J. Michael Straczynski - The Writer Who Saved Spider-Man
In this video I focus on writer J Michael Straczynski and explore how he wrote one of the best Spider-Man runs in modern history.
For further insight into this comic run, check out Owen's videos:
• SINS PAST - The Worst ...
• ONE MORE DAY - How Mar...
Пікірлер: 839
The fact this channel only has 17 subs is a damn shame. This is some of the best spidey content on YT, been hooked since flash vid. I hope you saw him in the NWH trailer, on Peters side!
@alexlennen
2 жыл бұрын
Appreciate it a lot, this video took a lifetime to make. And hell yeah he's blonde LET'S GOOO
@daredevilxd2056
2 жыл бұрын
Now 1.56K lol
@nickabrams2221
2 жыл бұрын
Now 2.84K lol
@KillerTacos54
2 жыл бұрын
@@nickabrams2221 now 2.89K 👀
@MegaGoaty3895
2 жыл бұрын
Almost double that now! Hell yea
The fact that his origin story as a Spider-Man writer perfectly mirrors Spideys origin is just...man, that's destiny.
@batdog2183
2 жыл бұрын
Look I might not be up on my spider-man lore but I don't remember Richard Parker being a Nazi.
@JavienWashington
2 жыл бұрын
@@batdog2183 yeah what the hell is this guy on about lmfao
@adamnielson42
2 жыл бұрын
@@JavienWashington he's talking about stopping the thief
@MediumDSpeaks
2 жыл бұрын
Hence his changing the origin of Spider-Man to implying that his becoming Spider-Man in fact *was* Destiny as well
@written_and_recited
2 жыл бұрын
Damn... he was bit by a radioactive Spider-Man writer...
The man is the definition of "we should be greater than what we suffer"
@The_Weird_One1
Жыл бұрын
@Life Hoes On So that we can learn to pick ourselves up.
@bensadfleck9972
Жыл бұрын
literally what Spider-man stands for, he was just perfect for the role
@aguywithalotofopinions412
7 ай бұрын
Is that a quote?
@thegreatacolyt1277
3 ай бұрын
Yes
@thegreatacolyt1277
3 ай бұрын
@@bensadfleck9972yes
Having a consistent art team really helps stablish a run imo and this run had great artists, JrJr and Deodato at their peaks and Garney doing very good work
@spoodurmin9742
2 жыл бұрын
Except for whoever drew some of those tie-in issues of Marvel Knights Spider-Man. That artist is fucking horrible.
@dantecrottogini529
2 жыл бұрын
@@spoodurmin9742 you talking about during The Other? As you said that was in a different title and i think written by someone else so i wouldn't count that as part of JMS' run
@spoodurmin9742
2 жыл бұрын
@@dantecrottogini529 Yeah but the overarching story was written by JMS, those tie-ins had crucial parts of the story in them. They count imo, they were even included in the JMS collection for his run.
@spager45
2 жыл бұрын
Dude you nailed it. The JMS and JR jr duo was one of my all time favorite runs. I hate artistic inconsistency and that run nailed a sense of real world authenticity in dialogue, character, drama as well as putting it alongside some extreme challenges in and out of the mask.
@richborn6700
11 ай бұрын
Only to then have to suffer through Slott and Ramos as the worst the franchise has ever seen
2:30 that shit is so heartwarming. Teachers really are slept on. Fuck man I just wish I could have an impact on someones life like they do
@brian6101
2 жыл бұрын
You can
Peter being a teacher is literally the perfect endgame for his story, it's fits his character so well. The fact that your own uncle was one of the reasons for this run is absolutely phenomenal. Must feel so amazing!
@archivist_13
11 ай бұрын
I thought that was a joke
4:40 you know he's gonna be a good spiderman writer when he literally was in the same important situation Spiderman once was and his entire story is about this single moment
Top 3 writers to ever touch the series IMO. His run paired with early Ultimate Spider-Man made the 2000s era of Spider-Man comics hard to beat.
