I particularly liked: the deepening of Jack's relationship with Sadie, to whom he proposes, before heading for the stars the continuation of Matt O'Dare's redemption, on his journey from crooked cop to genuine good guy (although I could live without the stereotypical "western" elements of his story - Seriously, James Robinson? He's seriously a reincarnation of a lawman from the Old West, a lawman called Brian "Savage?" And don't even get me going on the whole "Scalphunter" thing) and the growth of the father-son bond, between the two Knights. More Tales of Times Past appear - including an entertaining story about Ted Knight's cousin, Sandra, the super-heroine known as the Phantom Lady - and a two-part adventure involving Batman, Hellboy and (the current) Starman.Īs another reviewer has noted, this felt a bit like an elaborate set-up, for Jack's big adventure in space (I cannot WAIT for volume 5!), but I enjoyed it, for all that. The Shade and Matt O'Dare return for another adventure together, as do the entire O'Dare clan, in the amusing Those L'il O'Dares (and Patrolman Clarence) in The Old Codger, a retro, childlike comic-adventure, in which Opal's most renowned police family are (mostly) still kids. The Starman omnibus project continues in this fourth volume, which, although a little scattered in comparison to previous installments of the series, was still an immensely enjoyable read! Here we have the four-part Lightning and Stars story arc, in which Jack and his father team up to help James Barr (once the superhero Bulletman) out, when he is falsely accused of having been a Nazi spy, during WWII.
In short, while this isn't my favorite Starman, it's still better than 90% of what's getting published today. Apart from Ted Knight, the Shade, and Solomon Grundy, most of the characters are James Robinson originals, like the O'Dares, Bobo Bennetti, or are seldom seen, like the Starman of 1970 or Will Payton. Speaking of the creative team, I think the reason James Robinson's writing is so good in the Starman series is because of the creative freedom he was given. As an added bonus, there is a three way team-up between Starman, Batman, and Hellboy, drawn by Mike Mignola himself! Mignola's art almost makes up for the departure of Tony Harris. There's superhero conflict between Starman and Captain Marvel over Bulletman's fate, lots of Times Past stories, including some that weren't reprinted before, all leading up to Ted Knight unveiling the rocket that will take Jack to the stars to find Will Payton in the next volume. This volume has an interesting mix of stories. Still, Starman filler and setup is still some of the best comics on the racks. Not only that, the book lost something when Tony Harris in the midst of this volume. I hate to say it, but this volume felt like all filler and setup.
In this volume, Jack Knight continues struggling to live up to the Starman legacy.
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