Talk:Rising Stars (comics)

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Ambiguous/misleading use of word

"The series explores how society may react to the advent of superpowers..."

Considering that grown-ups who follow the news are used to the word "superpower" referring to nations like the United States, the former Soviet Union, and the People's Republic of China, maybe this should be reworded. What it is talking about, I suppose ("I suppose," because I have not read the books or this article) is the appearance of humans with superpowers; i.e., superheroes or something like that.

Not if you read the first paragraph

Why comment if you admit you haven't read the article you're criticizing? The very first sentence of the article mentions that this is a comic book series. The second links to the Wikipedia entry of the comic book type of superpowers. 199.116.168.51 (talk) 23:40, 6 March 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Spin-offs

The is spin of Rising Stars: Untouchable, was ONE issue make ?: User:Brown Shoes22
- but ONE issue yet-to-be-published !: User:Brown Shoes22

Yes, the three spin-offs are now covered in the spin-off section. Preppy (talk) 23:22, 14 January 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Blatant Copyvio

This article was mostly a blatant copyvio of [1]. Unfortunately, under Wikipedia copyright policies, the whole page must be reverted back to its last un-tainted version which was in November 2003. Ouch. --DropDeadGorgias (talk) 21:55, Jun 6, 2005 (UTC)

The "Story" section is an incoherent mess and needs a major rewrite.

I've done some cleanup of this section but it could still use more, especially if more detailed into on the plot is desired. --65.113.254.224 21:56, 25 February 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Can we remove the "needs work" tag on the story section now? Solofire6 21:21, 28 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Either-or

Is Jushua Kane/Sanctuary supposed to be a transvestite, or does he physically turn into a woman? I'm pretty sure^{[citation needed]} that he actually transforms, but I can't find a citation... --- Noclevername 21:40, 23 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

The comic suggests that he's simply transgendered, but the novel seems to suggest an actual physical transformation. On page 188 of Ten Years After, it says "In a matter of moments, the iridescent woman following the Specials flying to their doom transcended the traditional physical definitions of gender, evolving into a higher form of androgyny." And again, on page 191, "He realized now that it had been wrong for him to keep his true inner nature and outer physicality secret." (Emphasis mine). --- Aki86

Heroes link

The link cited for the statement "Parallels have also been drawn between Rising Stars and the television series Heroes." doesn't actually support that contention. I do strongly agree with that notion, but the citation should be replaced by something relevant or deleted. There's not even a mention of Rising Stars on that page - the discussion is about Supreme Power. I suspect the article author was confused, but that interpretation would be OR. Preppy (talk) 23:22, 14 January 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Agreed on every point. H3G3M0N (talk) 19:03, 15 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]

@H3G3M0N @Zachdms Years later, I found an RS on this, which I just added. FYI :) _{Piotr Konieczny aka Prokonsul Piotrus| reply here} 05:22, 13 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Infobox: Artist info very outdated

Infobox only lists Keu Cha, Ken Lashley and Christian Zanier as Pencillers and Jason Gorder, John Livesay and Edwin Rosell as inkers. Full artist list according to [2] and [3] is as follows: Pencillers: Keu Cha (1-2) Ken Lashley (3-13) Christian Zanier (3-11) Stuart Immonen (14) Brent Anderson (15-24)

Inkers: Jason Gorder (1-2) John Livesay (3-11) Edwin Rosell (3) Marlo Alquiza (4, 11-16 or 17) Victor Llamas (4) Alp Altiner (12) Danny K. Miki (13) Brent Anderson (17 or 18-24)

(GCD credits Brent Anderson as his own inker starting with issue #17, Comic Book DB still credits Marlo Alquiza for #17)--93.130.163.101 (talk) 16:37, 7 September 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Notable?

