James Robinson (writer) explained

James Robinson
Nationality:British
Area:Writer
Notable Works:The Golden Age
Starman
Leave It to Chance
The Justice Society Returns
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen



Earth 2
Awards:Inkpot Award 2012[1]

James Dale Robinson is a British writer of American comic books and screenplays best known for co-creating the character of Starman (Jack Knight) with Tony Harris and reviving the Justice Society of America in the late 1990s. His other notable works include the screenplay for the film adaptation of the Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill's comic book series The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and the multi-year crossover storyline "".

Career

Robinson made his writing debut in 1989 with the graphic novel London's Dark, illustrated by Paul Johnson and later named one of the 500 "essential" graphic novels, as it was "at the vanguard [...] of British graphic novels as a whole" despite being "a very raw work, full of experimentation".[2] He continued contributing short stories to various anthologies, including "Grendel: Devil's Whisper" which appeared in A1, before breaking into the American market with a number of Terminator series for Dark Horse. In 1993, Robinson penned the limited series The Golden Age for DC Comics, which, despite being an Elseworlds story, established much of the backstory he would later use in his arguably most renowned work, Starman.[3] With Starman, Robinson took the aging Golden Age character of the same name and revitalized both him and all those who had used the name over the decades, weaving them into an interconnected whole. In 1997, Robinson's work on the title garnered him an Eisner Award for "Best Serialized Story".[4] In the late 90s, Robinson worked on a follow-up series to The Golden Age,[5] to be titled The Silver Age and illustrated by Howard Chaykin,[6] although he ultimately decided not to pursue the project as the bulk of his ideas were presented in Mark Waid and Brian Augustyn's 1998 series .[7]

In addition to Starman, Robinson's DC work includes frequent contributions to the anthology series , a Vigilante mini-series and The Sandman spin-off series Witchcraft for Vertigo. In 1999, Robinson and his writing partner David S. Goyer spearheaded the return of the Golden Age team of superheroes Justice Society of America to the mainstream DC Universe with the story arc "The Justice Society Returns"[8] and the launch of the ongoing series JSA.[9] [10] Robinson left the title after five issues while Goyer continued co-writing it with Geoff Johns,[11] with whom Robinson would later launch the JSA spin-off series Hawkman. Similarly, he served as a transitional writer on several Marvel titles, such as Cable and Generation X, contributing to the "" inter-title crossover storyline.[12] Robinson wrote a brief run on the Captain America series that was then-recently relaunched as part of the "Heroes Reborn" initiative. Other work for Marvel includes Ectokid, one of the series created by the horror/fantasy novelist Clive Barker for the company's Razorline imprint. At Image, Robinson wrote a brief run on Wildcats that further developed the team's mythology and launched the creator-owned series Leave It to Chance with artist Paul Smith's, which won them two more Eisner Awards in 1997, for "Best New Series" and "Best Title for Younger Readers".

Robinson made a foray into screenwriting with a screenplay for the 1993 direct-to-video short film Firearm, based on the comic book series of the same name published by Malibu.[13] In the late 90s, Robinson and David S. Goyer wrote an unused draft for then-upcoming film Freddy vs. Jason[14] [15] and scripted Evermere for C2 Pictures, which aimed for a 2000 release with Chuck Russell attached to direct.[16] Robinson's best known work as a screenwriter is the 2003 adaptation of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen,[17] which caused some controversy among fans of the original work, many of whom were disappointed that the film took many liberties and changed the tone of the source material. Early drafts had reportedly relocated much of the action from England to America, allegedly in an attempt to make it more acceptable to American audience.[18] [19]

After taking a break from writing comics, Robinson returned in 2006 with an eight-issue storyline "", which ran through both Batman and Detective Comics as part of DC Comics' company-wide initiative "One Year Later".[20] In 2008, he took over the writing duties of the ongoing Superman series, starting with the storyline "The Coming of Atlas".[21] [22] In 2009, Robinson launched ,[23] intended to run as a second ongoing Justice League title but turned into a 7-issue mini-series instead due to poor critical reception.[24] [25] [26] [27] Despite the controversial reception, Robinson was nominated for Best Writing in the 2010 Eisner Awards.[28] [29] In October 2009, Robinson took over the regular Justice League of America ongoing title with and artist Mark Bagley,[30] who was later replaced by Brett Booth.[31] In May 2010, Robinson and Sterling Gates co-wrote War of the Supermen, the limited series that acted as the culmination of the Superman crossover storyline that started two years prior with "".[32] Robinson concluded his run on Superman with issue #700 (Aug. 2010).[33] In 2011, Robinson launched the 12-issue series The Shade, starring the eponymous character closely associated with the Starman series.[34] [35] The following year, he launched the Earth 2 ongoing series which reimagined the long-standing concept of the fictional parallel earth for new readers as part of DC Comics' company-wide relaunch "The New 52".[36] [37] One of the revisions introduced by Robinson was making the Green Lantern of Earth 2 gay, which made national news.[38] Robinson left the title after sixteen issues.[39] [40]

