I've been paying attention to JMS ever since he wrote 3 full seasons of Babylon 5. Babylon 5 is still one of the best sci-fi out there, with only Serenity and Battlestar (reimagined) coming close to touching it.
Since B5 JMS has written a lot of comics. Alot of them are very good. Others... well, every writer has some bad stories, its what makes the good stories stand out even more. Any opinions of what has worked, what hasn't? I'm going to get it started, this isn't an inclusive list, just a way to get the story going
Hits :
Supreme Power - one of favorite comics of all time. It is an amazing reboot of Superman like character that I don't think can matched. Not the way JMS did it, anyways. I didn't like it as much when it moved over to Squadron Supreme, although there was still some strong character development. I think the story JMS had planned in his head (alluded to in the Hyperion mini-series) was going to be awesome, but it got cut short before it could realized. Its too bad, but Supreme Power stands very well on its own. This is an adult comic, and thats what I loved about it... Great, mature story that didn't insult the reader whatsoever
Thor - I'm currently reading it, and loving it.
Midnight Nation - Its non-superhero story but very very good story. It was a fantastic arc, with some very interesting themes explored...
Misses:
Rising Stars: The first 6 issues were ok. But then the continuity got scrambled up and characters didn't start making that much sense. The premise was cool, but I just didn't feel it realized its full potential. Supreme Power was much better.
I'll leave it at that for now, anyone else have any opinions?
J. Michael Straczynski
Person » J. Michael Straczynski is credited in 790 issues.
J. Michael Straczynski is an American born writer. He is the Creator of Babylon 5. Straczynski's work at Marvel includes Amazing Spider-man, Fantastic Four & Squadron Supreme. His work at DC includes Superman, Wonder Woman, the Superman: Earth One books, and Before Watchmen: Nite Owl, Dr. Manhattan, and Moloch.
JMS - hits and misses
I really liked The Twelve as well. The concept was tight and the characters were well developed. I really do hope Marvel gets JMS and Chris Weston back on it soon. JMS has topped my "Prima Donna" list for a long time though. Started with Rising Stars but the delay on that was at least explained due to the legal battle JMS was dealing with regarding the movie rights. As soon as that was done he finished the booking in a quicke 3 months.
Then there was Supreme Power which transformed back to Squadron Supreme. JMS just leaves us hanging with Hyperion, Blur and Nighthawk about to face off against Redstone. Marvel sidesteps the whole thing and the story is never finished. They just tie Hype's universe to the Ultimate Universe with Ultimate Power and then Howard Chaykin picks it up with Squadron Supreme guest starring Nick Fury.
Then we have The Twelve. We get 8 out of 12 issues and are told by Quesada that both JMS and Chris Weston have other obligations. From the way it was given, the statement seemed to indicate that these "obligations were assumed after they had already signed on to do The Twelve. Does Marvel not enforce contracts anymore? Kevin Smith certainly doesn't think so. Daredevil: The Target and Spider-Man: The Evil that Men Do spring to mind.
Now JMS is over at D.C. revamping the Archie Comics heroes and then will have a run on The Brave and the Bold. Where's Weston? Who knows?
Earlier poster stated the book would start coming out again in 2013. 2013? By then I may have lost all interest in it being finished at all.
I've got patience for good books when we can see light at the end of the tunnel or if there is a good reason for the delay. Soulfire by M. Turner is a good example. Michael struggled valiantly against cancer and did what work he could until the disease finally claimed him.
JMS just doesn't have that excuse.
Thor was his best comic
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