Rating: 
Summary: The characters is what makes this series stand out
Review: James Robinson shows his brilliance in crafting vivdly fleshed out characters in his highly entertaining revision of the superhero genre in the 'Starman,' series. This first volume opens up in typical anti-hero fashion with a mortal character reluctantly thrust into the role of superhero and his subsequent struggle to assume such a larger then life identity. While the story and plotting in vol. 1 is decent and perfectly serviceable, the strength of this series is ultimately found in the wonderful character development that takes shape through dozens of chapters. Jack Knight, the hero of this tale, comes across as an everyman with a fascination for kitsch collectibles and pop culture while constantly struggling to find comfort from his transformation to super-being. Good heady stuff without taking itself too seriously.
Rating:
Summary: The characters is what makes this series stand out
Review: James Robinson shows his brilliance in crafting vivdly fleshed out characters in his highly entertaining revision of the superhero genre in the 'Starman,' series. This first volume opens up in typical anti-hero fashion with a mortal character reluctantly thrust into the role of superhero and his subsequent struggle to assume such a larger then life identity. While the story and plotting in vol. 1 is decent and perfectly serviceable, the strength of this series is ultimately found in the wonderful character development that takes shape through dozens of chapters. Jack Knight, the hero of this tale, comes across as an everyman with a fascination for kitsch collectibles and pop culture while constantly struggling to find comfort from his transformation to super-being. Good heady stuff without taking itself too seriously.
Rating: 
Summary: Gen-X superhero for those who both love and hate superheroes
Review: Re-reading Sins of the Father (the first of the many Starman collections), I'm struck by what a jerk Jack Knight is. Yeah, he's not a typical hero. He has a smart-mouth, and I remember when collecting view-master reels, old t-shirts and records were far more important to Jack than fighting crime. But it's amazing just how much he did grow up in the series. Starman is about many things. It's about a man -- Jack Knight, son of a retired superhero, brother to a hero that's just been murdered. It's about the Starman legacy -- not just through the Knight family but the unrelated heroes who have used that name. It's about Jack's home Opal City, a city which doesn't exist on any real world map but with in a few pages, becomes a real as any city you know. It's about the junk that Jack collects. Little snippets of history. Dealing his father's greatest enemy who is out for revenge, Jack has to put aside his junk collecting business and fight crime. And deal with the far worse emotional burden of Jack coming to terms with his own family. For decades, Starman was pretty much a cypher. A costume, a "cosmic rod" (or gravity rod, as it was once known) and very little else. But within this collection, writer James Robinson and artist Tony Harris have given the Knights a history, home and supporting cast as rich as Batman or Spider-Man. Yes, there's lots of action. But the real heart of the story is emotional. Jack is a very real character, his concerns and feelings are true to life -- even if you or I can't fly. The shadowed, angular, highly stylish and stylized art of Tony Harris perfectly complements this story. Jack Knight doesn't wear his father's red and green tights. He favours antique WW II anti-flare googles and a worn leather jacket decorated with a Crackerjack sheriff's badge and an zodiac star design. Jack's a very modern guy, but one obsessed with things of the past. (Although oddly he intially rejects his own personal history.) This book charts a new direction, but also celebrates superheroics. So, I think it will appeal to those who both hate and love superheroes.
