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Starman (1994) Omnibus #1-3
Starman Compendium One
When the original Starman's old foe The Mist continues an old vendetta, Jack Knight is forced into a role he's spent his whole life denying...Jack will have to pick up Starman's Cosmic Rod.
When Jack Knight is forced to pick up the Starman's Cosmic Rod, he finds himself flung into a life he never wanted for himself...but it just might be his destiny! Watch Starman go up against The Mist, The Shade, and even Captain Marvel!
Starman Compendium One Starman #0-42, Starman 80-Page Giant #1, Starman Annual #1, Starman Annual #2, Starman Secret Files #1, Showcase '95 #12, Showcase '96 #4, Showcase '96 #5, The Power of Shazam! #35, The Power of Shazam! #36, and The Shade #1-4
When Jack Knight is forced to pick up the Starman's Cosmic Rod, he finds himself flung into a life he never wanted for himself...but it just might be his destiny! Watch Starman go up against The Mist, The Shade, and even Captain Marvel!
Starman Compendium One Starman #0-42, Starman 80-Page Giant #1, Starman Annual #1, Starman Annual #2, Starman Secret Files #1, Showcase '95 #12, Showcase '96 #4, Showcase '96 #5, The Power of Shazam! #35, The Power of Shazam! #36, and The Shade #1-4
1476 pages, Paperback
Published August 17, 2021
44 people are currently reading
195 people want to read
About the author
James Robinson
1,270 books236 followersJames Dale Robinson is a British writer of American comic books and screenplays.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
January 26, 2026
I always roll my eyes when people say the 90s was the worst decade for comics, failing to recognize stuff like this came out of it. Hellboy, Preacher and Kingdom Come also came out of the 90s, yet still, people only remember muscular guys and gals with tons of pockets and no feet.
In the 1940s, Ted Knight invented a "cosmic rod" that gained him the ability of flight to fight crime.
In present day, 1994, Jack Knight wants nothing to do with his father's legacy. But then he finds himself in charge of the cosmic rod and thrown into the role of Starman. This is where his story starts.
Highly recommended.
In the 1940s, Ted Knight invented a "cosmic rod" that gained him the ability of flight to fight crime.
In present day, 1994, Jack Knight wants nothing to do with his father's legacy. But then he finds himself in charge of the cosmic rod and thrown into the role of Starman. This is where his story starts.
Highly recommended.
April 13, 2022
One of my all time favorite DC runs from the 90s. James Robinson and Tony Harris turned one of DC’s obscure character’s history into one of the coolest, fun, artsy, and noir-ish superheroes. Everything is a character, even the setting itself, Opal city.
It is filled with rich characters(Shade, being my favorite), great storytelling, and fantastic artwork, and it’s all self contained. I know in the 90s there were events and crossovers every other week which could lead to confusion in collections like these, where a random issue is added and starts in middle of a story. But this does not happen, here, you get a small mention in one of the annual to crossover events,such as Genesis and underworld, but are self contained.
I highly recommend this series to everyone I can who reads comics but never checked this series out. Looking forward to next compendium collection.
Only critique I have is for the book itself, which is to everyone expected. Be careful when reading near the end of the book, the spine can get flimsy.
It is filled with rich characters(Shade, being my favorite), great storytelling, and fantastic artwork, and it’s all self contained. I know in the 90s there were events and crossovers every other week which could lead to confusion in collections like these, where a random issue is added and starts in middle of a story. But this does not happen, here, you get a small mention in one of the annual to crossover events,such as Genesis and underworld, but are self contained.
I highly recommend this series to everyone I can who reads comics but never checked this series out. Looking forward to next compendium collection.
Only critique I have is for the book itself, which is to everyone expected. Be careful when reading near the end of the book, the spine can get flimsy.
September 9, 2021
So far I am enjoying this book. Half way through it right now. The story feels like a breath of fresh air compared to a lot of the normal super hero books I have been reading lately. It just oozes that wonderful 90s style on each page. The story itself is gripping and I am a sucker for any reluctant hero type story. As I dive into the second half there’s a chance I will have an update on the score as well as a more in-depth review. But for now I am leaving it with 5 stars.