Probably. I started Rising_Stars_(comics)#Reception_and_analysis, but it is pretty bare. Can anyone find anything else? @Daranios, @Cunard... _{Piotr Konieczny aka Prokonsul Piotrus| reply here} 05:21, 13 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Hi Piotrus (talk · contribs). Here are some sources about the subject:

Bielby, Matt (November 1999). "Comic of the Month". Arcade. No. 12. Future plc. p. 108. ProQuest 3145264387.
The review gives three stars to the comic. The review notes: "The man who created, produced and wrote Babylon 5, J Michael Straczynski, has long been a fan of books, and now he has turned his hand to comics. Rising Stars shows all the ambition and vision of the series, but is free of the pretension, stilted dialogue and forced humour of Babylon 5. It is a rare attempt at a genuine graphic novel, and relates the story of a comet that falls to Earth, endowing the local unborn children with superpowers — exciting equal measures of fear, awe and greed as a result. The art is typical Image stuff — stylish but generic — but the emotions depicted are believable and well realised. And, as with the Arthurian and other legends that influence Straczynski, a feeling of doom underpins even the joyous moments."
Radford, Bill (1999-08-15). "'Rising Stars' finally arives. Book by 'Babylon 5' creator eagerly awaited by fans". The Gazette. ProQuest 268174539. Archived from the original on 2025-01-13. Retrieved 2025-01-13.
The review notes: "It's "Rising Stars," published by Top Cow Productions and created and written by J. Michael Straczynski, the creator of TV's "Babylon 5" and its spinoff, "Crusade." Fans' appetites were whetted earlier this year by both the "Rising Stars Preview" and Wizard's "Rising Stars" No. 0; now the series actually is under way. "Rising Stars," a 24-issue, creator-owned maxiseries, follows the lives of 113 people throughout 60-plus years. Those 113, known as "Specials," are born in the months after a flash of light - perhaps a comet - shatters the darkness one night in 1969, slamming into the small town of Pederson, Ill. All those in utero at the time eventually are blessed - or cursed - with super powers."
Horgen, Tom (2000-08-12). "Comic book series 'Rising Stars' soars to industry heights" (pages 1 and 2). St. Cloud Times. ProQuest 913041408. Archived from the original (pages 1 and 2) on 2025-01-13. Retrieved 2025-01-13 – via Newspapers.com.
The article notes: ""Rising Stars" is one of today's hottest comic books, and through what fans call a thought-provoking story, it examines people changed forever by power given to them by the stars. ... "Rising Stars" was created and is written by veteran television writer J. Michael Straczynski, creator of the critically acclaimed "Babylon 5." ... The story begins with a comet falling to earth near the small, Midwestern town of Pederson. All children in utero at the time of impact were given miraculous powers and dubbed Specials. ..."Rising Stars" is for anyone who likes character driven stories that deal with the struggle for power and searching for what is right."
Suderman, Peter (2009-03-06). "Edge: Saving the world ain't what it used to be". The Washington Times. Archived from the original on 2025-01-13. Retrieved 2025-01-13.
The article notes: "J. Michael Straczynski’s “Rising Stars” affords another example of the new breed of public-policy-minded superheroes. The series chronicles a world much like ours but blessed with 113 superpowered individuals. Those heroes squabble for a bit but, after reconciling, set out on a mission to “change the world.” Rather than fight off sci-fi menaces, they go after inner-city drug dealers and their South American suppliers. They aim to stop the violence in the Middle East not by force, but simply by using their powers to make all the area’s land arable. In addition, they turn around the fading Rust Belt economy by retrofitting the region's factories."
Solomon, Rizal (2003-02-12). "Aliens among us". Malay Mail. p. 30. ProQuest 326285373.
The review note: " Not as immediately heavy, but no less engaging is Straczynski's ongoing Rising Stars. Rising Stars can best be described as a smart blend of soap opera, conspiracy theory and super-heroes. The basic premise of Rising Stars is that, in 1969 about 113 Special children born in Pederson after an unexplained flash was seen in in the sky. Some of those kids went bad, some just led ordinary lives and some became outstanding super-heroes, who had to not only battle the villains but also a hypocritical US Government. As time went by, many died, eventually, as the latest issue opens, only 58 remain. Rising Stars isn't a book that can be read in the middle. So if you want to pick up Issue 21, you'd best pick up the trades that came before it to get the whole picture thus far. As part of the whole largerjigsaw, Issue 21 offers more tantalising clues to the larger purpose the Specials have in the world, along with what exactly is being built in Mexico. Fascinating stuff."
