Dreadstar Volume 1 Part 1 (Definitive Collections) [Paperback]

Jim Starlin (Author, Artist)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 18, 2004

The first complete chapter of Jim Starlin's epic saga, collected in two volumes, chronicling the adventures of Vanth Dreadstar, last survivor of the destroyed Milky Way Galaxy. Dreadstar finds himself transported to the Empirical Galaxy, where he is recruited by the sorcerer Syzygy Darklock to help bring an end to the 200-year-old war between the corrupt Monarchy and the fanatical Instrumentality.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Dreadstar Definitive Collection Part 1 collects the first six issues of Jim Starlin's space opera, the flagship title of Marvel's creator-owned Epic Comics line in 1982. Cosmic swashbuckler Vanth Dreadstar, skull-faced mage Syzygy, and cat-man Oedi are battling to end the destructive galactic war between the two superpowers, the Instrumentality (church) and the Monarchy (state). They recruit two new members, blind telepath Willow and monkey-like muscleman Skeevo, but a quick trip to pick up a tele-drive in the city of Chicano proves that the warring factions will try any deadly tactic to stop them. Dreadstar isn't as compelling or original as some of Starlin's other cosmic creations (Warlock, The Death of Captain Marvel, among many others), but it's an engaging read. Unlike some previous versions, the 2004 Definitive Collection prints the stories in color on high-quality paper. --David Horiuchi

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment (August 18, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 097496381X
• ISBN-13: 978-0974963815
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 6.7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,295,363 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ah, Dreadstar. You have held up well., February 13, 2010

By 

Caraculiambro (La Mancha and environs) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dreadstar Volume 1 Part 1 (Definitive Collections) (Paperback)

This book collects the first 6 issues of the Epic comic, in color, complete with cover art before each story. Volume II collects the second 12 issues. And that's the best you can do, at least as of my writing. Nothing else is currently in print.

Which is a shame. I read many comics in my early teens and I never would have thought at the time that Dreadstar would end up as all-time favorite. But every couple of years or so I pull out my stack and read through them all again, and boy do they hold up well. I occasionally read through other comics from my youth, but most of them strike me as infernally childish by this point. Now in middle age, I can say this is the only comic I'm not embarrassed to admit I loved as a teenager.

Dreadstar, on the other hand, remains fresh and excellent to me. I don't know why. Stalin's art? The unexpected plot twists? The superb characterization? The stunning backstory? Who knows?

Sure, Dreadstar had its share of silliness. We are, of course, in the context of a space opera, where everybody has a Mr. Universe physique and about half the characters are capable of flying. But on the whole I would say these come across nearly as powerfully as they did when I was twelve and thirteen.

Not that the series never jumped the shark, no. Jump it most assuredly did, and I can pinpoint where: starting in episode #32 of the First Comics, in which, after having vanquished the Lord High Papal in a battle royale, the noble Vanth Dreadstar awakens from a coma and promptly agrees to become a sort of bounty hunter, mopping up intransigent Instrumentality holdouts. Some destiny. What a disappointment. Should have simply ended with him dying victorious, assuming the reins of government, or living to a peaceful old age. But instead we get this pathetic tripe? Why can't more auteurs do what Seinfeld did?

I used to have all the Dreadstars, but I got so fed up with what happened after issue #31 that I sold the rest. Now I still read through them, but only #1 - #31. I pretend like the series stopped after that.

On the whole, though, a bravura performance by Starlin, who has never done anything better. Over two and a half decades, and the freshness and power of these comics has not dimmed a bit.

5.0 out of 5 stars A MASTER OF COMIC ART: JIM STARLING THE MESSENGER OF DEATH AND THE RENAISSANCE., November 29, 2010

By 

CARLOS MAZAGATOS "JUAN" (logroño, Rioja Spain) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Dreadstar Volume 1 Part 1 (Definitive Collections) (Paperback)

Jim starlin is the best author of HISTORIES IN MARVEL UNIVERSE OF MR MARVEL, GHOST RIDER , CONAN, DREADSTAR,.... fOR ME IT'S LIKE SHAKESPEARE IN COMIC ART. You don't dissapoint,of course . Take care, it's material sensible for adults only.

4.0 out of 5 stars Graphic SF Reader, September 3, 2007

By 

Blue Tyson "- Research Finished" (Legion clubhouse) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dreadstar Volume 1 Part 1 (Definitive Collections) (Paperback)

The start of Jim Starlin's epic Dreadstar series. With his own galaxy kaput, Vance Dreadstar ends up in another.

Two sides are locked in a serious war, and when Dreadstar arrives, a talented man that is opposed to the whole thing sees him as an element that can be used in bringing an end to the conflict.