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Rising Stars (Rising Stars 0-3)
From the creator of Babylon 5 and Jeremiah comes the greatest superhero epic in recent years! J. Michael Straczynski and a team of the best and brightest artistic talents in the industry unite to tell the saga of 113 strangers united by one event they will never forget. This super-hero tour-de-force is collected, beginning to end, in one massive bookshelf volume. Follow th...more
Hardcover, 655 pages
Published
October 1st 2005
by Top Cow Productions
(first published 2002)
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When I first read the first 2/3 of this book, I remember thinking it was the new Watchmen. It wouldn't be a book with hte cultural influence, but it would be recognized for its brilliance.
It is brilliant, as a giant, well thought out story. But as a graphic novel, it groans beneath the weight of too many characters, too many ideas, too many events and not enough pages . . . and therefore too much exposition.
It is worth reading, but after finally getting the end of the book so I could reread who...more
It is brilliant, as a giant, well thought out story. But as a graphic novel, it groans beneath the weight of too many characters, too many ideas, too many events and not enough pages . . . and therefore too much exposition.
It is worth reading, but after finally getting the end of the book so I could reread who...more
Amazing. Even though I've read it over a dozen times, I still love it. It still makes me laugh and makes me cry.
JMS has a real talent for creating realistic characters. They may be fictional but they feel as Real as any Velveteen Rabbit. There's a depth which is often lacking, especially in comic book characters.
It's a great story about a what if. What if people really had the sort of powers you see in comic books? They wouldn't all try to save the world. There's a great line where Poet, the nar...more
JMS has a real talent for creating realistic characters. They may be fictional but they feel as Real as any Velveteen Rabbit. There's a depth which is often lacking, especially in comic book characters.
It's a great story about a what if. What if people really had the sort of powers you see in comic books? They wouldn't all try to save the world. There's a great line where Poet, the nar...more
This epic tale about a generation of superheroes is not easy to follow, because there are so many characters. It's an ambitious piece of work, as it gets very political in the end. Unfortunately the story just has its good moments and most of the characters are not really likeable.
The art changes a few times, which makes the ending look not as polished as the beginning.
The art changes a few times, which makes the ending look not as polished as the beginning.
Pretty interesting take on the superhero-genre, but suffers from both some hurried twists and sometimes feels less important than it should have been. the artwork varies somewhat,but never bothered me much.
I finished this in a day. It was that good.
The storytelling was superb and that artwork, magnificent. I'd recommend this to anyone who was a fan of Heroes (pre- writes' strike).
The storytelling was superb and that artwork, magnificent. I'd recommend this to anyone who was a fan of Heroes (pre- writes' strike).
I thought that this was a great start to the series and can't wait to read the next five. The characters were great and after reading JMS's Earth One : Superman, I was not disappointed. A great storyteller.
I really am not inot graphic novels or comics, but this blew me away back when I read it. Great use of the medium.
Definitely entertaining; I love books that show how corrupt people in power can be when they are afraid/intimidated
Dumbest part so far: The Poet punches another renegade special to show him that The Poet has gotten weaker as the result of the people preying on them, when the whole book so far has been about specials killing specials to become more powerful.
Big plot hole, circling the drain around the hugely stupid tactic of punching someone during an argument in order to gain cooperation. Four pages later, someone else is apologizing to the Poet... who sucker punched the other guy, remember, and The Poet is...more
Big plot hole, circling the drain around the hugely stupid tactic of punching someone during an argument in order to gain cooperation. Four pages later, someone else is apologizing to the Poet... who sucker punched the other guy, remember, and The Poet is...more
The series is very much in JMS style in that it throws in a large number of characters with different theological/philosophical issues, then half way through the series a single revelation changes the perception of everything. The ending seems a little hurried. The compendium includes a number of side stories which certainly add a good amount to the characters.
The short of it: If you like Babylon 5 and, to some extent Heroes, then you'll like this.
The short of it: If you like Babylon 5 and, to some extent Heroes, then you'll like this.
Really enjoyed the story, but this book has the worst binding I've ever seen.
I've never read superhero comics but I'm so glad I read this one, because it's REALLY good. I read them all back to back, just couldn't stop. Very impressive. Great story (made me realise just how satisfying a plot with a decent beginning, middle and end can be), lovely characters, nice artwork: as near to perfect as a comic can get!
Easily the most overrated comic I've ever read. Looks and feels like the worst of 90's comics but with the added gravitas of a writer who seemsed to have firmly believed that he was writing the next Watchmen.
A truly great series; completely captivating from beginning to end with rich characters and thoughtful storylines. I slowed down halfway through the book because I didn't want it to end.
If you're wondering what Heroes ripped off besides X-men, look no further.
Good, but:
1) had a tendency to get a little corny at times, and
2) the spin-offs were TERRIBLE. Jaysus!
1) had a tendency to get a little corny at times, and
2) the spin-offs were TERRIBLE. Jaysus!
May 16, 2013
Aaron
marked it as to-read
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Joseph Michael Straczynski (born July 17, 1954), known professionally as J. Michael Straczynski and informally as Joe Straczynski or JMS, is an American writer and television producer. He works in films, television series, novels, short stories, comic books, and radio dramas. He is a playwright, a former journalist, and author of The Complete Book of Scriptwriting. He was the creator and showrunne...more
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