The Starman Omnibus, Vol. 2 [Hardcover]

James Robinson (Author), Tony Harris (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 3, 2009

The classic super-hero series STARMAN, starring a Gen-X super-hero, is re-presented in high quality format.The super-heroic legacy of Starman is renewed in these stories, in which Jack Knight - antiques collector and dealer - inherits the name and powers of his father's old Starman identity from his older brother, who has been assassinated. In this volume, Jack's disturbing dreams drive him to New York City to meet his father's old friend, Wesley Dodd, the Sandman of the 1940s, and learns of another Sandman - an alien who came to Earth as a hero of the 1970s. Features spectacular artwork by Eisner Award winner Tony Harris, illustrator of EX MACHINA.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

The second collection of the 1990s Starman comic shows the creators hitting their stride, establishing elements that would become hallmarks of the series: reluctant young hero Jack Knight’s growing confidence in the role of Starman he inherited from his father, flashbacks to 1940s adventures of his predecessor, and stories incorporating the various other superheroes who have operated under the Starman rubric. While the groundbreaking Watchmen (1986) opened the door earlier to other superhero tales set in a world recognizably our own, Starman eschewed that series’ knowing cynicism in favor of the moving coming-of-age story of an idealistic young man learning how to be a hero.

About the Author

James Robinson is an acclaimed, award-winning writer whose works include STARMAN and JSA: THE GOLDEN AGE. He was co-writer with matt Wagner on SANDMAN MYSTERY THEATRE and with Geoff Johns he co-wrote HAWKMAN. In addition, he wrote the screenplay to THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN, starring Sean Connery, and created the acclaimed young readers comic series LEAVE IT TO CHANCE.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: DC Comics; First Edition edition (March 3, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401221947
• ISBN-13: 978-1401221942
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 0.9 x 10.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #61,033 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good as Gold, March 3, 2009

By 

The Ginger Man - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Starman Omnibus, Vol. 2 (Hardcover)

The James Robinson/Tony Harris run on Starman is one of my favorites in 45 years of comic book reading and is certainly the best extension of a Golden Age character ever rendered. Through this second Omnibus collection, Robinson builds Jack Knight's reluctant acceptance of the hero's role, transforms Solomon Grundy, revitalizes the Sandman and passes the mantle of The Mist from a one dimensional Golden Age villian to a fascinating and menacing modern counterpart. Through all of this, artist Tony Harris produces in his characters a range of facial expressions rarely seen in comics. Finally, Robinson and Harris team to make Opal City one of the most fully realized locales in the genre. This Art Deco beauty actually becomes as important as any character in the series. By using people and stories from the city's past (Jon Valor, the Scalphunter, Jake Benetti),the author creates additional texture and continuity for the setting in which Starman and friends cavort.

This Omnibus seems to improve with each individual entry. There is a retelling of a Golden Age story in which the original Starman first faces the Mist. It is followed by the annual episode in which Jack Knight meets with his brother, a former Starman, who died in battle. The book takes off in a 4 issue arc called Stars and Sand in which Jack Knight teams with the aging Sandman, Wesley Dodds. This series explores themes including changing perceptions of the role of the hero, the effect of aging on the physical hero, and the way generations view each other. The marriage between Dodds and Dian Belmont is probably the most mature and complex to be treated in comics. This arc draws upon stories and artwork from the sadly neglected Sandman Mystery Theater series which ran concurrently with Starman.

The volume peaks in Demon Quest. Starman journeys to hell to rescue the Shade and Jack O'Dare. Embodying the normalcy of daily life in Opal City, Knight's meeting with demons seems both extraordinary and oddly normal.

This is followed by a one shot Christmas story which somehow manages to sidestep sentimentality to end up achieving genuine emotion.

I gave my son the entire Starman run beginning with issue zero to read. He liked them as much as I did. The series succeeds for generations of readers in the immodest goal of blending a half century legacy of comic book writing into one memorable and satisfying narrative.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Bumpy Ride, September 2, 2009

By 

Yevgen Ostroukhov (Foster City, CA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Starman Omnibus, Vol. 2 (Hardcover)

First volume consisted of two great arcs. This one has two arcs too, but they are shorter and not so great as for me. Also to me it has too many filler issue coming from Showcase and other such publications.

5.0 out of 5 stars All Hail Starman!, June 21, 2010

By 

Wesley A. Vermillion "comic nerd" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: The Starman Omnibus, Vol. 2 (Hardcover)

This is my favorite comic book of all time. These omnibus editions are superb. The design, the quality of paper, and the content make it worth the price. Especially when you buy it from Amazon and it knocks off about twenty bucks from the retailer's price.

You get several awesome stories and beautiful art on high-quality glossy paper. I usually like the odd, cheap newsprint paper but with a comic like this it is better served by the glossy paper. The artwork really shines with the higher quality paper.