Carbis, Loki (2000-10-05). "fresh offline; Rising Stars: Acts". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 10. ProQuest 363770589.
The article notes: "Rising Stars is the story of a group of over 100 superpowered people - the only ones in the world. Raised together by the government, these Specials, as they're called, aren't your average comic book heroes or villains - there's a (really) supermodel and a truly super failure among the Special's ranks. And there's a serial killer - preying only on fellow Specials.Rising Stars is about the people behind the super powers - and the effects that their powers have on them, psychologically and emotionally."
Hale, Trevor (2005-12-01). "Graphic Noel; Gift recommendations for the comic-book fan on your list". Salt Lake City Weekly. p. 29. ProQuest 363199954.
The review notes: "Rising Stars Hardcover-When this series was originally released, the last three issues took almost two years to come out; J. Michael Straczynski held off on finishing the final issues in protest for the way he was being cut out of the film deal. That?s all in the past now, and the entire 24-issue run has been collected in one hardcover edition. The story focuses on a group of children born with superpowers and follows their lives over the course of 60 years. Structured in three acts and more than 600 pages long, this is one collection that was worth the wait."
D'Ammassa, Don (September 2002). "Born in Fire". Science Fiction Chronicle. Vol. 24, no. 9. p. 38. ProQuest 205511691. Archived from the original on 2025-01-13. Retrieved 2025-01-13.
The review note: "This is the first novel in the Rising Stars series, based on the comic book sequence by J. Michael Straczynski. Superficially it bears some resemblance to the Wild Cards series of a few years back. ... Cover does a fine job of rendering the story in a new format, and it's been far too long since I've seen his name on the spine of a book in any case."
Guzman, Rene A. (2001-07-12). "Hollywood sees comics as chance to expand". San Antonio Express-News. ProQuest 261289959. Archived from the original on 2025-01-13. Retrieved 2025-01-13 – via Newspapers.com.
The article notes: ""Babylon 5" creator J. Michael Straczynski switched gears from his popular sci-fi television series to write superhero conspiracy tales in his own comics, "Rising Stars." Straczynski is now weaving webs of intrigue in Marvel's "Amazing Spider-Man," sending Spidey's alter ego, Peter Parker, back to his old high school as a part-time science teacher. Straczynski's first Spider-Man issue in April already has tripled in value on the secondary market."
"Quadrinhos: Super-heróis de verdade" [Comics: Real Superheroes]. Folha de S.Paulo (in Portuguese). 2005-07-25. ProQuest 335752906.
The article notes: " Em "Rising Stars", de Straczynski, o leitor se depara com um mundo absolutamente normal, exceto para 113 pessoas atingidas por uma energia especial que lhes concedeu poderes. "Powers - Quem Matou a Garota-Retrô?", de Bendis, é uma espécie de quadrinho noir, com dois policiais procurando trabalhar num lugar infestado por superseres."
From Google Translate: "In "Rising Stars", by Straczynski, the reader is faced with an absolutely normal world, except for 113 people affected by a special energy that granted them powers. "Powers - Who Killed the Retro Girl?", by Bendis, is a kind of noir comic, with two police officers trying to work in a place infested with super beings."
Dyer, James (August 2008). "Heroes: Season 2". Empire. No. 230. p. 162. ProQuest 203951510.
The article provides one sentence of coverage about the subject. The article notes: "Rising Stars. This graphic novel by J. Michael Straczynski reads like The Midwich Cuckoos crossed with the X-Men, and feels like a cousin to Heroes' darker moments."
Bouchard, Gilber A. (2000-07-14). "Media crossovers have us asking `who's ripping off who?'". Edmonton Journal. p. E3. ProQuest 252788812.
The article provides one sentence of coverage about the subject. The article notes: "Babylon 5's J. Michael Straczynski gives up on the boob tube altogether to create his hyper-edgy superhero-deconstructing Rising Stars."

Cunard (talk) 12:24, 13 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]