‘Becoming Superman’ Reveals Origin Story for ‘Babylon 5’ Creator

When you look at the foreword to «Becoming Superman» by J. Michael Straczynski, Neil Gaiman explains that Straczynski «works harder than anyone I’ve met in film and TV.»

This description rings true for me while i’m admittedly not a Hollywood insider. Since 1984, Straczynski has been writing for television — everything from campy animation to high-minded sci-fi. He also spent six years writing Marvel’s «The Amazing Spider-Man» flagship book that is comic and then he wrote a BAFTA-nominated film starring Angelina Jolie and directed by Clint Eastwood. Other things that you may think of Straczynski, you could never accuse the guy to be idle.

Even before reading «Becoming Superman» (HarperCollins, July 2019), I always had the impression that Straczynski wrote so prolifically not because he wanted to but because he absolutely had to. The person simply has lots of stories to share with and feels compelled to put pen to paper, because then no one else will if he doesn’t tell these tales.

Now, having read «Becoming Superman,» I finally understand just why that is the case — while the story leading up to it is really not entirely a happy one. In this memoir (or autobiography — it is a little of both), Straczynski details a life of hardship, abuse and trauma, culminating into the darkest secret in his family members’ past: an honest-to-goodness murder mystery.

«Becoming Superman» is half family drama, half showbiz that is behind-the-scenes, with a little writing advice and some life lessons sprinkled in. The writing in the book is earnest, straightforward, incisive, often funny and occasionally very bitter like Straczynski’s TV shows and comics. I don’t know if it’ll have massive appeal beyond Straczynski’s existing fan base — but given exactly how many scores of fans he is entranced over the years, I imagine that’s still a pretty sizable niche.

The origin story

Reading the first 50 % of Straczynski’s memoir, i really couldn’t help but recall the opening lines of Leo Tolstoy’s «Anna Karenina»: «All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy with its own way.»

To express that Straczynski originated in an family that is unhappy be an understatement. The initial few chapters of this book are not about the author at all, but instead, his grandfather Kazimir along with his father, Charles. There is deception, violence, bigotry, war and incest — and that is all well before the author was even born.

Without going into great detail, Charles was something of a Nazi sympathizer, having tagged along with a squadron that is small of soldiers while trapped in Poland during World War II. Over and over, through the book, Charles and his relatives allude to Vishnevo, a Belarusian town where an unrepeatable family secret must stay buried.

Considering that the mystery of Vishnevo is just one of the primary threads that keeps the plot of «Becoming Superman» moving, i will not spoil it here. However, it really is worth pointing out that Straczynski does an admirable job of sharing information on the story in dribs and drabs at a fairly regular pace throughout the book. The same as with a good detective novel, your reader must search for clues, content within the knowledge that everything will come together in a satisfying (albeit horrific) conclusion eventually.

What exactly is a harder that is little stomach could be the incredible violence that the author along with his two younger sisters endured at Charles’ hands. Straczynski does not shy far from describing his father’s continual verbal, psychological and essay writer physical abuse. Some of the scenes in «Becoming Superman» are so devastating, it feels like a miracle that Straczynski made it out alive — much less with a modicum of sanity intact from broken teeth, to sexual assault, to attempted murder.

In reality, if «Becoming Superman» has a major weakness, it really is that the very first 50 % of the book is grueling in its depictions of poverty, callousness and viciousness. In the event that events described were not true, the writing might feel downright lurid. For Straczynski, I imagine that finally breaking the silence about his childhood that is traumatic was. For young readers who will be currently in similar situations, it might be instructive. But there isn’t any denying that the half that is second of book will be a lot more enjoyable to read.

Sci-fi and superheroes

Straczynski spent his childhood moving across the country every couple of months, usually whenever Charles needed to dodge creditors after a failed get-rich-quick scheme. But just as things settled down when it comes to author after college, the book settles into an infinitely more comfortable pattern in its second half. This is where the material will get really interesting if you’re interested in Straczynski primarily as a creator.

After kicking off his writing career as a freelance journalist, Straczynski moved through the worlds of TV, comic books and have films, where his credits include «the zone that is twilight (1986), «Murder, She Wrote,» «Rising Stars,» «Spider-Man,» «Changeling» and «World War Z.»

Each chapter tells the storyline of a different show, plus the behind-the-scenes tales are amusing and informative for anybody who was simply ever curious about the way the entertainment industry sausage gets made. Over the past three decades, Straczynski has crossed paths with George R.R. Martin, Angela Lansbury, Ron Howard, the Wachowskis and a veritable «who’s who» of genre film and television.

If those names mean almost anything to you, «Becoming Superman» is an sell that is easy or even, you may still enjoy a glimpse into Straczynski’s creative process. He discusses the fine points of writing for animation, live-action TV, comic books and have films, as well as how he faced the difficulties inherent in each genre. Even though shows like «the Ghostbusters that is real «Captain Power together with Soldiers of the Future» were a little before my time, the chapters about them were probably my personal favorite in the book.

Straczynski along with his writing crews took «Ghosbusters» and «Captain Power» extremely seriously, although the series were ostensibly just tie-ins to offer toys. Each program had character depth, setting consistency and narrative continuity, and Straczynski staked his reputation on keeping these implies that way.

Of course, most readers that would walk out their way to read a Straczynski memoir are probably familiar with one (or both) associated with TV that is major that he created: «Babylon 5» and «Sense8.» Those shows get plenty of attention, particularly toward the final end associated with book.

«Becoming Superman» isn’t exactly a tell-all; you aren’t likely to learn any juicy information that you didn’t already know just, or suspect, in what went on behind the scenes. But you’ll get a thorough explanation of how each show stumbled on be — and how network that is powerful almost stopped «Babylon 5» dead in its tracks. (Netflix seemed a little more creator-friendly, at least up until it canceled «Sense8,» despite fans’ vociferous objections.)

In all honesty, I expected «Babylon 5» and «Sense8» to take up a large chunk associated with the book — and, even though i might have already been happy to find out more about them, I’m glad that they did not. There is certainly a tendency to focus on a creator’s wins and minimize his / her losses. But, as Straczynski himself points out in the written book, every element of his career shaped who he could be as a writer, so that as an individual.

Walking out of a dream gig on «the Ghostbusters that is real just as important as watching «Jeremiah» crumble, which paved the way to writing the story for the «Thor» film. If Straczynski may seem like a massive success, it’s only because he is been willing to endure a great deal failure along the way.

If I had to guess (and I also could be delighted to be wrong), i really don’t think that «Becoming Superman» is going to become the next «hardscrabble-child-becomes-celebrated-adult» bestseller, а la Tara Westover’s «Educated» (Random House, 2018). Straczynski’s book is a tad too self-effacing, a little too fun and perhaps only a little too niche to attract an mainstream crowd that is enormous.

For fans of Straczynski’s work, though, that is a thing that is good. There is an awareness in «Becoming Superman» you arenot only listening to a stranger rattle off his life story. It is a lot more like a casual acquaintance opening for you to decide over a couple of beers, and then you realize there was a good reason you liked this person from the start.

So come for the favourite sci-fi characters, stay for the family that is intriguing, and learn a thing or two about how exactly great writers may come from unlikely origins.