J Michael Straczynski; Neil Gaiman

Becoming Superman : My Journey from Poverty to Hollywood (Hardcover)

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Becoming Superman : My Journey from Poverty to Hollywood (Hardcover)

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5 out of 5stars
(3 reviews)
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Most helpful positive review

5.00 out of 5 stars review
Verified Purchaser
07/10/2020
J. Michael Straczynski could have played it safe. He's been the creator, showrunner, or producer for several successful live action television shows, as well as a couple of animated series - all of which performed better when he was associated with them than when he was not. He's had successful runs as a novelist, comic book writer, and screenwriter. Before any of that, he was a successful journalist. When he sat down to write his autobiography, he could have focused entirely on his professional life, detailing his time writing for She-Ra, The Real Ghostbusters, regaling readers with his experiences showrunning Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future. He could have spent chapter after chapter talking about bringing Babylon 5, Jeremiah, and Sense8 to the screen. No one would have complained at all had he spent the pages of the book discussing how he wrote Spider-Man, Thor, and Superman, or any of the other projects he worked on. Those things are all in this book, although not as much as one might think, because Straczynski had another story to tell, a story that involved absolutely not playing it safe. In Avengers: Infinity War, Dr. Strange says that he looked at fourteen million possible futures to find the one where the Avengers are able to prevent Thanos from eradicating half the population of the Universe and defeat the mad titan. After reading Becoming Superman, I feel like there are fourteen million alternate universes in which J. Michael Straczynski never broke free of his past and was never able to produce the wonderful body of work that we have been able to enjoy for the last couple of decades. There are universes where Straczynski didn't survive infancy, killed by his depressed and unstable mother. There are universes where he died of sickness and neglect, or where he was abducted and killed on the streets of New Jersey. There are universes in which his abusive father went too far and left the boy version of Straczynski too shattered to continue. Or where the constant stream of violence and neglect was compounded by the institutional indifference of the schools that were supposed to educate him, resulting in Straczynski's life being derailed into crime, addiction, or simple despair. [More forthcoming]
StormRaven

