The Rising Stars Thread

[Cephus]

Am I the only one who is horribly disappointed and disgusted by this thing? I'm wondering why I wasted a couple years of my life waiting for this turd pile to come out.

I mean... where did any of this nonsense come from? They nuked almost the last of the Pederson Specials out of existence and suddenly, the world is a happy place, full of chirping birds and daffodils? Heck, why didn't they just kill all the Specials in the first issue and save all the trouble? And Poet running off to another planet to start the whole process over again seemed extremely contrived.

Now granted, I thought Rising Stars jumped the shark about 8-10 issues ago, but this was just ridiculous. As much as I normally love JMS' writing and thought Rising Stars was wonderful when it started, I'm really wondering where he pulled this ending out of.

[Sharcque]

Yeah --- what he said!

I think that JMS didn't have an ending mapped out for this from the beginning, and when it came time to end it, he couldn't think of anything better.

[matt levin]

The ending was basically what I'd come to expect-- that once all the specials were in concentrated form, so to speak, they'd blast off and enchance (infect?) another world, leaving ours better for their having been here.

What I object to is the high price for a short, tag-on ending, with sketchbook filler and... a preview of another title? No thanks. Yeah, it was, alas, over all, a let down.

Matt

[mgs]

thank goodness, thanks for the reviews people, I took a quick look at this book at the store and decided to put it down b/c it did not look too good.

[Karl J. Barnes]

Disappointment and anger color my views of this last issue of Rising Stars. The story inside did not merit the price on the cover. If you are only going to give us a regular sized story then don't charge me 4 dollars for it. I saw the thickness of the book and thought,"Oh Goodie!!". Then I opened the book, not so "goodie!".


And to agree with Matt, it did kind of seem the only end for the "Specials" and predictable, when you think about it.

[Sean S]

It feels really oddly paced. There's so much that needs to happen and no space to do it in. Like the first Act...brilliant stuff. Just really really good. Then as artist trouble and fighting with Top Cow began to ensue the book kinda veers off and gets really crappy. Finally we get to the end and we're thinking okay...there's a lot left to happen and only one issue. How are we going to end it? Captions! Yes! This issue read like part of the pitch of the third Act instead of the final issue. In fact, the last couple of issues read like that.

It's a real shame. I never bought the trade paperbacks, because I was going to buy them all at once and now I see there's no point. The last 4 or 5 issues are just awful.

Sean

[Morpheus]

It feels really oddly paced. There's so much that needs to happen and no space to do it in. Like the first Act...brilliant stuff. Just really really good. Then as artist trouble and fighting with Top Cow began to ensue the book kinda veers off and gets really crappy. Finally we get to the end and we're thinking okay...there's a lot left to happen and only one issue. How are we going to end it? Captions! Yes! This issue read like part of the pitch of the third Act instead of the final issue. In fact, the last couple of issues read like that.

It's a real shame. I never bought the trade paperbacks, because I was going to buy them all at once and now I see there's no point. The last 4 or 5 issues are just awful.

Sean
This last story arc feels so rushed, and a total disappointment, which is a dame shame after the quality of the Fire & Ash storyline, with the issues of Jerry and Jason's deaths which were excellent. The last issue wasn't so bad through the first twenty or so pages, but when you see those aliens playing baseball, you just want to say, "What the fuck?"

[edhopper]

I liked it :D

[Karl J. Barnes]

but when you see those aliens playing baseball, you just want to say, "What the fuck?"

Exactly! That was pretty bad. I get what JMS was doing the whole "full cycle' thing,but aliens in ball caps?

[Archer]

Normally I love JMS (hell, Midnight Nation is my favourite ever comic and I even enjoyed Sins Past), but Rising Stars just seemed to slowly deteriorate. The first act was oustanding, the second act was okay, and this is just . . . WTF? It just *stopped*. No matter how I tried, I couldn't sum up even a tiny bit of emotion or empathy for Poet. Bah, what was the *point* of any of this series?

