Rising Stars (comics)

Rising Stars
File:Rising Stars 01.jpg Cover of Rising Stars #1
Publication information
Publisher	Joe's Comics
Schedule	Monthly
Format	limited series
Publication date	August 1999 – March 2005
No. of issues	24 issue
Main character(s)	See Characters
Creative team
Created by	J. Michael Straczynski

Rising Stars is a 24-issue comic book limited series by J. Michael Straczynski about 113 people (called "Specials"), as they are born with special abilities following a mysterious light in the sky. The comic explores how a society may react to the introduction of superpowers, and how those Specials may react towards society and each other. Rising Stars was one of the first comics produced under Straczynski's own Joe's Comics imprint for Top Cow Productions.

Rising Stars is also a trilogy of novels, however at this time (September, 2006) only books one ('Born in Fire', published in 2000) and two ('Ten Years After', published 2002) have been released. Book three has not yet been released, possibly because of conflicts with the publisher Top Cow Productions, which are referenced below.

History

The comic was published in August of 1999, monthly at first by Top Cow/Image Comics, and then under the Joe's Comics imprint. Within a few months, however, there were unscheduled artist changes and unexplained delays by Top Cow in shipping the comics - sometimes lasting months.

The comic itself came to an unexpected halt after Issue 21 due to internal arguments between Straczynski and Top Cow. Straczynski claimed he was cut out of the loop on the potential Rising Stars movie. After communication broke down between them, he held back the scripts for the last three issues, and the entire comic was put on hold. In addition to an apology for the way Straczynski was treated in regard to the possible film, Top Cow relented by giving him the full rights to an anthology comic he had written for them, Dream Police (later published by Marvel Comics), as well as the rights to the name and logo for the Joe's Comics imprint.

The last issue of Rising Stars was published in March 2005. During the intervening time, Straczynski had gone on to write a revamp of Marvel's Squadron Supreme, Supreme Power.

Story

Template:Spoiler The story is narrated by the last living Special in the future, John Simon aka Poet. The story starts when the Specials are all grown up, but it constantly flashes back to when they were children. Through these flashbacks, the development of these 113 Specials is shown, starting with the government's monitoring and handling of the events, to the manifestation of their powers, to the impact of these abilities on the afflicted children and the world around them. Some of the Specials use their powers for the good of the world, others for personal benefit and fame, whilst others simply wish to forget about them and live a normal life.

While John was investigating a series of murders in Specials' community, he learned that when Specials died, their "force" would transfer to the remaining Specials, making each more powerful. A Special with multiple personality disorder, who called herself Critical Maas, had begun using Jason Miller aka Patriot to kill other Specials so her own power would be increased. Maas manipulated the US Government into attacking the Specials so more would be killed. Using her newly increased powers, Maas and a handful of Specials she controlled were able to conquer Chicago, claiming it for themselves.

Ten years pass and John, his half-brother Randy Fisk aka Ravenshadow, Elizabeth Chandra, and Joshua Kane aka Sanctuary lead the Specials in an attempt to liberate Chicago after they are promised by the US Government that all charges against them would be dropped. Maas is defeated, but at a price: Matthew Bright, who had been sent by the government to assist in her defeat, was beat into a coma by Patriot, who was still under Maas' control.

Seeing that fighting amongst themselves was not what they were empowered for, John proclaims that he wants them all to act as a unit so they can help humanity. The violence in Chicago affected the rest of the Specials profoundly as well and they all agree to assist John in his mission.

Another ten years passed, and their mission was almost complete. Humanity had been helped by the Specials, and more importantly, had been given the confidence and resources to further help themselves. After Randy Fisk won the Presidency, the US Government, seeing the Specials as a threat to their power, plotted to assassinate the remaining few.

A bomb, specifically designed to destroy even the most powerful Special, was set off during a gathering of all the Specials, except for John who was busy working on a secret project. All were killed, including Randy and John's lover, Elizabeth Chandra. Their power was then channeled into John. He used that power to provide energy for the project he had been working on: a space ship that could travel at light-speed. Whether or not John knew of the assassination remains unclear.

The immense power within John directed the ship to yet another world, an alien planet much like Earth. John's ship erupted into a fireball, strikingly similar to the one that had empowered the Specials, as it came crashing down onto the planet's surface. It can be assumed that a process similar to what happened with the Specials would happen to this planet's populace. The circle had been completed.

Characters

Rising Stars

Specials

There are 113 Specials, with the story focusing on a select few and often featuring appearances by others.