In 2013, Robinson launched The Saviors with J. Bone, his first creator-owned series since the discontinuation of Leave It to Chance a decade earlier.[41] In 2014, Marvel published an original graphic novel titled The Amazing Spider-Man: Family Business, co-written by Robinson and Mark Waid.[42] That same year, Robinson's launched two new ongoing series at Marvel as part of the All-New Marvel NOW! initiative, All-New Invaders with artist Steve Pugh[43] and a new volume of the Fantastic Four series with artist Leonard Kirk.[44] In 2015, Robinson and artist Greg Hinkle launched the 4-issue mini-series Airboy at Image, which featured the eponymous Golden Age character emerging from the world of comic books into the "real" world and interacting with the creators. The series caused controversy with its transphobic remarks made by fictional Robinson in issue #2,[45] [46] which propmpted the creators to make amendments for the eventual collected edition.[47] Also in 2015, Robinson penned the ongoing series Scarlet Witch for Marvel,[48] which, he explained, was influenced by the work of Matt Fraction and David Aja on the 2012 series Hawkeye.[49] In 2016, Robinson launched another creator-owned series, Grand Passion, illustrated by Tom Feister and published by Dynamite, which he described as "a departure from what I've been doing in the last few years."[50] The following year, Robinson penned a James Bond spin-off series starring Felix Leiter for Dynamite[51] [52] and returned to DC Comics for a run on the Wonder Woman series,[53] which he wrote for a year, leaving after issue #50 (Sept. 2018).[54]

Since 2020, Robinson has been writing and producing the Stargirl television series, based on the eponymous character co-created by Geoff Johns and Lee Moder that in turn spun out of Robinson-created character Starman (Jack Knight).

Personal life

Robinson and longtime DC Comics editor Jann Jones announced their engagement in 2009.[55] They married two years later and have since divorced.[47]

Bibliography

Early work

DC Comics

"Double Act" (with Matt Camp) and "Legacy" (with Stefano Gaudiano, co-features in one-shot, 2009)

"Memory Lane" (with Neil Edwards, anthology one-shot, 2010)

"Dear Velcoro" (with John McCrea, anthology one-shot, 2018) collected in A Very DC Valentine's Day (tpb, 176 pages, 2019,)

Marvel Comics

"What Makes the Man" (with Marcos Martín, 2009) collected in Timely 70th Anniversary Collection (hc, 280 pages, 2010,)

Age of Ultron vs. Marvel Zombies #1–4 (with Steve Pugh and other artists, 2015) collected as Secret Wars — Battleworld: Age of Ultron vs. Marvel Zombies (tpb, 128 pages, 2015,)

Armor Wars #½ (with Mark Bagley) and 1–5 (with Marcio Takara, 2015) collected as Secret Wars — Warzones: Armor Wars (tpb, 112 pages, 2016,)

"The Phantom Limb" (with Tony Harris, 2016) collected in Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens — Shattered Empire (hc, 144 pages, 2016,)

Image Comics

"The Deadliest Man" (with Dean Kotz and Stefano Gaudiano, anthology graphic novel, 336 pages, 2018,)

