Straczynski, J. Michael
About the Author:
John Michael Straczynski is perhaps most famous for creating the sci-fi television series Babylon 5.
AVERAGE REVIEW SCORE:
3.1 out of 5
(8 books)
TOP PICK:
The Amazing Spider-Man: Coming Home
Civil War: The Amazing Spider-Man
(Art by Ron Garney and Bill Reinhold)
A tie-in to Mark Millar's 'Civil War' in which the Superhuman Registration Act splits the Marvel Universe in two. Spider-Man's part in the Civil War was always the most interesting and here we get the full story.
As it begins, his loyalty to Tony Stark leads him into full support of the Registration, with Spidey even going so far as to reveal that he is Peter Parker on live TV. However, Iron Man's increasingly totalitarian attitudes begin to worry Peter until finally he realises that he has chosen the wrong side in the war. Worried at the effect his choice has on his family, Peter sends Mary Jane and Aunt May into hiding, before joining the final battle of the Civil War.
There are a couple of stand-out moments in this book which make great points about the constant war in America between security and civil liberties and which nicely illustrate Spider-Man's reaction to them. My favourite part of the book is where Captain America explains his beliefs on the concept of freedom and democracy by quoting some Mark Twain.
4 out of 5
Superman: Earth One
(Art by Shane Davis and Sandra Hope)
A 21st Century retelling of how Clark Kent came to Metropolis and how Superman first appeared on the world stage as a symbol of hope.
This is a very well-written and beautifully illustrated book, doing a great job of giving you a sense of who Superman is, as well as showing the characters of those he calls friends, such as Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen and Perry White.
Despite all of that, however, this book has one major thing working against it that negatively impacts everything else. That one thing is that we've seen all of this before many, many times (like Bruce Wayne's parents getting shot). This is perhaps the third or fourth version of this exact story that I've read so far and that's not even including the movie versions. In fact, in many ways, this book treads very similar ground to the 'Man of Steel' movie, what with Superman's origins and an alien attack prompting him to step-up (there's even a sky-beam at one point). Thankfully, however, Straczynski doesn't subscribe to the Objectivism-based version that Zack Synder went for and therefore this is a much truer version of Superman than that lacklustre movie (although I feel I should point out that I blame Snyder, not Henry Cavill, who was/is awesome).
So, a good graphic novel spoiled by retreading far too familiar ground.
3 out of 5
The Amazing Spider-Man: Coming Home
(Art by John Romita Jr. and Scott Hanna)
After the break-up of his marriage to MJ, Peter Parker is at a crossroads in his life and has to reexamine who he is and what he stands for. He encounters a man named Ezekiel, who reveals that there may be more to Peter's spider-based powers than he first thought. Ezekiel claims that Spider-Man is a living avatar of the spider totem and that he is in danger as a result. Spider-Man then goes toe to toe with Morlun, a new villain of incredible power intent on leeching the web-slingers totemic life-force to reinforce his own.
I have to say that I was wary to begin with when a previously unknown character like Ezekiel turns up and reveals previously unknown info about Spider-Man's origins, only for a new all-powerful but also previously unknown villain to turn up linked to those revelations. It screamed of an attempt at a retcon-reboot of the character, which is something I hate. However, what this book turns out to really be about is Peter Parker rediscovering himself in the face of information that could fundamentally change his understanding of his whole life. What could've been an attempt to forever alter Spider-Man's mythology instead is used as a way of affirming that the character is exactly who we know and love, despite the seismic changes in his life.
Morlun also turned out to be a pleasant surprise. Whenever a writer creates a new supervillain, they're almost always keen to make their creation the most dire threat that the hero has ever encountered and I was worried that this would be every bit as painfully contrived as these things usually are. Once again, however, Straczynski subverted my negative expectations by having Morlun be a short-lived (narratively, that is, because the character is centuries old) threat. Sure he absolutely pummels Spider-Man to the brink, and Romita Jr.'s artwork vividly brings that to life, but after rediscovering his sense of self, Spider-Man conclusively defeats Morlun.
What this book is then, is Peter Parker being broken down to his constituent parts before rebuilding himself definitively as Spider-Man and it's a very enjoyable experience to follow him through it.
4 out of 5
The Amazing Spider-Man: Revelations & Until The Stars Turn Cold
(Art by John Romita Jr. and Scott Hanna)
The troubles in Peter's private life are exacerbated not only by his unsuccessful attempts to reconcile with Mary Jane, but also by Aunt May discovering his secret identity. As Spider-Man he begins investigating a number of disappearances among the disadvantaged kids of New York's streets, encounter a villain caught between two planes of reality, the Shade.
At first I was a bit unimpressed with this book primarily on the basis that it didn't seem to be taking advantage of the benefit of Spider-Man's excellent rogues gallery of antagonists (well, except for a late appearance by Doc Ock). The new villain, the Shade, certainly doesn't measure up. So, without a convincing antagonist, what does this book have to offer? Well, it actually has a great deal to offer if, like me, you're invested in Peter Parker's personal life. Dealing with Aunt May discovering his dual identity, revealing his guilt over Uncle Ben's death, as well as May's own revelations about the day Ben died, there's some real emotional weight to the issues explored. But, for me, Peter's romance with Mary Jane has always been a core part of Spider-Man as a character, so I was particularly invested in seeing the two of them try to reconnect but struggling to put their shattered marriage back together amid the pressures of their respective lives as a superhero and a model-slash-actress.
