Steranko was born in Reading, Pennsylvania. According to Steranko's authorized biography, his grandparents emigrated from Ukraine to settle in the anthracite coal-mining region of eastern Pennsylvania. Steranko's father, one of nine siblings, began working in the mines at age 10, and as an adult became a tinsmith. Steranko later said his father and uncles "would bootleg coal - they would go up into a mountain and open up a shaft.
Illusionist and musician
By his account, Steranko learned stage magic using paraphernalia from his father's stage magician act, and in his teens spent several summers working with circuses and carnivals, working his way up to sideshow performer as a fire-eater and in acts involving a bed of nails and sleight-of-hand. At school, he competed on the gymnastics team, on the rings and parallel bars, and later took up boxing and, under swordmaster Dan Phillips in New York City, fencing. At 17, Steranko and another teenage boy were arrested for a string of burglaries and car thefts in Pennsylvania.  Up through his early 20s, Steranko performed as an illusionist, escape artist, close-up magician in nightclubs, and musician, having played in drum and bugle corps in his teens before forming his own bands during the early days of rock and roll. Steranko, whose first band, in 1956, was called The Lancers, did not perform under his own name, claiming he used pseudonyms to help protect himself from enemies. He also claims to have put the first go-go girls onstage. The seminal rock and roll group Bill Haley and his Comets was based in nearby Philadelphia and Steranko, who played a Jazzmaster guitar, often performed in the same local venues, sometimes on the same bill, and became friendly with Haley guitarist Frank Beecher, who became a musical influence. By the late 1960s, Steranko was a member of a New York City magicians' group, the Witchdoctor's Club.  Comics historian Mark Evanier notes that the influential comic-book creator Jack Kirby, who "based some of his characters ... on people in his life or in the news", was "inspired" to create the escape artist character Mister Miracle "by an earlier career of writer-artist Jim Steranko".

Q: how did Steranko learn about illusion?
A: By his account, Steranko learned stage magic using paraphernalia from his father's stage magician act,

Q: where did he perform his illusions?
A: Up through his early 20s, Steranko performed as an illusionist, escape artist, close-up magician in nightclubs,

Q: When did he get into music?
A: Steranko, whose first band, in 1956, was called The Lancers, did not perform under his own name,

Q: what name did he use if not his own name?
A: he used pseudonyms to help protect himself from enemies.

Q: Did he get into trouble?
A: At 17, Steranko and another teenage boy were arrested for a string of burglaries and car thefts in Pennsylvania.

Q: what kind of music did he play?
A: The seminal rock and roll group Bill Haley and his Comets was based in nearby Philadelphia and Steranko, who played a Jazzmaster guitar,
Did he ever go back to being an illusionist/magician?
By the late 1960s, Steranko was a member of a New York City magicians' group, the Witchdoctor's Club.
By the late 1960s, Steranko was a member of a New York City magicians' group, the Witchdoctor's Club.