, and Coca-Cola Telecommunications. "The Real" was added to the title after a dispute with...
- Story Editor; wrote 21 episodes and Primetime Special
- Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future - Executive Story Editor; wrote 13 episodes
- The New Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone is the first of two revivals of Rod Serling's acclaimed 1950/60s television series of the same name. It ran for two seasons on CBS before producing a final season for syndication.-Series history:...
- Story Editor; wrote 11 episodes
- Jake and the Fatman
Jake and the Fatman is a television crime drama starring William Conrad as prosecutor J. L. "Fatman" McCabe and Joe Penny as investigator Jake Styles. The series ran on CBS for five seasons from 1987 to 1992. Diagnosis: Murder was a spin-off of this series...
- Executive Story Editor; wrote 5 episodes
- Murder, She Wrote
Murder, She Wrote is an American television mystery series starring Angela Lansbury as mystery writer and amateur detective Jessica Fletcher. The series aired for 12 seasons from 1984 to 1996 on the CBS network, with 264 episodes transmitted. It was followed by four TV films and a spin-off series,...
- Co-Producer; wrote 7 episodes
- Walker Texas Ranger - Supervising Producer; wrote 1 episode
- Babylon 5
Babylon 5 is an American science fiction television series created, produced and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. The show centers on a space station named Babylon 5: a focal point for politics, diplomacy, and conflict during the years 2257–2262...
- Executive Producer; wrote 92 episodes
- Crusade
Crusade is a spin-off TV show from J. Michael Straczynski's Babylon 5. Its plot is set in AD 2267, five years after the events of Babylon 5, and just after the movie A Call to Arms. A race called the Drakh have released a nanovirus plague on Earth, which will destroy all life on Earth within five...
- Executive Producer; wrote 10 episodes
- Jeremiah
Jeremiah is an American television series starring Luke Perry and Malcolm-Jamal Warner that ran on the Showtime network from 2002 to 2004. The series takes place in a post-apocalyptic future where most of the adult population has been wiped out by a deadly virus.Developed by Babylon 5 creator J...
- Executive Producer; wrote 22 episodes
Film
Straczynski worked on feature film and television movies. He wrote the award-winning adaptation of
Robert Louis StevensonRobert Louis Balfour Stevenson was a Scottish novelist, poet, essayist and travel writer. His best-known books include Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde....
's
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde for the Showtime network and a
Murder, She WroteMurder, She Wrote is an American television mystery series starring Angela Lansbury as mystery writer and amateur detective Jessica Fletcher. The series aired for 12 seasons from 1984 to 1996 on the CBS network, with 264 episodes transmitted. It was followed by four TV films and a spin-off series,...
movie,
Murder, She Wrote: A Story to Die For, which he produced.
In 2006, Straczynski was hired to write a feature film based on the story of King David for Universal by producers
Erwin StoffErwin Stoff is an American movie producer. He is best known for being the manager of Keanu Reeves and a producing credit for The Matrix. In 2007, he co-produced I Am Legend, starring Will Smith....
and
Akiva GoldsmanAkiva J. Goldsman from Walker Valley, New York is an American screenwriter and film producer. He received an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for the 2001 film, A Beautiful Mind, which also won the Oscar for Best Picture....
.
Straczynski announced on February 23, 2007 that he had been hired to write the feature film adaptation of
Max BrooksMaximillian Michael "Max" Brooks is an American author and screenwriter, with a particular interest in zombies. Brooks is also a television and voice-over actor.- Early life and education :...
's
New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
-bestselling novel
World War ZWorld War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War is a 2006 post-apocalyptic horror novel by Max Brooks. It is a follow-up to his 2003 book The Zombie Survival Guide. Rather than a grand overview or narrative, World War Z is a collection of individual accounts in the form of first-person anecdote...
for
Paramount PicturesParamount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
and
Brad PittWilliam Bradley "Brad" Pitt is an American actor and film producer. Pitt has received two Academy Award nominations and four Golden Globe Award nominations, winning one...
's production company,
Plan BPlan B Entertainment is a film production company founded by Brad Pitt, Brad Grey, and Jennifer Aniston. In 2006, Pitt became the sole owner; the company currently holds a release deal with Paramount Pictures, along with Warner Bros...
.
