Although it’s becoming more common for writers of screen plays and novels to get contracts to write for comics, when Joseph Michael Straczynski first turned his hand to comic books it was almost unheard of for a successful television writer to then write comics. The reasons Straczynski did so, I suspect, is that he is a comic book fan at heart. And this passion comes through in the comics he’s worked on.
Like a lot of people, I first discovered J. Michael Straczynski’s work through his epic sci-fi television series ‘Babylon-5’ (1993–1998). An interstellar soap opera about a multi-generational war, it was a considerable feat to have not only conceived of the Babylon-5 story arc, but - even more impressive still -to have successfully translated this vision into exactly five seasons of television. In fact, this was nothing short of remarkable when we recall that not even the Star Ship Enterprise got to finish her five year mission on TV.
Starting his career as a playwright and journalist in San Diego, Straczynski simultaneously published novels and non-fiction writings throughout the 1980s before turning his full attention to television (working, at first, on animated series: ‘The Real Ghost Busters’ and ‘He-Man’, before channeling his creative energies to live-action TV).
In the late 1990’s, after the conclusion of his show Babylon-5 and the cancellation of its sequel Crusade (1999), Straczynski turned his abundant literary talent to writing comic books. This he did prodigiously up until 2016.
It was then that Straczynski revealed that he had been suffering from the genetic condition of corneal dystrophy (in effect going blind). At this point, Straczynski stepped down from writing comics, which was sad news.
Straczynski is currently, after a successful series of surgeries, working on screen plays, novels and more movie-related work. This leaves the comic writing output he produced between 1998 and 2016, on comics spanning from Amazing Spider-man, Thor, Fantastic Four and Supreme Power for Marvel, Super-man: Earth One, Superman/Wonder-Woman and Before Watchmen for DC, and original titles like Rising Stars and Ten Grand (among others, published by Image/Top Cow Comics), all out there for everyone to enjoy.
Rising Stars #1 [Top Cow/Image] (August 1999) – First issue of Rising Stars
Straczynski’s very first comic book script was the 'New Teen Titans' spin-off title Teen Titans Spotlight, for which he wrote a story about Cyborg. Hard to believe that book came out in 1987. It wasn’t until years later that he was able to turn his attention to comics full time. When he did, he produced this fine (if uneven) series: Rising Stars. Starting off like a hybrid of The Watchmen meets the Uncanny X-Men, Rising Stars tells the story of a series of young people in Pederson, Illinois, whose lives are transformed forever when a cosmic event occurs at the moment they are conceived. Once they begin to age, various powers from the event manifest themselves – some impressive, some not so much. The government soon steps in to monitor the 'Pederson Specials' (as they are called) and then drastic action is needed when someone begins targeting and murdering the Specials. This act, subsequently, leads to some unexpected consequences. Currently this book is off most people’s radar, but news about a possible movie has been in the air since 2016. Occasionally I see prices on these comics rise on Ebay, but now is the time to get them at a low price in case production on a movie actually begins.
Supreme Power #1 [Marvel] (October 2003) – First Issue of Squadron Supreme relaunch
Probably some of Straczynski’s finest work (with his run on Thor coming in a close second). With pencils by Gary Frank, Supreme Power is a reboot of the old Marvel group ‘Squadron Supreme’ (first appearing in Avengers #85 in 1971). Squadron Supreme were from a parallel universe and were, basically, Marvel comic’s version of DC’s 'Justice League of America'. You had Hyperion (Superman), Nighthawk (Batman), Power Princess (Wonder Woman), Whizzer (Flash), etc. As reboots go, this book took the original idea of a corrupt JLA to a new level. Although the sequel relaunch of Squadron Supreme comic was not as good, what Straczynski accomplished on his scripts for Supreme Power and its spin-offs is notable. Once again, this is a comic currently off people’s radars but there are a healthy 112 of these on the CGC census, and although returns are down that could change if (big if on this one) the Squadron Supreme appears in a movie.