Other publishers

Filmography

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Inkpot Award. 2016. San Diego Comic-Con. https://web.archive.org/web/20170129155249/http://www.comic-con.org/awards/inkpot. 29 January 2017. live.
  2. Book: Kannenberg, Gene Jr.. 500 Essential Graphic Novels: The Ultimate Guide . Ilex Press. 2008. 978-0061474514.
  3. Book: Manning. Matthew K.. Dolan. Hannah. 1990s. DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle. Dorling Kindersley. 2010. London, United Kingdom. 978-0-7566-6742-9. 267. In this ongoing series by writer James Robinson and artist Tony Harris, a new Starman was unleashed on the world..
  4. Web site: 1997 Will Eisner Comic Industry Award Nominees and Winners. Hahn Library Comic Book Awards Almanac. https://web.archive.org/web/20120723015302/http://www.hahnlibrary.net/comics/awards/eisner97.php. 23 July 2012. live.
  5. Web site: Beau . Yarbrough . CCI GRAB BAG . . 17 August 1998 . https://web.archive.org/web/19990203120413/http://www.comicbookresources.com/comicwire/0898/cw_081798.shtml . 3 February 1999 . Goodwin's death is also part of the reason the long-rumored follow-up to James Robinson's "The Golden Age" series has taken so long, although "The Silver Age" sequel is in the works, according to Carlin. . dead .
  6. Web site: Brian . Cronin . Comic Book Legends Revealed #337 . . 21 October 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20111022143343/http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2011/10/21/comic-book-legends-revealed-337/ . 22 October 2011 . dead .
  7. Web site: Beau . Yarbrough . 'LEAVE IT TO CHANCE' ENDS, RETURNS AS ONE SHOTS . . 20 July 1999 . https://web.archive.org/web/20010118044100/http://comicbookresources.com/columns/index.cgi?column=comicwire&article=304 . 18 January 2001 . Despite long-running Internet rumors and speculation to the contrary, he will not be following up his popular "Golden Age" Elseworlds DC Comics miniseries with a "Silver Age" series, as most of his ideas for the book appeared in last year's "Justice League: Year One" series written by Mark Waid. . dead .
  8. Web site: Petar . G. . James Robinson interview . . 14 July 2000 . https://web.archive.org/web/20010423094112/http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/8407/jrint.html . 23 April 2001 . dead .
  9. Web site: Beau . Yarbrough . CAN ROBINSON STRIKE GOLD A THIRD TIME? . . 19 April 1999 . https://web.archive.org/web/19991009210044/http://comicbookresources.com/comicwire/0499/cw_041999.shtml . 9 October 1999 . dead .
  10. Manning "1990s" in Dolan, p. 287: "With a successful Starman revamp and acclaimed Elseworlds limited series The Golden Age already under his belt, Robinson had set the stage for his newest opus – the return of the Justice Society of America."
  11. Web site: Petar . G. . David Goyer interview . . 4 September 1999 . https://web.archive.org/web/20000415040806/http://geocities.com/Hollywood/8407/dgint.html . 15 April 2000 . dead .
  12. Book: Manning. Matthew K.. Gilbert. Laura. 1990s. Marvel Chronicle A Year by Year History. Dorling Kindersley. 2008. London, United Kingdom. 283. 978-0756641238. 'Operation: Zero Tolerance' truly began in the prologue within X-Men #65...the story sprang from there into all the other X-titles of the time and featured the work of writers James Robinson, John Francis Moore, Larry Hama, Steve Seagle, and Joe Kelly..
  13. Web site: Brian . Cronin . Looking Back At Ultraverse's Live Action 'Video Comic Books' . . 4 July 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210125030130/https://www.cbr.com/ultraverse-video-comic-books/ . 25 January 2021 . live .
  14. Web site: FREDDY VS. JASON is coming... sometime... maybe... . . https://web.archive.org/web/20020109082230/http://www.angelfire.com/ny2/syko3/fvj.html . 9 January 2002 . live .
  15. Web site: Freddy vs. Jason – News and Updates . . https://web.archive.org/web/20021212113257/http://www.geocities.com/televisioncity/station/2094/fvsj.html . 12 December 2002 . live .
  16. Web site: Chris . Conroy . Interview With James Robinson . . 1999 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220809174040/https://www.angelfire.com/fl/yaddayaddayadda/robinson.html . 9 August 2022 . live .
  17. Web site: Rob . Worley . SAN DIEGO, DAY 2: JAMES ROBINSON TALKS FILM AND TV . . 21 July 2001 . https://web.archive.org/web/20020111070427/http://comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=132 . 11 January 2002 . dead .
  18. Web site: The League of Disappointing Adaptations. Patrick. Sauriol. 6 October 2000. Director's Cut. https://web.archive.org/web/20001214100900/http://www.corona.bc.ca/films/directorscut/001006. 14 December 2000. dead. 23 March 2006.
