John Ostrander is an American writer of comics. Originally an actor in a Chicago theatre company, he moved into writing comics in 1983. His first published works were stories about "Sargon, Mistress of War" published in the First Comics series "Warp", based on a series of plays by that same Chicago theatre company. He is co-creator of the character Grimjack with Timothy Truman, published originally as a back up story in the First Comics title, Starslayer, before going on to appear in a comic of the same name, again published by First Comics in the mid 1980s. First Comics ceased publication in 1991, and Ostrander went on to work at other comics companies. The term writer can apply to anyone who creates a written work, but the word more usually designates those who write creatively or professionally, or those who have written in many different forms. ... Comics (sometimes spelled comix) are combinations of words and images into a medium for telling stories. ... Chicago, Illinois — officially the City of Chicago and colloquially known as Chicago, the Second City and the Windy City — is the third largest city of the United States after New York City and Los Angeles and is the largest inland city of the nation. ... Theatre is that branch of the performing arts concerned with acting out stories in front of an audience using combinations of speech, gesture, music, dance, sound and spectacle — indeed any one or more elements of the other performing arts. ... 1983 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... First Comics was an American publisher of comic books. ... The comic book GrimJack was a comic book that ran from 1984 through 1991. ... First Comics was an American publisher of comic books. ... Starslayer is a comic book series published starting in 1981 by American writer and artist Mike Grell starring the time-displaced Celtic warrior Torin MacQuillon. ... First Comics was an American publisher of comic books. ... 1980 is a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... 1991 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Prior to his career in comic books, Ostrander studied theology with the intent of becoming a Catholic priest. His in-depth explorations of morality were later used in his work writing The Spectre, a series about the manifestation of the wrath of God. His focus on the character's human aspect, a dead cop named Jim Corrigan, and his exploration of moral and theological themes brought new life to a character often thought of as impossible to write. He has also worked on Firestorm, Justice League, Martian Manhunter, Manhunter, and Suicide Squad. Theology is literally reasonable discourse concerning God (Greek θεος, theos, God, + λογος, logos, word or reason). By extension, it also refers to the study of other religious topics. ... Roman Catholic priest LCDR Allen R. Kuss (USN) aboard USS Enterprise A priest or priestess is a holy man or woman who takes an officiating role in worship of any religion, with the distinguishing characteristic of offering sacrifices. ... Cover to The Spectre #31, November 1989. ... Firestorm the Nuclear Man is a DC Comics-owned super-hero, created in 1978 by writer Gerry Conway and artist Allen Milgrom. ... The Martian Manhunter (Jonn Jonzz), is a comic book superhero appearing in DC Comics. ... Manhunter may refer to: Manhunter, an individual who hunts human beings for sport or profit. ... Suicide Squad is a name for a variety of organizations created for and owned by DC Comics. ...

From the mid-1980s until her death from breast cancer in 1997, Ostrander frequently co-wrote with his wife Kim Yale. It was while working with her that he made what is probably his most lasting contribution to the DC Universe: the recasting of Barbara Gordon, the former Batgirl, into the information and computer specialist Oracle. // Events and trends The 1980s marked an abrupt shift towards more conservative lifestyles after the momentous cultural revolutions which took place in the 1960s and 1970s and the definition of the AIDS virus in 1981. ... Breast cancer is cancer of breast tissue. ... 1997 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Kim Yale was a writer and editor of comic books for multiple comic book companies, including Marvel, DC, and First. ... The DC Universe (DCU) is the fictional shared setting where most of the comic stories published by DC Comics take place. ... Batgirl is a DC Comics superhero, a female crime-fighter modeled after and associated with Batman. ... Oracle is a fictional character, the nom de guerre of a superhero appearing in the publications of DC Comics. ...

At Marvel comics, Ostrander has also worked on X-Men, Bishop, Quicksilver, Heroes for Hire and the Punisher. The X-Men are a group of comic book superheroes featured in Marvel Comics. ... Bishop, alias Lucas Bishop, is a comic book fictional character in Marvel Comics universe. ... Quicksilver (Pietro Maximoff) is a comic book superhero in the Marvel Comics universe, a hot-headed, arrogant mutant with superhuman speed and reflexes. ... Power Man and Iron Fist was a Marvel comic book featuring Power Man and Iron Fist. ... The Punisher (Frank Castle) is a Marvel Comics anti-hero. ...

Ostrander has also written for other comics companies: Hotspur for Eclipse Comics; Lady Death for Chaos! Comics; Magnus, Robot Fighter, Rai and the Future Force, and Eternal Warrior for Valiant Comics. Henry Percy was the name of several nobles in the line that produced the earls of Northumberland. ... Eclipse Comics was an independent American comic book publisher in the 1980s. ... Magnus, Robot Fighter 4000 A.D. #11 (August, 1965), Gold Key Comics Magnus, Robot Fighter is a fictional character who first appeared in #1, published by Gold Key Comics in February, 1963. ... RAI (Radiotelevisione Italiana) is the primary Italian radio and television broadcasting system. ... Company logo (1991-1995) Valiant Comics was a comic book publishing company founded by former Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Jim Shooter and writer/artist Bob Layton in 1989. ...

Ostrander is currently one of the main writers on Star Wars: Republic for Dark Horse Comics, and many of his story arcs, such as "Twilight", "Darkness", and "The Clone Wars" stories are available in trade paperbacks.

External links

• John Ostrander discussion at theforce.net Message Boards