Rating: 
Summary: A super-hero for everyone
Review: 'Starman' is the adult's super-hero; not because it's filled with gratutious nudity, violence or swearing (which it isnt, of course) but because it's story deals with themes that sometimes feel out of place in a super-hero comic. First off, it's hero refuses to wear a brightly colured costume, opting more for an outfit thats functional (he wears leather jacket because the air is too cold when flying). It's these elements that make 'Starman' and original and interesting read. Its 'reluctant hero' themes or ones that are used often in other books, but not as well as they are here. I really enjoyed reading about these characters, all well written and full of depth. This is a great book for comic fans looking for something a little different.
Rating: 
Summary: A Starman Is Born
Review: ...P>STARMAN: SINS OF THE FATHER stands as the first graphic novel that introduced the new Starman to the comics world. Fans who like their heroes a little on the gritty and anti-hero side will be perfectly at home here. Yet at the same time, Robinson and company play fairly with the old Starman mythos. People who enjoy Garth Ennis' HITMAN or JOHN CONSTANTINE: HELLBLAZER will definitely want to add this graphic novel to their collections.
Rating:
Summary: A Starman Is Born
Review: ...P>STARMAN: SINS OF THE FATHER stands as the first graphic novel that introduced the new Starman to the comics world. Fans who like their heroes a little on the gritty and anti-hero side will be perfectly at home here. Yet at the same time, Robinson and company play fairly with the old Starman mythos. People who enjoy Garth Ennis' HITMAN or JOHN CONSTANTINE: HELLBLAZER will definitely want to add this graphic novel to their collections.
Rating:
Summary: up there with Moore and Busiek
Review: Almost everyone in comics got the wrong message from "Watchmen" and "The Dark Knight Returns." Rather than learning that superhero comics could be about more than adolescent fantasies they simply embraced the violence of those books and created comics that catered to a darker set of adolescent fantasies than the old Superman or Spiderman comics did. Comics didn't grow up; they just went from being geeks to juvenile delinquents.
I say almost everyone because there are a few notable exceptions where people have written superhero comics for grown ups, or to use Neil Gaiman's words comics that are "about something" (about something other than muscles, spandex, and maiming and killing "evil doers" that is). Kurt Busiek of course, and strangely enough Alan Moore himself are the examples everyone knows about. Unfortunately, James Robinson's work often falls between the cracks, and that is a shame, because "Starman" is a comic that is truly about something. Aptly enough a good bit of what the comic is about is growing up. Early in the series Knight mocks things like family, duty, and honor, but Jack coming to embrace those things as well as responsibility is the heart of the whole series. Spiderman and Superman are great metaphors for adolescence, "Starman" is a story about coming out of a prolonged adolescence. Jack Knight isn't an obsessed Rorschach or Batman driven by internal demons in a near psychotic quest for vengeance. Rather, he's a self-centered hipster who gets in the superhero racket out of duty, family oligations, and loyalty to his beloved home town.
But really I make it sound all stodgy and positively 19th century Prussian, and it isn't. As well as being about something the series is a lot of fun. Robinson clearly loves all those old guys in tights and all the baggage that goes with them, but in his hands it really isn't baggage. You get explosions, evil plots, crime waves, superhero team ups, and everything you expect in comics, but you get meaning too. On top of that Robinson has a knack for creating characters and enough attention to detail to bring them to life. The O'Dares could have degenerated to Irish-cop stereotypes, the Shade a mere metropolitan killer, or Knight a hipster with superpowers, but none of them did. They all seem like living breathing people, and that's not something you can say for characters on a good many acclaimed television shows.
"Starman" was one of the best comics of the 90's and the best place to start is at the beginning.
Rating:
Summary: up there with Moore and Busiek
Review: Almost everyone in comics got the wrong message from "Watchmen" and "The Dark Knight Returns." Rather than learning that superhero comics could be about more than adolescent fantasies they simply embraced the violence of those books and created comics that catered to a darker set of adolescent fantasies than the old Superman or Spiderman comics did. Comics didn't grow up; they just went from being geeks to juvenile delinquents.