  19. Web site: The Stax Report: Script Review of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen . Stax. 30 April 2002. IGN. https://web.archive.org/web/20130421023517/http://www.ign.com/articles/2002/04/30/the-stax-report-script-review-of-the-league-of-extraordinary-gentlemen. 21 April 2013. live. 23 March 2008.
  20. Web site: Golden Age James Robinson I: Justice League. Jeffrey. Renaud. 22 May 2008. Comic Book Resources. https://web.archive.org/web/20121027180534/http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=16532. 27 October 2012. live.
  21. Web site: James Robinson Named as New Superman Writer . Matt . Brady . 8 February 2008 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20090710034318/http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=146029 . 10 July 2009 . dead.
  22. Web site: Golden Age James Robinson II: Superman. Jeffrey. Renaud. 23 May 2008. Comic Book Resources. https://web.archive.org/web/20130221165824/http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=16541. 21 February 2013. live.
  23. Web site: James Robinson Cries for Justice . 2009-05-15 . . Jeffrey . Renaud.
  24. Web site: Justice League: Cry for Justice #1 Review . 2009-07-01 . Comic Book Resources . Doug . Zawisza.
  25. Web site: Justice League: Cry for Justice #2 Review . 2009-08-05 . Comic Book Resources . Timothy . Callahan.
  26. Web site: Justice League: Cry for Justice #3 Review . 2009-09-02 . Comic Book Resources . Greg . McElhatton.
  27. Web site: Justice League: Cry for Justice #7 Review . 2010-03-03 . Newsarama . George . Marston.
  28. Web site: Scott Pilgrim Kicks Off 2010 Eisner Awards . Comic-con.org . 2011-03-12 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20101121015650/http://comic-con.org/cci/cci_eisners_10win.php . 2010-11-21 .
  29. Web site: The Eisner Awards honor the DC Universe . The Source . DC Comics.com . 8 April 2010 . Segura . Alex . 2011-03-12.
  30. Web site: James Robinson's JLA Roll Call. Jeffrey. Renaud. 24 September 2009. Comic Book Resources. https://web.archive.org/web/20130812235408/http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=23065. 12 August 2013. live.
  31. Web site: Robinson's JLA pt. 2: 'Epic' Eclipso Arc Brings Changes. Vaneta. Rogers. 23 December 2010. Newsarama. https://web.archive.org/web/20140313031839/http://www.newsarama.com/6729-robinson-s-jla-pt-2-epic-eclipso-arc-brings-changes.html. 13 March 2014. live.
  32. Web site: Writers Gates & Robinson Wage the War of the Supermen. Vaneta. Rogers. 23 March 2010. Newsarama. https://web.archive.org/web/20140313031956/http://www.newsarama.com/4951-writers-gates-robinson-wage-the-war-of-the-supermen.html. 13 March 2014. live.
  33. Cowsill, Alan "2000s" in Dolan, p. 341: "Writer James Robinson brought his epic run to an end with a touching tale that brought Superman back to Lois Lane after his time on New Krypton."
  34. Web site: Emerald City Comic-Con: The DC Nation Panel . Laura . Hudson . 13 March 2010 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20140901043551/http://comicsalliance.com/emerald-city-comic-con-the-dc-nation-panel/ . 1 September 2014 . dead.
  35. Web site: Robinson, Hamner Bring The Shade To DC Fans Old & New. Vaneta. Rogers. 11 October 2011. Newsarama. https://web.archive.org/web/20130928035453/http://www.newsarama.com/8496-robinson-hamner-bring-the-shade-to-dc-fans-old-new.html. 28 September 2013. live.
  36. Web site: Kushins . Josh . DC Comics in 2012–-Introducing the "Second Wave" of DC Comics The New 52 . The Source . DC Comics . 12 January 2012 . 14 January 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120115002335/http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2012/01/12/dc-comics-in-2012-%E2%80%93-introducing-the-%E2%80%9Csecond-wave%E2%80%9D-of-dc-comics-the-new-52/ . 15 January 2012 . dead .
  37. Web site: James Robinson Describes the New 52's Earth 2 . Vaneta . Rogers . 5 March 2012 . Newsarama . https://web.archive.org/web/20130728231938/http://www.newsarama.com/9164-repost-james-robinson-describes-the-new-52-s-earth-2.html . 28 July 2013 . live .
  38. Web site: Green Lantern relaunched as brave, mighty and gay. Matt. Moore. 1 June 2012. Yahoo! News. https://web.archive.org/web/20121116224606/http://news.yahoo.com/green-lantern-relaunched-brave-mighty-gay-070052544.html. 16 November 2012. live.
  39. Web site: Stephen . Gerding . James Robinson Exits "Earth 2," Leaves DC Comics . . 17 May 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130729001216/http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=45574 . 29 July 2013 . dead .
  40. Web site: Rich . Johnston . One Possible Reason Why James Robinson Left Earth 2 . . 3 June 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130608062247/http://www.bleedingcool.com/2013/06/03/one-reason-why-james-robinson-left-earth-2 . 8 June 2013 . live .