Most helpful negative review

5.00 out of 5 stars review
Verified Purchaser
07/10/2020
J. Michael Straczynski could have played it safe. He's been the creator, showrunner, or producer for several successful live action television shows, as well as a couple of animated series - all of which performed better when he was associated with them than when he was not. He's had successful runs as a novelist, comic book writer, and screenwriter. Before any of that, he was a successful journalist. When he sat down to write his autobiography, he could have focused entirely on his professional life, detailing his time writing for She-Ra, The Real Ghostbusters, regaling readers with his experiences showrunning Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future. He could have spent chapter after chapter talking about bringing Babylon 5, Jeremiah, and Sense8 to the screen. No one would have complained at all had he spent the pages of the book discussing how he wrote Spider-Man, Thor, and Superman, or any of the other projects he worked on. Those things are all in this book, although not as much as one might think, because Straczynski had another story to tell, a story that involved absolutely not playing it safe. In Avengers: Infinity War, Dr. Strange says that he looked at fourteen million possible futures to find the one where the Avengers are able to prevent Thanos from eradicating half the population of the Universe and defeat the mad titan. After reading Becoming Superman, I feel like there are fourteen million alternate universes in which J. Michael Straczynski never broke free of his past and was never able to produce the wonderful body of work that we have been able to enjoy for the last couple of decades. There are universes where Straczynski didn't survive infancy, killed by his depressed and unstable mother. There are universes where he died of sickness and neglect, or where he was abducted and killed on the streets of New Jersey. There are universes in which his abusive father went too far and left the boy version of Straczynski too shattered to continue. Or where the constant stream of violence and neglect was compounded by the institutional indifference of the schools that were supposed to educate him, resulting in Straczynski's life being derailed into crime, addiction, or simple despair. [More forthcoming]
StormRaven
  • 5.00 out of 5 stars review
    Verified Purchaser
    05/15/2021
    If this story were fiction, no one…
    If this story were fiction, no one would believe it. The cover gives you an idea--murder, madness, cults, and war crimes. No father in any biography I have ever read--or any work of fiction I have read--falls to the depths of Straczynski's father's cruelty and abuse. By rights, he should have been locked up for life. The portions of the text dealing with his almost nightly beatings of Straczynski's mother and his abuse of his son are painful to listen to. Somehow, Straczynski survives, and the book recounts his struggles and ultimate success (with more struggles in between) in the fields of journalism, cartoons, television, comics, and movies. The last chapters, fittingly for someone who majored in psychology, exhort readers (and listeners) to reach out for help if they need it (echoing Straczynski's stories of actors on Babylon 5 who sought help and who didn't) and to never give up your dreams and always resist the "Tyranny of Responsible Voices" of well-meaning friends and relatives. This is a very personal story, but there are also interesting insights into Straczynski's various creative endeavors, from Babylon 5 to Changeling to comic books, etc. Readers/listeners will recognize some of this book's true life characters and incidents as they appear in Straczynski's fictional work. This is not an easy read or listen, but it is an unforgettable story. Peter Jurasik does a fine job reading it--but, unfortunately, not in his Lando voice. On second thought, given the subject matter, that's a good thing.
    datrappert
  • 5.00 out of 5 stars review
    Verified Purchaser
    07/10/2020
    J. Michael Straczynski could have played it safe. He's been the creator, showrunner, or producer for several successful live action television shows, as well as a couple of animated series - all of which performed better when he was associated with them than when he was not. He's had successful runs as a novelist, comic book writer, and screenwriter. Before any of that, he was a successful journalist. When he sat down to write his autobiography, he could have focused entirely on his professional life, detailing his time writing for She-Ra, The Real Ghostbusters, regaling readers with his experiences showrunning Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future. He could have spent chapter after chapter talking about bringing Babylon 5, Jeremiah, and Sense8 to the screen. No one would have complained at all had he spent the pages of the book discussing how he wrote Spider-Man, Thor, and Superman, or any of the other projects he worked on. Those things are all in this book, although not as much as one might think, because Straczynski had another story to tell, a story that involved absolutely not playing it safe. In Avengers: Infinity War, Dr. Strange says that he looked at fourteen million possible futures to find the one where the Avengers are able to prevent Thanos from eradicating half the population of the Universe and defeat the mad titan. After reading Becoming Superman, I feel like there are fourteen million alternate universes in which J. Michael Straczynski never broke free of his past and was never able to produce the wonderful body of work that we have been able to enjoy for the last couple of decades. There are universes where Straczynski didn't survive infancy, killed by his depressed and unstable mother. There are universes where he died of sickness and neglect, or where he was abducted and killed on the streets of New Jersey. There are universes in which his abusive father went too far and left the boy version of Straczynski too shattered to continue. Or where the constant stream of violence and neglect was compounded by the institutional indifference of the schools that were supposed to educate him, resulting in Straczynski's life being derailed into crime, addiction, or simple despair. [More forthcoming]
    StormRaven
  • 5.00 out of 5 stars review
    Verified Purchaser
    01/12/2020
    In Becoming Superman: My Journey From Poverty to Hollywood, with Stops Along the Way at Murder, Madness, Mayhem, Movie Stars, Cults, Slums, Sociopaths, and War Crimes, J. Michael Straczynski delves deep into his own history, beginning with his grandparents through to the modern day while also discussing his development as a writer, first as a reporter before he transitioned to radio, animation, live-action television, comic books, and film. He details the brutality he experienced as a child from his abusive father and the hope he discovered in comic books and science fiction, which first made him want to tell stories. Amid all of the abuse, he managed to rise above it and channel his focus into becoming the best writer he could at each project he tackled. Straczynski believed in his artistic vision on every project and, while he was open to notes from those above him or the ideas of his collaborators on a series, he resisted those who sought change out of insincere motives or who didn't know what they were talking about. While working on The Real Ghostbusters, Straczynski created a show with its own mythology and dynamic characters that weren't simply carbon copies of characters on other shows. Unfortunately, Broadcast Standards & Practices had their own ideas about showing the supernatural or hinting at death (even though the show was about ghosts) and how women characters should appear. At the height of the satanic panic, they tried to argue that The Necronomicon, a fictitious book H.P. Lovecraft created, was real. Rather than give in to these ridiculous ideas, Straczynski left, though he exposed BS&P's hypocrisy in an article in Penthouse, adding a final touch of irony to his departure (pgs. 252, 290-293). He describes his writing as coming from a personal place. For example, Straczynski wrote of his process in creating Peter Dawson, a character who cannot be harmed but also cannot feel positive sensation, for Rising Stars: “I'd survived my childhood (and much of my adulthood) by isolating myself so I couldn't be hurt no matter how hard I got pounded; the price was a veil between me and my emotions” (pg. 359). He was true to his vision in creating Rising Stars for Top Cow comics. Straczynski writes, “I decided to go against the usual norms because in the late '90s mainstream comics had entered a creative slump. Sales at Marvel and DC had fallen to record-low numbers and most of the independent comics were artist – rather than writer – driven. From a commercial standpoint the market wasn't suited to the kind of story I wanted to tell, and my relative inexperience meant that the possibility for failure was immense. Which of course was the biggest part of the attraction” (pg. 358). So, he upended the superhero genre, creating something that gained immediate attention in the industry and opened opportunities to write Amazing Spider-Man for Marvel and then to write for his childhood hero, Superman. Straczynski writes of that experience, “…I finally realized that becoming Superman isn't the point; the trick is being Superman on a moment-by-moment, day-by-day, choice-by-choice basis. Being kind, making hard decisions, helping those in need, standing up for what's right, pointing toward hope and truth, and embracing the power of persistence… those were the qualities of Superman that mattered to me far more than his ability to see through walls. Because all of use can do those other things, can be those things; we can be Superman whenever we choose” (pg. 412). In a time when DC is struggling to make the character relevant, Straczynski shows how Superman remains important and can serve as an inspiration to readers of all backgrounds. Straczynski's personal narrative, while brutal at times in his frankness, offers the same hope for readers that he found in Superman. He includes footnotes for several of the details about his father's actions, recalling the process he described in writing the screenplay for Changeling so that readers would know that all the painful things he describes are true. The catharsis comes from knowing that the good things are true, too, and that a person can weather the pain to become creative and generous and caring. Becoming Superman is a must-read and tells a story that anyone who's been in pain or felt lost can identify with and draw upon for hope. It also offers unique insight into the creative process of one of the greatest American writers of the last thirty years.
    DarthDeverell
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