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J. Michael Straczynski
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J. Michael Straczynski
Joseph Michael Straczynski, known as J. Michael Straczynski (/strəˈzɪnski/; born July 17, 1954) is an American filmmaker and comic book writer. He is the founder of Synthetic Worlds Ltd. and Studio JMS and is known as the creator of the science fiction television series Babylon 5 (1993–1998) and its spinoff Crusade (1999), as well as the series Jeremiah (2002–2004) and Sense8 (2015–2018). He is the executor of the estate of Harlan Ellison.
Straczynski wrote the psychological drama film Changeling (2008) and was co-writer on the martial arts thriller Ninja Assassin (2009), was one of the key writers for (and had a cameo in) Marvel's Thor (2011), as well as the horror film Underworld: Awakening (2012), and the apocalyptic horror film World War Z (2013). From 2001 to 2007, Straczynski wrote Marvel Comics' The Amazing Spider-Man, followed by runs on Thor and Fantastic Four. He is the author of the Superman: Earth One trilogy of graphic novels, and he has written Superman, Wonder Woman, and Before Watchmen for DC Comics. Straczynski is the creator and writer of several original comic book series such as Rising Stars, Midnight Nation, Dream Police, and Ten Grand through Joe's Comics.
A prolific writer across a variety of media and former journalist, Straczynski is the author of the autobiography Becoming Superman (2019) for HarperVoyager, the novel Together We Will Go (2021) for Simon & Schuster, the instructional Becoming a Writer, Staying a Writer (2021) for Benbella Books, and the novel The Glass Box (2024) for Blackstone Publishing. In 2020 he was named Head of the Creative Council for the comics publishing company Artists, Writers and Artisans.
Straczynski is a long-time participant in Usenet and other early computer networks, interacting with fans through various online forums (including GEnie, CompuServe, and America Online) since 1984. He is credited as being the first TV producer to directly engage with fans on the Internet and to allow viewer 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 GEnie and the newsgroup rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated.
Straczynski was born in Paterson, New Jersey, and is the son of Charles Straczynski, a manual laborer, and Evelyn Straczynski (née Pate). He was raised in Newark, New Jersey; Kankakee, Illinois; Dallas, Texas; Chula Vista, California, where he graduated from high school; and San Diego, California. Straczynski's family religion was Catholic although he is an atheist. He has Polish ancestry and his grandparents lived in the area which today belongs to Belarus and fled to the United States from the Russian Revolution; his father was born in the United States and has lived in Poland, Germany and Russia.
Straczynski began his postsecondary education at Southwestern College, where he was mentored by Bill Virchis and received an Associate of Arts degree. (Additionally, the two-year institution later awarded him an honorary degree.) Thereafter, he transferred to nearby San Diego State University (SDSU), where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree with a double major in psychology and sociology (and minors in philosophy and literature). While at SDSU, he wrote for the student newspaper, The Daily Aztec.
Straczynski met Kathryn M. Drennan while they were at SDSU. They moved to Los Angeles in 1981, married in 1983, separated in 1999, and they were divorced in 2001. Sometime after his separation from Drennan, Straczynski entered into a relationship with Patricia Tallman, whom he had met when she was acting in his 1990s series Babylon 5. She served as CEO and executive producer of Studio JMS in partnership with him; both their relationship and partnership ended in 2013.
Straczynski has Asperger syndrome. Straczynski had a voluntary vasectomy when he turned 21, and wrote about the experience in the January 28, 1983 edition of the Los Angeles Reader.
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J. Michael Straczynski
Joseph Michael Straczynski, known as J. Michael Straczynski (/strəˈzɪnski/; born July 17, 1954) is an American filmmaker and comic book writer. He is the founder of Synthetic Worlds Ltd. and Studio JMS and is known as the creator of the science fiction television series Babylon 5 (1993–1998) and its spinoff Crusade (1999), as well as the series Jeremiah (2002–2004) and Sense8 (2015–2018). He is the executor of the estate of Harlan Ellison.
Straczynski wrote the psychological drama film Changeling (2008) and was co-writer on the martial arts thriller Ninja Assassin (2009), was one of the key writers for (and had a cameo in) Marvel's Thor (2011), as well as the horror film Underworld: Awakening (2012), and the apocalyptic horror film World War Z (2013). From 2001 to 2007, Straczynski wrote Marvel Comics' The Amazing Spider-Man, followed by runs on Thor and Fantastic Four. He is the author of the Superman: Earth One trilogy of graphic novels, and he has written Superman, Wonder Woman, and Before Watchmen for DC Comics. Straczynski is the creator and writer of several original comic book series such as Rising Stars, Midnight Nation, Dream Police, and Ten Grand through Joe's Comics.
A prolific writer across a variety of media and former journalist, Straczynski is the author of the autobiography Becoming Superman (2019) for HarperVoyager, the novel Together We Will Go (2021) for Simon & Schuster, the instructional Becoming a Writer, Staying a Writer (2021) for Benbella Books, and the novel The Glass Box (2024) for Blackstone Publishing. In 2020 he was named Head of the Creative Council for the comics publishing company Artists, Writers and Artisans.
Straczynski is a long-time participant in Usenet and other early computer networks, interacting with fans through various online forums (including GEnie, CompuServe, and America Online) since 1984. He is credited as being the first TV producer to directly engage with fans on the Internet and to allow viewer 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 GEnie and the newsgroup rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated.
Straczynski was born in Paterson, New Jersey, and is the son of Charles Straczynski, a manual laborer, and Evelyn Straczynski (née Pate). He was raised in Newark, New Jersey; Kankakee, Illinois; Dallas, Texas; Chula Vista, California, where he graduated from high school; and San Diego, California. Straczynski's family religion was Catholic although he is an atheist. He has Polish ancestry and his grandparents lived in the area which today belongs to Belarus and fled to the United States from the Russian Revolution; his father was born in the United States and has lived in Poland, Germany and Russia.
Straczynski began his postsecondary education at Southwestern College, where he was mentored by Bill Virchis and received an Associate of Arts degree. (Additionally, the two-year institution later awarded him an honorary degree.) Thereafter, he transferred to nearby San Diego State University (SDSU), where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree with a double major in psychology and sociology (and minors in philosophy and literature). While at SDSU, he wrote for the student newspaper, The Daily Aztec.
Straczynski met Kathryn M. Drennan while they were at SDSU. They moved to Los Angeles in 1981, married in 1983, separated in 1999, and they were divorced in 2001. Sometime after his separation from Drennan, Straczynski entered into a relationship with Patricia Tallman, whom he had met when she was acting in his 1990s series Babylon 5. She served as CEO and executive producer of Studio JMS in partnership with him; both their relationship and partnership ended in 2013.
Straczynski has Asperger syndrome. Straczynski had a voluntary vasectomy when he turned 21, and wrote about the experience in the January 28, 1983 edition of the Los Angeles Reader.
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