@yurifairy2969
2 жыл бұрын
i don't think ultimate spider-man has aged all that well personally
@jaket4047
2 жыл бұрын
@@yurifairy2969 It’s absolutely got its dated little “2000s isms” but in terms of recontextualizing the character for a modern audience it worked wonders; much easier to digest in comparison to the extremely wordy original series, felt more relatable to readers, a little more irreverent, etc., but that’s just the evolution of comics. The Ultimate Spider-Man series just came out at the right time for what it was doing.
@cammoore___
Жыл бұрын
That's not even an opinion. It's truth.
@ahmadkhalaf8952
Жыл бұрын
@@yurifairy2969 Though some parts of it haven’t aged well, the series overall still has a writing style that is pretty modern and easy for newer readers to get into
@mijail_silva9453
7 ай бұрын
@@ahmadkhalaf8952 True. Been reading Ultimate Spider-Man for a while, and overall, it's pretty easy to read
Imagine if Sam Raimi hired J. Michael Straczynski as a screenwriter for Spider-Man 4, that would be one of the best movies they'll ever made.
@TheGintama86
2 жыл бұрын
Theres a script for it as well as a beta stage game up on youtube if ur curious
@xhyre179
2 жыл бұрын
or amazing spider-man 3
@KillerTacos54
2 жыл бұрын
Dude hell yes
@Koolyaroo
2 жыл бұрын
Sins past: the movie lmao
@nicolasvanced3137
2 жыл бұрын
@@xhyre179 andrew being well written xD
This run's take on MJ and Peter's relationship is one of my favorite things in fiction, ever
@jacobrivera1721
2 жыл бұрын
Exactly I wish they be married again you tell great story with married couples
My very first comic book was actually a spider-man graphic novel of that very arc, with Morlun, Ezekiel and Spidey (Peter) becoming a teacher. It made me interested in teaching, seeing Peter being a hero both in and out of his "uniform". I'd never thought of teachers like that, so i decided to be one. And now i'm in university studying to be an English and History teacher, hopefully i can do the same things for kids in today's world that Joe's teachers, and Peter, did for theirs.
@noedelroj6843
2 жыл бұрын
IT WAS MY FIRST COMIC TOO
@joshuawebber388
2 жыл бұрын
It was my first spiderman comic as well
@princezuko2371
2 жыл бұрын
lmao same that was my first comic book too
@deadlyninja112
2 жыл бұрын
That's awesome
@daniboy2619
2 жыл бұрын
Being a comic book teacher is alot easier than a real life one.
Wow it's fantastic to hear directly from the nephew of a great artist, thank you for your insight!! This is why Spider-Man will never die: the true believers
@tripttwe
2 жыл бұрын
JMS was the writer. This was a great time to be a comic book reader.
@jkjoshua1849
2 жыл бұрын
@@tripttwe I think he means that his work is art so he is an artist
@jab9109
2 жыл бұрын
@@jkjoshua1849 I think he means that the guy was THE writer.
@jkjoshua1849
2 жыл бұрын
@@jab9109 yes of course he’s the writer but writing can be considered a work of art
@jab9109
2 жыл бұрын
@@jkjoshua1849 And no one here is saying it cannot
For such a small channel. you make some pretty good content. Cheers!
@edwardthestupid7704
2 жыл бұрын
You should take notes
@Resilientspirit18
2 ай бұрын
@@edwardthestupid7704damn 😂 why’d you have to do him like that
Straczynski's run on Spider-Man was awesome. Personally Ireally liked the mystical aspect he added to the Spider-Man mythos. And the way he made Cap and Aunt May hit it off was inspired.
@jhonatanqueiroz717
13 күн бұрын
The arc of The other and totens is awesome
That 9/11 comic was so well done that it was required reading in my English class to teach us how to write about resilience, pain and grief properly.
Straczynski was not only the man who saved spider-man, he has also been the one who has inspired us to overcome obstacles and we see that in his numbers of the amazing spider-man. The straczynski's story is very moving despite everything he suffered in his life came out ahead.
Never heard of the guy or you before, but this video was extremely well done. Excited to see what future content you produce, this channel is extremely underrated.