In June 2007, it was announced that Straczynski had written a feature screenplay for the
Silver SurferThe Silver Surfer is a Marvel Comics superhero created by Jack Kirby. The character first appears in Fantastic Four #48 , the first of a three-issue arc that fans call "The Galactus Trilogy"....
movie for Fox, the production of which would depend on the success of the
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver SurferFantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer is a 2007 American superhero film, and the sequel to the 2005 film Fantastic Four. Both films are based on the Fantastic Four comic book and were directed by Tim Story...
. Additionally, he has written a script for
Tom HanksThomas Jeffrey "Tom" Hanks is an American actor, producer, writer, and director. Hanks worked in television and family-friendly comedies, gaining wide notice in 1988's Big, before achieving success as a dramatic actor in several notable roles, including Andrew Beckett in Philadelphia, the title...
' Playtone Productions and Universal Pictures called
They Marched into SunlightThey Marched Into Sunlight: War and Peace, Vietnam and America, October 1967 is a book written by Pulitzer Prize winner and bestselling author David Maraniss, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for History in 2004 and won the J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize...
based upon the Pulitzer nominated novel of the same name and an outline by
Paul GreengrassPaul Greengrass is an English film director, screenwriter and former journalist. He specialises in dramatisations of real-life events and is known for his signature use of hand-held cameras.-Life and career:...
, for Greengrass to direct, should it get a greenlight.
In June 2008,
Daily Variety named Straczynski one of the top Ten Screenwriters to Watch. They announced Straczynski was writing
LensmanThe Lensman series is a serial science fiction space opera by Edward Elmer "Doc" Smith. It was a runner-up for the Hugo award for best All-Time Series ....
for
Ron HowardRonald William "Ron" Howard is an American actor, director, and producer. He came to prominence as a child actor, playing Opie Taylor in the sitcom The Andy Griffith Show for eight years, and later the teenaged Richie Cunningham in the sitcom Happy Days for six years...
(to whom he had sold a screenplay entitled
The Flickering Light), that he was selling another spec,
Proving Ground, to
Tom CruiseThomas Cruise Mapother IV , better known as Tom Cruise, is an American film actor and producer. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards and he has won three Golden Globe Awards....
and
United ArtistsUnited Artists Corporation is an American film studio. The original studio of that name was founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks....
.
In 2008, Straczynski wrote a draft of
Ninja AssassinNinja Assassin is a 2009 American martial arts film directed by James McTeigue. The story was written by Matthew Sand, with a screenplay penned by J. Michael Straczynski of Babylon 5. The film stars South Korean pop musician Rain as a disillusioned assassin looking for retribution against his...
for
Joel SilverJoel Silver is an American Hollywood film producer, co-creator of the sport of Ultimate, co-founder of Dark Castle Entertainment and owner of Silver Pictures.-Life and career:...
(which he completed in just 53 hours). The film was produced by the Wachowski Brothers and released on November 25, 2009.
In 2008,
Universal PicturesUniversal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
and
Imagine EntertainmentImagine Entertainment is a film and television production company founded in 1986 by director Ron Howard and producer Brian Grazer.Its productions include the television series 24 and Arrested Development and the films Apollo 13 , A Beautiful Mind and The Da Vinci Code .-Organization:Karen...
premiered Straczynski's feature thriller
Changeling, starring
Angelina JolieAngelina Jolie is an American actress. She has received an Academy Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and three Golden Globe Awards, and was named Hollywood's highest-paid actress by Forbes in 2009 and 2011. Jolie is noted for promoting humanitarian causes as a Goodwill Ambassador for the...
. The film was directed by
Clint EastwoodClinton "Clint" Eastwood, Jr. is an American film actor, director, producer, composer and politician. Eastwood first came to prominence as a supporting cast member in the TV series Rawhide...
, since originally slated director
Ron HowardRonald William "Ron" Howard is an American actor, director, and producer. He came to prominence as a child actor, playing Opie Taylor in the sitcom The Andy Griffith Show for eight years, and later the teenaged Richie Cunningham in the sitcom Happy Days for six years...
declined due to scheduling conflicts.
Changeling was one of 20 films placed in competition at the 2008
Cannes Film FestivalThe Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
, and subsequently received eight nominations for the
BAFTA AwardThe British Academy of Film and Television Arts is a charity in the United Kingdom that hosts annual awards shows for excellence in film, television, television craft, video games and forms of animation.-Introduction:...
, including a nomination for Best Original Screenplay.
