Starman: Grand Guignol (Book 9) [Paperback]

James Robinson (Author), Peter Snejbjerg (Illustrator) (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Starman is the coming-of-age story of Jack Knight, who reluctantly assumes the mantle of heroism after his older brother David's death in battle. Jack, estranged from his family, agrees to use the energy-harnessing cosmic rod his father invented to be the original Starman in the 1940s to avenge his brother and protect his beloved Opal City (he eschews the garish costume of his predecessors, however, instead favoring a leather jacket and aviator goggles). In the skilled hands of Robinson and several talented artists, Starman is the rare superhero comic that favors character development and complex, extended story lines over slugfests. In this penultimate volume of a series collecting Starman's 80-issue run, Jack returns from an extended adventure in space to find Opal City menaced by evil forces led by the Shade. Jack prepares for an epic battle for the city that ends in triumph and tragedy. Robinson's ambitious approach can fall victim to overwrought narration and inflated dialogue, yet it is one of the more interesting comic-book renditions of the hero's journey according to Joseph Campbell. Gordon Flagg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Paperback: 296 pages
• Publisher: DC Comics (October 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401202578
• ISBN-13: 978-1401202576
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 0.6 x 10.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,084,276 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Aptly named, October 15, 2004

By 

David C. Hill "*** Dave" (Centennial, CO USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Starman: Grand Guignol (Book 9) (Paperback)

This is the aptly-titled climax of the series, as the elaborate plans of the Shade (or are they?) come to fruition, and everyone gets into the act fighting for or against him. Folks die on both sides, and the action hurtles forward even with repeated and frequent digression issues on one or another cast member's past, or the past of the Opal itself. This is epic comic writing in a class of its own, with more backstory and foreshadowing than you can shake a cosmic rod at. Though it's way late in coming, I applaud DC for (3-4 years later) reprinting it. One more volume, and we should be set (and ready to reread the whole thing again).

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not the best of the run, June 30, 2008

By 

M. J. Sanford (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Starman: Grand Guignol (Book 9) (Paperback)

Like other comic junkies, I gobbled up this series (at least in trade form...). I really enjoyed the series overall, but not this one. Yes, it's an epic battle to save Opal from the bad guy.

MILD SPOILER:

But the bad guy was invented for this plot line, not an old villain returned or anything clever, and I HATE that trick. Why not *really* make Shade the bad guy? Robinson also brings in WAY too many side characters, and takes a long time to tell this story (back story is fine, but it can be overdone). For example, Adam Strange's appearance could have omitted and the story wouldn't have suffered.

You could stop reading Starman with book 8.

4.0 out of 5 stars Graphic SF Reader, September 2, 2007

By 

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

This review is from: Starman: Grand Guignol (Book 9) (Paperback)

You get what you pays for, with this title. Big fight, and dead people, brought about by plotting and scheming, with the Shade-powers, Jack, and the local hero-cop family in the middle.

Opal City is a wonderful looking place, but now is the time it really needs its heroes. You know what Guignol in the title is going to mean, as well.