Becoming Superman: My Journey From Poverty to Hollywood
Written by J. Michael Straczynski
Narrated by Peter Jurasik
4.5/5
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About this audiobook
Featuring an introduction by Neil Gaiman!
“J. Michael Straczynski is, without question, one of the greatest science fiction minds of our time.” -- Max Brooks (World War Z)
For four decades, J. Michael Straczynski has been one of the most successful writers in Hollywood, one of the few to forge multiple careers in movies, television and comics. Yet there’s one story he’s never told before: his own.
In this dazzling memoir, the acclaimed writer behind Babylon 5, Sense8, Clint Eastwood’s Changeling and Marvel’s Thor reveals how the power of creativity and imagination enabled him to overcome the horrors of his youth and a dysfunctional family haunted by madness, murder and a terrible secret.
Joe's early life nearly defies belief. Raised by damaged adults—a con-man grandfather and a manipulative grandmother, a violent, drunken father and a mother who was repeatedly institutionalized—Joe grew up in abject poverty, living in slums and projects when not on the road, crisscrossing the country in his father’s desperate attempts to escape the consequences of his past.
To survive his abusive environment Joe found refuge in his beloved comics and his dreams, immersing himself in imaginary worlds populated by superheroes whose amazing powers allowed them to overcome any adversity. The deeper he read, the more he came to realize that he, too, had a superpower: the ability to tell stories and make everything come out the way he wanted it. But even as he found success, he could not escape a dark and shocking secret that hung over his family’s past, a violent truth that he uncovered over the course of decades involving mass murder.
Straczynski’s personal history has always been shrouded in mystery. Becoming Superman lays bare the facts of his life: a story of creation and darkness, hope and success, a larger-than-life villain and a little boy who became the hero of his own life. It is also a compelling behind-the-scenes look at some of the most successful TV series and movies recognized around the world.
J. Michael Straczynski
J. Michael Straczynski has written hundreds of hours of television, major motion pictures and graphic novels. He is the widely acclaimed creator of Babylon 5, cocreator of Netflix’s Sense8, and writer for Clint Eastwood’s Changeling, which earned him a nomination for a British Academy Award for Best Screenplay (BAFTA). His work has frequently appeared on the New York Times bestseller list, and his extensive list of awards includes the Hugo Award, the Ray Bradbury Award, the Eisner Award, and the GLAAD Media Award. He lives in California.
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Reviews for Becoming Superman
92 ratings2 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5In 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.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5You come into this book excited to learn more about shows, cartoons and movies that JMS has enriched your life with. That's all there, but the real life upbringing and family of the author is the true driving narrative of this book and every bit as compelling and shocking as any fiction ever put to screen or paper.