P.s. does anyone else feel like DC has been seriously dropping the ball when it comes to the quality of these books? When I first received the book half of the spine wasn’t connected and all the pages fell out.
P.s. does anyone else feel like DC has been seriously dropping the ball when it comes to the quality of these books? When I first received the book half of the spine wasn’t connected and all the pages fell out.
July 11, 2024
I loved every second of the 1400+ pages in this volume.
The JSA are quite possibly my favorite superhero team, so it was so much fun seeing all the connections to the team and various cameos from other JSA members throughout the book.
What impressed me most was the world building and lore that James Robinson adds to Starman, including the multiple past incarnations of the character, along with The Shade, who is a fascinating character in his own right.
I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys good storytelling.
The JSA are quite possibly my favorite superhero team, so it was so much fun seeing all the connections to the team and various cameos from other JSA members throughout the book.
What impressed me most was the world building and lore that James Robinson adds to Starman, including the multiple past incarnations of the character, along with The Shade, who is a fascinating character in his own right.
I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys good storytelling.
April 17, 2022
A fantastic though weighty collection of Starman. It is very 90s in a lot of ways but I still think it holds up well today.
It has a respect for the past but tries to keep things contemporary for the time. Also the main character reflects so many attributes of being a collector is quite apt as the majority of followers of the series are comic collectors.
Fun, occasionally emotionally engaging stuff.
It has a respect for the past but tries to keep things contemporary for the time. Also the main character reflects so many attributes of being a collector is quite apt as the majority of followers of the series are comic collectors.
Fun, occasionally emotionally engaging stuff.
January 17, 2025
Couldn’t get through it. Art was great…writing was just too much.
February 9, 2026
After a coordinated series of attacks put Opal City into turmoil, the black sheep son of the once lauded Starman begrudgingly takes up his father's mantle and helps put the city back in order. Over the coming months, this new Starman reluctantly finds himself embroiled in a series of spontaneous adventures and soon rediscovers his childhood passion for the legacy of this once great hero.
Took me a while but finally finished the first compendium. I thought the first half was pretty great; Shade manipulating events behind the scenes, getting to know the O'Dare family, a detective detour with the Dodds, Jack holding yearly seances with his brother, finding out the diabolical plan the new Mist had to emotionally ruin Jack. I did find the antiquing obsessed, pop culture reference laden narration a bit taxing but the end result was rather appealing.
However, the second half became a bit more of a slog with plots I didn't find as engaging nor advanced the overarching narrative much; a team up crossover to fight the multiple personalities in Solomon Grundy's head, revisiting the period where Will Payton was Starman, a team-up with Shazam to clear the name of a golden age hero. There was still some stuff I quite enjoyed, mainly the Shade detours and the budding relationship between Jack and Sadie, but it largely felt like a lot of side plots that weren't particularly interesting.
The art was always pretty enjoyable, especially when Harris was on pencils & inks, and there was a lot of variety among guest artists including some nice work from JH Williams III and Craig Hamilton.
Took me a while but finally finished the first compendium. I thought the first half was pretty great; Shade manipulating events behind the scenes, getting to know the O'Dare family, a detective detour with the Dodds, Jack holding yearly seances with his brother, finding out the diabolical plan the new Mist had to emotionally ruin Jack. I did find the antiquing obsessed, pop culture reference laden narration a bit taxing but the end result was rather appealing.
However, the second half became a bit more of a slog with plots I didn't find as engaging nor advanced the overarching narrative much; a team up crossover to fight the multiple personalities in Solomon Grundy's head, revisiting the period where Will Payton was Starman, a team-up with Shazam to clear the name of a golden age hero. There was still some stuff I quite enjoyed, mainly the Shade detours and the budding relationship between Jack and Sadie, but it largely felt like a lot of side plots that weren't particularly interesting.