1. John Simon (Poet) - Poet and writer, but not a very popular one. Has a knack with electronics, can avoid security systems, is sensitive to electrical impulses, and energy projection. Also, the force that created the special abilities resides in him, making him the most powerful of all the Specials.
2. Matthew Bright - Police officer - Flight, super-strength and speed, near-invulnerability.
3. Jason Miller (Formerly Flagg, Patriot) - Formerly masked corporate superhero employed by NexusCorp, now a vigilante - Flight, super-strength and speed, near-invulnerability, can sense radiation.
4. Elizabeth Chandra - Former model - Appears as the physically ideal woman to whoever is looking at her. Later gains the ability to inspire love rather than lust in both male and female onlookers.
5. Randy Fisk (Ravenshadow) - Artist - Flight, super-strength, ability to see things nobody else can, energy projection.
6. Stephanie Maas (Critical Maas) - Split personality able to access powers of flight, super-strength and speed, broadcast telepathy, and the ability to psychically control any Special she has been in physical contact with.
7. Jerry Montrose (Pyre) - Pyrokinetic - Controls fire, and retains the ability to fly.
8. Paula Ramirez - Singer - Singing voice that can only be described as beautiful.
9. Willie Smith - Flight, super-strength and speed, can feel the location of other Specials.
10. Joshua Kane (Sanctuary) - Televangelist - Levitation, energy absorption, ability to generate and concentrate light. Transvestite, feels he is a woman in a man's body. Is only truly free when able to be alone and "be himself" by dressing as a woman.
11. Laurel Darkhaven - Telekinetic Government assassin. Laurel had the ability to telekinetically manipulate small objects. She was employed as an assassin because, as noted in the comic book, "The carotid artery is a small object". At John Simon's urging, she later expended her powers moving the arable soil in the Middle East from beneath the sand to the surface.
12. Lionel Zerb - Medium - Able to detect and contact the recently deceased.
13. Cathy Jean - Healer - Rejuvenative abilities, to the point of raising the recently dead.
14. Brody Kempler - Supergenius - Einstein, Archimedes, and Stephen Hawking rolled into one don't even come close. Inventor.
15. Clarence Mack (Dreamwalker) - Psychologist - Telepathically visits other people's dreams
16. Peter Dawson - Invulnerable - a microthin shield protects his body from all injury, and filters his environment. As result, he has no sensation; therefore, the only sense he feels is taste, causing him to overeat. Cannot be physically injured, or poisoned in any way.
17. Lee Jackson - Pyrokinetic
18. Patrick Ferry - The ability not to be noticed. Stealth, hiding in shadows.

After many Specials are killed, the shared/increased power makes the rest nearly invulnerable.

Others

1. Dr. William Welles - The Supreme Court assigned Dr. Welles to the Specials shortly after their powers manifested in order to document their abilities and teach them to cope with their new powers. Further, he was to compile files on each to be used by government should any of the Specials ever go rogue. He has a close personal friendship with John Simon (Poet), whose main power he never reveals. Dr. Welles dies half-way through the story, leaving John Simon to solve the Specials crisis.

Collected editions

Typical of Straczynski, the beginning and end of the story was planned before he wrote the first issue. It was set to span 24 issues, and neatly divide up into three acts. Each trade paperback collects one of those acts.

• Rising Stars Vol. 1: Born In Fire (collects #1-8; ISBN 1-58240-172-1)
• Rising Stars Vol. 2: Power (collects #9-16; ISBN 1-58240-226-4)
• Rising Stars Vol. 3: Fire And Ash (collects #17-24; ISBN 1-58240-491-7)
• Rising Stars: Visitations (collects Rising Stars #0, #½, Prelude and Preview; ISBN 1-58240-268-X)
• Rising Stars Hardcover (collects #1-24, #0, #½ and Prelude; ISBN 1-58240-488-7)
• Rising Stars Vol.4 (collects Rising Stars: Bright and Rising Stars: Voices Of The Dead; ISBN 1-58240-613-8)

Spin-offs

Rising Stars: Bright

The first Rising Stars spin-off, a three-issue miniseries, written by Fiona Avery, penciled by Dan Jurgens and published in Feb-Apr 2003, is about Matthew Bright's rookie years as a police officer in the NYPD under the name Brendan Miller, after he left Pederson.

Rising Stars: Voices Of The Dead

The six-issue miniseries Rising Stars: Voices Of The Dead features Lionel Zerb, a Special who can see dead people, and was published in Apr-Dec 2005. It is again written by Fiona Avery, with pencils by Stanz Johnson.

Rising Stars: Untouchable

The five-issue miniseries Rising Stars: Untouchable features Laurel Darkhaven, a Special who worked for the CIA as an assassin. Written by Fiona Avery with pencils by Brent Anderson. Published February 2006 - June 2006.

Trivia

• There were 113 specials born. The protagonist's name is John. In the Bible, John 1:13 reads: "Who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."

Television

Parallels have been drawn between Rising Stars and the television series Heroes (TV series). The show revolves around people around the world who exhibit special abilities following a solar eclipse.

Parallels have also been drawn between Rising Stars and the USA Network's The 4400 where 4400 alien abductees have been returned to Earth, by a ball of light similar to that in the beginning of Rising stars, with newly discovered supernatural powers. It is further revealed that the purpose of this was to help the human race survive oncoming extinction.

In July of 2006, JMS' website reported that "Sam_Raimi's production company is currently developing Rising Stars as a series."

External links

• Worlds of JMS | Rising Stars
• Abyss: JMS Comics:Rising Stars