First of all, we want to thank all of you who joined us to discuss MAUS.  That was quite an intense 2 hours of good conversation. So what do we do for a follow up after such a cathartic experience? Why not kick back and have us some super-hero fun??? We can’t think of a super-hero series as fun, as hip, as enjoyable as Starman by writer James Robinson and artist Tony Harris featured in the Starman Omnibus Volume 1.

What makes a good super-hero comic? In my opinion, it takes three specific ingredients to make a successful lasting series:

• Consistency in storytelling, art and characterization.
• A genuine fondness for for the whole concept of superheroes
• And lastly, you need a great cast of supporting characters.

And Starman is loaded. In addition to a number of memorable characters who can carry their own story-lines,  Robinson and Harris make Opal City feels like a real place– in the same fashion as Gotham in  Miller and Mazzuchelli’s Batman Year One and Eisner’s Central City,  the location comes alive on the page and in the lives of the people that live there.

So please plan to join us on Saturday September 29th at 1:00pm as we sit outside (fingers crossed!) have a beverage or three and discuss Starman Omnibus Volume 1. (Now available in Soft cover!!) If you’ve never been to one of our Discussions, it is a great way to spend a fall afternoon.  The folks are fun and open-minded.  We promise it will be worth your time!

Mainstream topics we plan to cover:

• How have superhero comics changed in the past few decades since Starman was originally published?
• Should the superhero world cut off their past or rather embrace it?  In other words, is continuity a double edged sword?
• How much of the feel and nuance of the characters are provided by the art–and the lettering
• 20 years ago, Starman was the cool comic– has the hipness caused the book to age or does it add to the ambiance of the work?
• And much, much more!

For those of you who have the original issues (you lucky bucks!), you will want to read Starman issues 0 through 16.  For those who have the original trade paperback collections, you will want to read (or re-read) Starman: Sins of the Father, Starman: Night and Day and the first half of Starman: Times Past.

Starman Omnibus #1 (paperback!!!–huzzah!) is available from Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find for only 29.99.  And if that isn’t bargain enough for you, Heroes is offering the Discussion Group 10% Discount (again–huzzah!).  Just remember to mention the discount to the clerk when you check out.

In the months ahead, the Discussion Group will be tackling From Hell by Moore and Campbell, Gilbert Hernandez’ Love & Rockets Human Diastrophism and the complete Bone by Jeff Smith.  I urge you to pick up From Hell and start it a wee bit early–it is a big, dense book but well worth your time and effort.

All the books listed above are available with the 10% Discount, but…. oh, you know the drill.

See you on the 29th!  Keep’em flying.