I say almost everyone because there are a few notable exceptions where people have written superhero comics for grown ups, or to use Neil Gaiman's words comics that are "about something" (about something other than muscles, spandex, and maiming and killing "evil doers" that is). Kurt Busiek of course, and strangely enough Alan Moore himself are the examples everyone knows about. Unfortunately, James Robinson's work often falls between the cracks, and that is a shame, because "Starman" is a comic that is truly about something. Aptly enough a good bit of what the comic is about is growing up. Early in the series Knight mocks things like family, duty, and honor, but Jack coming to embrace those things as well as responsibility is the heart of the whole series. Spiderman and Superman are great metaphors for adolescence, "Starman" is a story about coming out of a prolonged adolescence. Jack Knight isn't an obsessed Rorschach or Batman driven by internal demons in a near psychotic quest for vengeance. Rather, he's a self-centered hipster who gets in the superhero racket out of duty, family oligations, and loyalty to his beloved home town.
But really I make it sound all stodgy and positively 19th century Prussian, and it isn't. As well as being about something the series is a lot of fun. Robinson clearly loves all those old guys in tights and all the baggage that goes with them, but in his hands it really isn't baggage. You get explosions, evil plots, crime waves, superhero team ups, and everything you expect in comics, but you get meaning too. On top of that Robinson has a knack for creating characters and enough attention to detail to bring them to life. The O'Dares could have degenerated to Irish-cop stereotypes, the Shade a mere metropolitan killer, or Knight a hipster with superpowers, but none of them did. They all seem like living breathing people, and that's not something you can say for characters on a good many acclaimed television shows.
"Starman" was one of the best comics of the 90's and the best place to start is at the beginning.
Rating:
Summary: This Book Introduced Me To The Golden Age Of Comics!
Review: I grew up reading Marvel Comics. Time was when comics meant seeing characters in colourful costumes spouting macho nonsense and punching each other out. This book here showed me otherwise. And introduced me to new worlds of reading and the imagination! The original Starman is Theodore (Ted) Knight. He appeared in comics around 1941. This here story, however, is about his sons, David Knight and Jack Knight. David inherited his father's costume and took over the family superhero business. Jack is cynical about his roots and moved on to become a junk-peddler! An old nemesis of the Starman, the Mist, shows up with his own children and waged war on the Knights - injuring Ted and killing David. Jack is then forced to reluctantly take up his father's mantle. This first volume of the Starman paperbacks help the reader get into the setting of Opal City (beautifully designed in an art deco style by artist Tony Harris) and its many residents - the Knight family, the O'Dare family of cops, the Shade, the Mist family, a fortune teller, etc. The reader does not need any background knowledge of Golden Age comics to enjoy this - although, like me, you may want to track down the old comics in the Archive Editions just to get more into the history of it all. After all, Starman is ultimately about history. History and family. This is, to me, the most human comic in the world. You'll laugh and cry with the Knights. And you'll grow with Jack. And speaking of Jack... James Robinson has done an absolutely amazing job creating Jack Knight. In many ways, James IS Jack - and in other sense, we all are Jack (we, as in, all those who grew up in from the materialistic '80s into the cynical '90s). Jack is about finding the old values without looking campy or sounding corny. Jack is about making being a hero without necessarily having to wear spandex. Jack is about clinging on to everything you love - whether it be junk or family legacy. Finally, Jack is about romance - the romance of chivalry and standing up for what's right. Read this book. Get the rest of the volumes. And let's revisit the Golden Age.....
Rating:
Summary: Starman the everyman superhero...but not for kids...
