Starman Omnibus Volume 2

The Starman Omnibus, Vol. 2 by James Robinson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Jack Knight continues to grow into the legacy of Starman, encountering old friends and foes of his father along the way.

As I've said before, the best comics have an underlying theme. Starman has always been about family, with Jack trying to fill the shoes of both his father and dead brother. In this particular volume, Jack continues to learn what a lot of us learn as we get older, that our parents were regular people before we were born.

This, the second Omnibus, contains Starman 17-29, Showcase '95 12, Showcase '96 4-5, and Starman Annual one. It also contains two of my favorite stories in the whole series, namely the intro of Bobo Benetti, a super-powered bankrobber from the 40's who inadvertently becomes a hero, and the one where Jack teams with Wesley Dodds, the Sandman of the Golden Age. Wesley Dodds handng Jack his gasmask before he goes into battle is probably my favorite sequence in the entire series and almost yanked a man-tear from my dried up ducts. Seriously, Sand and Stars is one hell of a great read.

As with the previous volume, the book has gotten even better with age. I caught way more of the references this go-round. Robinson does a wonderful job making new characters seem like they were an integral part of the DC Universe for ages. The O'Dare family, Red Bailey, and Bobo Bennetti all seem like I could dig up an issue of Adventure Comics from the 1940s and see them all alongside Ted Knight.

One thing I didn't mention in the review of the previous volume is how James Robinson played the long game in this series. Seeds are planted that won't bear fruit until years later, like Jack's inevitable trip into space and future clash with The Mist over their son. Heavyweight stuff, especially considering what everyone else was doing in the 1990s.

This is the volume where things really come together for me. Tony Harris' art seems a lot more confident and the look of the series is fully realized, a look that will carry on once Harris leaves the book. James Robinson respects the past without being handcuffed by it. Re-reading this omnibus reminds me why I regard Starman so highly. It was head and shoulders about 99% of the comics at the time and still is. Five out of five stars.



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Starman Omnibus Volume 1

The Starman Omnibus, Vol. 1 by James Robinson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When his brother is killed, Jack Knight is forced to take up his father's legacy, the legacy of Starman, and protect Opal City as best he can.

As I've said in other places, the 1990s were a bleak time for superhero comics. There were variant covers, gimmick covers, stunt storylines out the ass, and everything was grim and gritty for the sake of being grim and gritty. However, there were some bright spots. Starman by James Robinson was on of those bright spots. Unlike most comics, Starman was actually about something, about stepping into your father's shoes and seeing how they fit.

To be honest, I didn't know all that much about Starman before I initially picked this up years ago. I had a Batman and some issues of All-Star Squadron with the original Starman and I had a few issues of Adventure Comics with the Ditko Starman in it. The original series was just wrapping up when I finally gave it a shot. It quickly became my favorite superhero comic of the time period, maybe of all time.

Before I start gushing about it, I'll get the warts out of the way. It looked like Tony Harris was finding his legs at time, some of it is a little overwritten, and some of the references are way out of date. Other than that, it's pretty damn great.

Jack Knight is far from the typical superhero, of the 1990s or any other period. He doesn't wear a costume, although the goggles and leather jacket become an identifier of sorts. He's more interested in his second hand store than being the protector of Opal City. At least, at first... When Jack finally takes up the cosmic rod, I was grinning like a jackass, even though I knew it was coming. Kind of like seeing the Millennium Falcon for the first time in The Force Awakens.

It pretty slick how Robinson wove various aspects of the various Starman characters into Jack's tale, from Ted Knight's adventures as the original Starman with the Justice Society to Mikaal Tomas, the Starman of the 1970s. The rest of the cast is also great: the O'Dare family, the Shade, and Robinson and Harris' take on Solomon Grundy. Hell, the relationship between Grundy and Tomas is pretty touching, even after all these years. I think Robinson does more with Ted Knight as a character in the pages of Starman than was done in the previous fifty years.

The series was still finding its feet at the beginning but the magic is already there. The supporting cast is well established by the end, complete with the Mist's daughter taking up her father's mantle.
Tony Harris' art was perfect for the series and while I still love the series after he leaves, it loses a little something.

This was my fourth or fifth go-round through the first seventeen issues of the series, from 0-16. It still stands up. This Gene Wolfe quote seems pretty apt: “My definition of good literature is that which can be read by an educated reader, and reread with increased pleasure.” Every time I read this series, I notice something new and understand more of the references. There was a Doom Patrol reference I didn't catch the last time and lots of movies and TV shows I've seen since the last time. Also, I wonder if James Robinson ever found that Japanese import Jump with Joey CD.

I don't really have a whole lot else to say for fear of spoiling the series. After multiple reads, it still stands head and shoulders above the rest of the superhero comics of the time period. Five out of five stars.

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