When it comes to the various topics and mediums that we cover here on ScienceFiction.com, one of the most prolific writers in many of them is J. Michael Straczynski. Probably best known for creating ‘Babylon 5’, his work also extends into comic books, movies, and more television. JMS has written stories featuring Marvel and DC superheroes like Spider-Man, Superman, Thor, Batman, and Watchmen members Nite Owl and Dr. Manhattan. He has written for movies like Kenneth Branagh’s ‘Thor’, Marc Foster’s ‘World War Z’, and ‘Changeling’ starring Angelina Jolie. And he’s even dabbling in producing at the moment through Studio JMS as he is working with the Wachowskis on ‘Sense8’ for Netflix. But despite his very busy schedule with seemingly endless projects, the writer recently sat down with the Archive of American Television to discuss his career, his secrets to success, and more.
Made possible by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation, the Archive features talks with some of the biggest names in the business with the intention of “preserving the history of television with oral storytelling style interviews”. During Straczynski’s session, he went into a number of topics including the creation of his seminal sci-fi series, some of his secrets to writing, the legacy that he leaves behind, and his belief in failure. You can check out everything that JMS had to say in the playlist below:
Personally, I’m a fan of his comic book works, even the controversial ones, but since the conversation was mostly about television, it’s understandable that he didn’t get into that stuff here. However, as a writer myself, I greatly appreciated his advice on writing and his take on failure leading to success. These are definitely things that every writer or creative person in general needs to hear. And since maybe he didn’t talk about comics here, maybe he’ll talk to me personally about those things in an interview one day.
What do you think about this in-depth interview with J. Michael Straczynski? What are some of your favorite JMS works? Who is going to be the person to start a huge conversation about his contributions to the Spider-Man mythology like ‘Civil War: Spider-Man’, ‘Back In Black’, and ‘One More Day’? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
