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STARMAN: INFERNAL DEVICES
Reviewed by Brian Domingos Award-winning writer James Robinson's back list just got one book longer. With the release of STARMAN: INFERNAL DEVICES, the writer sees his baby grow into a fifth collection. It all starts off with issue 29, which happened to be the focal point of DC's STARMAN Month in 1997. The issue itself is the perfect jumping-on point for new readers. The story introduces the '50s blue-collar bad guy Jake "Bobo" Benetti, and manages to cram some twenty-eight issues of history into one issue with out making it seem spoon fed. Robinson works it all in with clever dialogue and memorable moments. With this one story, we get a look into the world of the Knights (Jack and Ted), the O'Dares (Opal City's family of red-headed police officers) as we follow Bobo around the city, chatting with youngest O'Dare, Mason.
Bobo eventually attempts to rob a bank, where he is interrupted by the always disappointing Royal Flush Gang. Jack shows up and, with the help of Bobo, helps clean the proverbial clocks of the gang. During the fight, Robinson uses narration boxes to show the thoughts of Bobo and Jack, respectively. The battle ends with the two men exchanging smiles and winks. Following this was the four part titular story Infernal Devices, featuring the Infernal Dr. Pip and his sinisterly devious accomplice, the snake-skinned Copperhead. This leads to a formal introduction of Jon Valor, the Black Pirate, a ghost forced to spend eternity haunting the streets of Opal, until his is avenged. He ends up saving Jack's life, and he convinces Jack to help him. 'Infernal Devices' becomes somewhat sidetracked, but by a touching story dealing with the fate of the swamp creature Solomon "Solly" Grundy. A tragic, massive injury of the benevolent persona of the supervillain (the "good" Solly) brings a few familiar faces to Opal. Alan Scott, the Golden Age Green Lantern (now called Sentinel) shows up to help out his old friend Ted (Jack's father, the former Starman). Fellow Gothamite, Batman arrives on the scene as well with the criminally insane plant being Woodrue in tow. Leaving Ted behind, Sentinel, Batman, Woodrue and and Jack enter Solly's consciousness and try to free him from the grasp of the coma. The story turns back to 'Infernal Devices' to see the return of the Infernal Dr. Pip, strapped to a homemade bomb suit ready to go out in his own blaze of (not-so-much) glory. Unfortunately, Jack suddenly loses his powers, leaving Opal City's own man in black, The Shade, to rescue our hero.. With 'Infernal Devices' behind us, the collection jumps to the annual 'Talking with David,' story. In the 1997 addition, the living impaired" David (the ghost of Jack's deceased brother) takes his little brother to the other side and has a birthday dinner with some of Ted's old teammates from the Justice Society. This 'Talking' gives Jack a chance to interact with some of his now-deceased heroes from the past. The last story in the trade features the Mist a.k.a Nash, the mother of Jack's child. It's a slightly sick, yet incredibly fun story of Nash's plot to murder several throw-away members of the Justice League Europe.
What makes this book interesting is the amount of characterization put into every issue. Robinson likes to write. A lot. He can be quite verbose sometimes, but every word is selected for a reason, making this superhero book quite different from any other on the market. It's the little things, really. When Copperhead arrives in Opal City, the first thing he does is search out an antique shop, fully disguised, of course, for some vintage transistor radios. Apparently, he's a collector. I'd never have guessed it. But Robinson thinks about these peripheral details -- they're there for a reason. The collecting gig is a common hobby between Copperhead and Jack. Other examples are Bobo hanging out at the bar in the first issue. He's just chit-chatting with the bartender about the old days, much like any old man would do. We can immediately relate to Bobo. He's human. Super-powered, sure, but human nonetheless. We get to know to his human side before his super-powers. It makes a big difference in the story. We also see Jack on dates with his girlfriend Sadie throughout the collection. Robinson achieves the perfect blend of action, adventure and quiet moments. Seeing Jack just sort of hang out is a nice bonus. He's not always Starman, he's Jack Knight. A key moment to Jack's growth as a character is when he receives a letter from Dian Belmont, the late wife of the late Wesley Dodds, the Golden Age Sandman. There's a big, two-page spread of Jack sitting outside his father's observatory, reading the letter. It's a quiet moment. No star rod. No costume. No dialogue. Just Jack. A real person. The art in the trade paperback is amazing as always. Tony Harris' photo-realistic style complements the story completely. Half of the tale dialogue, and his use of body language, from poses to facial expressions, brings it all to life. There are a few fill-ins by various artists, and each one keeps the momentum of the story. Steve Yeowell handles most of the Solly story and Dusty Abell handles the entire Mist story. It was a refreshing touch having a non-regular artist complete a rather off beat story. Mark Buckingham fills in all the gaps left behind. STARMAN: INFERNAL DEVICES features some of the best art and story around. There are three other STARMAN trade paperbacks available at fine comic shops everywhere, be sure to read these first. Recommended
(with reservations: for fans of superheroes and their history).
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Writer:
James Robinson 
