Starman Omnibus

Next up in my project to read my stack of unread graphic novels and comic book collected editions is Starman by James Robinson. I'm counting the six-volume set as one story, because that's what it is in essence, albeit with some tangential stories in the mix. Those stories, however, fill in blanks and add to the interconnectedness of the whole thing. That "everything is connected" aspect is, for me, the most impressive thing about the series, which stars Jack Knight, the younger of former Starman Ted Knight's two sons ,who reluctantly takes up the Starman name and cosmic rod when his older brother is murdered during his brief tenure as Starmaan.

A lot of characters pop in and out, including old members of the JSA. And the Shade, one of my favorite villains, plays a charming, not-quite-a-villain, major role in the series. The art s nice enough if not spectacular, although the last two volumes feature art by Peter Snejbjerg which is quite lovely.

My only quibble is that Robinson is, at least here, a very wordy writer and I ended up skimming a lot  This issue was exacerbated by some hard-to-read fonts, mostly the font used for the Shade's long journal entries that serve as narration in many of the stories. But the solid character development and the realistic emotions displayed by the main characters keep the series at above average levels. The feel of "what if superheroes were real?" vibe brought to my mind one of my all-time favorite comics: Astro City. This isn't quite as good as that, but it comes close.