I heard about this guy through his writing on The Real Ghostbusters and how he quit the show because of network meddling. He seems like a really cool guy
This run was the first I got to read as a kid. Comics being very rare back in the day in my country. This was my Spider-Man, I didn't care that much about the magic stuff that JMS brought to the lore of the character (I could take it or drop it) but the character writing was amazing. Every other writer that came afterwards never quite made me enjoy a run as much. I would love if JMS would get another shot at the character, we never got to see him dive deeper into peter's classic villains and their minds. PS: Would love to know more about the lore of his old Peter, and how he was accused of manslaughter.
Seems like you were reading Spider-Man at the same time I was lol. I fell in love with the character as a lil squirt reading the Straczinsky era, plus reading Ultimate Spider-Man from the very first issue. When those things both ended on sour notes (One More Day and Ultimatum) I lost interest in comics altogether and never really got into them again. Your vids on these topics are taking me on a strong nostalgia trip, man; appreciate it
@francostrong202
2 жыл бұрын
I got into spider-man at a very similar time. Still cherish my early ultimate spider-man issues. But after Sin's Past I was like: dafuq? I'm done. But I think Paul Jenkins was super underrated. His version of Norman Osborne/ Green Goblin was super good. Dark and psychologically complex. Jenkins cemented the Green Goblin as my favorite villain.
The Straczynski run on Spider-Man was long after I stopped buying current comics but I won the collection of trade paperbacks that collected his run and really enjoyed it. I thought it was fantastic…other than the Gwen part. :)
@Jose-se9pu
2 жыл бұрын
Sins Past and OMD...you should've given those back, lol. Poor JMS.
@themangoman9315
2 жыл бұрын
@@Jose-se9pu yeah marvels editors suck
@radicalthinking5651
2 жыл бұрын
That wasn't his fault at all though
The JMS run is honest to god one of my favorite spider-man eras. People tend to discount it because of the admittedly bad Sins Past and One More Day arcs; but those are just much the fault of Marvel editorial and Joe Quesada. Arcs like Coming Home, Until The Stars Turn Cold, and Book of Ezekiel are amazing. We got a grounded mature Peter Parker, the revelation to Aunt May, and probably the best bond between the married Peter and MJ. After the god awful 90s Spidey comics (clone saga, final chapter, that dumb 1998 relaunch by Mackie and the thankfully now non-Canon Chapter One) You hit all the nails on the head in this vid, and Odin bless ya for it!
@bigbysnake8647
10 ай бұрын
What is this non-canon "Chapter one"? This with their daughter?
@telophasemusic
10 ай бұрын
@@bigbysnake8647 chapter one was an attempt to "modernize" spider-mans origin in 1998 but it's pretty bad. Marvel sorta swept it under the rug
@bigbysnake8647
10 ай бұрын
@@telophasemusic thanks for information, man! Sounds bad, but not unexpected.
Bro, I wish Spencer went all the way to save Peter and MJ. He came so close, I can't tell if backed off because of executive meddling or if it was a fake out all along.
@jbkeown1
2 жыл бұрын
Executive interference
@mikemorro140
2 жыл бұрын
there's no doubt i was editorial like he was laying some pretty heavy hints of what he wanted to do
@Nzosaba_Matenge
2 жыл бұрын
Joe Quesada would never let it happen
@Leonheart039
Жыл бұрын
he was kicked out of Spider-Man so i guess its the first option
i love that he didnt make Peter the vessel for his life, but the embodiment of the teachers that gave him a chance. powerful stuff.
alex feels like the best friend I never knew I had... your videos are so brilliantly well developed and you have very strong opinions on the Spidey runs
That’s crazy man that he’s your uncle! Bros a legend, Ive loved spider man all my life and it’s awesome hearing the perspective from a person so close to him!! Major inspiration.
@BlackPhoenix13
11 ай бұрын
I thought that was a joke he’s actually his uncle?
@tubucket_8670
11 ай бұрын
@@BlackPhoenix13 If it was then I didn’t get it lol, I’m not the best with tone at times.