[Chris Thomas]

agreed. this comic series had some amazing peaks in quality and creativity only to crash land. perhaps the steepest fall in quality I've ever seen (in any media!) it went from a '10' to a '0.'

what the hell happened? maybe someone will create and alternative ending to this series and publish it on the web somehow.

yech. painful.

[Arvandor]

Keeping in mind the problems this series had in getting finished at all, the legal troubles and everything - I suspect JMS just lost all enthusiasm for the story.

Unprofessional, but can't be helped.

[Cephus]

Keeping in mind the problems this series had in getting finished at all, the legal troubles and everything - I suspect JMS just lost all enthusiasm for the story.

Unprofessional, but can't be helped.

Supposedly, JMS had the whole thing written very early on, he just didn't turn in the scripts for the last couple. It has nothing to do with enthusiasm, the story just sucked.

[DDX]

It's the only ending you could do - anyone who didn't see that coming when waaaaaay back they had established the specials' powers were tailor made to colonize/develop an alien planet... It was always clear that Poet was going to be the last special. My only complaint is that the last panel is basically the same as Camelot 3000.

[Chris Thomas]

It's the only ending you could do - anyone who didn't see that coming when waaaaaay back they had established the specials' powers were tailor made to colonize/develop an alien planet... It was always clear that Poet was going to be the last special. My only complaint is that the last panel is basically the same as Camelot 3000.


we certainly knew poet was the last special--he told us so in the first issue I believe.

but it was not clear they were there just to move "the force" to another planet. were they not on earth to enhance the planet? how did they end up doing that? looks like the planet was a mess until the magic 'happy ending'

bottom line for me: it is not the plot of the final arc--but the very poor excution of the final arc. not often that I read the ads with more interest than the main story

[Predator]

Both books are late, and I was wondering if there has been any word on when they will hit the stands. I know Rising Stars #24 came out this month, but the Invinicible TPB was due last month. Any word?

[lazykarateguy]

I collected just about every issue of Rising Stars (save two or three of the first seven), and I reread what I had the other day and was amazed that the series never finished.

The current run ended just before the announcement of the device Poet was going to have built, and I was just curious if it was every leaked what the end of the series was SUPPOSED to be. Just really annoys me that it was going along so well then just stopped for whatever reason.

[Arvandor]

Actually, the final issues WERE released a short while back.

Not worth the wait, really. Terrible ending.

[Sharcque]

worst. ending. ever.

[Deathstroke]

Really?

I kind of dug how it ended.

[jemini169]

I loved the first 3-5 issues, but pretty disliked everything after that...not a bad read, just didn't live up to my expectations from the early issues.

I would love to see the multiple mini-series of the individual Specials collected in TPB's though! :rolleyes:

[lazykarateguy]

wait, how did it end then?

I can't believe I missed that.

Did the machine being built take away all their powers? Or did it give everyone powers? (thats what I thought it was being built for).

Don't be afraid to spoil it for me if it's a bad ending.

[Cephus]

I hated it. Actually, I thought the last 3-4 issues were bad, but the series jumped the shark about half-way through. It had a lot of potential that was completely squandered.

The worst part in the last issue though was the alien kids playing baseball. Give me a break. It was enough to make me wish I had never wasted my time or money with it.

[Cephus]

Don't be afraid to spoil it for me if it's a bad ending.

Okay, in a nutshell, everyone died except Poet, the whole world became happy and peaceful, Poet used the machine to send the power to an alien planet and started the whole process over again. The last scene was a picture of alien kids playing baseball (!), looking up at the fireball, a copy of the one at the beginning of the first issue.

Complete waste of time.

[lazykarateguy]

So the rest of the specials die of what? Old age?

And Poet just "sends" his power to another world at the end?

And what was the purpose of having that guy read all those dead minds? The device he created was to send the energy to another planet? that'st he big reveal?

Why was he so shocked?

WOW, that sounds lame.

[Scott Beeler]

More Spoilers here...