The art was always pretty enjoyable, especially when Harris was on pencils & inks, and there was a lot of variety among guest artists including some nice work from JH Williams III and Craig Hamilton.
September 8, 2025
I hate to say “they don’t make ‘em like this anymore,” but we’re talking about a mostly self-contained superhero comic run centered on a b-list character with a dense mythos that went on for more 100 issues when you include the spin-offs. All that considered, I think the cliche applies.
July 3, 2025
Every comic/book/tv/film series should be this level of in depth and length.
January 19, 2025
Did I get Goodreads to wax poetic about this series? Yes. I love Starman. This series is the perfect antidote to the Grimdark of the 90’s because it’s really about the indomitable human spirit. Jack Knight is the last guy in Opal City who wants to take up his father’s legacy and yet he becomes his own version of a hero. He’s just a guy who wants to paint and sell antiques and he slowly becomes an incredible hero. The times past could just make the Golden Age just like it’s contemporary, but instead Robinson lets the Golden Age be a simpler time of brighter colors. Each times past adds to lore of the Opal and Starman along with a lot of foreshadowing for the climax of the series. The art grows with Jack, so in the beginning it’s a little rough around the edges but by the end it’s truly unique. This is a great series because James Robinson and Tony Harris had a plan and followed it to a T.
January 15, 2024
This was one of the densest comics I've ever read. A lot of dialogue, a lot of boxes. Took me very long to finish this.
But it was also one of the best stories I've read. Not because of the story, but because of the characters:
Jack, Ted, Hope, Charity, Mason, Nash, Mikaal, Solomon, Opal City and the f*ing Shade. All brilliant characters, all able to hold an issue by themselves. Outstanding world building; I think Opal City surpasses Gotham and Metropolis.
This is really special and in a spot between superheroes and Vertigo type stories.
I can't wait to jump into Vol. 2, hope to see more of Nash.
But it was also one of the best stories I've read. Not because of the story, but because of the characters:
Jack, Ted, Hope, Charity, Mason, Nash, Mikaal, Solomon, Opal City and the f*ing Shade. All brilliant characters, all able to hold an issue by themselves. Outstanding world building; I think Opal City surpasses Gotham and Metropolis.
This is really special and in a spot between superheroes and Vertigo type stories.
I can't wait to jump into Vol. 2, hope to see more of Nash.
June 20, 2023
James Robinson's and Tony Harris' Starman is up there as one of the more unique superhero comic runs of all time. Starting with the shocking twist of the death of the incumbent Starman, Jack Knight, an antique collector and general deadbeat, takes up his father's retired mantle to save Opal City from the ensuing crime waves perpetrated by the villainous mastermind known as "The Mist". From the packed first issue, Robinson & Harris take Jack Knight on a journey towards understanding what it means to be a hero while repairing relationships between himself and his father. Recurring characters include the Mist's daughter, Nash, the O'Dare family who have served as Opal City police for generations, and the enigmatic anti-hero known as The Shade. The series is gritty, mature and esoteric, taking each Starman adventure as seriously as it can without being too self-serious. While the '90s may have been home to some of the most edgiest, grimdark comics, Starman differentiates itself by also having a ton of heart and creativity. Not every story here is evenly told though, with plenty of prose heavy sections that often bog down the reading experience, but overall it can't be said that James Robinson was ever out of his depth here and this can easily be considered to be his magnum opus work.
The narrative in Starman is also not very linear, with the series hopping between time periods. The run explores Ted Knight's own legacy as Starman, alongside previous iterations of Starmen that have appeared in older DC comics. The relationship between Starman and members of the golden age JSA is also explored, and Wesley Dodds (AKA the original Sandman) makes a prominent appearance in this portion of the run. And once a year, James Robinson makes sure to revisit the relationship between Jack and his deceased brother David, told in gorgeous black & white artwork.