Review: I have to admit I like the new Starman alot. But I donthtink everyone would. Great stories, great art, coloring...I have all the 7-8 volumes in the tpb format. The character is written very well. The Sandman stories are especially good, as well as JSA related and even the filler stories with Starman's brother, and Opal City's historical characters. Bank robbers, pirates, aliens, poets, fantasy, sci fi, tattoos, etc...what more could one want?! Also the substitute/guest artists are as good as the regular artist. However I am a little dissappointed that DC never mentions any ratings for their books similar to Marvel. The new Starman Series by James Robinson is NOT FOR KIDS. Although not overly gratuitous visually, there are bedroom scenes, with semi-nudity(no full frontal), drug use(only one issue), as well as homosexual characters(which is not overly emphasized or distracting to the comic. only noticed this rare&few times. no sex, just words of "love forever")but it may offend some people, and confuse or harm children's moral upbringing. As an adult, they dont get in the way of the main characters virtuous and heroic qualities but they may cause some people who are offended by that kind of thing to miss the overall well-crafted story plots. For others it may cause them to imitate those scenes. I dont like them in a comic book. Personally the parts of the story that show those scenes really dont add that to the plots very much. But I dont believe the writer was trying to shock anyone, just make society more comfortable with this type of relatonship. I would have rather those ideas/characters remained out of the books, or "faded to black" (as one homosexual scene was). I still give the books the highest marks for overall artisitic presentation. Starman has since departed from the superheroe scene(i think?) but this run of stories has many many great moments in the modern super hero context. Just be careful if you are scensitive to the "adult" situations. They show this Starman superhero and related friends, associates, as very human persons, equiped with fallen human nature, and have to go through their own personal, yet in some cases, universal, spiritual and vocational superhero trials and tribulations. These trials are moral & emotional, that many people can relate to on a down-to-earth level. I tend to think of these stories as kind of modern greek mythological hero/fable stuff anyway. But just because greek stories have all the sex and stuff doesnt mean I like to read, or see, in contemporary novels. I pretty much find it insteresting how Robison included the adult situations, but ignore it overall. However, there is more to emotional maturity then sexual relationships, or positions. At least Robinson provides enough character depth & developement to overshadow these unnecessary plot developments. That is where his writing talent really impresses in dealing not with physical strength, but virtuous strength, in terms of acquiring courage, and in some cases, emotional & spiritual growth. Interpersonal relationships between family and friends also play a strong part in the stories as well. But if you are senstitive to the adult themes maybe the original Starman Archives is your style. There are moments where Harris's & Robinson's modern Starman stories really are the best I have ever read. All though there is alot of art deco, art nouveau, and film noir symbolism throughout their work that allows their style to be respectful of the past. Some of Harris's visual treats could make terrific posters. The inker is especially sensitive to his style. The modern Starman handles the adult themes well in many instances, but they couldve been done even better. If you look at film noir, alot happened that you didnt need to see to help create drama. I am afraid Robinson couldve been more graphic, but he also couldve been less so. For instance issues about adultery(not shown in this particular issue) had wonderful, morally and spiritually uplifting conclusions, with effects that run throughout the Starman series, but he didnot have to show the adulterous act to make us know it happened. For me the resolution was marvelously handled, that it overshadowed what was "shown", however many people might have missed the great ending because of being "shown" too much. "One does not have to see the sin, to learn from it." However, I must restate, Robinson didnt necessarily cross the line of decency, but got right up close to it...even dance over it...to close for me, but still accomplished a great piece of story telling. No offense meant by my comments, just some thoughtfulness that I think DC should include in its packaging, or on its website. Right now one would think Starman is just like any other comic for kids, when SOME issues, NOT ALL, are more like R rated, G, or even PG. I hope DC puts out the remaing issues. I believe about 20 more need to be released in tpb. Yankstar
Rating:
Summary: Starman the everyman superhero...but not for kids...