The communicate-with-the-dead guy used his powers to gather lots of blackmail material on various politicos (I think that was the last issue before the long absence), which Randy used (after getting elected President through sheer luck) to consolidate his position and get done whatever he wanted. He, with help from the other Specials, made America (and the rest of the world) a Really Nice Place.

Various people didn't like this, and yet another Secret Military/Political Cabal set up yet another a plan which killed all the Specials except Poet. When this happened, all their energy went to Poet, the one remaining Special, forming one big ultra-super-powered gestalt mind, which in the process made everyone on Earth feel good about themselves. Then he/it jumped in the Secret Spacecraft to go start the process over again on another planet.

It was all rather underwhelming. But I'd been lukewarm on the series for a while by then, most finishing it out through pure inertia.

[Pil]

IMO it wasn't that bad, it's just that compared to the first 16 issues or so it was rather bland.

[Philos]

Hi folks,

I'd love to get the announced Rising Stars hardcover with all 24 issues. Release date was in April 2005. Till now nothing arrived in the comic stores.

What happened to the hardcover edition?

[candyman]

Hey, can anyone provide me with a full list of Rising Stars and Midnight Nation, including variant covers? Thank you very much

[Arvandor]

Including variants?! I think I'll let someone else handle that chore.

[azrapse]

Try here:

Rising Stars

http://www.comicspriceguide.com/p-issues.asp?t_ID=2213

Midnight Nation

http://www.comicspriceguide.com/p-issues.asp?t_ID=4462

[Ryan K]

Diamond lists it as shipping tomorrow. $69.99.

[SoulOnIce]

Did anyone pick up?? Thoughts??

[Ryan K]

I didn't actually see it in any of the stores I regularly go to. I thought about ordering it online last week since I saw it on ebay for $41, but I think I'll just wait until Christmas.

[Tadhg Adams]

The cover looks cheap and cheesy for a 70.00 Hardcover.

[Ryan K]

Does anybody know if it includes the 1/2, 0, and Prelude issues?

[Philos]

The cover looks cheap and cheesy for a 70.00 Hardcover.
Indeed it is. :(

Does anybody know if it includes the 1/2, 0, and Prelude issues?
It includes the issues, you have mentioned.

[geko]

I was wondering if any one can help me with this. I ordered this item under the notion that it was a limited edition of 100. The price was steep, but because of the limited nature of it, I decided to get it. When I recieved it, the slipcase stated that it cost $99, but the book inside was priced at $69. I looked at my friends version, which was not slipcased, and it seemed identical to mine, other than it didn't come with a slipcase. Now I'm hearing that Top Cow increased it's print run without letting anyone know. And is it possible that there is nothing distinctive about the slipcased edition, other than the slipcase? Are they actually charging $30 extra dollars for a cheap little slipcase. If anyone has more info, please let me know. You can email me at gene.kogan@gmail.com. If all this is true, they shouldn't be allowed to get away with this.

-gene

[tonka]

I have just started collecting comics and have just purchased the rising stars voices of the dead comics. from no. 1-6. I must say i am really enjoying them. Are these comics on the same lines as what you are all talking about. If so have you read them? and what do you think to these?

[Chiasm]

I have just started collecting comics and have just purchased the rising stars voices of the dead comics. from no. 1-6. I must say i am really enjoying them. Are these comics on the same lines as what you are all talking about. If so have you read them? and what do you think to these?

I only read the first issue of the series your talking about but the character in it who talks to the dead is one of the Specials in the regular series. This series didn't do much for me and I didn't pick up the rest.

Like the others said. The original series started great but lost steam towards the end. Overall excellent but a definite letdown in ending.

[Deathstroke]

I have just started collecting comics and have just purchased the rising stars voices of the dead comics. from no. 1-6. I must say i am really enjoying them. Are these comics on the same lines as what you are all talking about. If so have you read them? and what do you think to these?

The Voices of the Dead series is set DURING the time of the main Rising Stars series run.

I read the series and found it okay. Nothing overly spectacular, but worth my money.