The Twilight Man

I've taken quite an interest in Rod Serling. I've always been attracted to The Twilight Zone, and the more I learned about Serling, the more I felt that I had some kind of otherworldly connection with him. His work ethic and his unparalleled stance on issues of social justice and consumerism made him stand out amongst a cast of unremarkable Hollywood stars. Yet, Serling was human: he battled his demons, even selling out to the same corporations he railed against when his career began to wane. I knew all this, but I wanted more.

I hoped The Twilight Man would provide me more of the picture. Here are the details I already knew of Serling, now illustrated. I learned a little about some of the secondary characters in the business: the executives, the writers. I learned a bit about Serling's struggles in the business, particularly about his involvement in Planet of the Apes and Night Gallery. I would've liked to have seen more of Serling's personal life after fame presented here, but that's largely left out. What was included were several allusions to extramarital affairs I hadn't encountered in my previous study, and this cracked my image of Serling some. I had the impression of a strong family man who was overworked, but resilient. This new bit of information, assuming its veracity, paints the picture of someone who gave in under pressure (and not just to the corporations).

There really isn't anything here that probably isn't in other Serling bios (I just haven't read all of them). What this book does is present the story in a format that may allow new or less interested fans a gateway into Serling's story. The presentation, the illustrations—all these elements were fine. In fact, I'd say the graphic style was perfect for the atmosphere and tempo of The Twilight Zone. The story itself wasn't told in the most interesting or dramatic way, and the attempt to encapsulate the whole thing as an episode of The Twilight Zone felt off to me: it was a good concept, but the implementation was a bit cloying and ill-conceived. Still, anyone with an interest in Serling's life would be advised to add this text to their reading list.