Unfortunately, just as I was fully engaged with this book it did something that definitely knocked it down a peg for me. There's a scene on a movie set featuring the fictional-in-universe superhero Lobster-Man where a Producer and a Writer get into a dispute over the hero's origins. The dispute is whether the hero's traditional science-based origin is better, as the Writer and fans on the internet think, or whether, as the Producer wants, there should actually be the involvement of some sort of mystical lobster god. This whole scene is way too on-the-nose regarding the changes in Spider-Man's own origins from this very era of Spidey tales. I can't tell whether this is the writer pushing back against an editorial directive or if it's Straczynski calling-out internet trolls, but either way it felt more jarring than meta and I was not a fan (the irony of complaining about it on the internet is not lost on me).
3 out of 5
The Amazing Spider-Man: Sins Past
(Art by Mike Deodato Jr.)
Peter finds himself targeted by two mysterious assailants with a grudge against both him and Spider-Man. His investigation into their backgrounds reveals dark hidden truths about his own history and that of Gwen Stacy and Norman Osborn.
I've been aware of this story due to its reputation for some time now; a reputation that is far from positive. I have to say that this reputation is pretty well-deserved.
Big retcons, where we find out the secret story going on between the panels of iconic comics, have never been something I've enjoyed and usually involve some new writer trying to stamp their legacy over the top of that of a (usually more iconic) writer from the past. This doesn't feel quite that cynical, but it certainly does feel like Straczynski had little or no respect for the tone and intention of the story surrounding Gwen Stacy's death as originally told.
The biggest criticism I've seen levelled at this story is how inappropriate the Gwen/Norman connection is and that criticism is absolutely fair. It is also very much a betrayal of Gwen as a character, cheapening her feelings for Peter by adding in an inexplicable attraction to Norman.
Personally, I would add two more criticisms of my own. The first is the damage this does to Peter and MJ's relationship. Although we know that Peter will always be a bit hung up on Gwen, to see him going full-on jilted lover over Gwen in front of his WIFE, feels really uncomfortable and a betrayal of all the work done to rebuild their marriage in previous stories. The other criticism I'd add is that the two characters introduced, Gabriel and Sarah, and their story arc in no way warrant all of the controversy this story kicks up. It's pretty bland and predictable and goes nowhere that would make all of this worthwhile.
2 out of 5
The Amazing Spider-Man: Skin Deep
(Art by Mike Deodato Jr. and Joe Pimentel)
An old acquaintance from Peter's school days appears asking for his help with getting some scientific research funded. However, after allowing Charlie to use his name as an introduction to Tony Stark, Peter discovers that his the other man is playing fast and loose with the safety of his experiments.
This story is very much akin to the 'villain of the week' style of stories from Spider-Man's early days but, it has to be said, definitely falls into the category of 'filler' too. This face from Peter's past is someone we've never heard of before and almost certainly never will again and the villain he becomes is so unremarkable that he never even gets a catchy supervillain name. Even the Kangaroo got a name (a terrible one, but still).
This isn't a bad book but there's nothing original or outstanding about it and a month from now I'll have probably forgotten I ever read it.
2 out of 5
The Amazing Spider-Man: The Life And Death Of Spiders
(Art by John Romita Jr. and Scott Hanna)
Spider-Man finds himself confronted by Shathra, an embodiment of the spider-wasp totem, whose enmity for him is pure and unalterable. When he eludes her first attempt at killing him, Shathra changes tactics and goes on national TV claiming to have been his lover, putting at risk his fragile relationship with MJ and his secret identity.
I'm not really a huge fan of the whole 'spider totem' storyline, so this continuation of it didn't hit as hard with me as something with a more recognisable villain would have done. I was also largely unimpressed by the third act inclusion of Doctor Doom and Captain America, which felt very contrived and tangential.
That said, I remain a life long fan of Peter's relationship with MJ and I was fully engaged by the ups and downs of their attempts to reconnect after the failure of their marriage.
3 out of 5
Thor: Reborn
(Art by Olivier Coipel and Mark Morales)
The spirit of Donald Blake calls Thor back from limbo following Ragnarok and the fall of Asgard. Returning to the mortal realm, Thor has to create a new Asgard on Earth and seek out the souls of his lost bretheren, hidden and bound within the bodies of mortals.
In comics no-one stays dead for long and with Thor gaining prominence in the MCU, it was inevitable that Marvel would revive the character in the comics too. So, you have to accept and then get past the fact that the whole purpose of this story is just to bridge the gap from Thor being dead to Thor being back. However, despite its obvious real-world impetus, there's still plenty to enjoy here.
I liked seeing Thor come to terms with his own existence following the fall of Asgard, realising that he can only live with himself if he is also able to bring back all that was lost. It was interesting to see him trying to pick-and-choose which Asgardians to resurrect, initially thinking he was avoiding the likes of Loki and the Enchantress, but soon realising that he actually feared the return of Odin and a return to the old ways of the gods.
For me the absolute highlight of this book was Thor's confrontation with Iron Man. This is in the aftermath of 'Civil War' (by Mark Millar), and Thor makes it very clear to Tony what he thinks of the fact Iron Man has been hunting, fighting, imprisoning and killing fellow Avengers. Thor's anger at Tony's (and Reed Richards') use of the deranged Thor clone which killed Bill Foster is palpable and for all that a simmering detente is reached, it's clear that the abuse of Thor's legacy will not go unanswered. Plus, I enjoy seeing smug Civil War era Tony getting his arse handed to him.
Ultimately, although this is only a vehicle for putting Thor back on the comics stage, it is a very enjoyable one.
4 out of 5