  41. Web site: James Robinson's The Saviors arrives in December. Hugh. Armitage. 19 September 2013. Digital Spy. https://web.archive.org/web/20140507071614/http://www.digitalspy.com/comics/news/a516993/james-robinsons-the-saviors-arrives-in-december.html#~oSr6e0AxYE8SB8. 7 May 2014. live.
  42. Web site: Spidey's Sister Revealed In Waid & Robinson's Spider-Man: Family Business OGN. Steve. Sunu. 17 June 2013. Comic Book Resources. https://web.archive.org/web/20140429060436/http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=46115. 29 April 2014. live.
  43. Web site: Robinson, Pugh Introduce All-New Invaders to Marvel NOW!. Kevin. Melrose. 9 September 2013. Comic Book Resources. https://web.archive.org/web/20140429060425/http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=47788. 29 April 2014. live.
  44. Web site: James Robinson Ushers in a New Era for the Fantastic Four. Dave. Richards. 20 November 2013. Comic Book Resources. https://web.archive.org/web/20140429060419/http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=49246. 29 April 2014. live. These questions and more will be explored in an all-new volume of Fantastic Four by writer James Robinson and artist Leonard Kirk, which kicks off in February..
  45. Web site: Heidi . MacDonald . Airboy #2 criticized by GLAAD for transphobic storyline . . 3 July 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150706014625/http://www.comicsbeat.com/airboy-2-criticized-by-glaad-for-transphobic-storyline . 6 July 2015 . dead .
  46. Web site: Charlotte . Finn . Unpacking the Transphobia in 'Airboy' #2 . . 6 July 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150707234829/http://comicsalliance.com/unpacking-the-transphobia-in-airboy-2/ . 7 July 2015 . live .
  47. Web site: J. Caleb . Mozzocco . James Robinson and Greg Hinkle's Airboy collection addresses the criticism of Airboy #2 . Every Day is Like Wednesday . 4 October 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210720181527/http://everydayislikewednesday.blogspot.com/2016/10/james-robinson-and-greg-hinkles-airboy.html . 20 July 2021 . live .
  48. Web site: Fall Under the Spell of the Scarlet Witch. JK. Parkin. 25 August 2015. Marvel Comics. https://web.archive.org/web/20150830103008/http://marvel.com/news/comics/25013/fall_under_the_spell_of_the_scarlet_witch. 30 August 2015. dead.
  49. Web site: James Robinson Promises Unique Adventures for Wanda in New Scarlet Witch Series . Meagan . Damore . 25 August 2015 . Comic Book Resources . https://web.archive.org/web/20150905061112/http://www.comicbookresources.com/article/james-robinson-promises-unique-adventures-for-wanda-in-new-scarlet-witch-series . 5 September 2015 . live. Archive requires scrolldown
  50. Web site: SDCC: James Robinson Brings Grand Passion to Dynamite. 15 July 2013. Comic Book Resources. https://web.archive.org/web/20140506233250/http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=46622. 6 May 2014. live.
  51. Web site: 'James Bond' gets CIA spin-off with 'Felix Leiter'. Newsarama. 3 October 2016.
  52. News: 'James Bond' to Spin Off 'Felix Leiter' Comic Book Miniseries in 2017. The Hollywood Reporter. Graeme. McMillan. 3 October 2016. 2024-06-17. en.
  53. Web site: New Wonder Woman Creative Team Coming In September 2017. Chris. Arrant. 19 June 2017 . Newsarama. https://web.archive.org/web/20170822030813/https://www.newsarama.com/34990-new-wonder-woman-creative-team-coming-in-september-2017.html. 22 August 2017. live. James Robinson, Carlos Pagulyan, and Emanuela Lupacchino are taking over DC's Wonder Woman with September 27's #31..
  54. Web site: Wonder Woman Writer Reflects on Jason's Arc & His Run Ending at #50. Vaneta. Rogers. 11 July 2018. Newsarama. https://web.archive.org/web/20180712005214/https://www.newsarama.com/40775-wonder-woman-reflects-on-jason-s-arc-his-run-ending-at-50.html. 12 July 2018. live. This week's oversized Wonder Woman #50, the saga exploring Diana's discovery of Jason and the character's subsequent story arc come to a close as James Robinson ends his 20-issue run on the title..
  55. Web site: Lying In The Gutters Volume 2 Column 196. Rich. Johnston. 9 February 2009. Comic Book Resources. https://web.archive.org/web/20130731043458/http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=19977. 31 July 2013. live. Congratulations to DC's Jann Jones and James Robinson, recently engaged!.
  56. Web site: Kat . Salazar . JAMES ROBINSON AND PHILIP TAN BRING READERS A SLICE OF HEAVEN . . 8 January 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160331071054/https://imagecomics.com/content/view/james-robinson-and-philip-tan-bring-readers-a-slice-of-heaven . 31 March 2016 . live .