Rising Stars Compendium [Paperback]

J. Michael Straczynski (Author), Fiona Avery (Author), Brent Anderson (Author), Keu Cha (Author), David Finch (Author), Gary Frank (Author), Stuart Immonen (Author), Staz Johnson (Author), Dan Jurgens (Author), Ken Lashley (Author), Al Rio (Author), Peter Steigerwald (Author), Christian Zanier (Author)

Book Description

Series: Rising Stars | Publication Date: May 12, 2009

Launched in 1999, Rising Stars is about a group of people who are born with special abilities after a mysterious light appears in the sky. Parallels have been drawn between this series and The 4400 TV series on USA Network and Heroes on NBC. This new collection includes all 24 issues of J. Michael Straczynski's run on Rising Stars, as well as all three spin-off mini-series written by his protege, Fiona Avery.

Product Details

• Paperback: 1280 pages
• Publisher: Top Cow Productions/Image Comics (May 12, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1582408025
• ISBN-13: 978-1582408026
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 6.7 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #430,645 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Collected Material=good. Quality and design of book=not so good., April 25, 2009

By 

Scott Edward Calibraxis (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Rising Stars Compendium Hardcover (Hardcover)

I'm not going to review the actual content of this book. There are lots of other reviews out there in which you can learn about this great comic book series.

What you really want to know is: should I shell out for this or not?

If you are familiar with the paperback "Compendium" editions from Top Cow, this is exactly like those, except hardcover. That's a major improvement, as those compendium paperbacks were easily damaged. It is very thick, unlike the item displayed in the picture. The image content fills the pages: unlike Marvel Omnibuses or hardcovers, there are no borders at all. Also unlike the Marvel books, the paper is rather flimsy and thin, although glossy with good reproduction quality. In fact, the pages seem thinner than standard comic book paper used by most independent comic book publishers. The page size is exactly the same as standard comic book pages.

The reason to buy this book is to get all this content in one place, and there is a ton of that. They aren't kidding when they list 1000 pages. But other than that the book design isn't much. Unlike competing oversize editions published by DC, Dark Horse, or Image, these Compendiums are the size of standard comic books. That's a real let down for fans and a missed opportunity for the publisher.

Without borders around the artwork, some of it gets lost in the massive spine fold. The weight of the book makes it unwieldy, and easy to lose your grip on-- so the flimsy pages become a real liability--easy to damage as you fumble with the book in your lap. They also feel like they might tear if you turn the pages with any strength.

I am quite happy with this despite those complaints, as I didn't have any of this material in another format. For those who do have other versions of these issues, collected or otherwise, there's not much motivation to buy this, as it really is just a bunch of standard comics bound into a thick and heavy tome.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Great Story, Horrible Binding, November 3, 2010

By 

Robert Ringenberg "batotahell" (New Orleans, LA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Rising Stars Compendium (Paperback)

As others have said the story is great. The binding on the book is already falling apart after ONE reading! The glue holding the cover to the spine of the interior pages has released. I skipped buying the hardcover because of problems people said they were having and find the soft cover has the same problem. This is inexcusable for a professionally produced book.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Read, May 28, 2009

By 

S. Ibrahim "Wii Waiter" (Philly Pa) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Rising Stars Compendium Hardcover (Hardcover)

There are certain books that take you on a journey and introduce you to memorable characters. The kind of books that are superior in writing and storytelling. Rising Stars is one of those books. And this Massive Hardcover is amazing. With over 1000 pages and with every single issue combine to create a unique read as you enter the world of the 113 specials and learn about their origins and their future. This is a Must read and for fans the comic a must have.