You most likely recognize Rod Serling as the host of the popular TV show, “The Twilight Zone.” That’s what he’s most known for, but he had a long and varied career in radio and television well before “The Twilight Zone!” After his service in World War II as a paratrooper, he used his G.I. benefits to go to Antioch College. He discovered his love of radio during his work/study internship at WNYC in New York City, and became the manager of Antioch’s radio station, ABS, in 1948. It was here that he tried his hand at writing anthology shows – and his skits got him noticed. Navigating through fame, fortune, a grueling work schedule, and a marriage, he spoke out against commercialism and censorship in the radio and television industry. He protested executives changing scripts he wrote based on the war, the Emmett Till case, and more. It wasn’t until he penned the first script for “The Twilight Zone”, a science-fiction story containing all the elements he had previously been censored for, that he found an audience willing to listen.

Koren Shadmi writes as if Rod is telling us his own life story. Quotes pulled from Rod’s scripts, shows, and interviews make for an immersive experience. Though he died at 50 from heart problems, it feels as if Rod is speaking to us himself.

As a biography, it’s very straightforward reading. The book is broken down into chapters covering a different era of Rod’s life. The panel layout is clean and clear. The art is all in black and white, like the television of his era, with a deep purple/blue used as an accent color.

I learned a lot by reading this graphic novel biography. “The Twilight Zone” was a product of a man who lived through World War II – one of the most horrific and tragic events of mankind. Through the shows he wrote, we were able to process and heal from this event (and many others, as the show is still very popular today) through that one ubiquitous and timeless method that we humans know: storytelling.

Kathleen

Shadmi, Koren. The Twilight Man: Rod Serling and the Birth of Television. 2019.