Wade Von Grawbadger

I've owned the first volume of Starman for five years now(!), but my desire to read it goes back even further than that-- I remember reading about it in Scott Tipton's Comics 101 column, which rated it as one of the very best comic books ever. Thankfully, that turned out to be exactly that. Starman tells the tale of Jack Knight, son of the original Starman, Ted Knight, and a young man who never wanted to be a superhero... but found himself forced to be one by circumstances... and found show more himself starting to like it.

That "liking" is a key part of what I find appealing about this book. Starman goes to dark places, both narratively and visually, but it's often enjoyable, often fun. This isn't a series about a grim antihero, but one about someone who likes being a hero. There's a sense of joy, of enthusiasm, of heroism to the events that happen here. This book doesn't ask, "Do we really need heroes?", it just gets on with the business of having them. But it's not a Golden-Age froth fest; this is a story about terrible things happening to good people... just thank goodness that sometimes the good people can stop those terrible things. This is the ethos I like from my superhero comics.

This was writer James Robinson's first real big break, I think, and it shows-- in a good way. This book bursts with new ideas and reworkings of old ideas: the O'Dares, the Shade, the Mist, Mikaal, the "Conversations with David" segments (where Jack talks to his dead brother), the evil poster, the evil circus, the mysterious Hawai'ian shirt. There's a lot going on, and little of it is generic superhero vs. supervillain theatrics. I like how Starman has a third-person narrator, one with a distinct voice and tone. I think this was Tony Harris's first big break, too, but he also shines here, with art that's purposefully a little rough, and perfectly suited to the task.

Like a lot of DC's Modern Age work, this retcons levels of personality and depth onto Golden Age characters that, quite frankly, was not there to begin with, just like in Sandman Mystery Theatre. Most blatant in this regard is "13 Years Ago: Five Friends," a bleak story of how a few members of the Justice Society reunited to take out a killer cult-leader. The JSA stories in Crisis on Multiple Earths were never like this! But of course, I like this, and I like this mode of going about; this is the kind of thing I think the best modern comics do: respect the past, use it as a foundation to build on, but not be overly beholden to it. show less

This review is posted on all six volumes.

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 show more 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. show less

For some reason I don't read Wonder Woman regularly, even though she is exactly the kind of character I love best: an unapologetic, strong-willed, opinionated, bad-ass woman. In this comic, a young woman begs for Wonder Woman's protection, and she grants it. WW speaks with a precise, antiquated style that I love, particularly in contrast to the colloquial speech around her. Her life is one of service and duty--and she likes it that way. The demands placed upon her by hospitality and honor show more place her in direct opposition to Batman. A series of fuck yeah moments ensue. I nearly fist-pumped while reading, but caught myself just in time. show less

My first full Wonder Woman graphic novel. A great introduction to the character, alludes to background without providing an outright origin story.

Wonder Woman swears to protect a young woman, only to discover Batman wants to take her in for murder. Diana is thus forced to choose between her sacred oath and her commitment to justice. Her struggle is genuine and very well-handled. The book is complex, thoughtful, and at times very dark without being needlessly so. A genuinely great book.

I show more think, artistically, a good job was done not overly sexualizing Wonder Woman, though there were definitely some questionable frames that made me slightly embarassed to be reading the book in public in case someone could see over my shoulder. Could have been handled a little better, but also a lot worse.

This definitely whet my appetite for more Wonder Woman, I think she's a fascinating and well-realized character in the DC universe, and I love the trope-defying scenes of her kicking Batman's ass into complete submission. show less