Tony Harris' artwork is really great throughout, but its clear his style continued to evolve over the course of the many issues he pencilled. The cross-hatching becomes much more textured, the line work becomes more dense and controlled, and the overall action sequences begin to look more realized. It's always cool to see an artist progress over a run. Many other talented cartoonists contribute here as well, including Teddy Kristianson, Guy Davis, Gary Erskine, Gene Ha and J.H. Williams III, and each one delivers splendid pieces.
The narrative in Starman is also not very linear, with the series hopping between time periods. The run explores Ted Knight's own legacy as Starman, alongside previous iterations of Starmen that have appeared in older DC comics. The relationship between Starman and members of the golden age JSA is also explored, and Wesley Dodds (AKA the original Sandman) makes a prominent appearance in this portion of the run. And once a year, James Robinson makes sure to revisit the relationship between Jack and his deceased brother David, told in gorgeous black & white artwork.
Tony Harris' artwork is really great throughout, but its clear his style continued to evolve over the course of the many issues he pencilled. The cross-hatching becomes much more textured, the line work becomes more dense and controlled, and the overall action sequences begin to look more realized. It's always cool to see an artist progress over a run. Many other talented cartoonists contribute here as well, including Teddy Kristianson, Guy Davis, Gary Erskine, Gene Ha and J.H. Williams III, and each one delivers splendid pieces.
August 25, 2025
4.5 stars really, I very much enjoyed this. Very much felt like a vertigo comic with the artsy, experience-first and character-focused writing. The characters are great fun and I really like how much you can tell that the story is all planned out from start and it’s fun to see all the pieces fall into place. I like how connected it is to the wider superhero world, with lots of the Golden Age JSA members turning up, the Wesley Dodds and Dian Belmont stuff was particularly good. I like how big the cast is and it’s fun to see these recurring characters turn up over and over again. Would love to see more of Charity!!
Jack is a very unconventional superhero and so I like how his story is similarly unconventional. It is very much a story about superheroes and legacy but it’s also about loving your city, complicated relationships with your dad, and (most importantly) collecting niche old things!!! Ted and Jack’s relationship is super interesting and complex and the secret files story where they’re both talking about each other was great to read.
Special mention to The Shade!!! Who admittedly is the reason I’m reading this (but Jack has charmed me enough to continue!). He’s so entertainingly irritating and his mini series was great, very very fun stuff in there.
Half star knocked off for the era-typical racist writing that sometimes crops up. Wasn’t that impressed with Jack’s 180 on the police either, definitely feels out of character. I’m also not sold on James Robinson’s ability to write women but there aren’t really enough of them seriously impacting the plot for me to comment.
Jack is a very unconventional superhero and so I like how his story is similarly unconventional. It is very much a story about superheroes and legacy but it’s also about loving your city, complicated relationships with your dad, and (most importantly) collecting niche old things!!! Ted and Jack’s relationship is super interesting and complex and the secret files story where they’re both talking about each other was great to read.
Special mention to The Shade!!! Who admittedly is the reason I’m reading this (but Jack has charmed me enough to continue!). He’s so entertainingly irritating and his mini series was great, very very fun stuff in there.
Half star knocked off for the era-typical racist writing that sometimes crops up. Wasn’t that impressed with Jack’s 180 on the police either, definitely feels out of character. I’m also not sold on James Robinson’s ability to write women but there aren’t really enough of them seriously impacting the plot for me to comment.
February 26, 2025
This is, quite frankly, one if my favorite comic book/comic book runs of all time. James Robinson's writing is solid and has aged very well. Tony Harris on art has also aged well and looks very nice.
And speaking as someone who has read the entire series, one thing that makes this series so rereadable is that fact that Robinson blatently has so much planned out from the beginning. So you can see the hints and foreshadowing to stuff littered throughout.
If I had to find something to complain about it would be that the last third or so of this book isn't as strong as the earlier stuff. Definitely most of the weakest issues come in around then. But a weak Starman issue is still better than a lot of other comics.
Love this, highly recommend. This is a fat boy with 40 plus comics in it, but it is well worth the time.
