Henry Jenkins and Babylon 5's Straczynski live, MIT, May 22

Media scholar Henry Jenkins and Babylon 5 creator Joe Straczynski are doing a double-header at MIT on May 22, and it's open to the public. Sounds like a hell of a way to spend an evening.

Previously known best for his role as the creator of the cult science fiction series Babylon 5 and its various spin-off films and series. Straczynski wrote 92 out of the 110 Babylon 5 episodes, notably including an unbroken 59-episode run through all of the third and fourth seasons, and all but one episode of the fifth season.
His early television writing career spans from work on He-Man, She-Ra, and The Real Ghostbusters through to The New Twilight Zone and Murder She Wrote. He followed up Babylon 5 with the science fiction series Jeremiah.
Straczysnki also enjoys continued success as a comic book writer, working on established superhero franchises, such as The Amazing Spider-Man, Supreme Power and Thor, as well as his own original series, such as Rising Stars, Midnight Nation, The Twelve, and The Book of Lost Souls. He is also a journalist, publishing over 500 articles in such periodicals as the Los Angeles Times, the Los Angeles Herald Examiner, Writer's Digest Magazine, and TIME Inc.
He was one of the first television producers to actively engage his fan community online and has consistently explored the interface between digital media and other storytelling platforms.

2009 Speaker: J. Michael Straczynski (Thanks, Andrew!)

Previously:

Discussion

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#1 posted by Anonymous, April 25, 2009 8:59 AM

He also wrote "Changeling," directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Angelina Jolie.

#2 posted by Takuan, April 25, 2009 9:11 AM

iz Rushian spammer, da?

#3 posted by Michael Una, April 25, 2009 10:07 AM

Straczynski has made consistently great comics. For anyone unfamiliar, I highly recommend his run on Spider-Man and the Silver Surfer.

#4 posted by spiregrain, April 25, 2009 10:27 AM

Funny this blurb doesn't mention that Straczynski Changeling. You know the major 2008 motion picture directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Angelina Jolie? The Oscar Bait?

I though JSM was done slumming it on sf panels?

#5 posted by spiregrain, April 25, 2009 10:31 AM

grr- "mention that Straczynski *wrote* Changeling"

#6 posted by Anonymous, April 25, 2009 11:26 AM

He also was responsible for the 80's cartoon 'Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors' despite it being about selling cheap plastic toys, the story was awesome. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jayce_and_the_wheeled_warriors

#7 posted by Zanne Elston, April 25, 2009 11:34 AM

13 years after the last show of Babylon 5 aired, it continues to be one of the finest TV series (not just Sci Fi) ever created. The beauty of the series is that it tells a complete story - from beginning to end, unlike other series, whose writers/producers often let television series run on years after the inspiration that created them has died.

I recently started re-watching the series and was reminded of the strength of the writing. From the very first episode, Straczynski begins to weave a storyline that is only completed five years later. Some of the smallest details that appear in the first few episodes are only fully explained years later, and yet each episode is complete in its own right. The series should be required viewing for any would-be writer - television or other medium.

In B5, Straczynski tells a great story, and it tells it very, very well.

#8 posted by ill lich, April 25, 2009 11:50 AM

Jeez. . . a sci-fi and comic writer speaking at MIT. . . bring your own clothespin because that hall is gonna be smellier than a record collectors convention.

#9 posted by Anonymous, April 25, 2009 11:53 AM

He also helped write Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors, another cartoon from the 80s.

#10 posted by KidDork, April 25, 2009 3:08 PM

JMS's run on Amazing Spider-Man started well, but quickly--oh so quickly--degenerated into utter wankery. I did love his own original work, whenever he got around to finishing them.

#11 posted by samuelk, April 25, 2009 3:52 PM

There was also a small sci-fi show for kids (that was also a toy-selling vehicle) called "Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future". It was one of the first TV series shows to use computer animation, albeit primitive. JMS was a writer on that show as well. B5 producer Doug Netter also produced that short-lived show.

#12 posted by rasz, April 26, 2009 4:03 AM

Straczynski also wrote a turd called "Jeremiah" with Luke Perry. VH-1 like drama labeled as Sci-Fi.

#13 posted by phillamb168, April 27, 2009 7:21 AM

Let's not forget that Straczynski is also doing the movie port of the best zombie book evar, World War Z!!1oneeleven