Geoff Johns is an American comic book and television writer, film and
television producer. He is the Chief Creative Officer at DC
Comics, a position he has served in since 2010. His most notable work in
different media has used the DC Comics characters Green Lantern, Aquaman, The
Flash and Superman. He is well known for his work on The
WB/CW's Smallville, Arrow and The Flash. He is also a comic book retailer who
co-owns Earth-2 Comics in Northridge, California with Carr D'Angelo and Jud
Meyers. Early life
Johns was born in Detroit, Michigan, son of Barbara and Fred Johns, and grew up
in the suburbs of Grosse Pointe and Clarkston, and attending Clarkston High
School. He is of half Lebanese ancestry. As a child, Johns and his brother first
discovered comics through an old box of comics they found in their grandmother's
attic, which included copies of The Flash, Superman, Green Lantern, and
Batman from the 1960s and 1970s. Johns eventually began to patronize a comics
shop in Traverse City, recalling that the first new comics he bought were
Crisis on Infinite Earth #3 or 4 and The Flash #348 or 349, as the latter was his
favorite character. As Johns continued collecting comics, he gravitated toward
DC Comics and later Vertigo, and drew comics. After graduating from Clarkston
High School in 1991, he studied media arts, screenwriting, film production and
film theory at Michigan State University. He graduated from Michigan
State in 1995, and then moved to Los Angeles, California.
Career = Early career=
In Los Angeles, Johns cold-called the office of director Richard Donner
looking for an internship, and while Johns was being transferred to various
people, Donner picked up the phone by accident, leading to a conversation and
the internship. Johns started off copying scripts, and after about two
months, was hired as a production assistant for Donner, whom Johns regards
as his mentor. While working on production of Donner's
1997 film Conspiracy Theory, Johns visited New York City, where he met DC
Comics personnel such as Eddie Berganza, reigniting his childhood interest in
comics. Berganza invited Johns to tour the DC
Comics offices, and offered Johns the opportunity to suggest ideas, which led
to Johns pitching Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E., a series based on the
second Star-Spangled Kid and her stepfather, to editor Chuck Kim a year
later. Johns expected to write comics "on the side", until he met David Goyer
and James Robinson, who were working on JSA. After looking at Stars and
S.T.R.I.P.E., Robinson offered Johns co-writing duties on JSA in 2000, and
Johns credits both him and Mike Carlin with shepherding him into the comics
industry. That same year, Johns became the regular writer on The Flash ongoing
series. John's work on The Flash represents one example of his modeling
of various elements in his stories after aspects of his birth town, explaining,
"When I wrote The Flash, I turned Keystone City into Detroit, made it a
car town. I make a lot of my characters from Detroit. I think self-made,
blue-collar heroes represent Detroit. Wally West flash was like that. I took
the inspiration of the city and the people there and used it in the books."
He co-wrote a Beast Boy limited series with Ben Raab in 2000 and crafted the
"Return to Krypton" story arc in the Superman titles with Pasqual Ferry in
2002. After writing The Avengers vol. 3 #57-76 and Avengers Icons: The Vision
#1-4 for Marvel Comics, Johns oversaw the re-launch of Hawkman and Teen
Titans. Johns was responsible for the return of
Hal Jordan in 2005 as the writer of the Green Lantern: Rebirth mini-series and
subsequent Green Lantern ongoing title. Johns was the writer of the Infinite
Crisis crossover limited series, a sequel to 1985's Crisis on Infinite
Earths. Following this, Johns was one of four writers, with Mark Waid, Grant
Morrison, and Greg Rucka, on the 2006-2007 weekly series 52.
In 2006, Johns and Kurt Busiek co-wrote the "Up, Up and Away!" story arc in
Superman and Action Comics. He then reunited with Richard Donner on the
"Last Son" storyline in Action Comics with Donner co-plotting the series with
his former assistant. The Justice Society of America series by Johns and
artist Dale Eaglesham began in February 2007 and six months later, he and Jeff
Katz launched the new Booster Gold series. That same year, Johns helmed the
critically acclaimed "Sinestro Corps War" storyline in the Green Lantern
titles. He wrote the "Final Crisis" one-shot Rage of the Red Lanterns with
artist Shane Davis and collaborated with Gary Frank on Action Comics. Johns and
Frank produced the "Brainiac" storyline in which Superman's adopted father
Jonathan Kent was killed and retold Superman's origin story in 2009's
Superman: Secret Origin. Also in 2009, Johns teamed with artist Ethan Van
Sciver on The Flash: Rebirth miniseries, which centered on the return of Barry
Allen as the Flash and wrote the Blackest Night limited series.