Review: I have to admit I like the new Starman alot. But I donthtink everyone would. Great stories, great art, coloring...I have all the 7-8 volumes in the tpb format. The character is written very well. The Sandman stories are especially good, as well as JSA related and even the filler stories with Starman's brother, and Opal City's historical characters. Bank robbers, pirates, aliens, poets, fantasy, sci fi, tattoos, etc...what more could one want?! Also the substitute/guest artists are as good as the regular artist. However I am a little dissappointed that DC never mentions any ratings for their books similar to Marvel. The new Starman Series by James Robinson is NOT FOR KIDS. Although not overly gratuitous visually, there are bedroom scenes, with semi-nudity(no full frontal), drug use(only one issue), as well as homosexual characters(which is not overly emphasized or distracting to the comic. only noticed this rare&few times. no sex, just words of "love forever")but it may offend some people, and confuse or harm children's moral upbringing. As an adult, they dont get in the way of the main characters virtuous and heroic qualities but they may cause some people who are offended by that kind of thing to miss the overall well-crafted story plots. For others it may cause them to imitate those scenes. I dont like them in a comic book. Personally the parts of the story that show those scenes really dont add that to the plots very much. But I dont believe the writer was trying to shock anyone, just make society more comfortable with this type of relatonship. I would have rather those ideas/characters remained out of the books, or "faded to black" (as one homosexual scene was). I still give the books the highest marks for overall artisitic presentation. Starman has since departed from the superheroe scene(i think?) but this run of stories has many many great moments in the modern super hero context. Just be careful if you are scensitive to the "adult" situations. They show this Starman superhero and related friends, associates, as very human persons, equiped with fallen human nature, and have to go through their own personal, yet in some cases, universal, spiritual and vocational superhero trials and tribulations. These trials are moral & emotional, that many people can relate to on a down-to-earth level. I tend to think of these stories as kind of modern greek mythological hero/fable stuff anyway. But just because greek stories have all the sex and stuff doesnt mean I like to read, or see, in contemporary novels. I pretty much find it insteresting how Robison included the adult situations, but ignore it overall. However, there is more to emotional maturity then sexual relationships, or positions. At least Robinson provides enough character depth & developement to overshadow these unnecessary plot developments. That is where his writing talent really impresses in dealing not with physical strength, but virtuous strength, in terms of acquiring courage, and in some cases, emotional & spiritual growth. Interpersonal relationships between family and friends also play a strong part in the stories as well. But if you are senstitive to the adult themes maybe the original Starman Archives is your style. There are moments where Harris's & Robinson's modern Starman stories really are the best I have ever read. All though there is alot of art deco, art nouveau, and film noir symbolism throughout their work that allows their style to be respectful of the past. Some of Harris's visual treats could make terrific posters. The inker is especially sensitive to his style. The modern Starman handles the adult themes well in many instances, but they couldve been done even better. If you look at film noir, alot happened that you didnt need to see to help create drama. I am afraid Robinson couldve been more graphic, but he also couldve been less so. For instance issues about adultery(not shown in this particular issue) had wonderful, morally and spiritually uplifting conclusions, with effects that run throughout the Starman series, but he didnot have to show the adulterous act to make us know it happened. For me the resolution was marvelously handled, that it overshadowed what was "shown", however many people might have missed the great ending because of being "shown" too much. "One does not have to see the sin, to learn from it." However, I must restate, Robinson didnt necessarily cross the line of decency, but got right up close to it...even dance over it...to close for me, but still accomplished a great piece of story telling. No offense meant by my comments, just some thoughtfulness that I think DC should include in its packaging, or on its website. Right now one would think Starman is just like any other comic for kids, when SOME issues, NOT ALL, are more like R rated, G, or even PG. I hope DC puts out the remaing issues. I believe about 20 more need to be released in tpb. Yankstar
Rating:
Summary: The opening chapters to a classic
Review: I think what's most amazing about this collection reprinting the first issues of James Robinson's EXCELLENT Starman series is that Robinson follows through on the promises he makes in these first issues -- the foreshadowing, the hints, the untold backstories -- and the result is an epic story spanning over 80 issues that actually has cohesion. That's very rare in comics these days -- especially at the "Big Two" publishers where the creative team on any given title almost never remains the same over the long-term. Robinson ranks as one of the best superhero comic writers in the business, and these first issues of Starman were one of the things that established that status for him.
Rating:
Summary: An poetic and beautiful comic book.
Review: I've been reading books and comic books for about 18 years of my life, and seeing how I'm only 21, that's quite a portion. This book was the first comic book I read where the writing impressed me enough to notice that there was GREAT writing in comics, and that I didn't have to settle for the usual X-men tripe or the hackneyed retread versions of the same story over and over again that comic books had been doing for the last 10 years. It truly opened my eyes to the literary (Yes, just because there are pictures, does not make it any less a book, or a literary artwork) skill in many books. I began with James Robinson, found Alan Moore, Warren Ellis, Grant Morrison, Garth Ennis, Mark Waid, Kurt Busiek, and many, many others. I think that comic books, (which are in desparate need of a new name, much like scifi), often get a bad view as childrens books, but books like this one helped me to mature, and showed me mature things that I was desparate for. In the pages of this! book, we see Jack Knight's growth from a rebellious, even repellent boy and into a powerful, responsible, respectable man. This is truly a literary work of art, in both the writing and the art. I highly recommended it.
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