The Twilight Zone Volume 2: The Way In

by J. Michael Straczynski

Genres: Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Comics

113 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2014

About the author

Joseph Michael Straczynski is an American filmmaker and comic book writer. He is the founder of Synthetic Worlds Ltd. and Studio JMS and is best known as the creator of the science fiction television series Babylon 5 (1993–1998) and its spinoff Crusade (1999), as well as the series Jeremiah (2002–2004) and Sense8 (2015–2018). He is the executor of the estate of Harlan Ellison.
Straczynski wrote the psychological drama film Changeling (2008) and was co-writer on the martial arts thriller Ninja Assassin (2009), was one of the key writers for (and had a cameo in) Marvel's Thor (2011), as well as the horror film Underworld: Awakening (2012), and the apocalyptic horror film World War Z (2013). From 2001 to 2007, Straczynski wrote Marvel Comics' The Amazing Spider-Man, followed by runs on Thor and Fantastic Four. He is the author of the Superman: Earth One trilogy of graphic novels, and he has written Superman, Wonder Woman, and Before Watchmen for DC Comics. Straczynski is the creator and writer of several original comic book series such as Rising Stars, Midnight Nation, Dream Police, and Ten Grand through Joe's Comics.
A prolific writer across a variety of media and former journalist, Straczynski is the author of the autobiography Becoming Superman (2019) for HarperVoyager, the novel Together We Will Go (2021) for Simon & Schuster, and Becoming a Writer, Staying a Writer (2021) for Benbella Books. In 2020 he was named Head of the Creative Council for the comics publishing company Artists, Writers and Artisans.
Straczynski is a long-time participant in Usenet and other early computer networks, interacting with fans through various online forums (including GEnie, CompuServe, and America Online) since 1984. He is credited as being the first TV producer to directly engage with fans on the Internet and to allow viewer viewpoints to influence the look and feel of his show. Two prominent areas where he had a presence were GEnie and the newsgroup rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated.

Reviews

[Jesse A · Rating 2 out of 5]

Weaker story than the first volume. Just didnt really have a TZ feel to it all.

[Terry Mulcahy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exceptionally well-written, as I would expect from Straczynski. Guiu Vilanova also did a bag-up job on the graphics. The colors by Vinicius Andrade are expertly done with loads of shades of many colors to compliment the story. This is written in the style of Rod Serling, of course, but perhaps a bit more complex. There are moral questions to be answered here, and the characters have a hard time of it in our current world situation. Plenty of food for thought here, exactly the way I would come off of watching a Twight Zone episode on TV. This is a three-part series, with unique stories, but the other two haven't arrived yet. I couldn't wait to read this one.

[Keith · Rating 3 out of 5]

What would you do if you had a premonition of the destruction of entire city? Flee? Make sure your loved ones are safe? Or risk your own life to stop it? The main character is someone who frequently gave into the idea that she had no options, no opportunities, and no future. She has a hard time conceiving of making a difference in the world. Although the ending wasn't terribly satisfying, the premise held my interest throughout.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh look, Arab terrorists with dialogue that boils down to "We must strike at the heart of the infidel enemy and cleanse their wicked ways in the name of our god"

Groundbreaking.

It's mostly superb, but ugh I'm so tired of that.

[Jeff Mayo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not quite as good as the first volume, but still a strong entry. Hopefully Straczynski can tie up all the loose ends in the finale.

[Will Cooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

The stereotypical villain in this volume, but I really liked the main character's conundrums and lessons.