Commenting on Johns' creation of such concepts as the Blue Lantern Corps, the
Red Lantern Corps, and the Indigo Tribe, DC Comics writer and executive Paul
Levitz noted in 2010 that "One of Johns' sharpest additions to DC mythology is
the notion that the Green Lanterns are but one color within a rainbow spectrum,
and that the other hues have their own champions. Folding in old concepts and
inventing new ones, Johns has established limitless story
possibilities." Johns is the principal writer of the DC
Universe Online massively multiplayer online role-playing game.
= CCO of DC Comics= Johns was named DC Comics' new Chief
Creative Officer on February 18, 2010 by DC Entertainment President Diane Nelson,
a position that Johns stated will not affect his writing. He then co-wrote the
Brightest Day series with Peter Tomasi. In a 2010 interview, Johns named Steve
McNiven as an artist he hasn't yet worked with who he'd like to do so, J.
Michael Straczynski's run on Thor as his then-favorite ongoing comic book, and
The Flash as his favorite of all time, as he owns every issue of it. He credits
reading James Robinson's The Golden Age as the book responsible for his love for
the characters in that book, and for his decision to accept writing duties on
JSA. In September 2011, following the
conclusion of Johns' mini series, Flashpoint, and the crossover storyline
of the same name, DC Comics instituted a program called The New 52, in which the
publisher cancelled all of its superhero titles and relaunched 52 new series with
#1 issues, wiping out most of the then-current continuity. Johns and
artist Jim Lee, DC Comics' Co-Publisher, launched the line with a new Justice
League series, written and illustrated by Johns and Lee, respectively. The
series' first story arc was a new origin of the Justice League, which depicted
the return of DC's primary superheroes to the team. Johns' contributions to The
New 52 includes an ongoing Shazam! backup feature in Justice League that
began with issue #7, as well as the relaunched Aquaman and Green Lantern
monthly titles. Johns and Gary Frank collaborated on the Batman: Earth One
graphic novel, an out of continuity story, released in mid-2012, which
served as the first in a series of graphic novels intended to redefine
Batman. In 2013, after writing Green Lantern for nine years, Johns ended his
run with issue 20 of the New 52 series, which was released May 22, 2013. DC
Comics' All Access webcast announced on February 4, 2014 that Johns would be
writing the Superman series which would be drawn by John Romita Jr. The
Johns/Romita Jr. team was joined by inker Klaus Janson.
= Television and film= In 2006, Johns co-wrote the story for
the Justice League Unlimited episode "Ancient History", which starred
Hawkman, Hawkgirl, Vixen, Shadow Thief and the Green Lantern John Stewart.
Johns and David S. Goyer co-wrote the pilot for the Spike TV drama Blade: The
Series, which premiered in June 2006. Johns served as one of the writing staff
on the television show. Later that year, Johns teamed up with Matthew Senreich of
Robot Chicken fame to write the screenplay for a holiday family-friendly
movie titled Naughty or Nice for Dimension Films. Johns and Senreich are
billed as directors of the movie, with actor/producer Seth Green set to provide
a lead voice as well as serving as voice director on the film. This association
led to Johns contributing material to the fourth season of Robot Chicken.
Johns served as a co-producer and creative consultant for the 2011 Green
Lantern film directed by Martin Campbell and starring Ryan Reynolds.
He is an executive producer on Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, directed by
Zack Snyder and starring Henry Cavill and Ben Affleck.
Smallville "Recruit", a 2005 episode of the
Superman prequel series Smallville, on which Johns' studio mate Jeph Loeb was a
writer-producer, featured a villain by the name of Geoff Johns.
In 2008, Johns wrote "Legion", the eleventh episode of the eighth season,
in which he introduced the three core members of the Legion of Superheroes.
At the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con, he announced that he was writing another
Smallville episode, titled "Society," based on the Justice Society of America.
The success of his first episode and the ambitious nature of his follow-up
episode enabled the producers to transform it into a two-part story,
which subsequently aired as a feature-length episode titled "Absolute
Justice". Arrow and The Flash
In 2012, Johns joined The CW's Green Arrow origin series Arrow, as a writer.
He first contributed to the first season episode "Muse of Fire," which served as
the introduction of The Huntress, the teleplay for which he co-wrote with
executive producer Marc Guggenheim from a story by co-creator Andrew Kreisberg.
Later in the season, Johns wrote the sixteenth episode, "Dead to Rights". The
episode was directed by frequent Johns' collaborator Glen Winter.
