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

Within 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 sci-fi that is high-minded. He also spent six years writing Marvel’s “The Amazing Spider-Man” flagship comic book, and he wrote a BAFTA-nominated film starring Angelina Jolie and directed by Clint Eastwood. Other things that you might think of Straczynski, you might 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 absolutely had to because he wanted to but. 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 why that is the case — plus the story leading professionalresumesolutions.com up to it isn’t entirely a happy one. In this memoir (or autobiography — it is a bit 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 behind-the-scenes showbiz anecdotes, with a little writing advice and some life lessons sprinkled in. Like Straczynski’s TV shows and comics, the writing in the book is earnest, straightforward, incisive, often funny and occasionally very bitter. I’m not sure I imagine that’s still a pretty sizable niche if it will have massive appeal beyond Straczynski’s existing fan base — but given how many millions of fans he’s entranced over the years.

The origin story

Reading the very first 1 / 2 of Straczynski’s memoir, i possibly couldn’t help but recall the opening lines of Leo Tolstoy’s “Anna Karenina”: “All happy families are alike; each family that is unhappy unhappy in its own way.”

To express that Straczynski came from an family that is unhappy be an understatement. The very first few chapters for the written book are not concerning the author at all, but alternatively, his grandfather Kazimir and his father, Charles. There’s deception, violence, bigotry, war and incest — and that’s all prior to the author was even born.

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

Because the mystery of Vishnevo is amongst the primary threads that keeps the plot of “Becoming Superman” moving, I won’t spoil it here. However, it really is worth pointing out that Straczynski does an admirable job of sharing details about the storyline in dribs and drabs at a fairly regular pace throughout the book. The same as with a detective that is good, the reader must search for clues, content into the knowledge that everything should come together in a satisfying (albeit horrific) conclusion eventually.

What is a little harder to stomach may be the incredible violence that the author along with his two younger sisters endured at Charles’ hands. Straczynski will not shy away from describing his father’s continual verbal, psychological and physical abuse. From broken teeth, to sexual assault, to attempted murder, some of the scenes in “Becoming Superman” are so devastating, it feels as though a miracle that Straczynski managed to make it out alive — a lot less with a modicum of sanity intact.

In reality, if “Becoming Superman” has a weakness that is major it is that the initial 50 % of the book is grueling with its depictions of poverty, callousness and viciousness. If the events described were not true, the writing might feel lurid that is downright. For Straczynski, I that is amazing finally breaking the silence about his traumatic childhood was cathartic. For young readers who are currently in similar situations, it may be instructive. But there’s no denying that the last half associated with book is a lot more pleasurable to learn.

Sci-fi and superheroes

Straczynski spent his childhood moving across the country every few months, usually whenever Charles needed seriously 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. If you are enthusiastic about Straczynski primarily as a creator, this is when the materials can get really interesting.

After kicking off his writing career as a freelance journalist, Straczynski moved through the worlds of TV, comic books and feature films, where his credits include “The Twilight Zone” (1986), “Murder, She Wrote,” “Rising Stars,” “Spider-Man,” “Changeling” and “World War Z.”

Each chapter tells the storyline of a different show, in addition to behind-the-scenes tales are amusing and informative for anybody who was simply ever interested in the way the entertainment industry sausage gets made. The Wachowskis and a veritable “who’s who” of genre film and television over the past three decades, Straczynski has crossed paths with George R.R. Martin, Angela Lansbury, Ron Howard.

If those names mean almost anything to you, “Becoming Superman” is an easy sell; if not, 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 feature films, along with how he faced the difficulties inherent in each genre. And even though shows like “the true Ghostbusters” and “Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future” were a little before my time, the chapters about them were probably my personal favorite into the book.

Straczynski and his writing crews took “Ghosbusters” and “Captain Power” extremely seriously, even though 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 suggests that way.

Of course, most readers who does go out of their option to read a Straczynski memoir are likely familiar with one (or both) of the TV that is major that he created: “Babylon 5” and “Sense8.” Those shows get a lot of attention, particularly toward the final end associated with book.

“Becoming Superman” isn’t exactly a tell-all; you’re not likely to learn any juicy information that you did not already know just, or suspect, by what went on behind the scenes. But you will get an extensive explanation of how each show came to be — and how network that is powerful almost stopped “Babylon 5” dead with its tracks. (Netflix seemed a little more creator-friendly, at least up until it canceled “Sense8,” despite fans’ vociferous objections.)

Truth be told, I expected “Babylon 5” and “Sense8” to use up a large chunk for the book — and, even about them, I’m glad that they didn’t though I would have been happy to read more. There was a tendency to concentrate on a creator’s wins and minimize his or 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, and also as an individual.

Walking away from a dream gig on “the Ghostbusters that is real in the same way important as watching “Jeremiah” crumble, which paved the way to writing the story for the “Thor” film. If Straczynski appears like a success that is massive it’s only because he’s been willing to endure so much failure as you go along.

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

For fans of Straczynski’s work, though, that is a thing that is good. There is an awareness in “Becoming Superman” that you’ren’t just listening to a stranger rattle off his life story. It’s similar to a casual acquaintance opening up to you over a few beers, and after that you realize there is a good reason you liked this person right away.

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