Starman, Vol. 6: To Reach the Stars

Starman (1994)

by James Robinson

Starman, protector of Opal City, is lured into battle with the world's mightiest mortal, Captain Marvel, and then heads into space to find Will Payton, a former Starman. Original.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, Dc Comics, Comic Book, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics

224 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1998

About the author

James Dale Robinson is a British writer of American comic books and screenplays.

Reviews

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Something struck me on this read-through: I really don't like Sadie. Perhaps it has to do with knowing how the series turns out, or with my getting older, but her whole story - lying to Jack about who she really is, having him fall for her, ultimately all to convince him to go into space to find her brother on a gut feeling - it had me wanting to try and yell at Jack to use his head. She came off on this read-through as incredibly manipulative, especially with lines like, "I love you, and what's more, if you do this for me....I'll love you forever." Maybe I'm just being cynical (again, knowing the ending is tempering my view of this).

[Roberto Diaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you kept up with the previous five volumes... this one gives us characters stories from the characters of Opal City and more, with some crossovers and the overall story of Jack on his way away from Opal, and Earth, to fullfil his lover's wish. I don't like Sadie, and nothing will make me get over the fact that she did what she did to get the aid of Jack. The rest of the stories are excellent. Robinson and company keep up the game.

[Alex E · Rating 3 out of 5]

Volume 6 of Starman has him go head to head with one of DC's most powerful super heroes - and somehow not die!

So this book is split between two stories. The aforementioned hero vs hero tale and smaller stories that deal with Starman's upcoming trip into space. So the major hero in question is Shazam. And for me, less is more with Shazam. However, Robinson features him kind of heavily, which is understandable seeing as the story takes place between Opal city and Shazam's city, but the whole world of Shazam I am just not really a fan of. The story was a bit of a miss for me because of that.

However after that, we get smaller stories as Jack gets ready to head off into space and this was much more to my liking. As we see his relationship with Sadie blossom, we see Shade - who is quickly turning into a very interesting character - giving his two cents about who will watch the city, the whole thing just felt like a great prologue to a bigger story. Which with Jack going into space, seems very appropriate.

Overall, a decent volume of Starman, but one that still feels necessary before what appears to be the bigger story next volume.

[Daniel Sevitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm here for Robinson's writing even if I can't get fully on board with the character and the story. This edition has a rum old crossover with Shazam referencing secret wartime operations and some Nazi super-villains. There is also some good stuff about Jack's relationship with Sadie, but much of the back story and tales of the old JSA leave me a little cold. My sense is that he's trying to tap into those parts of Watchmen which pierced the myth of "a simpler time," but it's not quite as strong as Moore's take. Still, I'm happy to go where Robinson takes me and it seems that the next destination is space!

[James Bowman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another very good installment, mainly centered around Jack's romance with Sadie, a crossover with The Power of Shazam, and the setup for a major change of pace in the next volume. The Shazam crossover is the only weak point - the Shazam half is noticeably less sophisticated than the Starman half, and the obligatory superhero fight, while exciting, feels like it was contrived to happen. (Also, I get the impression Robinson doesn't think much of Captain Marvel.) Fortunately, the rest of the volume more than makes up for those flaws. (A-)

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the thing I liked about Robinson. He hinted AR things to come and delivered. Jake goes to space. How and why are here. The fun part is that if you were paying attention you learned why, but not the reason why. This is another thing I like about Jack, his passion. Throughout Robinson's run, Jack never looses his passion.
This reminds me that I miss Robinson's writing more and more these days.

[Mike Reiff · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit over fluffed with set up for the upcoming next epic chapter, this is still a solid set of additional introspective chapters in the life of Jack Knight. It’s hard to tell if Tony Harris’ art is waning at this point or simply shifting focus, but his late entries here are still solid. This volume also contains a couple Shazam issues that completed a Starman story, and just seeing the difference in art and writing shows how special Starman was in the 90s.

[Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

This time Jack butts heads with another retro hero in the form of Captain Marvel. Their encounter was typical superhero first time meeting/fight but it was still fun. The Shade makes another appearance and he's becoming the most interesting character. Tony Harris's art will be missed moving forward. Overall, this wasn't spectacular but a fun read.

[Jamie Manley · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. This is the first volume of the series that I read and it got me hooked.

[Armand · Rating 5 out of 5]

Greta stuff! Yet another awesome trip into James Robinson's Opal City, following Jack Knight and huge supporting cast through highs and lows. As the series has a lot of great continuity, I reccommend reading collections 1-5 first.

One small note, however, is that the title is deceptive. Jack Knight does not reach the stars in the this collection. I am pretty sure that will happen in collection #8.

You can find my take on the first Starman (Sins of the Father) collection on my blog, here: https://armandinezian.wordpress.com/2...

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mostly a set of short character pieces that move the story forward. We get individual chapters from many of the characters' viewpoints, Jack, Ted, and to a lesser degree Sadie and Mikaal. Along the way we get the fate of Solomon Grundy (in a mildly sad way) and we discover that the Mist is more dangerous than her father ever was. A long term recurring character "Bobo" Benetti, makes his first rather enjoyable appearance, but the crossover with Captain marvel was a yawn.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe it's me, but the stories feel choppy - and I'm wearying of the "deux ex machina" of Shade.