Rating:
Summary: a reluctant hero
Review: Really only the hardcore fans of DC remember Zero Hour today, an event that was supposed to be the next Crisis and affect the DC universe for all time but which really had little long-standing ramifications. Some recall this crossover because a few Golden Age heroes were killed off in its pages. Some remember it for its rebooting of the Legion. I remember it most for the brilliant book that leapt from the pages of the crossover, one of the most seminal works of the 1990s, in both the superhero genre and in all of comics, a book called Starman. Those who know me in real life know I adore this book with a depth of passion that is unfathomable. Even my friends who are not comic fans could tell you this is my favorite book of all time, and the evidence to prove that claim can be found just by looking around my home and my office. I proudly display several Starman posters in both places and have a few action figures on my desk at work. I even have a Starman watch that I've worn for the past six years, having gone through numerous replacement batteries and watch bands. As if that weren't enough to show my devotion, you can find proof in the book itself, amongst the letter pages. I loved this comic so much that I wrote at least one letter to the editor for every issue published in Starman's first two and a half years of publication. Once I actually wrote three letters in one month, and this loyalty was rewarded when my letters were published three separate times in the comic itself. Now those who don't know me are probably thinking that I'm an incredible geek, and in this case you would be right. But this behavior is not the norm for me. No book before has inspired such zeal in me as a fan, and I doubt any book ever will again. If my enthusiasm alone is not enough of a recommendation for this book, then I'll let the work speak for itself. I challenge anyone out there to read the first four pages of the first Starman collection (subtitled Sins of the Father) and try not to be drawn in. The story instantly grabs your attention with the beautiful combination of lyrical prose and ornate illustrations. Then it continues to hold your interest with its intensely realistic characterizations as you read on through the rest of the book. DC has always been known for its generational heroes; this series is in the same vein but with a twist. Our protagonist Jack Knight is one of two children of Golden Age hero Starman, and Jack wants nothing to do with the family business. But the events of those first four pages of the story force him to take a more active role when his father's archenemy the Mist returns to town and wreaks havoc with a crime spree led by his own children. Not only do the creators weave an intriguing and engaging tale focusing on themes of family loyalty, but they also invent a whole world of secondary characters in the fictitious setting of Opal City. Every individual we meet in the pages of this book, people like Silver Age Flash villain The Shade or Irish cop Hope O'Dare, becomes real to us as the story progresses, taking on a life of their own that elevates them beyond being mere supporting players. Similarly "the Opal" itself feels like a genuine place; the cityscapes as drawn by Harris truly leap off of the page. Writer James Robinson and artist Tony Harris really captured lightning in a bottle with this book. It is an unconventional story of a reluctant hero who'd rather be collecting old junk than fighting crime. Starman: Sins of the Father introduces readers to the world of Jack Knight and Opal City so skillfully, so artistically that it will literally be impossible for you to not keep reading once you've tried it.
Rating:
Summary: ¿The family business, the superhero business¿
Review: Sins of the Father starts James Robinson's Starman series with the death of a Starman. David Knight, the oldest son of the original Starman, is murdered by the son of his archenemy The Mist. Forced to take on the role of hero is Jack Knight, Starman's second son, who has no interest (or so he thought) in becoming the next Starman. This series takes a fresh look at superheroes, showing how a callow young man can grow into the role of hero. Robinson takes the idea of the new hero and shows the reader all his faults; the fears he faces, and his anger at events outside his control. Despite these factors, or in spite of them, Jack Knight becomes Starman. This is as good as superhero comics get.
Rating:
Summary: READ THIS BOOK NOW!
Review: Starman: Sins Of The Father is the perfect book for people who think comics are infantile and insipid, because it proves they are idiots. The protagonist, Jack Knight, is a refreshing change of pace from typical comic hero. As the son of the legendary hero Starman, Jack has no desire to take his fathers place as defender of Opal City, and is content to run his "antique" shop(He sells 1950's Hawaiin shirts, old comics, vintage transistor radios, etc.) But Fate intervenes and Jack must become the new Starman to save his city, his Father, and himself. Mature without being vulgar, sentimental without being sappy, and all around well written, Starman: Sins Of The Father is a must have.
Rating:
Summary: Story and Art Work Magic
Review: The is a perfect example of great collaboration. Writer and artists work together to create a sum which is greater than the parts. Character development is equally weighted with action and plot. If anything there might actually be too much emphasis on Jack Knight's reluctance to play the hero. But that's a minor quibble. There's a great balance between Jack as a regular guy: brother, son, and small businessman; and Jack as Starman: soaring through the beautifully depicted skies of Opal City and mixing it up with the bad guys. Opal City looks fantastic, and is a distinctive environment for Starman to flourish. Robinson and Harris have created their own world here, separate from our own. Opal City works on a similar level as Astro City works for Kurt Busiek's excellent series, and Gotham works for Batman. There are several panels where Opal City is featured, without the benefit of any of the stories' characters. This effectively enhances the impact and depth of the Starman saga. The initial story arc included in this collection is phenomenal, introducing us to Jack and presenting his origin as Starman. The middle bits, including a few intriguing epilogues and prologues, hint at larger story arcs to be pursued in later collections. The final story detailing an encounter between the two brothers is both entertaining and insightful. I look forward to reading the second installment in this series of graphic novels.
