num_pages: 460
description: 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 theres one story hes never told before: his own.In this dazzling memoir the acclaimed writer behind Babylon 5 Sense8 Clint Eastwoods Changeling and Marvels 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 adultsa con-man grandfather and a manipulative grandmother a violent drunken father and a mother who was repeatedly institutionalizedJoe grew up in abject poverty living in slums and projects when not on the road crisscrossing the country in his fathers 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 familys past a violent truth that he uncovered over the course of decades involving mass murder.Straczynskis 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.Featuring an introduction by Neil Gaiman.
language: English
title: 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
publisher: Harper Voyager