Putting the "Novel" in Graphic Novel - James Robinson's Starman

For all the efforts to make superheroes multi-dimensional, one glaring fact remains. For the most part, they don't have lives. Obviously, Clark (Superman) Kent is married to Lois Lane and works at the Daily Planet and Tony (Iron Man) Stark has moved on to running his third company, but for the most part those elements exist only as background details or springboards for plot threads. One of the few exceptions I've found is Jack Knight, also known as the title character in arguably the best ongoing comics series of the 1990s Starman by British writer James Robinson.

That Jack is the son of a costumed hero from the 1940s who is forced to take up the family business sets the saga in motion but it doesn't define the character. What makes Jack compelling is the passion he displays in every aspect of his life. Though at first he seems to care about very little beyond the contents of his collectibles store (or junk, as his father, the elder Starman, often calls it), over time it becomes clear how deeply he cares for friends, family and loved ones - including the woman for whom he'll make the boldest choices of his life.

Though it offers lots of action and guest appearances by many of the key characters in the DC Universe, the focus on those relationships are what truly distinguishes Starman. Trying to summarize the series really can't do it justice, because there are so many plot threads stretching over the whole run. Together with the "Times Past" issues that explore the history of this world and its characters, especially the Golden Age characters for whom Robinson clearly has such great love, this makes the 80-some issues of Starman a graphic novel in the truest sense of the term.

During its original run, Starman seemed to be more of a critical than popular favorite, which may be why some issues never were released as trade paperbacks. Thankfully, DC Comics has released the entire series as six hardcover volumes, complete with various supplemental stories and reflections on the whole saga from James Robinson. Though Robinson was aided and abetted by some terrific artists (and co-writer David Goyer on two key story-arcs), this series is really his triumph. He's done some great work in comics before and since, but this is doubtless the one for which he'll be remembered.