Forschung-Direkt

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

Into 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 you might think about Straczynski, you can never accuse the guy of being 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 tell and feels compelled to put pen to paper, because if he does not tell these tales, then no body else will.

Now, having read “Becoming Superman,” I finally understand why that is the case — as well as the story leading up to it is really not entirely a happy one. In this memoir (or autobiography — it’s a little of both), Straczynski details a lifetime of hardship, abuse and trauma, culminating within the darkest secret in his family’s 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 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 foundation story

Reading the very first half 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 initial few chapters regarding the book are not about the author at all, but alternatively, his grandfather Kazimir along with his father, Charles. There is deception, violence, bigotry, incest and wa — and that is all ahead of when the writer was even born.

Without going into great detail, Charles was something of a Nazi sympathizer, having tagged along with a small squadron of German soldiers while trapped in Poland during World War II. Over and over 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.

Considering that the mystery of Vishnevo is among 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 regarding the storyline in dribs and drabs at a pretty pace that is regular the book. Exactly like with a detective that is good, your reader paper writer must hunt for clues, content within the knowledge that everything should come together in a satisfying (albeit horrific) conclusion eventually.

What is a harder that is little stomach may be the incredible violence that the author and his two younger sisters endured at Charles’ hands. Straczynski will not shy away from describing his father’s continual verbal, psychological and 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 fact, if “Becoming Superman” has a major weakness, it’s that the initial half of the book is grueling in its depictions of poverty, callousness and viciousness. If the events described weren’t true, the writing might feel lurid that is downright. For Straczynski, I imagine that finally breaking the silence about his traumatic childhood was cathartic. For young readers that are currently in similar situations, it might be instructive. But there isn’t any denying that the half that is second of book is a lot more enjoyable to read.

Sci-fi and superheroes

Straczynski spent his childhood moving across the country every few months, usually whenever Charles necessary to dodge creditors after a failed scheme that is get-rich-quick. But simply as things settled down for the 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 show that is different and the behind-the-scenes tales are amusing and informative for anyone who had been ever curious about the way the entertainment industry sausage gets made. Within the last 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 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, in addition to how he faced the challenges inherent in each genre. And even though shows like “The Real Ghostbusters” and “Captain Power and also the Soldiers for the future” were only a little before my time, the chapters about them were probably my favorite when you look at the book.

Straczynski and his writing crews took “Ghosbusters” and “Captain Power” extremely seriously, although the series were ostensibly just tie-ins to market 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 who would go out of their way to read a Straczynski memoir are most likely knowledgeable about one (or both) regarding the major TV series that he created: “Babylon 5″ and “Sense8.” Those shows get lots of attention, particularly toward the final end regarding the book.

“Becoming Superman” isn’t exactly a tell-all; you aren’t going to learn any juicy information that you did not know already, or suspect, about what went on behind the scenes. But you will get a thorough explanation of how each show stumbled on be — and how powerful network forces almost stopped “Babylon 5″ dead with its tracks. (Netflix seemed a tad bit more creator-friendly, at least up to it canceled “Sense8,” despite fans’ vociferous objections.)

Truth be told, I expected “Babylon 5″ and “Sense8″ to take up a big chunk for the book — and, even though i might have now been pleased to find out more about them, I’m glad which they did not. There clearly was a propensity to concentrate on a creator’s wins and minimize his or her losses. But, as Straczynski himself points out in the book, every part of his career shaped who he is as a writer, and also as an individual.

Walking away from a dream gig on “the actual Ghostbusters” was just like important as watching “Jeremiah” crumble, which paved the way to writing the story when it comes to “Thor” film. If Straczynski may seem like a success that is massive it’s only because he’s been happy to endure a great deal failure as you go along.

I would be delighted to be wrong), I 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) if I had to guess (and. Straczynski’s book is a tad too self-effacing, a little too fun and perhaps just 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 a sense in “Becoming Superman” that you’ren’t just listening to a stranger rattle off his life story. It’s a lot more like a casual acquaintance opening your decision over a couple of beers, and then you realize there clearly was a good reason you liked this person from the start.

So come for the favourite sci-fi characters, stay for the intriguing family mystery, and learn a thing or two about how precisely great writers will come from unlikely origins.