JMS Comics Tier List

I've enjoyed nearly everything that JMS (J. Michael Straczynski) has created: Babylon 5 is my favorite TV show, Midnight Nation is my favorite comic, etc.  Since JMS has written a number of comics, and I haven't read all of them, I decided to make a tier list and add some mini-reviews below! 

The rules: 1) All views are my own.  2) I'm only rating the comics I can actually get ahold of.  (JMS has written some one-shots that I can't find anywhere, so they'll never be in the tier list.)  3) The "Unread" category below includes some comics that I've actually read - it's just been so long that I have no opinion about them.  So rereading them before putting them in my tier list seems in order.  4) The rank order goes from top to bottom (with S tier as the highest) and from left to right.

Mini Reviews:

S Tier:

Midnight Nation: As mentioned above, this is not only my favorite JMS comic but my favorite comic of all time across all the thousands that I've read.  Its message of hope has gotten me through some dark times and its story is exquisite!  S+++++++++∞  tier!! 

Twilight Zone: One of the things that I like about JMS is how he plots out stories before he even begins writing.  That talent is on full display here with his interlocking 12-issue story; it plays out perfectly.  (Well, as perfectly as anything goes in the Twilight Zone!)  He nails the "tone" of the Twilight Zone superbly, the art is amazing, and the philosophical topics he addresses will resonate with all thoughtful persons.

A Tier:

Dream Police: I understand that getting this series completed was a great challenge, but I'm so glad it finally was finished.  The entire series is JMS' love letter to Dragnet and focuses on the "dream police": Cops who keep us safe while we dream every night.  "God is in the details.  Or is that the devil?  I can never remember..." indeed!

Sidekick: What happens to a sidekick after the hero dies?  That's a profoundly interesting question... and this series exists to answer it.  For my money, this series is the most Garth Ennis-esque work that JMS has done (perhaps most like Ennis in his Punisher MAX run).  It's dark and depressing but heartfelt series exploring themes about loss, villainy, and free choice.  It's rated M, so keep the kiddos away from this one.  

B Tier:

Book of Lost Souls: This book oozes with unfulfilled possibility.  A mere six issues were made before the series ended prematurely, so the story is forever unfinished.  This series was clearly headed in a strong direction...before it crashed to its untimely halt.  Colleen Doran's illustration pairs perfectly with JMS' words; issue 2 in particular is one of the most beautiful comics that I've ever read ever.  But I know that everything in these six issues is all we're likely to get, and that's why it's in the B tier.  A true pity.  "Besides, all love is unrequited.  Haven't you heard?"

C Tier:

The Adventures of Apocalypse Al:  This is the first JMS series that I felt genuinely "meh" about.  It's okay, it's fine, but it's nothing special - and I've never felt that about any of JMS' other works.  The high part of this four-issue series, for me, was Issue 3 where Definitely-Not-Walt-Disney gets eaten by Definitely-Not-Mickey-Mouse.  But aside from that and a couple of other nifty ideas (like Al having a ghost boyfriend and the character Ultimate Darkness), it just seemed pointlessly crass, plodding, and uninteresting.  Of course a middling JMS comic is still better than 80% of the dreck that's out there, but this is far from his best work.  I'd recommend skipping this one entirely.