Also speaking about it being a fat boy, I was very concerned about the construction of this. This isn't like a hardcover omnibus, it is soft cover glue binding. But the pages seem solid and secure, nothing came lose. And gutter loss wasn't as bad as I was expecting. There is definitely still some there, and I know I put one solid crease in the spin from tying to read one specific page. But I did feel like it could have been much worse
And speaking as someone who has read the entire series, one thing that makes this series so rereadable is that fact that Robinson blatently has so much planned out from the beginning. So you can see the hints and foreshadowing to stuff littered throughout.
If I had to find something to complain about it would be that the last third or so of this book isn't as strong as the earlier stuff. Definitely most of the weakest issues come in around then. But a weak Starman issue is still better than a lot of other comics.
Love this, highly recommend. This is a fat boy with 40 plus comics in it, but it is well worth the time.
Also speaking about it being a fat boy, I was very concerned about the construction of this. This isn't like a hardcover omnibus, it is soft cover glue binding. But the pages seem solid and secure, nothing came lose. And gutter loss wasn't as bad as I was expecting. There is definitely still some there, and I know I put one solid crease in the spin from tying to read one specific page. But I did feel like it could have been much worse
February 16, 2025
This was ultimately, a very good read. But oh my it is long. On one hand I appreciate this — long comics runs (especially from the big two) are pretty much a thing of the past. It is really nice to see all the longform word-building, alongside the clear love letter to so many heroes of the past.
With that in mind, it comes with the tradeoff of very slow character progression for Jack. The circus arc is probably my favorite, but then after the arc dealing with the daughter of the Mist carrying on her father’s work, I feel like the story really slows down in regard to Jack, the character we’ve spent the most time with by that point. I hope the next compendium has a bit more of a focused story.
Regardless, this is still very good overall and has a number of terrific issues. I very much enjoyed Grundy and Mikaal, the relationship between Jack and Ted, and the character building of the Shade.
With that in mind, it comes with the tradeoff of very slow character progression for Jack. The circus arc is probably my favorite, but then after the arc dealing with the daughter of the Mist carrying on her father’s work, I feel like the story really slows down in regard to Jack, the character we’ve spent the most time with by that point. I hope the next compendium has a bit more of a focused story.
Regardless, this is still very good overall and has a number of terrific issues. I very much enjoyed Grundy and Mikaal, the relationship between Jack and Ted, and the character building of the Shade.
June 29, 2025
One of the greatest long-running DC titles of all time. Robinson's opus - this brilliant love letter to corners of the DC Universe that don't always get a whole lotta love. Golden Age superheroes, the old DC Westerns - amazing stuff. Brilliant character work - the Shade's reinvention alone would make this worth reading, but the thoughtful writing and cast alone would make this worth reading. Easy recommend - I would be so brave as to say a must read.
Reading Starman will make you want to read other DC titles, and will inevitably leave you disappointed with a lot of those other DC books because they can't live up to Starman. Highly, highly recommend.
Full disclosure: I read the contents of this compendium as listed on the DC wiki, not the actual compendium. If there are little extras, I can't comment on them.
Reading Starman will make you want to read other DC titles, and will inevitably leave you disappointed with a lot of those other DC books because they can't live up to Starman. Highly, highly recommend.
Full disclosure: I read the contents of this compendium as listed on the DC wiki, not the actual compendium. If there are little extras, I can't comment on them.
February 14, 2023
I am mainly a Silver Age fan, but read Compendiums 1 and 2 based on the reviews here.
Great books- so glad to have read it. Some random thoughts:
-It's a magnum opus - amazing work which must have required careful planning to pull off.
-Starts off with a bang - which helped motivate me on.
-Lots of words - sometimes seemed to be excessive, but worthwhile reading in the end.
-To fully appreciate, good to have some familiarity with Justice Society of America heroes.
-Lots of emotional content. Especially Family dynamics.
-Art was generally very good.
-Many characters introduced, but well spaced out.
-You must read Compendium 2 to get the full story.
-I'm sorry to have finished the series - saddened to leave this imaginative world.
-A must read for graphic novel fans.