In October 2008, it was announced that Straczynski was engaged to pen a remake of the science fiction classic
Forbidden PlanetForbidden Planet is a 1956 science fiction film directed by Fred M. Wilcox, with a screenplay by Cyril Hume. It stars Leslie Nielsen, Walter Pidgeon, and Anne Francis. The characters and its setting have been compared to those in William Shakespeare's The Tempest, and its plot contains certain...
.
In the fall of 2009, it was reported that Straczynski was writing a movie titled
Shattered UnionShattered Union is a turn-based tactics video game developed by PopTop Software and published by 2K Games in 2005.-Story:In an alternate timeline of 2009, following George W...
for
Jerry BruckheimerJerome Leon "Jerry" Bruckheimer is an American film and television producer. He has achieved great success in the genres of action, drama, and science fiction. His best known television series are CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CSI: Miami, CSI: NY, Eleventh Hour, Without a Trace, Cold Case, The...
and Disney. The screenplay, based on the video game of that name, concerns itself with a present-day
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
civil warA civil war is a war between organized groups within the same nation state or republic, or, less commonly, between two countries created from a formerly-united nation state....
.
Straczynski is credited as "story writer" along with
Mark ProtosevichMark Protosevich is an American screenwriter currently under contract with Warner Bros.Protosevich was born in Chicago, Illinois.-Filmography:*The Cell *Poseidon*I Am Legend*Thor...
for the 2011 film,
ThorThor is a 2011 American superhero film based on the comic book character of the same name published by Marvel Comics. It is the fourth film released as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe...
. He also makes a
cameo appearanceA cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
in the film, his first appearance in a movie and his second appearance as an actor (the first being "Sleeping In Light," the final episode of
Babylon 5).
Novels, short stories and nonfiction
Straczynski is the author of three horror novels —
Demon Night,
Othersyde, and
Tribulations — and nearly twenty short stories, many of which are collected in two compilations —
Tales from the New Twilight Zone and
Straczynski Unplugged. He wrote the outlines for nine of the
canonicalIn the context of a work of fiction, the term canon denotes the material accepted as "official" in a fictional universe's fan base. It is often contrasted with, or used as the basis for, works of fan fiction, which are not considered canonical...
Babylon 5 novels, supervised the three produced
B5 telefilm novelizations (
In the Beginning,
Thirdspace, and
A Call to Arms), and is the author of four
Babylon 5 short stories published in magazines, not yet reprinted .
Straczynski has been a journalist, reviewer, and investigative reporter, publishing over 500 articles in such publications as the
Los Angeles Times, the
Los Angeles Herald-Examiner,
Writer's DigestWriter's Digest is an American magazine devoted to both beginning and established writers, offering interviews, market listings, calls for manuscripts, and how-to articles....
,
Penthouse,
San Diego Magazine,
Twilight Zone Magazine, the
San Diego ReaderThe San Diego Reader is the largest alternative press paper in the county of San Diego, distributed free in stands and private businesses throughout the county, funded by advertisements...
, the
Los Angeles ReaderLos Angeles Reader was a weekly paper established in 1978 and distributed in Los Angeles, USA. It followed the format of the Chicago Reader. The paper was known for having lengthy, thoughtful reviews of movies, plays and concerts in the LA area. James Vowell was its founding editor...
and
Time.
Straczynski wrote
The Complete Book of Scriptwriting (ISBN 1-85286-882-1), often used as a text in introductory screenwriting courses, and is now in its third edition.
Comic books
Straczynski has long been a comic fan, and began writing comics in the late 1980s. His work in comics includes:
- Teen Titans Spotlight #13 (DC
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
, 1987)
- The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone is an American television anthology series created by Rod Serling. Each episode is a mixture of self-contained drama, psychological thriller, fantasy, science fiction, suspense, or horror, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist...
#2 (NOWNOW Comics was a comic book publisher founded in late 1985 by Tony C. Caputo as a sole-proprietorship. During the four years after its founding, NOW grew from a one-man operation to operating in 12 countries, and published almost 1,000 comics books....
, 1991)
- Star Trek #16 (DC, 1991)
- Babylon 5
Unique to the Babylon 5 universe among virtually all other shared universes is the sanctioned canonicity of many of its offshoot novels and comic book stories; nearly all of the Babylon 5 novels and novelizations to date having been based on outlines written directly by J. Michael Straczynski...
#1 (DC, 1993)
- Babylon 5: In Valen's Name mini-series (DC, 1998)
In 1999 he created
Rising StarsRising Stars is a 24-issue comic book limited series by J. Michael Straczynski about 113 people born with special abilities following the appearance of a mysterious light in the sky above Pederson, Illinois. The series explores how society may react to the advent of superpowers, and how those who...
for Top Cow/
Image ComicsImage Comics is a United States comic book publisher. It was founded in 1992 by high-profile illustrators as a venue where creators could publish their material without giving up the copyrights to the characters they created, as creator-owned properties. It was immediately successful, and remains...
. Eventually he worked mostly under his own imprint -
Joe's ComicsJoe's Comics was a short lived American comic book imprint of Top Cow Productions created specifically for J. Michael Straczynski. Top Cow offered JMS his own imprint after the impressive sales of Rising Stars. He accepted and named it Joe's Comics. In his own words:Rising Stars was moved to the...
- for which he wrote the
Midnight NationMidnight Nation is a religious-themed twelve-issue American comic book limited series, created by J. Michael Straczynski and published from 2000 to 2002 by Top Cow Productions under their now defunct Joe's Comics imprint...
miniseries, and the illustrated fantasy parable
Delicate Creatures.
Marvel ComicsMarvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
then signed him to an exclusive contract, beginning with a run on
The Amazing Spider-ManThe Amazing Spider-Man is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics, featuring the adventures of the fictional superhero Spider-Man. Being the mainstream continuity of the franchise, it began publication in 1963 as a monthly periodical and was published continuously until it was...
, from 2001-2007. He has since written for Marvel titles including
Fantastic FourThe Fantastic Four is a fictional superhero team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group debuted in The Fantastic Four #1 , which helped to usher in a new level of realism in the medium...
.
Marvel Comics
- The Amazing Spider-Man
The Amazing Spider-Man is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics, featuring the adventures of the fictional superhero Spider-Man. Being the mainstream continuity of the franchise, it began publication in 1963 as a monthly periodical and was published continuously until it was...
- from vol. 2, #30 (= vol. 1 #471) to vol. 1, #545 (including issues of Friendly Neighborhood Spider-ManFriendly Neighborhood Spider-Man was a comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The title is derived from a trademark self-referential comment often made by Spider-Man , ironic in that Spider-Man is often falsely considered by the general public to be a dangerous vigilante and/or a criminal,...
and The Sensational Spider-ManSensational Spider-Man is the name of a comic book series starring Spider-Man and published monthly by Marvel Comics for 41 issues between 2004 and 2007...
as part of crossovers)
- Supreme Power
The Squadron Supreme is a fictional superhero team that appears in publications under the mature-audience MAX imprint by Marvel Comics. The team first appears in Supreme Power #1 and was created by writer J...
- 2003 reboot of the Squadron SupremeThe Squadron Supreme is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Squadron Supreme first appeared in Avengers #85 - 86 The Squadron Supreme is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Squadron Supreme first...
- Strange: Beginnings and Endings - limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
, 2004
- Fantastic Four
The Fantastic Four is a fictional superhero team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group debuted in The Fantastic Four #1 , which helped to usher in a new level of realism in the medium...
- #527-541
- Dream Police
Dream Police is an American comic book one-shot created by writer J. Michael Straczynski with artwork by Mike Deodato.It was published by Marvel Comics, on June 22, 2005, under their Icon imprint for creator-owned titles.-Story:...
- with Mike DeodatoMike Deodato , sometimes credited as Mike Deodato Jr., is the professional pseudonym of Brazilian comic book artist Deodato Taumaturgo Borges Filho.-Biography:...
, one-shot, Icon ComicsIcon Comics is an imprint of Marvel Comics for creator-owned titles, designed to keep select "A-list" creators producing for Marvel rather than seeing them take creator-owned work to other publishers.-History:...
imprintIn the publishing industry, an imprint can mean several different things:* As a piece of bibliographic information about a book, it refers to the name and address of the book's publisher and its date of publication as given at the foot or on the verso of its title page.* It can mean a trade name...
, 2005
- The Book of Lost Souls
The Book of Lost Souls was an American comic book series published under the Icon Comics imprint, owned by Marvel Comics. It was written by J. Michael Straczynski and pencilled by Colleen Doran....
- with Colleen DoranColleen Doran is an American writer/artist, film conceptual artist, and cartoonist. She has illustrated hundreds of comics, graphic novels, books and magazines, and dozens of stories and articles, including works written by Neil Gaiman, Clive Barker, Anne Rice, J...
, 6-issue limited series, Icon Comics, 2005–2006
- Bullet Points - with Tommy Lee Edwards
Tommy Lee Edwards is an American illustrator. Edwards' varied portfolio includes works created in the realm of comics, video-games, books, advertising, film, and animation.-Career:...
, 5-issue limited series, 2007
- Silver Surfer: Requiem - with Esad Ribic, 4-issue limited series, 2007, tpb, hardcover, December 2007, ISBN 0-7851-2848-4, softcover, July 2008, ISBN 0-7851-1796-2
- Thor
Thor is a fictional superhero who appears in publications published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Journey into Mystery #83 and was created by editor-plotter Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber, and penciller Jack Kirby....
- July 2007-November 2009
- The Twelve
The Twelve is an American comic book limited series from Marvel Comics, which the company announced in July 2007 would run twelve issues beginning spring 2008, with the creative team of writer J. Michael Straczynski and artist Chris Weston...
- with Chris WestonChris Weston is a British comics artist who has worked both in the US and UK comics industries.-Biography:Weston was born in January, 1969 in Rinteln, Germany, and lived in various countries as a child...
, 12-part limited series, January 2008–PresentThe Twelve #9 has been canceled and will be re-solicited at a later date. Recently, art for issue #9 has been released.
DC Comics
When his exclusive contract with Marvel ended, he was announced as the writer for a run on
The Brave and the BoldThe Brave and the Bold is the title shared by many comic book series published by DC Comics. The first of these was published as an ongoing series from 1955 to 1983...
for
DC ComicsDC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
. He will collaborate with artist
Shane DavisShane Davis is an American comic book artist, currently under exclusive contract for DC Comics.-Career:Davis broke into the industry in 2003 by illustrating Robin #110 and a spot illustration in JLA-Z #3...
on an out-of-continuity original graphic novel starring
SupermanSuperman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
titled
Superman: Earth OneSuperman: Earth One is an graphic novel series written by J. Michael Straczynski and penciled by Shane Davis. Published in the US in 2010 by DC Comics, and in the UK in 2011 by Titan Books, Superman: Earth One is the inaugural title of the new ongoing OGN series DC: Earth One, which, similarly to...
. The story features a young Superman and focus on his decision about the role he want to assume in life. On March 8, 2010 it was announced he would be taking over writing duties for the monthly
SupermanSuperman is an ongoing comic book series featuring the DC Comics hero of the same name. The character Superman began as one of several anthology features in the National Periodical Publications comic book Action Comics #1 in June 1938...
title with a story arc entitled "
Grounded"Grounded" is a 2010-2011 comic book story arc that ran through the Superman monthly ongoing series. It was written by J. Michael Straczynski and Chris Roberson, and penciled by Eddy Barrows, with covers by John Cassaday....
", and the
Wonder Woman title, beginning with issues 701 and 601 respectively. Less than a year later he will be stepping away from both titles and handing them over to
Chris RobersonChris Roberson is a science fiction author, tromboner, and publisher based in Austin, Texas, best known for alternate history novels and short stories.-Biography:Chris Roberson grew up near Dallas, Texas, and attended the University of Texas, Austin...
and
Phil HesterPhil Hester is an American comic book artist, penciller and writer.-Biography:This Eisner Award-nominated artist was born in eastern Iowa, where he went on to study at the University of Iowa...
to finish his Superman and Wonder Woman stories respectively.
- The Red Circle
Red Circle Comics was an imprint used by Archie Comics Publications, Inc. to publish non-Archie characters, especially their superheroes, in the 1970s and '80s.-Phase 1: 1970s:...
He has written DC's revival of several Archie ComicsArchie Comics is an American comic book publisher headquartered in the Village of Mamaroneck, Town of Mamaroneck, New York, known for its many series featuring the fictional teenagers Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge, Reggie Mantle and Jughead Jones. The characters were created by...
Golden and Silver Ages superheroes. (August 2009)
- The Red Circle: The Hangman Art by Tom Derenick and Bill Sienkiewicz
Boleslav Felix Robert "Bill" Sienkiewicz [pronounced sin-KEV-itch] is an Eisner Award-winning American artist and writer best known for his comic book work, primarily for Marvel Comics' The New Mutants and Elektra: Assassin...
