Publisher's Weekly Review
This sharp graphic biography mimics Rod Serling's gift for mordant trickery without descending into parody as a martini-downing Serling spills his life story to a flirty seatmate on a nighttime PanAm flight. Shadmi (Highwayman) approximates Serling's clipped and portentous style: "This particular specimen is Private Rodman Serling, age eighteen. A Jewish boy from small town Binghamton, New York," he writes, describing Serling at the time of his WWII paratrooper service. Crushed by the "futility" of combat, Serling nearly succumbs to PTSD. But the success of his 1956 teleplay Patterns sparked a streak culminating in the 1959 launch of his groundbreaking anthology show The Twilight Zone, whose scripts were fueled by the fears swirling in his "night terrors." He declares his intent is to dig into America's subconscious, "harvest dark matter, reshape it, disguise it, and serve it back to the masses." Shadmi's art evokes the show's signature hard lines and stark framing. The subversive series ended in 1964; Serling's later years were a struggle, lightened by the surprise hit of his Planet of the Apes screenplay. While the book introduces the kind of dramatic final twist its subject would have approved, less attention is paid to the psychology behind why Serling so often concocted them. Nevertheless, it's a perceptive take, which celebrates and illuminates one of early television's true artists. (Oct.)
Booklist Review
Is the mark of a good biography that the most familiar elements of the subject's life are far less compelling than everything else? If that's the case, then this graphic biography of Rod Serling is really good. Most readers will be familiar with the host of the classic TV series The Twilight Zone, but not as many will know of the horrific ordeals he experienced during WWII that would later fuel his creativity or his constant battles to keep the show on the air and fresh ideas flowing. Shadmi paints a rich, multifaceted picture of his subject, celebrating his strengths and groundbreaking visions but still acknowledging his many flaws, including his obsessive work habits and extramarital affairs. The result is as poignant a character study as any Twilight Zone episode. Shadmi's illustrations play it safe with simple black-and-white artwork that, much like the show it emulates, relies on character expression and dialogue to tell a good story, rather than flashy shots or unneeded extras. A fantastic telling of a complicated life.--Peter Blenski Copyright 2019 Booklist
Library Journal Review
In 1943, Rod Serling joins the U.S. 511th Parachute Infantry Unit. He spends the war traveling across the Philippines and Japan and afterward returns home disoriented and depressed. In college, he begins channeling these emotions into his writing, which leads to a career scripting radio plays and eventually an opportunity to pioneer a brand new entertainment medium, television. His socially conscious scripts, which delve into the darkness he feels in himself and lurking behind the American dream, as well as his ferocious disagreements with network executives, censors, and sponsors, earn him a reputation as Hollywood's "angry young man." In 1957, he begins developing a series that will embed socially relevant themes inside of sf and fantasy stories in order to make them more palatable to the public. In 1959, The Twilight Zone finally premiers, and in 2019, Rod Serling remains an icon revered for altering the course of American popular culture, despite the personal and professional failures he endured between The Twilight Zone's cancellation in 1964 and his death at age 50 in 1975. VERDICT Shadmi (Highywayman) cleverly allows his subject to narrate his own story, adding poignancy and depth to this comprehensive, entertaining biography.