Literally favourite mainline spider-man run. Absolutely amazing. Seeing Peter literally run around for days fighting morlun and getting absolutely worn down the whole time and having no luck getting ahold of anyone is so brutal
@stephenvelez9710
Жыл бұрын
My favorite Spider-writers? JM DeMatteis, Roger Stern and JMS. Met him once, was a total delight. He asked ME questions 🥰
how dont you have a million Alex? ngl this is top tier content , keep it up!
JMS is one of my favorite Spidey writters, the way he wrote the dynamics between Peter, MJ and May as a family and Peter's heroics was mind blowing to me.
What a life story, bro actually did what spidey didn’t
when i started watching this i went to subscribe, only to realize you only had 100 subscribers???!!?? This is by-far some of the best spidey content on youtube.
@alexlennen
2 жыл бұрын
thank you😍
Only recently found out about this channel via the NWH boom and honestly this is fucking amazing content. I’m staying for the ride no matter how long each video takes cause quality is always lovely to see.
JMS’s run was the one that I grew up with in the early 2000s. His Spider-Man is my Spider-Man. While there’s certainly some flubs in his Spider-Man catalog, he did so much to forward the character and take him places that are still relevant to his mythos today. While I’ve since read the entirety of AMS, his will always be my favorite. Incredible work here, sir.
comic book video essays (like fr comics and not comic book films) are always a treat. great work on this!
I loved character development and world-building JMS has put into these comics.. it's always fascinating to be engaged and fully immerse into the world where superheros exist. No wonder this run had a huge impact on readers as it gave them the insight to Peter's life along with his loved one's lives as well. It just made this more relatable and not just a half assed attempt at trying to hype up a superhero by showing him beating up bad guys.
This is amazing. Started reading the run and I’m loving it!!
This was such a joy to watch Now I'm going to read this run thank you!
I found your channel about 2 days ago and it has become my favorite Comic Book Review channel. There is so much heart in your content. You deserve far more subscribers.
oh my god im actually loving this channel, subscribed after watching two videos, also straczynski basically saved my life ngl
The "Try and retcon this, Joe" thing from the beginning was hilarious, I actually laughed out loud.
In highschool I had J. Michael as the writer on his Amazing run and Bendis on Ultimate. It was the best and I had no idea how lucky I was
Omg he’s your uncle?!?!? I love JMS’s work at Marvel. Even though his Thor run was short it’s one of my favorites.
Wow this was great. Expected this quality from a channel with thousands. Extremely underrated
I notice you focus heavily on spiderman in your content so far. I love it a lot, and per your recommendation I picked up J's first couple issues of his run. Id love to see you branch out into more comics, Sandman being a favorite, but I can really tell your passionate about spiderman. Its amazing. Keep up the good work.
This is some top tier content. Well researched, well edited, and a solid sound quality. Kudos, keep up the great work!
He was my fave, grew up on his run and Romita Jr. art! And he did a miracle bringing back Thor.
I've come back to this run, at least the JRJR half (and the full run at least twice) 3 or 4 times this year alone, probably 6 or 7 times total, and every time I go to reread it, my life-long love for Spider-Man is solidified even further than before. Often times, every once in awhile when I'm going through a rough patch or need a break, I'll go back to it, it's my comfort run at this point! Such a great, detailed video (this is my second watch of it actually lol)! I agree with what you said about seeing this as definitive, because I feel that way too. To me, this is peak Spider-Man, it's the epitome of everything I love so dearly about this character, and I honestly kinda wish they'd bring him back to write Spidey again. Whether or not that ever happens, I feel so lucky that JMS's run even exists, it's such a powerful and vibrant run, and it nails Spider-Man's core with such strength!
many thanks for putting this out, Straczynski is my favorite ASM writer, I started reading the series from the V2 launched with his writing and he later turned out to be the definitive writer for the true character.
You’ve got some serious potential. I look forward to what you’ll create in the future.