; Cover by Jesus Saiz (2009)
- The Red Circle: Inferno Art by Greg Scott; Cover by Jesus Saiz (2009)
- The Red Circle: The Web Art by Roger Robinson and Hilary Barta
Hilary Barta is an American comic book writer and artist.-Biography:Barta was born on June 17, 1957. His first comics work came in June 1982, when he helped legendary Marvel inkers Al Milgrom, Joe Sinnott and Sal Trapani provide inks for the pencils of Don Perlin on The Defenders #108...
; Cover by Jesus Saiz (2009)
- The Red Circle: The Shield Art by Scott McDaniel
Scott McDaniel is an American comics artist who has drawn numerous books, including Marvel Comics' "Fall from Grace" storyline for the Daredevil series...
and Andy OwensAndrew James Owens is an English footballer who plays for Southport in the Conference National.-Career:Owens began his career with his home town club Liverpool but later moved to Stoke City. After being released by Stoke he spent time with Stafford Rangers and Altrincham, before joining Welsh...
; Cover by Jesus Saiz
- The Brave and the Bold
The Brave and the Bold is the title shared by many comic book series published by DC Comics. The first of these was published as an ongoing series from 1955 to 1983...
(vol. 3) #27 - #35. Art and cover by Jesus Saiz (except #31, 33) (2009)
- Superman
Superman is an ongoing comic book series featuring the DC Comics hero of the same name. The character Superman began as one of several anthology features in the National Periodical Publications comic book Action Comics #1 in June 1938...
(vol. 1) #701-703, 705, 707-711, 713-714 (short story in #700). (2010) Art by Eddy BarrowsEduardo Barros is a Brazilian comic book artist, better known by his pen name of Eddy Barrows. He is best known for his work at DC Comics on such titles as Birds of Prey, Countdown to Adventure, Action Comics, Superman, Teen Titans, and 52.-Early life:Barrows was born in Belém do Pará, Brazil...
- Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #601-614 (short story in #600). (2010) Art by Don Kramer
Don Kramer is a Korean-American comics artist. He has worked for both Marvel and DC, as well as independent projects. Titles at DC include a Doctor Fate miniseries with Chris Golden, JSA with Geoff Johns and a recent run on Detective Comics with Paul Dini. He was also the artist for Nightwing with...
- Superman: Earth One
Superman: Earth One is an graphic novel series written by J. Michael Straczynski and penciled by Shane Davis. Published in the US in 2010 by DC Comics, and in the UK in 2011 by Titan Books, Superman: Earth One is the inaugural title of the new ongoing OGN series DC: Earth One, which, similarly to...
Art by Shane DavisShane Davis is an American comic book artist, currently under exclusive contract for DC Comics.-Career:Davis broke into the industry in 2003 by illustrating Robin #110 and a spot illustration in JLA-Z #3...
(November 2010)
- Samaritan X, graphic novel (forthcoming, 2012)
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
The Squadron Supreme is a fictional superhero team that appears in publications under the mature-audience MAX imprint by Marvel Comics. The team first appears in Supreme Power #1 and was created by writer J...
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
"Spider-Man: Back in Black" is a five-part 2007 Marvel Comics storyline written by J. Michael Straczynski and illustrated by Ron Garney , Bill Reinhold , Matt Milla and VC's Cory Petit . All parts were published in the comic book series The Amazing Spider-Man #539-543...
: Amazing Spider-Man (#539-543)
- One More Day
"One More Day" is a four-part, 2007 comic book crossover storyline, connecting the six main Spider-Man series concurrently published by Marvel Comics at the time. Written by J. Michael Straczynski and Joe Quesada, with art by Quesada, this story arc concludes the fallout of Spider-Man's actions...
: 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 plus Vol 1 #500-502)
- Amazing Spider-Man by JMS Ultimate Collection Book 3 (#503-518)
- Amazing Spider-Man by JMS Ultimate Collection Book 4 (Amazing Spider-Man #519-528, Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #1-4, Marvel Knights Spider-Man #19-22 and more; with writers Reginald Hudlin and Peter David)
- Amazing Spider-Man by JMS Ultimate Collection Book 5 (Amazing Spider-Man #529-545, Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #24, Sensational Spider-Man #41 plus extras)
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)
- Volume 2: Thor (#7-12, #600)
- Volume 3: Thor (#601-603, Giant-Size Thor: Finale)
- Thor Omnibus (Fantastic Four #536-537, Thor #1-12, #600-603, Giant-Size Finale)
Other
- Midnight Nation
Midnight Nation is a religious-themed twelve-issue American comic book limited series, created by J. Michael Straczynski and published from 2000 to 2002 by Top Cow Productions under their now defunct Joe's Comics imprint...