Rating:
Summary: Story and Art Work Magic
Review: The is a perfect example of great collaboration. Writer and artists work together to create a sum which is greater than the parts. Character development is equally weighted with action and plot. If anything there might actually be too much emphasis on Jack Knight's reluctance to play the hero. But that's a minor quibble. There's a great balance between Jack as a regular guy: brother, son, and small businessman; and Jack as Starman: soaring through the beautifully depicted skies of Opal City and mixing it up with the bad guys. Opal City looks fantastic, and is a distinctive environment for Starman to flourish. Robinson and Harris have created their own world here, separate from our own. Opal City works on a similar level as Astro City works for Kurt Busiek's excellent series, and Gotham works for Batman. There are several panels where Opal City is featured, without the benefit of any of the stories' characters. This effectively enhances the impact and depth of the Starman saga. The initial story arc included in this collection is phenomenal, introducing us to Jack and presenting his origin as Starman. The middle bits, including a few intriguing epilogues and prologues, hint at larger story arcs to be pursued in later collections. The final story detailing an encounter between the two brothers is both entertaining and insightful. I look forward to reading the second installment in this series of graphic novels.
Rating:
Summary: James Robinson and Tony Harris are Brilliant!
Review: This excellent reprinted trade of issues 0-5 of the rgular Starman series, perfectly sums up everything that should be good in comics. The art is tragic in a way, yet absolutely spectacular. And the writing and character information is absolutely the best I have ever seen in a comic. Do yourself a favor and get this book!
Rating:
Summary: The best and truest of the Gen-X HEROES
Review: With the ill-conceived and pitifully executed "Zero Hour," the DC comics universe was left with little good to work with. Some new characters were created, some current characters were killed off, and other currents were "re-worked." After all the huss and fuss, only two re-worked post-Zero Hour characters have earned any real following, and only one has earned a consistent following. Green Lantern's mailbag is mixed - there seem to be just as many readers who hate the current GL as those who love him. And then there is Jack Knight, a character that has earned a true cult following. We Starman fans are legion, but we are a quiet although enthusiastic bunch. Why is Jack so popular? My personal take on it is that he is the only Gen-X'er DC character with a regular book who truly personifies heroism. No fancy trappings, no hidden agendas, no driving psychoses...Jack Knight is a hero of the Superman and Hal Jordan (Silver Age Green Lantern) vein - motivated to do good because it is right to do so. At first, it is a fight for survival and a reluctant duty, but by the end of this collection, we begin the see little hints that perhaps - just perhaps - he's beginning to enjoy his new-found role. Jack is also the most human of all the DC heroes...not only do we see his heroic role, but with later books, we see more of his personal life than those of other heros...not just his relationships with women, but his day-to-day interactions. While he fights, he enters a sort of Zen mode and his thoughts often wander to other things in his life - usually to aspects of his job and hobby as a junk/collectibles dealer and scout. At love with the past but comfortable with the present (althought a little nervous about the future), our man Jack is a person whom I believe many of us would like to be, if only for a short while. His easy-going nature lends an air of light to his earthbound side, and his concrete sense of responsibility is tempered with a good sense of humor. He is a contemporary person. And he is a human being, first and foremost. Jack also has (as you will see in later volumes) a bit of the old hero in his makeup - a Knight clad in black leather jacket and night-vision goggles as opposed to the traditional armor. In this first volume, we are introduced to the relationships within the Knight family and some of the histories which have caused a strain on the family ties. We are also introduced to The Mist and his family, and by the conclusion, we see the creation of who I feel to the most devastatingly cunning and psychotically diabolical villian in DC's current lineup - Nash, the new Mist. In addition, the rest of the cast and company begins to take shape in the form of Shade and the O'Dare family of law enforcers. Robinson's writing is top-notch, as usual, with flowing dialogue and engaging internal monologues. However, it is the artwork of Harris and the inking of von Grawbadger that hooked me in initially. Creating an odd balance between the portrait-like "realism" of other mainstream comics and the linear art-deco sense of the "Batman" animated series, Harris and Grawbadger blaze new ground in sequential art by bold use of shade, line, and angle. The faces are unusually expressive, and the lack of muscular exagerration is wonderfully refreshing and adds a sense of humanism to the characters (in a later volume, Harris' depiction of Batman is wonderfully "ordinary" - a regular-looking guy in a Batman outfit). "Sins of the Father" is a wonderful start to the Jack Knight "Starman" years. At the time of this writing, Robinson is preparing to hand the Starman mantle to a new hero, but, for this moment, sit back and let Opal City surround you as Jack shines a new light onto the medium of the monthly superhero comic.
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