Mike W. Barr (born May 30, 1952)[2] is an American writer of comic books, mystery novels, and science fiction novels.Barr has written for every one of the first four incarnations of Star Trek: Star Trek, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager, in either comic book or other media.
Career
Comics
Barr's debut as a comics professional came in DC Comics' Detective Comics #444 (Dec. 1974–Jan. 1975), for which he wrote an eight-page back-up mystery feature starring the Elongated Man.Another Elongated Man story followed in Detective Comics #453 (Nov. 1975).[3] He wrote text articles and editorial replies in letter columns for the next few years.By mid-1980 he was writing regularly for both DC and Marvel, including stories for
Legion of Super-Heroes #277 (July 1981) saw him take on editorial duties at DC, a position he would hold until 1987.[5] In December 1982, he and artist Brian Bolland began Camelot 3000,[6] a 12 issue limited series that was one of DC Comics' first direct market projects.[7] Barr and artist Trevor Von Eeden produced the first Green Arrow limited series in 1983.[8] When the long running The Brave and the Bold series came to its conclusion with issue #200 (July 1983), it featured a preview of a new Batman series, Batman and the Outsiders by Barr and artist Jim Aparo,[9] which would be described by DC Comics writer and executive Paul Levitz as being "a team series more fashionable to 1980s audiences."[10] The Masters of Disaster were among the supervillains created by Barr and Aparo for the series.[11] Barr wrote every issue of the original series, and its Baxter paper spinoff, The Outsiders[12][13] that did not include Batman and introduced Looker.[14] After the series' cancellation in February 1988, it was revived in November 1993 by Barr and artist Paul Pelletier.[15]
He was one of the contributors to the DC Challenge limited series in 1986[16] and wrote the "Batman: Year Two" storyline in Detective Comics #575–578 (June–Sept. 1987) which followed up on Frank Miller's "Batman: Year One".[17] Barr introduced the Reaper in Detective Comics #575 (June 1987) and returned to the character in the Batman: Full Circle one-shot in 1991.[18] Another project from 1987 was the Batman: Son of the Demongraphic novel which was drawn by Jerry Bingham.[19] This title, and Barr's work on Batman with artist Alan Davis have been cited by Grant Morrison as key inspirations for their own run on the Batman title.[20] Barr's sequel, Batman: Bride of The Demon, was published in 1991.[21] Barr's Batman stories and scripts have been adapted into several mediums, including episodes of Batman: The Animated Series.
From 1989 to 1990, he took over DC's Doc Savage series from Dennis O'Neil, which saw the 1930s super-scientist taken to the present day.It was also notable as featuring Doc Savage's first-ever team-up with The Shadow, another popular hero of the pulp magazine era and inspiration for Batman. The two characters appeared together in a four-issue story, The Conflagration Man, that crossed back and forth between each character's DC comic book series.
In 2007, he wrote a two-part story for the pages of DC's JLA: Classified (#47–48, Jan–Feb 2008), returned to the Outsiders with Outsiders: Five of a Kind — Katana/Shazam #1 (Oct. 2007), contributed to Tokyopop's Star Trek: The Manga, and relaunched Maze Agency at IDW Publishing.He has scripted many of Bongo Comics' The Simpsons titles, including a Christmas story for 2010.[3] His other comics work includes Mantra for Malibu Comics and Maze Agency for Comico Comics and Innovation Publishing.[3]
In a comic-related work, in 2007, Barr wrote "The Silver Age Sci-Fi Companion"[22] for TwoMorrows Publishing.[23] Dedicated in memory of famous DC writers and editors Julius Schwartz, John Broome and Gardner Fox, this 144-page book provide a comprehensive index, background information and issue by issue data on DC Comics science fiction characters and series of 1950s-1970s like Adam Strange, The Atomic Knights, Space Museum, Star Hawkins, Star Rovers, and others.
Prose
In May 2010, the Invisible College Press published Barr's science fiction/fantasy novel, Majician/51, about the discoveries of a scientist working at Area 51.[24]
Barr contributed to the Silver Age Sentinels short story anthologies from Guardians of Order.[25]
Awards
Mike W. Barr received an Inkpot Award in 2008.[26]
4.Matthew K. Manning. Spider-Man Chronicle Celebrating 50 Years of Web-Slinging Dorling Kindersley, 2012^
5.{{gcdb|type=editor|search= Mike+W.+Barr|title= Mike W. Barr (editor)}}^
6.Matthew K. Manning. DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle Dorling Kindersley, 2010^
7.Roger Ash. Mike W. Barr and Brian Bolland Return to Camelot Back Issue!, TwoMorrows Publishing, April 2008^
8.Manning "1980s" in Dolan, p. 201: "The Battling Bowman fought his way into his own four-issue miniseries at long last, thanks to writer Mike W. Barr and artist Trevor Von Eeden."^
9.Manning "1980s" in Dolan, p. 202: "Despite being the final issue of this particular series, the book wasn't closed on Batman's team-ups. Although Batman was through working with partners, it was time to think bigger, and in a special sixteen-page preview insert written by Barr and with art by Jim Aparo, the Outsiders debuted. A super-hero team of Batman's own creation, the Outsiders would soon star alongside Batman in the new monthly series Batman and the Outsiders.^
10.Paul Levitz. 75 Years of DC Comics The Art of Modern Mythmaking Taschen America, 2010^
11.Matthew K. Manning. Batman: A Visual History Dorling Kindersley, 2014^
12.Manning "1980s" in Dolan, p. 215: "[The Outsiders] saw the popular team given the enhanced quality of a Baxter-format series...written by Mike W. Barr and drawn by Jim Aparo."^
13.John Trumbull. Watching the Detective (Comics) Back Issue!, TwoMorrows Publishing, July 2014^
14.Manning "1980s" in Dougall, p. 155: The Outsiders #1 (Nov. 1985) "Written by Mike W. Barr and drawn by Jim Aparo, this issue debuted Looker in full costume."^
15.Manning "1990s" in Dolan, p. 261: "The Outsiders made their return in a new series courtesy of writer Mike W. Barr and artist Paul Pelletier."^
16.Robert Greenberger. It Sounded Like a Good Idea at the Time: A Look at the DC Challenge! Back Issue!, TwoMorrows Publishing, August 2017^
17.Manning "1980s" in Dolan, p. 229: "In 'Year Two', a four-part sequel [to "Batman: Year One"] set in Batman's second year as a crime fighter, writer Mike W. Barr and artists Alan Davis and Todd McFarlane challenged the Caped Crusader with the threat of the Reaper."^
19.Manning "1980s" in Dolan, p. 229: "In an over-sized hardcover graphic novel one-shot, writer Mike W. Barr and artist Jerry Bingham introduced a monumental new character into the life of the Dark Knight - Damian Wayne."^
21.Manning "1990s" in Dougall, p. 189: ""With art by Tom Grindberg, writer Mike W. Barr returned to chronicle a new Ra's al Ghul story in this sequel.^
22.Michael W. Barr. Silver Age Sci-Fi Companion TwoMorrows Publishing, November 2007^
