I’ve had a few idols over the years. Steven Wright and Dave Attell. Comic book artist Jim Lee when I was very young. Writer Warren Ellis is one of the most recent.* And then there was one other. Probably the biggest influence on me was J. Michael Straczynski.

Straczynski (or JMS, as he is largely known) is the writer/ producer of Babylon 5, a late 90s scifi show. You probably never saw it, but if you talk to deeply nerdy scifi fans (like myself) you have probably heard them go on about it at length. And the truth is that JMS has influenced your viewing habits as well. Babylon 5 was the first show to have a massive over-arching story. While other shows such as Doctor Who had done serialized stories that would last full seasons, no one had ever thought to tell a single story with a long running tv show.

He also was the showrunner on a bunch of famous 1980s shows such as He-man, She-ra, Captain Power and the Real Ghostbusters. All of which were watched and obsessed on by me as a small child.

It was, however, Babylon 5 that truly affected me. When I first started watching it, I planned to be a writer. It was kind of the thing I was known for at the time. JMS’ approach to character and storytelling literally changed the way I looked at how writing was supposed to work. And the story itself only gets more relevant as time goes on. I rewatch episodes of it fairly regularly.

A while back, I heard that JMS had published his autobiography, Becoming Superman. Immediately I decided I needed to buy it. And then I just didn’t. For years. I got distracted and forgot.

This weekend I finally picked up a copy. And honestly?

Holy crap.

I expected a story about a childhood filled with poverty and struggle. And I am certain that is the way the story is headed. But that isn’t how the book begins.

To tell the story of his childhood, JMS introduces a story of his lineage. A tale full of horrifying secrets and desperate lies. The story is so harrowing, you wouldn’t be blamed for thinking a fiction writer of his caliber made it all up.

I’m only a couple of chapters in so far, as things have been a bit frantic over the last few days. However, even after only a few chapters, I do recommend you pick it up. Even if you have no idea who J Michael Straczynski is, I think this will be worth your time and money.

* I wanted to mention Jason Lanier, as he falls into the idols category as well, except for two things. One is that I actually know Jason and find it odd and off-putting to use the word “idol” to describe someone you know. The second thing is that I don’t exactly want to be him. He and I have very different styles and career goals. Still, he is largely responsible for my future as a photographer. I wouldn’t be here without him and he is a bigger influence on my than most of the men mentioned.

**In the future, these What I’m Watching/ Reading posts won’t have a giant pre-amble or post-script. It’s just that this one was personal.