Wednesday, April 01, 2020

49. The Twilight Man: Rod Serling and the Birth of Television

The Twilight Man: Rod Serling and the Birth of Television. Koren Shadmi. 2019. 176 pages. [Source: Library] [graphic novel; biography; adult]

First sentence: Damn.

Premise/plot: Twilight Man is a biography of Rod Serling told in graphic novel format. The framework of the story is simple. Serling is on a flight and chatting up the beautiful woman beside him. He tells his life story to a stranger. Well, most of his life story. His story starts with the war, the Second World War; he was a paratrooper. Most focuses on his career as a writer, producer, director, celebrity.

My thoughts: I discovered The Twilight Zone as a kid. I loved, loved, loved some episodes; others were just okay. The show holds good memories for me. Though kids may find the show enjoyable, this graphic biography is written primarily for adults. I think older teens could read this one. But. I would definitely say the subject matter and language make it an extremely poor fit for a younger audience.

I would say that a familiarity with the Twilight Zone is an absolute must. If it’s been a while since you’ve watched the show, you might want to watch some classic episodes first. You’ll appreciate the illustrations more.

I didn’t love it. I enjoyed it well enough.


© 2020 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

1 comment:

Donna McDine said...

Thank you for your honest review. Definitely sounds interesting for the older set. Be well and safe!