At the behest of a friend I read the trade paperback (TPB) Starman: Sins of the Father.
Premise: The Starman mantle is passed down a generation after family tragedy. However, the next in line is not only hesitant about taking up the herioc post, but is antipathetic about it.
I'm not much of a DC Comics guy. I've mostly read Marvel comics - particularly the X-Universe - and thus have less knowledge about the DC Universe. I was able to read the series without much trouble even though I don't know much about the original Starman, Opal City's history, or the Starman villian du jour.
This series is mostly a coming of age/father-son personal struggle story arc. The series was written in the mid-nineties and thus has the artistic flavor of that time period. Personally, I didn't much care for the art work. It's not bad, just not aesthetically pleasing to me, if you will. The writing used a lot of broken sentences and incomplete thoughts to move the storyline; as far as literary style goes, it's some what hard to read in the comic book format. However, the emotional intensity and personal struggle in the arc required a disjointed thought process. I would be interested to see if the writing style changes as the series progresses; that being said, I don't know yet that I will seek out the story of Starman.
I don't know if it's a failing on my part to understand the DC Universe, the Starman history, or the appeal of Starman, but I didn't get extremely attached to any of the characters in the storyline. I'm sure as Starman comes to term with his new life as the champion of good in Opal City and more villians seek to wipe him off the face of the earth the intrigue will build.
There is a character in the storyline called The Mist. Apparently, the Mist and Starman (1940s style) were quintessentional adversaries to the point that the animosity has passed down through the generations. Yet I didn't quite understand the author's last depiction of the Mist. Perhaps I am missing something because I lack the history of the series and characters, but the almost decreped and absent-minded image of the Mist at the end of the series is so contradictory to his persona in the rest of the series that it left me in a state of disbelief.
All in all, the series was entertaining. It was a nice read on a hot day. The storyline seemed in tune with natural human emotions. Yet i just couldn't get myself to care about what happened next in the saga once the arc was finished. Perhaps it will grow on me if I pick up another TPB of Starman. I shall reserve judgment, until that day.
2 comments:
Hey, thanks for just giving it a shot.
I'm glad that you were able to read the book without much difficulty. Starman and The Mist are creations that have been around for quite awhile, but were pretty much forgotten by the time this series revitalized them. Opal (to my knowledge) was new to this series, or at least, finally fleshed out in this series. So were the kids of both Starman and The Mist.
Art - Tony Harris (the artist) has a very stylistic approach to his work. He uses photo reference for his characters and this, while shaky in the beginning, has really tightened up over the years. His work, while still kind of cartoony, now deftly uses shadow and lighting to make some pretty pretty art. In my opinion. And tastes do differ.
Writing - The sentence fragments and incomplete thoughts are very much reflective of the P.O.V. I believe Robinson wishes us to see the story through. I wouldn't say the style of writing changes so much throughout the series, but as Jack becomes more defined as a character, you begin to see the rhythm in the writing.
I think the big appeal for me - which may be lost on a person who is more a Marvel man - is the history aspect of the series. It only becomes more historical with flashbacks and obscure characters and references popping in and out of the story. It never gets to the point where I think you wouldn't be able to follow or enjoy the story, but it adds a level to the writing which could be missed.
Also, I really enjoy the main character, Jack. He's a collector and I can relate to that, and that mindset. Something missing in the TPB is the letter column that appeared in the original issues for the first half of the run. In those columns, I was able to find out about some of that DC history, along with finding great books and movies to watch and enjoy. It was kind of like falling in with a group of people who had similar interests and shared great finds.
[Did I ever give you the book, The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers? I first found out about him in the letter column...anyway, it's a fantastic time travel book with Egyptian crap you might enjoy.]
Again, thanks for reading the TPB. I'll see if I can't find something more up your alley next time.
Like I said, it was an enjoyable read. It wasn't painful or anything, I just didn't get sucked in. It happens. It's like an enjoyable movie, but I won't buy it to watch again.
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