The origin story of Geoff Johns doesn't involve any radioactive spiders, gamma rays or distant, imperiled planets.

But while the tale of the MSU film student turned comic book virtuoso is built upon ideas less super-human, the results are no less "amazing" or "uncanny."

Just a decade ago, the comic book writer was slinging greasy food as a cook in the Abbot Hall cafeteria. Today, Johns is one of the most renowned comic book writers in the business, with editorial power over some of the greatest pop culture icons ever created — including Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman.

Johns has already written two issues of "Infinite Crisis," an epic seven-issue DC Comics miniseries that will conclude with a company-wide relaunch of all books. The miniseries is a sequel to the successful 1985 miniseries "Crisis on Infinite Earths," which included nearly every DC Comics character in existence at the time.

Johns was 12 when "Crisis on Infinite Earths" arrived at his local drugstore.

"There were like a million characters," he said, laughing.

Johns had grown up on superhero comic books, reading everything from the popular titles such as X-Men and Batman, to the more obscure such as Suicide Squad and Sandman. In the years to come, he would be writing them.

"I was a kid and I loved it."

Popular comic hooks Johns

Johns grew up in Detroit and later moved to Clarkston before arriving in East Lansing. He studied telecommunication and film at MSU, and served as president of the student film club for three years.

In his junior year, the club raised about $25,000 and shot a 30-minute short film called "Open 'Til Midnight." The film followed a young man who wants to hook up with a woman but gets caught up in a crime when he goes to the drugstore to buy condoms.

Johns also spent time at Bilbo's Pizza in a Pan (now The Post) and Buffalo Wild Wings, as well as local comic shops.

While he was in college, DC Comics published the legendary "The Death of Superman" story arch, and Johns said he was hooked.

"A new issue came out every week," he said. "For us back then, it was huge."

Johns helped pay for college and his comic book kick by working the morning shift in the Abbot Hall cafeteria, a job he loathed.

"I'd stay up all night playing "Mortal Kombat" with my roommate and I'd have to get up at five," he said.

Johns said his early-morning chores reached an all-time low when he arrived at work to find all the cafeteria televisions playing the "Tiny Toons" cartoon. His boss informed him that the breakfast had a "Tiny Toons" theme and all food would be prepared accordingly.

He spent the next few hours flipping thousands of miniature, silver dollar-sized pancakes.

"Literally, I had like 200 on my grill," he said. "I had like 200 sausage mini-links?

"It was awful."

Johns eventually quit the job and took another one at MSU's Comm Tech Lab, where he continued to work after his 1995 graduation.

His co-worker in the lab and roommate Brian Winn said he and Johns would see "basically every movie that came out," and would often play video games, sometimes for more than 24 straight hours.

When Winn designed a video game, Johns drew the cover in a comic book art style.

When Johns needed help with his screenplays, Winn would offer his critiques.

"He's obviously a very driven person," said Winn, who is now a telecommunication, information studies and media assistant professor at MSU. "He was very interested in going out to Hollywood and becoming a scriptwriter."

Johns' passion for screenwriting wouldn't die, and after about a year at the Comm Tech Lab, he quit his job, packed up and headed for the West Coast.

"I didn't even think about it," Johns said. "I just left. I was more excited about it than anything."

Johns starts with movies

Johns moved into a two-bedroom apartment in Los Angeles with three other guys. He had $1,500 and his monthly rent was $250. For the first two months, all he ate was Pringles chips, Coke and grilled cheese sandwiches made in his roommate's $20 sandwich maker.

"I was on a tighter budget than I was in college," he said.

He landed an internship with "Superman" director Richard Donner's production company and went on to be Donner's assistant for about four years. It was during shooting for the movie "Conspiracy Theory" in New York City that Johns met some people at New York-based DC Comics. They encouraged him to pitch them an idea, he did, and in July 1999, DC published the first issue of "Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E.," which he wrote about a Nebraska-based superheroine and her robot sidekick.

Throughout the next few years, Johns became more involved with comics, writing "JSA", "The Flash", "Green Lantern" and "Hawkman", and launching a new "Teen Titans" series for DC Comics, as well as writing "The Avengers" for rival Marvel Comics.

The first issue of the monthly "Infinite Crisis" series arrived in stores in October.

Jill Smethers, co-owner of three Comic City comic shops in southeast Michigan, said Johns has garnered a strong following among comic fans.

Before Johns' parents moved from their Clarkston home to Palm Springs, Calif., his mother would often visit Smethers' store in Pontiac to pick up her son's works. When Johns visited from Los Angeles, he stopped by the store to check it out and chat with fans.

"I don't know how many people are actually aware he's from there," Smethers said. "I don't think (his success) has to do with him being a Michigan writer. It's because he happens to be an excellent writer.

"He's really made a good name for himself as a great comic writer."

His skill is evident in the success of "Infinite Crisis", Smethers said, adding that the three stores have sold hundreds of copies of the first issue since it was released on Oct. 12.

"The waiting for it was great, the people were not disappointed," she said.

The books have been selling similarly well at Johns' alma mater.

Damon Williams, manager at 21st Century Comics & Games, 515 E. Grand River Ave., said he's noticed a lot of excitement from customers about the miniseries.

The store's 80 copies of the first issue of "Infinite Crisis" sold within a week.

Future includes movies and comics

Johns is married and still lives in Los Angeles, where he shares a writing studio with fellow comic writers Jeph Loeb and Allan Heinberg. Heinberg also worked as a co-executive producer on the Fox series, "The OC."

Johns has also returned to his screenwriting roots, writing a "Blade" television series based in Detroit for the cable channel Spike TV.

Johns said he's plotted the entire "Infinite Crisis" series, but still needs to script the final issues. On average, Johns said he works about 10 hours each day. After the miniseries ends, he'll continue to write "Teen Titans" and "Green Lantern" for DC Comics.

Johns said he's excited to be at the helm of "Infinite Crisis", adding that large comic book events, such as "The Death of Superman" that reeled him in when he was in college, can grab the general public's attention and shouldn't be wasted. They're too rare.

"It's supposed to be a jumping-on point for everybody," Johns said. "I hope we get a lot of people picking up these books."