J. Michael Straczynski bibliography explained

J. Michael Straczynski
Actstart:	1987
Actend:	present
Pub1:	DC Comics
Start1:	1987
End1:	2015
Pub2:	Image Comics
Start2:	1999
End2:	2016
Pub3:	Marvel Comics
Start3:	2001
End3:	2009
Pub4:	AWA Studios
Start4:	2018
End4:	present

This is a bibliography of the American screenwriter Joseph Michael Straczynski who has written comics, plays, novels and non-fiction books for several different publishers.

Plays

• Snow White: an assembly length children's play dramatized by J. Michael Straczynski. c. 1979.^{[1] [2]}

Non-fiction

• The Complete Book of Scriptwriting from Writer's Digest Books (265 pages, 1982, ; Second edition, 432 pages, 1996, ; Revised edition, 448 pages, 2002,)
  • Gardners Books has also released The Complete Book of Scriptwriting: Third edition (432 pages, 1997,)
• Becoming Superman: My Journey from Poverty to Hollywood from Harper Voyager (hc, 480 pages, 2019, ; sc, 2020,)
• Becoming a Writer, Staying a Writer: The Artistry, Joy, and Career of Storytelling from BenBella Books (230 pages, 2021,)

Comics

Early work at DC and Joe's Comics

Early in his career, Straczynski penned a few single-issue stories for series based on established franchises:

• DC Comics

• • Teen Titans Spotlight #13: "Cyborg" (with Chuck Patton, 1987)
  • Star Trek vol. 3 #16: "Worldsinger" (with Gordon Purcell, 1991)
• The Twilight Zone vol. 2 #2: "Blind Alley" (with Todd Foxx, NOW, 1991)

During the original series run of Babylon 5, Straczynski contributed opening issues to two tie-in series (also published by DC Comics):

• Babylon 5 #1: "In Darkness Find Me" (with Michael Netzer, 1995) collected in Babylon 5: The Price of Peace (tpb, 128 pages, 1998,)
• Babylon 5: In Valen's Name #1 (of 3) (with Mike Collins, 1998) collected in Babylon 5: In Valen's Name (tpb, 80 pages, Titan, 1998,)

Between 1999 and 2006, Straczynski created, wrote and supervised original series under his own imprint Joe's Comics (published by Top Cow):

• Rising Stars (with Keu Cha, Christian Zanier, Ken Lashley, Stuart Immonen (#14) and Brent Anderson, 1999–2005) collected as:
  • Born in Fire (collects #1–8, tpb, 192 pages, 2001,)
  • Power (collects #9–16, tpb, 192 pages, 2002,)
  • Fire and Ash (collects #17–24, tpb, 208 pages, 2006,)
  • Voices of the Dead and Bright (collects Rising Stars: Bright #1–3 and Rising Stars: Voices of the Dead #1–6, tpb, 226 pages, 2006,)
  • Visitations and Untouchable (collects #0, ½, Prelude one-shot and Rising Stars: Untouchable #1–5, tpb, 208 pages, 2007,)
  • Rising Stars: The Complete Slipcased Edition (collects #0–24, ½ and the Prelude one-shot, hc, 624 pages, 2005,)
  • Rising Stars Compendium (collects #0–24, ½, Prelude one-shot and the three spin-off series, hc, 1,008 pages, 2009, ; tpb, 2009,)
• Midnight Nation #1–12, ½ (with Gary Frank, 2000–2002) collected as Midnight Nation (tpb, 288 pages, 2003, ; hc, 304 pages, 2009,)
• Delicate Creatures (prose novel with illustrations by Michael Zulli, 56 pages, 2001,)

Exclusive contract with Marvel Comics

Between 2001 and 2008, Straczynski was under an exclusive contract with Marvel (which nonetheless allowed him to continue writing for Joe's Comics until the launch of Icon):

• The Amazing Spider-Man (with John Romita, Jr., Mike Deodato, Jr., Mark Brooks (#515–518) and Ron Garney, 2001–2007) collected as:
  • Issues #55–56 of the second volume and #503–505 are co-written by Straczynski and Fiona Avery.
    • Ultimate Collection: The Amazing Spider-Man by J. Michael Straczynski Volume 1 (collects vol. 2 #30–45, tpb, 392 pages, 2009,)
    • Ultimate Collection: The Amazing Spider-Man by J. Michael Straczynski Volume 2 (collects vol. 2 #46–58 and vol. 1 #500–502, tpb, 416 pages, 2009,)
    • Ultimate Collection: The Amazing Spider-Man by J. Michael Straczynski Volume 3 (collects vol. 1 #503–518, tpb, 408 pages, 2010,)
    • Ultimate Collection: The Amazing Spider-Man by J. Michael Straczynski Volume 4 (collects vol. 1 #519–528, tpb, 480 pages, 2010,)
      • Includes Marvel Knights Spider-Man #21 (written by Straczynski, art by Pat Lee, 2006) as part of "The Other" inter-title crossover.
      • Includes Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #3 (written by Straczynski, art by Mike Wieringo, 2006) as part of "The Other" inter-title crossover.
    • Ultimate Collection: The Amazing Spider-Man by J. Michael Straczynski Volume 5 (collects vol. 1 #529–545, tpb, 536 pages, 2010,)
      • Includes Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #24 (written by Straczynski, art by Joe Quesada, 2007) as part of the "One More Day" inter-title crossover.
      • Includes The Sensational Spider-Man vol. 2 #41 (written by Straczynski, art by Joe Quesada, 2007) as part of the "One More Day" inter-title crossover.
    • The Amazing Spider-Man by J. Michael Straczynski Omnibus Volume 1 (collects vol. 2 #30–58 and vol. 1 #500–514, hc, 1,120 pages, 2019,)
    • The Amazing Spider-Man by J. Michael Straczynski Omnibus Volume 2 (collects vol. 1 #515–545 and the crossover issues, hc, 1,136 pages, 2020,)
• Squadron Supreme

• • Supreme Power (with Gary Frank, Marvel MAX, 2003–2005) collected as:
    • Contact (collects #1–6, tpb, 144 pages, 2004, ; hc, 2009,)
    • Powers and Principalities (collects #7–12, tpb, 144 pages, 2005, ; hc, 2009,)
    • High Command (collects #13–18, tpb, 144 pages, 2006, ; hc, 2009,)
  • Supreme Power: Hyperion #1–5 (with Dan Jurgens, Marvel MAX, 2005–2006) collected as Supreme Power: Hyperion (tpb, 120 pages, 2006, ; hc, 2009,)
  • Squadron Supreme vol. 2 #1–7 (with Gary Frank, Marvel Knights, 2006)
    • Issues #1–5 are collected as Squadron Supreme: The Pre-War Years (hc, 168 pages, 2006, ; tpb, 2009,)
  • Ultimate Power #4–6 (co-written by Straczynski, Jeph Loeb and Brian Michael Bendis, art by Greg Land, 2007) collected in Ultimate Power (hc, 232 pages, 2008, ; tpb, 2008,)
• Strange #1–6 (co-written by Straczynski and Samm Barnes, art by Brandon Peterson, Marvel Knights, 2004–2005) collected as Strange: Beginnings and Endings (tpb, 144 pages, 2005,)
• Fantastic Four (with Mike McKone, 2005–2007) collected as:
  • Fantastic Four by J. Michael Straczynski Volume 1 (collects #527–532, hc, 144 pages, 2006, ; tpb, 2006,)
  • The Life Fantastic (includes #533–535, tpb, 152 pages, 2006,)
  • The Road to Civil War (includes #536–537, tpb, 160 pages, 2007,)
  • Civil War: Fantastic Four (includes #538–541, tpb, 176 pages, 2007,)
• Dream Police (with Mike Deodato, Jr., one-shot, Icon, 2005)
• The Book of Lost Souls #1–6 (with Colleen Doran, Icon, 2005–2006)
  • Collected as The Book of Lost Souls: Introductions All Around (tpb, 144 pages, 2006,)
  • A second series was announced for 2014, planned to be published under the Joe's Comics imprint at Image.^{[3] [4]}
• Bullet Points #1–5 (with Tommy Lee Edwards, 2007) collected as Bullet Points (tpb, 120 pages, 2007,)
• Ultimate Civil War: Spider-Ham (featuring Wolverham) (with various artists, one-shot, 2007) collected in Secret Wars Too (tpb, 208 pages, 2016,)
• #1–4 (with Esad Ribić, Marvel Knights, 2007) collected as Silver Surfer: Requiem (hc, 104 pages, 2007, ; tpb, 2008,)
• Thor vol. 3 (with Olivier Coipel and Marko Djurdjević, 2007–2009) collected as:
  • Volume 1 (collects #1–6, hc, 160 pages, 2008, ; tpb, 2009,)
  • Volume 2 (collects #7–12 and #600, hc, 200 pages, 2009, ; tpb, 2009,)
  • Volume 3 (collects #601–603 and the Thor Giant-Size Finale one-shot, hc, 112 pages, 2010, ; tpb, 2010,)
  • Thor by J. Michael Straczynski Omnibus (collects #1–12, 600–603 and the Thor Giant-Size Finale one-shot, hc, 520 pages, 2010,)
• The Twelve #1–12 (with Chris Weston, 2008–2012) collected as The Twelve (hc, 328 pages, 2013, ; tpb, 2014,)

Brief tenure at DC Comics proper

Straczynski moved to DC, working on short or out-of-continuity stories following his experience with crossover events at Marvel:^{[5] [6]}

• The Brave and the Bold vol. 3 #27–35 (with Jesús Saiz, Chad Hardin + Justiniano (#31) and Cliff Chiang (#33), 2009–2010)
  • Straczynski expressed interest in writing a Lex Luthor/Swamp Thing team-up but the latter character was tied to Vertigo.^[7]
  • Collected as Team-Ups of the Brave and the Bold (hc, 176 pages, 2010, ; tpb, 2011,)
• The Red Circle (series of one-shots intended to introduce the licensed Archie Comics superheroes into the DC Universe):
  • The Shield: Kicking Down the Door (tpb, 160 pages, 2010,) includes:
    • The Shield (with Scott McDaniel, 2009)
    • The Inferno (with Greg Scott, 2009)
  • The Hangman (with Tom Derenick, 2009)
  • The Web (with Roger Robinson, 2009)
• Samaritan X (unproduced graphic novel, announced in 2010)^{[8] [9]}
• Superman

• • Superman #700–703, 705–706: "Grounded" (with Eddy Barrows and Wellington Diaz (#705), 2010–2011)
    • Straczynski left the title, and the storyline was continued by Chris Roberson until The New 52 relaunch.^{[10] [11] [12] [13]}
    • Collected in Superman: Grounded Volume 1 (hc, 168 pages, 2011, ; tpb, 2012,)
  • (series of graphic novels set in an alternate universe and published under its own imprint):
    • Volume 1 (with Shane Davis, hc, 136 pages, 2010, ; sc, 2013,)
    • Volume 2 (with Shane Davis, hc, 136 pages, 2012, ; sc, 2014,)
    • Volume 3 (with Ardian Syaf, hc, 136 pages, 2015, ; sc, 2015,)
• Wonder Woman #600–605: "Odyssey" (with Don Kramer and Eduardo Pansica, 2010–2011)
  • Straczynski left the title, and the storyline was continued by Phil Hester until The New 52 relaunch.^[14]
  • Collected in Wonder Woman: Odyssey Volume 1 (hc, 168 pages, 2011, ; tpb, 2012,)
• Before Watchmen: Dr. Manhattan / Nite Owl (hc, 288 pages, 2013,, tpb, 2014,) collects:
  • Before Watchmen: Nite Owl #1–4 (with Andy and Joe Kubert, 2012–2013)
  • Before Watchmen: Dr. Manhattan #1–4 (with Adam Hughes, 2012–2013)
  • Before Watchmen: Moloch #1–2 (with Eduardo Risso, 2013)
• (unproduced graphic novel, announced in 2015)^[15]

Joe's Comics 2.0 and later work

After a decade of working almost exclusively on Big Two properties, Straczynski once again took on two series based on established multimedia franchises, The Terminator and The Twilight Zone:

• Liberty Annual '11: "Separation of Church and State" (with Kevin Sacco, anthology, Image, 2011) collected in CBLDF Presents: Liberty (hc, 216 pages, 2014, ; tpb, 2016,)
• (with Pete Woods, Dark Horse, 2013–2014) collected as:
  • Volume 1 (collects #1–6, tpb, 152 pages, 2014,)
  • Volume 2 (collects #7–12, tpb, 152 pages, 2015,)
• The Twilight Zone vol. 3 (with Guiu Vilanova, Dynamite, 2013–2015) collected as:
  • The Way Out (collects #1–4, tpb, 104 pages, 2014,)
  • The Way In (collects #5–8, tpb, 120 pages, 2014,)
  • The Way Back (collects #9–12, tpb, 104 pages, 2015,)

In 2013, Straczynski revived the Joe's Comics brand (this time, the titles were published by Image Central):

• Ten Grand (with Ben Templesmith, C. P. Smith and Matthew Dow Smith (#12), 2013–2015) collected as:
  • Volume 1 (collects #1–6, tpb, 160 pages, 2014,)
  • Volume 2 (collects #7–12, tpb, 160 pages, 2015,)
• Sidekick (with Tom Mandrake, 2013–2015) collected as:
  • Volume 1 (collects #1–6, tpb, 160 pages, 2014,)
  • Volume 2 (collects #7–12, tpb, 160 pages, 2016,)
• Protectors, Inc. #1–10 (with Gordon Purcell, 2013–2014)
  • Issues #1–6 are collected as Protectors, Inc. Volume 1 (tpb, 160 pages, 2014,)
• The Adventures of Apocalypse Al #1–4 (with Sid Kotian, 2013–2014) collected as The Adventures of Apocalypse Al (tpb, 128 pages, 2014,)
• Alone (with Bill Sienkiewicz, unproduced 6-issue limited series — initially announced for 2014)
• Dream Police #1–12 (with Sid Kotian, 2014–2016)

In 2016, Straczynski announced his retirement from comics.^[16]
However, in 2018 he joined the "Creative Counsel" of the new publisher AWA Studios^[17] and penned a number of series for its superhero universe:

• The Resistance

• • The Resistance #1–6 (with Mike Deodato, Jr., 2020) collected as The Resistance (tpb, 144 pages, 2020,)
  • The Resistance: Reborns #1–5 (with C. P. Smith, digital, 2020) published in print as The Resistance: Reborns (one-shot, January 2021)
  • The Resistance: Uprising #1–6 (with C. P. Smith, 2021) collected as The Resistance: Uprising (tpb, 144 pages, 2021,)
• Moths #1–6 (with Mike Choi, 2021) collected as Moths (tpb, 144 pages, 2022,)
• Telepaths #1–6 (with Steve Epting, 2021–2022) collected as Telepaths (tpb, 144 pages, 2022,)
• The Madness #1-6 (2023-2024)
• U&I #1-6 (2024)

During this period, Straczynski also contributed a few short stories for various anniversary publications by Marvel:

• Marvel Comics #1000: "What Do You Regret?" (with Ed McGuinness, anthology, 2019) collected in Marvel Comics 1000 (hc, 144 pages, 2020,)
• Thor vol. 6 #24: "Benedictions" (with Olivier Coipel, co-feature, 2022) collected in Thor: God of Hammers (tpb, 184 pages, 2022,)
• Thanos: Death Notes

"Love and Death and Much in Between" (with Geoff Shaw, anthology one-shot, 2023)

Novels and short story collections

• Demon Night (hc, 340 pages, Dutton Adult, 1988, ; sc, 304 pages, iBooks, 2003,)
• Tales from the New Twilight Zone (short stories adapted from Straczynski's scripts, Bantam Spectra, 1989,)
• Othersyde: A Novel (hc, 294 pages, Dutton Adult, 1990, ; sc, 304 pages, iBooks, 2004,)
• Tribulations (sc, 224 pages, Prime Books, 2000,)
• Straczynski Unplugged (sc, 224 pages, iBooks, 2004,)
• Together We Will Go (hc, 304 pages, Scout Press, 2021,)
• The Glass Box (hc, 350 pages, Blackstone Publishing, 2024,)

Notes

1. Web site: Re: ATTN JMS: Re: Snow White. JMSNews. Straczynski, J. Michael. 1996-12-08. 2007-08-11.
2. Web site: Snow White (Straczynski). https://archive.today/20130117215333/http://www.bakersplays.com/store/product_info.php/cPath/11/products_id/1346?osCsid=e06b04b0d58e7c3adbe2697bfdc3286f. dead. 2013-01-17. Baker's Plays. Straczynski, J. Michael. 1979. 2007-08-11.
3. Web site: Kiel . Phegley . IMAGE EXPO: Keynote Announcements . . July 2, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150905202333/http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=46396#joescomics . September 5, 2015 . dead .
4. Web site: Kiel . Phegley . IMAGE EXPO: JMS Revives "Book of Lost Souls" & "Dream Police" . Comic Book Resources . July 2, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150910041231/http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=46407 . September 10, 2015 . dead .
5. Web site: Kevin . Melrose . Straczynski reportedly ending his Thor run in September . Robot 6 @ Comic Book Resources . June 25, 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090629052909/http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2009/06/straczynski-reportedly-ending-thor-run-in-september . June 29, 2009 . dead .
6. Web site: Jeffrey . Renaud . JMS Confirms "Thor" Exit . Comic Book Resources . June 26, 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090629045746/http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=21780 . June 29, 2009 . dead .
7. Web site: Robert . Taylor . REFLECTIONS: J. Michael Straczynski, Part II . Comic Book Resources . July 1, 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080917183838/http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=17059 . September 17, 2008 . dead .
8. Web site: Kiel . Phegley . Straczynski Pens "Samaritan X" at DC . Comic Book Resources . March 18, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120109034035/http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=25307 . January 9, 2012 . dead .
9. Web site: Chris . Arrant . Comics' Most Notorious No-Shows, Part 1. Comic Book Resources . December 22, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120104192722/http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=36059 . January 4, 2012 . dead .
10. Web site: Alex . Segura . BREAKING NEWS: SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE sequel in the works . . November 10, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20101125043816/http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2010/11/10/breaking-news-superman-earth-one-sequel-in-the-works/ . November 25, 2010 . dead .
11. Web site: Jeffrey . Renaud . JMS Speaks on "Superman," "Wonder Woman" . Comic Book Resources . November 12, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110617045841/http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=29374 . June 17, 2011 . dead .
12. Web site: Jeffrey . Renaud . Roberson is Flying High on "Superman" . Comic Book Resources . December 14, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20101216231500/http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=29871 . December 16, 2010 . dead .
13. Web site: Josie . Campbell . Roberson Takes The Wheel On "Superman: Grounded" . Comic Book Resources . February 23, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120116164539/http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=30994 . January 16, 2012 . dead .
14. Web site: Jeffrey . Renaud . "Wonder Woman" Lassoes Hester . Comic Book Resources . December 20, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110926230344/http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=29961 . September 26, 2011 . dead .
15. Web site: DC Entertainment Announces Two New Additions to Earth One . . July 12, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150713080613/http://www.dccomics.com/blog/2015/07/12/dc-entertainment-announces-two-new-additions-to-earth-one . July 13, 2015 . dead .
16. Web site: Aaron . Couch . J. Michael Straczynski Retiring From Comics as He Reveals Battle With Rare Eye Disorder . . August 2, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160804180543/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/j-michael-straczynski-retiring-comics-916703 . August 4, 2016 . live .
17. Web site: George Gene . Gustines . A Comic Book Publisher Creates Its Own Origin Story . . March 20, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190321005950/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/20/arts/awa-comic-books-publisher.html . March 21, 2019 . live .