On July 30, 2013, it was announced at the summer TCA tour that Johns and Arrow
co-creators Kreisberg and Greg Berlanti would be introducing Barry Allen in the
second season of the show, with the potential of a spin-off for the
character with the 20th episode acting as a backdoor pilot. CW executives were
so pleased with the handling of the character that they forewent the
backdoor pilot, in favor of a full-fledged version. In May 2014, The
Flash was picked up to series, to premiere later that year. Johns serves
as co-developer and executive producer. He co-wrote, with Kai Yu Wu, the
episodes "Going Rogue", which introduces the villain Leonard Snart/Captain Cold
to the series, and "Revenge of the Rogues", which brought the rogue Heat
Wave to the series fully after being introduced off screen in "Going Rogue".
He teamed up with Captain Cold in that episode in attempt to set a trap for The
Flash and ultimately kill him but end up having to kidnap someone close to The
Flash and publicly call him out for a battle of fire and ice.
Untitled Batman film As of mid-2015, Johns and Ben Affleck
are co-writing the screenplay for a standalone Batman film, directed by and
starring Affleck, set in the DC Extended Universe.
Personal life Johns lives in Los Angeles.
His younger sister Courtney was a victim of the TWA Flight 800 crash. The DC
Comics character Courtney Whitmore, whom Johns created, is based on her.
Bibliography = DC Comics=
Star Spangled Comics Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. #0-14
Day of Judgment #1-5 Day of Judgment Secret Files
Secret Origins of Super-Villains 80-Page Giant #1
Justice Society of America #5-77, 81, Annual #1
JSA: Our Worlds at War JLA/JSA: Virtue and Vice
JSA: All Stars #1-8 JSA Classified #1-4
Justice Society of America vol. 3, #1-26, Annual #1
The Titans Annual #1 Sins of Youth: Starwoman and the JSA Jr.
Teen Titans vol. 3, #1-26, 29-47, 50, Annual #1
Teen Titans/Outsiders Secret Files #1 The Ravager #1/2
Legends of the DC Universe 80-Page Giant #2
Titans Secret Files #2 Beast Boy #1-4
Impulse #61 The Flash vol. 2, #164-225
The Flash: Iron Heights The Flash: Our Worlds at War
Secret Files #3 DC First: Superman/Flash
Final Crisis: Rogues' Revenge #1-3 Flash: Rebirth #1-6
The Flash vol. 3, #1-12 Secret Files and Origins #1
Flashpoint #1-5 Silver Age: Showcase
9-11 Volume 2 Superman: The Man of Steel #121, #133
Superman #179-180, 184-187, 189 Action Comics #837-840, 44-846, 850-851,
855-873, 900, Annual #10-11 Superman: Secret Origin #1-6
Adventure Comics #0-3, 5-6 Hawkman #1-6, 8-25
Hawkman Secret Files and Origins Batman #606-607
Batman: Gotham Knights #49 DC Comics Presents: Batman
Batman: Earth One Green Lantern: Rebirth #1-6
Green Lantern Corps: Recharge #1-5 Green Lantern vol. 4, #1-67
Secret Files and Origins #1 Sinestro Corps Special #1
Final Crisis: Rage of the Red Lanterns Blackest Night #0-8
Blackest Night: Tales of the Corps #1-3 Blackest Night: The Atom and Hawkman #46
Blackest Night: Flash #1-3 Brightest Day #0-24
Green Lantern: Larfleeze Christmas Special
Green Lantern Movie Prequel: Hal Jordan Green Lantern Movie Prequel: Sinestro
Green Lantern vol. 5 #1-20 Countdown to Infinite Crisis #1
JLA #115-119 Infinite Crisis #1-7
52 Booster Gold #0-10
Final Crisis: Legion of Three Worlds #1-5
Justice League #1- Aquaman #0-19, 21-25
Justice League of America #1-7 Forever Evil #1-7
Superman vol. 3 #32-39 = Marvel Comics=
Ultimate X-Men #1/2 Morlocks #1-4
The Thing: Freakshow #1-4 Icons: Vision #1-4
The Avengers #57-76 = Other US publishers=
Les Humanoïdes Associés: Métal Hurlant #2
Olympus Top Cow:
Tomb Raider: Scarface's Treasure Witchblade #67
Noble Causes: Extended Family #1 Aspen MLT:
Ekos #0 Michael Turner Presents: Aspen #1-3
B.P.R.D.: Night Train Wildstorm:
Eye of the Storm Annual The Possessed #1-6
Tom Strong #25 Awards and recognition
2005 Wizard Fan Award for Best Writer 2006 Wizard Fan Award for Best Writer
2008 Project Fanboy Award for Best Writer
2009 Project Fanboy Award for Best Writer
2009 Spike TV Scream Award for Best Comic Book Writer
2010 Spike TV Scream Award for Best Comic Book Writer
References External links
Official website Geoff Johns at the Internet Movie
Database Geoff Johns at the Comic Book DB
Geoff Johns at Mike's Amazing World of Comics
Geoff Johns at the Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators