Geoff Johns facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Geoff Johns
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Johns in 2011
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| Born | Geoffrey Johns January 25, 1973 Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
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| Alma mater | Michigan State University |
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Employer | DC Entertainment |
| Notable works | Comics: JSA, The Flash, Teen Titans, Green Lantern, Infinite Crisis, 52, Action Comics, Blackest Night, Flashpoint, Justice League/Justice League of America, Shazam, Trinity War, Doomsday Clock, The Avengers, Ultimate X-Men Television: Robot Chicken, Blade: The Series, The Flash, Titans, Doom Patrol, Batwoman, Stargirl, Superman & Lois |
Geoffrey Johns (born January 25, 1973) is an American writer, producer, and screenwriter. He is well-known for his work on many popular DC Comics characters. These include Green Lantern, Aquaman, The Flash, and Superman.
Johns has written many famous comic book stories. Some of these are Sinestro Corps War, Blackest Night, and Flashpoint. He also helped create new DC characters and ideas. For example, he co-created Courtney Whitmore, who became the superhero Stargirl. He based this character on his own sister.
From 2010 to 2018, Johns was a top executive at DC Entertainment. He helped guide the creative direction of DC's comics, movies, and TV shows. He also helped start DC Films and worked on the DC Extended Universe movies. In 2023, he co-founded a new media company called Ghost Machine.
Contents
Early Life and Discovering Comics
Geoff Johns was born on January 25, 1973, in Detroit, Michigan. He grew up in the suburbs of Grosse Pointe and Clarkston. As a child, Geoff and his brother found an old box of comics in their grandmother's attic. This box was filled with comics from the 1960s and 1970s. They discovered characters like The Flash, Superman, Green Lantern, and Batman. Johns has said that The Flash is his favorite character.
He started collecting new comics at a shop in Traverse City. He especially liked DC Comics. After high school, he studied film and writing at Michigan State University. He graduated in 1995 and then moved to Los Angeles, California.
Starting a Career in Entertainment
In Los Angeles, Geoff Johns looked for an internship. He called director Richard Donner's office. By accident, Donner answered the phone himself. This led to Johns getting an internship. He started by copying scripts and later became a production assistant for Donner. Johns considers Donner his mentor.
While working on Donner's 1997 film Conspiracy Theory, Johns visited New York City. There, he met people from DC Comics. This made him excited about comics again.
Becoming a Comic Book Writer
DC Comics invited Johns to visit their offices. He got the chance to share his ideas. This led to him creating Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E.. This series was about a new hero named Star-Spangled Kid and her stepfather.
In 2000, Johns started co-writing JSA. He then became the main writer for The Flash comic series. He often used parts of his hometown, Detroit, in his stories. For example, he made Keystone City in The Flash like a car town.
Johns also wrote for Marvel Comics, including The Avengers. He helped bring back Hal Jordan as Green Lantern in 2005. He also wrote the big comic event Infinite Crisis. After that, he was one of four writers for the weekly series 52.
In 2007, Johns wrote the popular "Sinestro Corps War" story for Green Lantern. He also worked with artist Gary Frank on Action Comics. They created the "Brainiac" storyline. In 2009, Johns brought back Barry Allen as The Flash in The Flash: Rebirth. He also wrote the major event Blackest Night. Johns added many new ideas to the Green Lantern universe. He created different Lantern Corps, each with a different color and emotion.
Leading DC Entertainment
In 2010, Geoff Johns became the Chief Creative Officer of DC Entertainment. This role meant he helped expand DC Comics into movies, TV, and other media. He continued to write comics, like the Brightest Day series. He also helped write the story for the video game DC Universe Online.
In 2011, Johns wrote Flashpoint. This story led to a big change for DC Comics called The New 52. In this event, DC relaunched all its superhero comics with new #1 issues. Johns and artist Jim Lee started the new Justice League series. Johns also wrote new Aquaman and Green Lantern comics.
In 2016, Johns was promoted to President and Chief Creative Officer of DC Entertainment. He continued to work on major comic projects. He and Gary Frank worked on Doomsday Clock, a series featuring Superman and Doctor Manhattan. In 2018, Johns stepped down from his executive role. He started his own production company, Mad Ghost Productions. He continued to work with Warner Bros. on DC films, TV shows, and comics.
Work After DC Entertainment
In 2020, Johns announced a new comic series called Geiger with artist Gary Frank. This was his first independent comic series in over ten years. In 2021, they expanded this into "The Unnamed Universe."
In 2023, Johns and other comic creators formed a new company called Ghost Machine. This company publishes comics where the creators own their work. Johns' first project for Ghost Machine was Geiger: Ground Zero. This story is a prequel to his Geiger series. It is set in a future after a nuclear war.
Film Projects
Geoff Johns was a producer and creative consultant for the 2011 Green Lantern movie. He was also an executive producer for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice in 2016.
After some changes in DC Films, Johns helped lead the DC Extended Universe. He was a producer for Justice League (2017). He also helped write the story for Aquaman (2018) and wrote the screenplay for Wonder Woman 1984 (2020). Johns' work helped the DC Extended Universe become one of the highest-grossing film series ever.
Television Projects
Johns has written for many TV shows based on DC Comics. In 2008, he wrote an episode of Smallville that introduced the Legion of Super-Heroes. He also wrote a two-part episode called "Absolute Justice" for Smallville.
In 2012, Johns joined the writing team for The CW's Arrow. He helped introduce characters like The Huntress. He also helped develop The Flash TV series, which premiered in 2014. He was a co-developer and executive producer for the show. He wrote episodes that introduced villains like Captain Cold and Heat Wave.
Johns also helped create and produce other DC TV shows. These include Titans (2018–2023), Doom Patrol (2019–2023), Batwoman (2019–2022), and Superman & Lois (2021–2024). In 2018, he announced a TV series about Courtney Whitmore (Stargirl), a character he created. The show, Stargirl, premiered in 2020.
Personal Life
Geoff Johns' younger sister, Courtney, passed away in the TWA Flight 800 crash. He created the DC Comics superheroine Stargirl in her memory.
Johns also co-owns a comic book store called Earth-2 Comics in Northridge, California.
Awards and Recognition
- 2002 Wizard Fan Award for Breakout Talent (for The Flash)
- 2005 Wizard Fan Award for Best Writer (for The Flash, Infinite Crisis, Green Lantern and Teen Titans)
- 2006 Wizard Fan Award for Best Writer (for Infinite Crisis)
- 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 (for Blackest Night, Brightest Day, The Flash and Green Lantern)
- 2024 Ringo Award Winner for Best Series for Geiger: Ground Zero
Images for kids
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Johns in 2011
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Johns holding up an Aquaman figure
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Johns speaking at WonderCon in 2017
See also
In Spanish: Geoff Johns para niños