I owned all these issues when they were originally printed and only ever read them once. Decades later, the emotional impact of the tale MJK wove is still incredibly emblazoned in memory. Despite not remembering fine details I still remember theoveracrhing story and and how "good" I felt after reading each comic. Thankfully his work on Spider-man has been collected in Omnibus format and as soon as book one is reprinted I will own these wonnderful tales again. This was truly brilliant and beautiful video
this video actually made me want to collect his entire run! I am actually really enjoying it
This Guy Is A Saviour For All The Spider Man Fans 🧡👑🙏🏻
The facts that you have this many subs with 4 vids tells me one thing. You’re gonna blow up and your content deserves it.
To the legend who's been following alex since 17 subs, i salute you, this is now my favorite youtube channel of all time. I dont know how to compliment this, it's just that good
This video is really well made, good stuff! Ezekiel is one of my favourite Spider-man characters and I love his arc.
This was the run I read as a child and I remember so many of these moments. Even as a dumb kid I was routinely floored by the emotional moments at the time and they've stayed with em always. I reflect on them often
Thanks! It is the greatest analysis of best run of Spider-man!
Thank you for this effort. Here’s to hoping there’s more to come 👍👍👍
damn, watching this video has made me realize that these were the Spiderman comics I read when I was a kid! Seeing some of these panels bought back some great memories. Gunna go to my local comic store and buy up some back issues now, thanks
Can't get enough of your vids man, don't be pressured to upload more just because of this though.
Great video brother! Your point of view in relation to the Spider-man comics and their universe in general is interesting and entertaining. Keep it up!
This is my fav video on your channel. Can't believe it doesn't have much more views
I only know him through Babylon 5. Didn't know he had such an important part in the Marvel history.
Nice you give him his props. I loved his run and I agree that it's some of the most touching, human stories that moved me, that I literally carried with me as a person. I think he really reinforced Peter's moral character by giving him real challenges, now if we can get him to write a one shot about The Wall...
This run was actually where I started getting into reading Spider-Man comics even though I was already a fan of the cartoon and movies at the time. The writing is second to none, might be the best I’ve read to this day.
The early 2000s was the Renaissance of spiderman comics a pretty underrated run from what I heard is the paul Jenkins spectacular run
@quainejohnson4808
2 жыл бұрын
Gonna check that out, thank u
@themangoman9315
2 жыл бұрын
@@quainejohnson4808 you are welcome I also want to check it out mostly for the early Humberto Ramos art
@joshheralal8758
2 жыл бұрын
His Green Goblin story is amazing.
@Hillthugsta
Жыл бұрын
@@joshheralal8758 That was the story where he got Flash drunk and he had an accident that made him a vegetable for a minute?
Ah, now I get why the team from Insomniac Games is so passionate about Spiderman, about Peter Parker and his relationship with all he held dear
That was great. It's one of my favourite runs ever
You know a KZreadr is good when only 3 mins into a long video your hooked and want to support the person they talk about. Subbed Alex.
Your Spider-Man reviews are awesome 👌🏼 Tanks for the videos
For Me. I Knew J. Michael from his work on the early episodes of The Real Ghostbusters. He is seriously talented and I had NO IDEA that he had written a ton of important Spider-Man stories.
Cant wait to see more from you, your stuff is great
Great video Alex! I have been a JMS fan from Babylon 5 and didn't even know he was behind so many other stories. He has such a great mind for telling a story! I will finish Becoming Superman, I have the audiobook and just haven't been able to get into it. I will now.
This is one of the most inspirational videos I’ve ever watched. Straczynski is a hero. Beautiful. Also is the Spider God deity in anyway connected to the Spider God plot-line of Spider-Man Noir? Also John Romita Jr. is seriously one of the best Spidey artists. God his art is phenomenal. His Batman art is equally amazing.
Saw your kite man vid yesterday and since then have watched all your vids good work
Just stumbled upon this channel and it’s not half bad! Not only great Spidey content for a web-head fanatic like me,!but overall comic book content such as documentaries/essays like this. Keep at the great work and hope this channel continues to grow!
I just binge-watched like 3 videos, amazing content!