Great books- so glad to have read it. Some random thoughts:
-It's a magnum opus - amazing work which must have required careful planning to pull off.
-Starts off with a bang - which helped motivate me on.
-Lots of words - sometimes seemed to be excessive, but worthwhile reading in the end.
-To fully appreciate, good to have some familiarity with Justice Society of America heroes.
-Lots of emotional content. Especially Family dynamics.
-Art was generally very good.
-Many characters introduced, but well spaced out.
-You must read Compendium 2 to get the full story.
-I'm sorry to have finished the series - saddened to leave this imaginative world.
-A must read for graphic novel fans.
September 16, 2025
Starman by James Robinson and Tony Harris.
The 90s got a bad reputation comic wise, but the 90s also has very good comic runs. This brick of a book, or Compendium contains almost 50 issues of Starman, a character i knew nothing off. Been reading this book for quite some time, but its a great golden age classic superhero book. At times it gave me the same vibe as the Sandman Mystery Theatre books, and that is high praise. Jack Knight is a likable asshole who doesn't want to be a superhero but he gets to be one anyway. The story and artwork are really good, Opal City is a living world with lots of weird badguys and characters and this is a very cool run i might say. It feels like a Vertigo book in anyway.
The 90s got a bad reputation comic wise, but the 90s also has very good comic runs. This brick of a book, or Compendium contains almost 50 issues of Starman, a character i knew nothing off. Been reading this book for quite some time, but its a great golden age classic superhero book. At times it gave me the same vibe as the Sandman Mystery Theatre books, and that is high praise. Jack Knight is a likable asshole who doesn't want to be a superhero but he gets to be one anyway. The story and artwork are really good, Opal City is a living world with lots of weird badguys and characters and this is a very cool run i might say. It feels like a Vertigo book in anyway.
August 21, 2023
It's a bulky book, but it contains about half of the entire Starman comic and associated titles. Robinson tried to create a mythology and long lasting stable of characters similar to Sandman, which was somewhat the style of the time. My only real complaint is that reading the issues back to back to back like this displays a certain amount of repetition of information. There is also a lot of pop culture references in the first issues and that is annoying, but it thins out as the series continues. It is a very 90s book, with a 90s look, but I still think its fun and is worth it for the price offered.
October 14, 2025
it's very good, I used to have a misconception that all 90's comic were ass, I'm not saying this but in particular changes that perception for me it's more so DC's output at the time.
Growing up, i got a lot of my father's old comics, and they were predominantly Marvel, so I never really read much 90's DC till like 2020.
it's very solid and tightly written. I love books that do new takes on characters nobody knows very well and transforms them into something fresh.
Growing up, i got a lot of my father's old comics, and they were predominantly Marvel, so I never really read much 90's DC till like 2020.
it's very solid and tightly written. I love books that do new takes on characters nobody knows very well and transforms them into something fresh.
Want to read
May 21, 2025Rejunta 56 capítulos en total del Starman de Robinson, Harris y demás (#0-42, 80-Page Giant #1, Annual #1 y #2, Secret Files #1, Showcase '95 #12, Showcase '96 #4 y #5, The Power of Shazam! #35 y #36, y The Shade #1-4, incluyendo crossovers seleccionados.
October 4, 2021
Wow, first time reading this material for me and it is a true 5 star book!!! My only sadness is that I now have to wait for DC to release Volume 2.
January 8, 2022
I never knew what I had missed out on in the 90s. Can’t wait for the second compendium to come out in July!
February 9, 2022
I absolutely could not get into it. The passing is all over the place and the visual 90's generation X did apeal to me. Not my cup of tea.
May 16, 2022
Highly recommend reading this.
August 13, 2024
It's a lengthy but very 90s read. A monumental time through and through
October 15, 2024
Wow, one of the best series I've read. Taking a short break before I start compendium 2
February 8, 2023
One of my all-time favorite stories. The binding sometimes obscures the edges of Harris' art and Robinson's words, otherwise it'd be a five-star review.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews