Rating: 
Summary: Nothing ground-breaking, but it's only the beginning...
Review: Ever since Moore and Gibbon's WATCHMEN - adult writers who grew up in the age when comics were still a form of mass entertainment have been asking, "Well, what if all this were real? What if people with extraordinary abilities really existed right outside my window? How would they act and how would the world react?" jms takes another look at this stituation with another set of eyes... this is the first chapter (or book)in that exploration. And it's good, very good. Some have correctly pointed out that the second half of this book becomes pedestrian. Maybe... but if jms' other works are an indication, he's lulling the reader into a false sense of "been there, seen that" before really turning over the table. And without spoiling anything, readers who follow the newstand releases can readily tell that the story is now in a place far from what one might expect from the latter part of this book... Give it a try - you won't be disappointed. If you stick with the story though to its conclusion, I'm willing to bet you may experience a few surprises...
Rating:
Summary: Nothing ground-breaking, but it's only the beginning...
Review: Ever since Moore and Gibbon's WATCHMEN - adult writers who grew up in the age when comics were still a form of mass entertainment have been asking, "Well, what if all this were real? What if people with extraordinary abilities really existed right outside my window? How would they act and how would the world react?" jms takes another look at this stituation with another set of eyes... this is the first chapter (or book)in that exploration. And it's good, very good. Some have correctly pointed out that the second half of this book becomes pedestrian. Maybe... but if jms' other works are an indication, he's lulling the reader into a false sense of "been there, seen that" before really turning over the table. And without spoiling anything, readers who follow the newstand releases can readily tell that the story is now in a place far from what one might expect from the latter part of this book... Give it a try - you won't be disappointed. If you stick with the story though to its conclusion, I'm willing to bet you may experience a few surprises...
Rating: 
Summary: A truly standout title in the comic world
Review: Every few years a writer manages to create a comic book that sets a standard within the genre. Miller did so for revamps with "The Dark Knight Returns", Gaiman did so for tragic heroes with "Sandman", and of course there is Moore's "Watchmen", which basically set the standard for comic writing in general.And now, we have "Rising Stars" which raises the bar for social interaction and commentary on the nature of man. While "Rising Stars" is indeed a superhero series, the most important aspect is not the heroes - it's the conflict of ideals between the Specials and the human race. Given the amount of racial tension present in human history, "Rising Stars" poses an excellent question: "How would humanity react to the sudden emergence of 113 superpowered beings?"
Rating:
Summary: A truly standout title in the comic world
Review: Every few years a writer manages to create a comic book that sets a standard within the genre. Miller did so for revamps with "The Dark Knight Returns", Gaiman did so for tragic heroes with "Sandman", and of course there is Moore's "Watchmen", which basically set the standard for comic writing in general. And now, we have "Rising Stars" which raises the bar for social interaction and commentary on the nature of man. While "Rising Stars" is indeed a superhero series, the most important aspect is not the heroes - it's the conflict of ideals between the Specials and the human race. Given the amount of racial tension present in human history, "Rising Stars" poses an excellent question: "How would humanity react to the sudden emergence of 113 superpowered beings?"
Rating:
Summary: JMS is doin' it again!
Review: First, he turned science fiction upside down and gave it a good shake 'n twist with Babylon 5. Now, J. Michael Straczynski is doing it again with comic books ala Rising Stars. JMS has managed to take the superhero genre -- rife with formulaic villians, "super powers", and card board plots just begging for gratuitous action -- and turn it into something original and believable. Yeah, that's right: believable. When you get done reading the first act of Rising Stars you feel like these are people you could meet on the streets. Just people with real lives and real problems who just happen to have extraordinary powers. JMS has made superhero comic books realistic, just like he did to scifi with Babylon 5. I promise you'll become attached to these characters and come to love them as people. Not as superhero characters with cheesy names and weird costumes. Granted there are names and costumes a-plenty in Rising Stars. The funny part is how they came about. Randy Fisk a.k.a Ravenshadow is the best example of that: He was a comic book nut when he was little so decided it would be fun to take on a sort of Batman-like persona complete with costume and name. Don't ask. Just read. You'll love it. I'm done with the Second Act...and let me tell you: You're in for one hell of a ride. :)
Rating:
Summary: Extremely promising
Review: First, let's get this clear: This is a compilation of issues 1-8 of a comic book that's projected to go on for quite a while. Not a whole lot is settled by the time the book ends. If you get into this story, you're in for the long haul. That said, it's a very good story. Like my all-time favorite comic book, _Watchmen_, Rising Stars gets deep into the motivations of all the featured superheroes. Straczynski also has come up an new twist on the genre- while all the superheros share a common origin, they also share a particular bond that drives the plot. Furthermore, it's already been made clear that the creation of the superheroes is a significant plot element, and that we haven't been told the secret about it. Finally, the main character, Poet, has a mythic quality that has a lot of emotional resonance for me. After only a couple of issues, I knew I had to know how it all ended. If that isn't good writing, I don't know what is.
Rating:
Summary: Reminiscent of Wild Cards
Review: George RR Martin's Wild Cards series is similar on many levels, but I enjoyed this first book enough to read it in a single sitting - a task that unfortunately required but three hours of my time. I'm not a fan, in particular, of JMS, but after an enthusiastic conversation in a comic shop about something on par with "Astro City", I decided to pick this book (novel) up. It's not Astro City. It's not "Wild Cards" (although, with only a little malice, I could say that it tries). I got a bit tired of the single-page descriptions of the Specials while the main characters, particularly the narrator, remained so undefined. Still, it was a good read, and I'll pick up the next one. I really like novels and fiction about super heroes. I feel something can be added in a purely verbal medium, and as much as I like plain old comic books, I think novelizations need to be supported; better to move the genre to a new form than to lose it entirely. ... For the rest, I see potential for a reasonably smart "super hero story", something that's not all that easy to come by. As for JMS & comic fans who stumble on this review, I strongly urge all of you to also look into the whole Wild Cards series.
Rating: 
Summary: Weak and cheaply done art hampers a good story.
Review: How many guys can you put in trenchcoats with long hair in a panel? Enough to not know who is talking.
Top Cow cheaped their way through a number of artists to bring us a less than stellar tale. Chronic lateness, long term hiatus, dreadful art, cliche and insulting character design, the fact that we are given better writing and better art in Supreme Power and mostly the same story means don't bother.
By the time a regular and decent artist was given the job it was to late and people were leaving this monthly title like rats leaving a sinking ship. I'd like to see Gary Frank start the whole series over at #1 so we can forget completely the first few issues. You will notice in the Amazon listing there is no mention of the artists on the first TP, only that there is a new cover by Gary Frank, the only highlight for Born in Fire.
Dollar for dollar your payoff is Supreme Power.
Rating:
Summary: A good read
Review: I have both collected editions, as well as the latest issue, and I am very impressed. I wish he would finish the series, or at least get back to working on it. A fun read. I enjoyed it very much, and think you will as well.
Rating: 
Summary: Weak for JMS
Review: I've made a terrible mistake. Instead of getting a well-crafted and insightful graphic novel that I'd read before and liked, I got the extremly poor novel adaptation. And god help me, I got the sequel, too. Where do I start? Although other reviews have complained about the literal interpretation of the comic, those were the only really readable passages. Much worse is when the author takes it upon himself to add scenes or dialogue in an attempt to make his story different. It's quite literally painful. Not only does he make the particpants charicatures of themselves, but he throws in incessant pop culture references that are both cutsey and doomed to be pathetically dated. Everything from mocking the protagonist's shopping at Target to a discussion of Jewel's poetry is pulled in, perhaps in a very ill-considred attempt to make the writing a wry social commentary. As well, not only does he fail to provide new insights into the characters' personality, he whitewashes the interesting flaws that were already there. They're diminished, passed over - he takes out references and discredits sources of critisicm. In my opinion, this book has actually diverged quite a bit from the original graphic novel. It has dumbed it down horribly. The moral - always double-check what you order.
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