7:51 as someone currently living in new jersey... I must say this mean depiction of us is well completly correct tbh.
Kudos! 👏 I’m touched that somebody on KZread appreciates JMS’ run for all the things he did. Joe Straczynski’s run alongside Peter David’s all too brief return to Spidey on FN Spider-Man & Aquirre-Sacasa on Sensational (with Fraction’s farewell to the character as we knew him annual) was the last time I remember Peter Parker as the one I grew up with. It was an execrable downhill torrent of shite for the character from there on out. Hickman’s brief handling of Pete in the early issues of Future Foundation was the only glimpse of the True Spidey since Fat Joey shat all over Spider-Man’s 45 year history with OMD.
The first comic book I ever got actually bought for me, not given down was Spider-Man Coming Home, so suffice it to say Straczynski has had a profound impact on my life and I have always had a deep level of respect for him and Romita Jr. for changing my life and igniting a passion which has shaped my life through that amazing book.
I love how I never seen this channel before and this skit was the very first thing I witnessed of this channel.
it's amazing how much jms made everything he's work on better!
I was reading Spidey comics at this time and hated the "direction" Howard Mackie was taking the character in. I remember when a new writer was announced how I hoped for a change and I remember thinking "One issue. I took the guy one single issue to get the character back on track." Not a return to the status quo or anything, but definitely a return to the core of the character. His time as a teacher was a great step forward from his time at the Bugle, and what he did with Aunt May should have never been undone. His first story arc was one of the few times a writer has ever been able to achieve such a rug pull while still staying true to the character in my opinion. Great video!
This was an amazing and educational watch. Keep it up my man 👍🏽💯
J Michael Straczynski's first arc involving Morlun, the Happy Birthday scene with Uncle Ben, and the 9/11 issue are still my favorite Spidey stories of all-time. He's great!
@MisogynyMan
6 ай бұрын
Morlune was such a badass, he scared the crap out of me. Truly a terrifying villain. Id rather fight almost anyone but him.
@michaelsuarez2967
6 ай бұрын
@@MisogynyMan Truely, he was basically a Terminator. Surprised we haven't got a movie with him as a villain. Spider-verse films would had been a good spot for his character.
@MisogynyMan
6 ай бұрын
Just a 5 second scene. "I sense something entered this universe. I must have it. I must taste it." @@michaelsuarez2967
just binged all of your videos ,, great stuff !! can't wait for more haha
Great video man and the person who saved spider man is so awesome :]
grew up with these! loved them so much.
This man also helped make the Real Ghostbusters cartoon it was amazing when he was on it and it's quality quickly dipped when he left goes to show how great he is
bro I so hooked on these videos your so chill I just watch it while playing Minecraft what a vibe.
Really love this, I am getting the omnibus for this run soon. I would love to hear about Todd's run.
The choice I think to step in and stop the thief in the convention hall, coupled with all of his personal struggles and difficulties growing up, made Joe the perfect man to write Spider-Man. I thoroughly loved his run, regardless of which artist was sketching it. The man kept up with that amazing 9/11 script in 24 hours. Thats talent right there.
as a reader from New Jersey, that is an accurate representation of how we react when reading those Spider-Man comics
@yellow538
Жыл бұрын
Lmaoo yeah
Apart from the “I’m recording this in ma maw's hoose & need to keep my voice down” quality to the voiceover this was very good & informative! Hope ye get your own gaff soon big man
You earned my subscription with this entire video.
Got this in my recommendations, liked because I completely agreed with the sentence. Listening to your creepy intro now. The like will remain.
I read the graphic novel of his work on Spider-Man at a Borders over ten years ago and till this day it’s the Spider-Man story that’s stuck the most with me. Hasn’t been topped since.
this seems to have paved the way for _my_ favourite Spider-Man, the Insomniac video game one as well as who Spider-Man is today in general
Peter Parker as a highschool teacher is something I didn't know I wanted. Thank you for introducing this era of Spider-man to me..
Never heard of you before now, but you earned a sub for sure. Great analysis!