326 JOHNS, GEOFF
In late 2004, the series was reprinted as a boxed hardbound two-volume set; the
fi rst volume reprinted the miniseries, while the second volume (the Avengers/JLA Com-
pendium) included Pérez’s pencils for the original unpublished series, scripts for the
published books, and a selection of historical materials. In 2008, the miniseries was
republished in a collected trade paperback form.
Mark O’English
JOHNS, GEOFF (1973–). In the fi rst decade of the 21st century, Geoff Johns emerged
among the most popular and prolifi c storytellers for the DC universe. Johns proved
adept at revitalizing superheroes once written off as past their prime, and became a fan
favorite for his ability to work within the constraints of previous continuity. A native
of Detroit, Johns studied media arts and screenwriting at Michigan State University,
before honing his craft by interning with fi lm director and producer Richard Donner in
Los Angeles. Donner, of course, had famously directed the fi rst Superman (1978) fea-
ture fi lm, and Johns went on to assist him with the production of the fi lms Conspiracy
Th eory (1997) and Lethal Weapon 4 (1998). Years later Donner would re-team with
Johns for a collaborative run of Superman stories in Action Comics (2006–8).
Well before becoming a scribe for Th e Man of Steel, Johns’s fi rst comics work debuted
in a one-shot special, Star Spangled Comics (1999), which was a prequel for re-launching
a Justice Society of America series. Within a few short months, DC published Johns’s
fi rst ongoing series, Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E., which featured a new Star-Spangled Kid
(later renamed Stargirl), Courtney Whitmore. Th e character was based on Johns’s own
deceased younger sister, also named Courtney, and has served as a frequent touchstone
for his subsequent work on JSA (2000–6) and Justice Society of America (2007–9).
Johns also got his fi rst crack at a cross-over series in 1999, authoring Day of Ven-
geance, which culminated in the deceased Green Lantern Hal Jordan taking on the
ghostly role of the Spectre. Johns would take turns at other cross-overs with Infi nite
Crisis (2005–6) and its weekly follow-up series, 52 , which he co-authored with Mark
Wa i d, Grant Morrison, and Greg Rucka. Johns would return to work on Hal Jordan
again, breathing new life into the character beginning in the Green Lantern: Rebirth
(2004 –5) miniseries and continuing on in a new ongoing Green Lantern (2005)
series. Johns and several collaborators have greatly expanded the Green Lantern
mythos within the popular “Sinestro Corps War” (2007–8) and “Blackest Night”
(2009) storylines.
Part of the appeal of Johns’s writing lies in his ability to create vivid characteriza-
tions. Th is talent became pronounced in his approach to the rogue’s gallery of villains
in Th e Flash, which he spotlighted during his tenure on the title from 2000–5. Johns
took formerly two-dimensional villains like Captain Cold and Mirror Master and cast
them as featured players in their own stories, adding previously unexplored depths to
their motivations. Strong characterizations and a healthy respect for heroic legacies
continued to be the hallmarks of Johns’s work in re-launches of Hawkman (2002), Te e n
Titans (2003), Booster Gold (2007), and Flash: Rebirth (2009).
