Mike W. Barr

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 Mystery in Space, Green Lantern, The Brave and the Bold, Marvel Team-Up, and a Spider-Man/Scarlet Witch team-up in Marvel Fanfare #6.[4]

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 Demon graphic 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]

Comics

Comico Comics

• Maze Agency #1–7 (1988–1989)

Dark Horse Comics

• Dark Horse Comics #14–15 (1993)
• Dark Horse Presents #117, 119, 135 (1997–1998)

DC Comics

• Action Comics #537–538 (1982)
• The Adventures of Superman Annual #9 (1997)
• The Adventures of the Outsiders #33–38 (1986)
• Arak, Son of Thunder #7–8 (1982)
• Batman #327, 329, 331, 334, 353, Annual #8–9, Special #1 (1980–1985)
• Batman and the Outsiders #1–32, Annual #1–2 (1983–1986)
• Batman: Bride of the Demon HC (1991)
• Batman: Dark Knight Dynasty HC (1998)
• Batman: Full Circle #1 (1991)
• Batman: Gotham Knights #25 (Batman Black and White) (2002)
• Batman: In Darkest Knight #1 (1994)
• Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #21–23 (1991)
• Batman: Reign of Terror #1 (1999)
• Batman: Son of the Demon HC (1987)
• Batman: Two-Face Strikes Twice #1–2 (1993)
• Beware the Batman #5 (2014)
• The Brave and the Bold #169, 177, 184, 190, 192, 194–195, 198–200 (1980–1983)
• Bruce Wayne: The Road Home: Outsiders #1 (2010)
• Camelot 3000 #1–12 (1982–1985)
• DC Challenge #5 (1986)
• DC Comics Presents #22, 39, 42, 47, 58, 83 (1980–1985)
• DC Retroactive: Batman – The '80s #1 (2011)
• DC Special Blue Ribbon Digest #23 (1982)
• Detective Comics #444, 453, 488, 490–491, 500, 507, 569–581 (1974–1987)
• Detective Comics vol. 2 #27 (2014)
• Doc Savage #7–24, Annual #1 (1989–1990)
• Elvira's House of Mystery #7 (1986)
• The Flash #313 (1982)
• Green Arrow #1–4 (1983)
• Green Lantern #131, 154–165 (1980–1983)
• Heroes Against Hunger #1 (1986)
• House of Mystery #269, 279, 285, 288, 291, 320 (1979–1983)
• JLA: Classified #47–48 (2008)
• JSA: Classified #38–39 (2008)
• Justice League Adventures #8 (2002)
• Mystery in Space #111–112, 115–117 (1980–1981)
• The New Teen Titans #37 (1983)
• The Outsiders #1–28, Annual #1, Special #1 (1985–1988)
• The Outsiders vol. 2 #1–24, #0 (1993–1995)
• The Outsiders: Five of a Kind – Katana/Shazam #1
• Saga of the Swamp Thing #2–8 (Phantom Stranger backup stories) (1982)
• Secret Origins vol. 2 #6, 10, 44, 47 (1986–1990)
• Secrets of Haunted House #15, 28 (1979–1980)
• The Shadow Strikes #5–6 (1990)
• Showcase '93 #4–5 (1993)
• Star Trek #1–16, Annual #1–2, Movie Special #1–2 (1984–1987)
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine/Star Trek: The Next Generation #1–2 (1994)
• Star Trek: The Next Generation Annual #4 (1993)
• Superman 80–Page Giant #1 (1999)
• Tales of the Green Lantern Corps #1–3 (1981)
• Time Warp #1, 3 (1980)
• The Unexpected #192, 196, 200, 205–213 (1979–1981)
• Weird War Tales #70, 84, 93, 99–100, 106–108 (1978–1982)
• World's Finest Comics #274–278, 282–284, 288, 300 (1981–1984)

Egmont

• Agent X9 #9/2007, 9/2009

First Comics

• E-Man vol. 2 #4 (1983)

IDW Publishing

• Maze Agency #1–2 (2005)

Innovation Publishing

• Maze Agency #8–23, Special #1 (1989–1991)

Malibu Comics

• Break-Thru #1–2 (1993–1994)
• Godwheel #3 (1995)
• Lord Pumpkin/Necromantra #1–4 (1995)
• Mantra #1–24, Giant-Size #1 (1993–1995)
• Mantra: Spear of Destiny #1–2 (1995)
• Sludge #4, 12 (1994)
• Ultraverse Zero: The Death of the Squad #1 (1995)
• Wrath #1–6, 8–9, Giant-Size #1 (1994)

Marvel Comics

• The Amazing Spider-Man #220 (1981)
• Captain America #241, 257 (1980–1981)
• Mandrake the Magician #1–2 (1995)
• Mantra vol. 2 #∞, 1, 3 (1995)
• Marvel Fanfare #6 (Spider-Man/Scarlet Witch); #46 (Fantastic Four); #49 (Two-Gun Kid) (1983–1990)
• Marvel Preview #23 (1980)
• Marvel Spotlight vol. 2 #8 (Captain Marvel) (1980)
• Marvel Team-Up #102, 105 (1981)
• Power Man and Iron Fist #76 (1981)
• Shroud #1–4 (1994)
• Solo Avengers #8 (Henry Pym) (1988)
• Spider-Man Unlimited #1 (1993)
• Star Trek #5–6, 17 (1980–1981)
• Star Wars #49 (1981)
• What If...? #26 (Captain America); #28 (Daredevil) (1981)

Television

• Batman: The Animated Series (1993)
• "Paging the Crime Doctor" (ep. 53 story with Laren Bright, teleplay by Randy Rogel and Martin Pasko)[27]