
Title	Supernatural: Origins
Medium	Comic
Creator(s)	Peter Johnson (writer) Matthew Dow Smith (artist) Ben Abernathy (editor)
Publisher	Wildstorm
Release Date	May 2, 2007-October 31, 2007
Link
Purchase	Via DC Comics

Supernatural: Origins is, as the title suggests, an 'origins' story about how John Winchester became a hunter (within a pre-series time frame). Narratively, it begins as a flashback at the end 1.01 Pilot. The story is told from a variety of viewpoints, encompassing a range of characters fans are already familiar with (such as Missouri Mosely, Ellen, and of course a young Dean and Sam). The comic was released on May 2nd, 2007, it was published under DC's Wildstorm imprint and was written by comic book writer Peter Johnson (who has previously produced material with Marvel Comics), he is also a co-executive producer on Supernatural. The trade paperback was released in April 2008.

Concept Art

From the official CW Origins website, concept art by Matthew Dow Smith:

Click to enlarge

Discrepancies Between Origins and the Show

On July 10th, Peter Johnson responded to the fans' outcry over the obvious discrepancies between the Origin comics and the shows' canon on Jack Myer's Media Village.

He claimed that they decided to make choices based on the character transformation of John from ex-Marine and husband to hunter of the supernatural, and that all choices have been made deliberately. (e.g. the Impala isn't in John's possession right from the beginning, because it adds to John's transformation)

Peter continues: "Lastly, please know that I am a genre fanatic and have been reading and collecting comics for 25+ years now and have nothing but respect for what fans feel and have to say about these kinds of issues, being a complete hardcore fanboy myself. It is with this kind of history and fervent love of this genre, and this show in particular, that I am approaching this comic series. It means the creative choices are being made with thought, thorough discussion and, occasionally, my gut. Which is never right all the time, but it's all I got."

The main controversy concerned the role of the Impala. In the teaser for the Pilot, John, Sam and Dean are clearly seen huddled together on the hood of the Impala as their house burns. In the Origins comics, Peter Johnson had John acquiring the Impala after Mary's death. Following a Q&A session with Cynthis Boris on Jack Myer's MediaVillage sitePeter Johnson returned with the following response Source:

I've given a huge amount of thought to the Impala issue and have arrived at a conclusion.

As you may know from previous posts, I felt early on that there would be creative and character-driven value to seeing John get the Impala during his journey in the aftermath of Mary's death. It was a decision, and Kripke and I talked about it. However, I'm in violent agreement with many of your comments that the car is the third character in the show, and that it represents a sanctuary for this family following the death of Mary. I like it as the constant that remains after her death - as Mousitsa (Anna) puts it: 'baby' was there to support her three men after the fire.

These comments have made profound impact, and I agree wholeheartedly with the thematics they represent for the SN universe - for both TV and comics. So, despite the fact that #1 and #2 have both been published, I am going to propose making adjustments to revert to John already having the Impala from the get-go when the issues are collected into the trade paperback. I would like to restore this notion to the comics.

I believe in my heart and gut that it would be the correct version, not just to match the shot of John and the boys of the hood of the Impala in the pilot teaser, but much more importantly, for what the car represents in the continuity of the family -- before and after Mary's death. I'll be talking to DC about this on Monday.

In December 2007, Peter Johnson confirmed that the history of the Impala would be changed to the canon established in the Pilot, with the release of the trade paperback of Origins in April 2008.Source.

From "Previews" Magazine, March 2007

The March 2007 edition of Previews magazine printed the first few pages of the upcoming comic. The scans below are care of midnightbex.

Click to enlarge	Text Reads: The hit CW television show arrives in comics form with an incredible new look into the mythos of the series with SUPERNATURAL: ORIGINS! After witnessing the murder of his wife at the hands of a demon, patriarch John Winchester begins a journey into the dark world of the supernatural, seeking a way to hunt down and kill the creature that took his wife. But what of his two young sons, Dean and Sam? How can a newly widowed father balance fighting evil with raising his children? Is fatherhood a distant second to his obsessive hunt? Plus, don't miss an amazing back-up story by fan-favorite writer Geoff Johns (52, TEEN TITANS) and artist Phil Hester (GREEN ARROW)! On sale May 2 - 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US
Click to enlarge	Text reads from upper right down: Not sure what I'm doing up here, Mary. Just felt like I had to come. Elton Ridge - it's where you told me you'd marry me. Long time ago. But now... no one's real happy with me right now. Guess I can't blame 'em. I wouldn't even give you a funeral. But how can you have a funeral when you've seen what I've seen? How can you shake the hands of family and friends, catching sorrow in their eyes as you bury a secret a little deeper in your gut? How do you stand alongside a man of god who's reading from the Bible and talking about Heaven and peace on Earth? You weren't in peace, Mary. That much I know. As for the rest of it-
Click to enlarge	Text reads from upper right down: I'm about to find out.
Click to enlarge	Text reads from upper right down: I promise you that much. With all my heart and soul. But I'll tell you this, Mary. I'm a little lost right now. The boys... seems like Sam can't stop crying ever since. Like he's got something terrible inside. And Dean... Dean hasn't uttered a word since I told him you're gone. Just looks at me a lot. Maybe he's wondering why I couldn't do anything. Or maybe he's waiting. Waiting for me to do something about it now. But where do I start?