Becoming Superman: My Journey From Poverty to Hollywood by J. Michael Straczynski

When I was growing up, my parents let me read anything I wanted to — except comic books. I don’t recall any arguments over this restriction. I was taught that comics were for people who couldn’t read very well, and I was a very, very good reader, so what need did I have for a comic book? As a result, I was never into comics. Looking back, I find that ironic and even a little distressing, given the popularity of comics among fans of prose science fiction.

Anyway, that’s my excuse for why, when I picked up J. Michael Straczynski’s autobiography, Becoming Superman, I wasn’t familiar with his work in comics, and I somehow had never watched Babylon Five, and did anyone really expect me to remember who wrote the screenplay for Thor? Still, his name was familiar, and an intriguing comment on Twitter led me to check out the audio version of the book, which was published just last summer.

I found it riveting.

Becoming Superman feels like two books in one. The first part details Straczynski’s childhood. Actually, it goes beyond childhood, looking at the history of his family before he was born, as a means to set the stage for the story of the incredible physical and emotional abuse he endured growing up, at the hands of a father he described as “the most evil man I ever met.” Comics, and particularly Superman, were his comfort and salvation. Determined to be the opposite of everything his father stood for, Superman became his personal hero — an outsider who fought evil and always remained determined to do the right thing.

The second part of the book focuses primarily on the tumultuous development of Straczynski’s writing career, beginning in high school, and continuing through the present day. He’s an extremely prolific writer (*ahem* unlike some of us), and he’s also been driven to succeed in diverse writing fields, hardship be damned.

Honestly, the book is potentially dangerous for young writers. Most of us will say that the trope of the starving writer is bullshit. You don’t need to suffer for your art. But Straczynski has gone through a lot — he’s literally been a starving writer. He’s also had to burn bridges, starting over more than once. If you want an inside look at writing in Hollywood, do not miss this book.

Despite the hardships, Straczynski has achieved admirable success in every field he’s tried, from comics, to animation, to live-action television, and feature films. But all throughout his story he returns again and again to the lesson of humility, and to doing your best work, doing the right thing — and that makes this story wonderful.

Highly recommended.

Posted on: Friday, January 3rd, 2020 at 5:00 am
Categories: Audio Books, Recommended Reading.
Tags: Becoming Superman, J. Michael Straczynski