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.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
49 of 50 people found the following review helpful
By SB
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
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.
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.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
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.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By S. Ibrahim
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
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.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best read!
Love this series. Extremely addicting and I wish there was more! It is really awesome and I recommend it to anyone.
Published 3 months ago by Tom
3.0 out of 5 stars
Great story. Bad book.
I had read through Rising Stars before and wanted to get the Compendium to have a complete collection of the story. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Wendy Nagle
4.0 out of 5 stars
A great story, but dissappointingly poor binding
A very interesting series, which quite obviously must have inspired TV shows Heroes and 4400. The art is great too and fits the series well - it's bright-colored and also dark, but... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Dovile
1.0 out of 5 stars
An amazing story in the shoddiest of packages
This is a review of the physical product, not the story contained within. I want to make that clear because I think the Rising Stars story is fantastic and would give it 4 or 5... Read more
Published 14 months ago by J. Dean
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the most epic stories ever.
I don't know how to explain this but the last page in Rising Star is the best climax to any book ever. It blew me away.
Published on April 25, 2011 by Andrew L. Small
5.0 out of 5 stars
always searching
I received this book in a timely manner. Faster then what I expected. I had surgery on my ankle and could not shop for the holidays. I have never shopped online like this before. Read more
Published on December 19, 2010 by nanno
2.0 out of 5 stars
Good in broad strokes, very weak on the details
JMS is great at putting together a big story arc, but much weaker with characters and dialogue. Rising Stars exacerbates the problems that Babylon 5 was good in spite of. Read more
Published on October 31, 2010 by David Baker
5.0 out of 5 stars
Rising Stars a Triumph
The Rising Stars Compendium contains the entire story run including "Rising Stars 1-24," "Rising Stars: Visitations" (a one-shot), "Rising Stars: Bright" 1-3, "Rising Stars:... Read more
Published on September 25, 2010 by Will Hemmings
4.0 out of 5 stars
Straczynski reaches for the stars!
Not to make a pun here, but J. Michael Straczynski, of 'Babylon 5' fame makes an effort to create a game-changing franchise at the 'Watchmen' and 'Dark Knight Returns' level of... Read more
Published on May 28, 2010 by V. Sparrow
3.0 out of 5 stars
Collapses under its own weight. . .
Let's keep this brief. The concept, the characters, the art, and the hardcover presentation are all absolutely fantastic. Read more
Published on October 14, 2009 by Garvinstomp
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