Starman
One of the things I am currently reading the second volume of Starman, written by James Robinson and drawn for the most part by Tony Harris (current artist of the most excellent Ex Machina). Now, I am only about halfway through the series right now, but I am, for the most part, liking it a great deal. I will attempt to write a bit about it though I am at work, without anything to reference.
The art on the book, both by Tony Harris and others, tends to be quite good. I would not call it simple, but it lacks the cross-hatching, unecessary shadows, and other things that seem to take over today's comic art. It is not quite as stylized as the art on say Rucka's Tec run (the artist's name escapes me right now), or as say Mike Mignola's. The coloring on the book is what leads to a great deal of the style. As to the classification, I would have to go with Art Deco. Indeed, Opal City, where most of the book is set, is itself incredibly stylish, a mix of Victorian and Art Deco. Opal City functions much the way Gotham does in Batman, a motivation for the characters, and a distincive location that lends itself to adventures.
The book is about (thus far) Jack Knight taking the mantle of Starman after his brother, the previous Starman was killed (quite ignobly). His father, Ted Knight, was the original Starman. Ted and Jack don't get along very well, and Jack does not have a great deal of respect for his father's costumed days. But he begrudgingly becomes the new Starman, and grows to accept and even relish it.
That is the simple story. The more important part of Starman, and probably why so many people rave about the book is the nature of the stories. Starman is about legacy. Jack has to learn to deal with his father and his legacy. Jack experiences a great deal of other DCU superheroic legacies as well. Starman does a great deal of meta-work in its talk about the nature of superheroics, and the pull of such a life (sometimes in a subtle manner, sometimes not). It also explores various corners of the DCU, and works to tie together many parts, and correct some inconsistencies. In many ways, Starman seems to only exist to act as glue for the DCU.
I honestly wish I could write more on Starman now, but without the books in front of me so that I can reference certain things, I cannot. I will ammend this post later. In the meantime, I was wondering if anyone could suggest other such books, either for DC or Marvel, that are not major books, but that tie together the universe (of that comic company). On the Marvel side, the most recent She-Hulk spring to mind (and if you are not reading that book, shame on you). On the DC side, I have heard that Chase, Chronos, and Anarky are all such books (though I have not read any of these as of yet). So, in part of a shameless way to see if people are reading, please suggest some books.
The art on the book, both by Tony Harris and others, tends to be quite good. I would not call it simple, but it lacks the cross-hatching, unecessary shadows, and other things that seem to take over today's comic art. It is not quite as stylized as the art on say Rucka's Tec run (the artist's name escapes me right now), or as say Mike Mignola's. The coloring on the book is what leads to a great deal of the style. As to the classification, I would have to go with Art Deco. Indeed, Opal City, where most of the book is set, is itself incredibly stylish, a mix of Victorian and Art Deco. Opal City functions much the way Gotham does in Batman, a motivation for the characters, and a distincive location that lends itself to adventures.
The book is about (thus far) Jack Knight taking the mantle of Starman after his brother, the previous Starman was killed (quite ignobly). His father, Ted Knight, was the original Starman. Ted and Jack don't get along very well, and Jack does not have a great deal of respect for his father's costumed days. But he begrudgingly becomes the new Starman, and grows to accept and even relish it.
That is the simple story. The more important part of Starman, and probably why so many people rave about the book is the nature of the stories. Starman is about legacy. Jack has to learn to deal with his father and his legacy. Jack experiences a great deal of other DCU superheroic legacies as well. Starman does a great deal of meta-work in its talk about the nature of superheroics, and the pull of such a life (sometimes in a subtle manner, sometimes not). It also explores various corners of the DCU, and works to tie together many parts, and correct some inconsistencies. In many ways, Starman seems to only exist to act as glue for the DCU.
I honestly wish I could write more on Starman now, but without the books in front of me so that I can reference certain things, I cannot. I will ammend this post later. In the meantime, I was wondering if anyone could suggest other such books, either for DC or Marvel, that are not major books, but that tie together the universe (of that comic company). On the Marvel side, the most recent She-Hulk spring to mind (and if you are not reading that book, shame on you). On the DC side, I have heard that Chase, Chronos, and Anarky are all such books (though I have not read any of these as of yet). So, in part of a shameless way to see if people are reading, please suggest some books.
posted by X-Himy at 1:53 AM
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