– Entire 12-issue series collected in one volume
- Delicate Creatures - illustrated, modern fairy tale
- Strange: Beginnings and Endings
Doctor Stephen Strange is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in Strange Tales #110 ....
– Entire 6-issue miniseries
Plays
- Snow White: an assembly length children's play dramatized by J. Michael Straczynski. c1979.
Awards and recognition
His personal awards include the 1996
Hugo AwardThe Hugo Awards are given annually for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year. The award is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories, and was officially named the Science Fiction Achievement Awards...
for Best Dramatic Presentation (shared with director Janet Greek) for the
Babylon 5 episode, "
The Coming of Shadows"The Coming of Shadows" is a key episode from the second season of the science fiction television series Babylon 5. It won the 1996 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation.-Synopsis:...
" and the 1997 Hugo Award for Dramatic Presentation (shared with director David Eagle) for the
Babylon 5 episode, "
Severed Dreams"Severed Dreams" is an episode from the third season of the science fiction television series Babylon 5. It won the 1997 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation.-Synopsis:...
". Along with the
Babylon 5 cast and crew he received the 1994 Visions Of The Future Award from the Space Frontier Foundation, and in 1998 he received the Ray Bradbury Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation for the television series
Babylon 5.
Along with John Romita Jr. and Scott Hanna he was the 2002
Eisner AwardThe Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, and sometimes referred to as the Oscar Awards of the Comics Industry, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books. The Eisner Awards were first conferred in 1988, created in response to the...
winner for Best Serialized Story for his work on the Amazing Spider-Man comic, Coming Home. In 2004, he was voted Favorite Comics Writer by UK readers and received that year's
Eagle AwardThe Eagle Award is a series of awards for comic book titles and creators. They are awarded by UK fan voting for work produced during the previous year. Named after the UK's Eagle comic, the awards were set up by Mike Conroy, Nick Landau, Colin Campbell, Phil Clarke and Richard Burton, and launched...
. He was also among the recipients of the 1994
Inkpot AwardThe Inkpot Award, bestowed annually since 1974 by Comic-Con International, is given to some of the professionals in comic book, comic strip, animation, science fiction, and related pop-culture fields, who are guests of that organization's yearly multigenre fan convention, commonly known as...
. In 2008, as screenwriter, he was among the recipients of the
Christopher AwardThe Christopher Award is presented to the producers, directors, and writers of books, motion pictures and television specials that "affirm the highest values of the human spirit"...
issued to the movie
Changeling.
Award nominations include the 2009
BAFTA AwardThe British Academy of Film and Television Arts is a charity in the United Kingdom that hosts annual awards shows for excellence in film, television, television craft, video games and forms of animation.-Introduction:...
, for his screenplay for
Changeling. Three separate 2009 Eisner Award nominations - for Best Limited Edition (The Twelve) along with Chris Weston, Best Continuing Series (Thor) along with Olivier Coipel and Mark Morales, and Best Writer (Thor). In 1988, his novel,
Demon Night, was presented for consideration of that years Bram Stoker award, under the category of Best First Novel. He was also nominated for a Writers Guild Award and a Cable Ace Award for his adaptation of
Robert Louis StevensonRobert Louis Balfour Stevenson was a Scottish novelist, poet, essayist and travel writer. His best-known books include Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde....
's
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, produced for Showtime Network. An
asteroidAsteroids are a class of small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun. They have also been called planetoids, especially the larger ones...
, discovered in 1992 at the
Kitt Peak National ObservatoryThe Kitt Peak National Observatory is a United States astronomical observatory located on 2,096 m Kitt Peak of the Quinlan Mountains in the Arizona-Sonoran Desert on the Tohono O'odham Nation, southwest of Tucson...
, was honorarily named
8379 Straczynski8379 Straczynski is an asteroid discovered on September 27, 1992 at the Kitt Peak National Observatory by the Spacewatch project. It was named in honour of science fiction writer J. Michael Straczynski, creator of the television series Babylon 5.... | Previous asteroid | 8379 Straczynski | Next...
.
External links