Rising Stars

Rising Stars is a series of Comic S states-uniens written by the writer Joe Michael Straczynski. It was drawn successively by Gary Frank, Livesay, Keu Cha, Christian Zanier, Ken Lashley, Dave Finch, Stuart Immonen and Brent Anderson. It is published by the label Top Cow Productions of the editions Image Comics with the the United States, and at Semic in France.

Straczynski envisaged three acts of eight numbers each one, to which four numbers out of the ordinary were added during the launching of the series. It was published of October 1999 in January 2003 for number 21. The last three numbers are appeared of November 2004 in March 2005; they were delayed because of different between Straczynski and Top Cow on the film scenario adapting Rising Stars .

Synopsis

In 1969, a fireball is crushed on Peterson in the Illinois. A few years after, 113 children then in the uterus of their mother, develop supernatural capacities: flight, spontaneous combustion, telepathy, voices and beauty enchanter, etc They are baptized the “Special ones” by the government, which asks Doctor Welles to study them and determine for each one of them how to eliminate them if necessary.

Adults, they were integrated in the company states-unienne: Matthew Bright is a famous police officer of New York; Jason Miller is Patriot, the torch of Nexus Corporation. Others worry more: Pyre, the man-torch; but also the John artists says Poet and Randy “Ravenshadow”.

One day, several Special is assassinated. Poet begins its investigation and discovers that it is one as of theirs: he discovered that if its capacity decreases with the wire of time and the use, he can be reloaded each time one of these congeneric dies.

Three acts

Act 1: Born in Fire (Born in fire). Straczynski launches the history by proposing the character of Poet and his investigation to discover the culprit of the murders. But, once Patriot discovered by Poet, this one already set up an alliance with Paulson, the federal agent charged to supervise the Special ones.

Act 2: Power (To be able). Ten years afterwards, the Special ones are free of their movement: Critical Maas settled in Chicago devastated after having destroyed Atlanta. Poet and Ravenshadow decide, in exchange of presidential forgiveness, to go to release the city.

Act 3: Exchange the World (To change the world). Several years after the release of Chicago and the choice to intervene to improve the behaviors of humanity, Jason ended up capturing all the nuclear arsenal of planet. Viellissant Paulson is recalled by the government to help to exterminate the Special ones. Ravenshadow as for him, prepares to be presented to the presidential election. And Poet seems to have a secret project.

Comments

Rising Stars is clearly desired like a political history of the the United States:

critical of the actions of the government which acts against a danger before to have determined of them all the risks of these actions,
role of the Supreme court in the defense of the Spéciaux children,
opposition between the concepts of Liberté and Sécurité.

Graphically, in full period of after September 11th, 2001 where the “spangled banner” is development, the second of cover put in scene stars of the flag of the United States. In episode 20 and the death of an important character, the three stars on blue bottom bleed; in the following episode, a star with five branches rises the such sun behind the “hill of the dreams” (the name of the Cimetière of Arlington, place of the action of the episode).

The series is centered on the way in which the Special ones belong to the company and on perception that to the company of them. In act 1, this question is treated as in the other comics of Super-héros: either very nice (Patriot, Bright), or very malicious (Pyre). Acts 2 and 3 set up a more complex vision of the things with the appearance of civilians in danger, of Special who are interval. The character of Jason Miller (Patriot) clearly shows this complexity of the superman in this work of Straczynski:

at the beginning, it is large, beautiful in its costume,
in act 3, a general says that once they will have shown the face of Miller corroded by radiations, people will not take it any more for one hero.

For the destruction of Atlanta by Critical Maas between the acts one and two, it is a form of revenge for Straczynski since the chain TNT has its seat in this city. For Straczynski, the failure of the series derived from Babylon 5 is due to the direction of the chain.

Derived series

The principal series knew several series derived on scenarios from Fiona Avery:

Rising Stars Bright (March-May 2003) on the clandestine career of police officer of Matthew Bright. The three episodes are drawn by daN Jurgens.
Rising Stars: Voices off the Dead (May-December 2005) on the character of Lionel Zerb, able to see and dialog with the late people. The series is drawn by Stanz Johnson.
Rising Stars: Untouchable (March-June 2006) on the character of Lauren Darkhaven, telekinesist employed like tueuse by secret services. Planned for a publication after the principal oddment in 2003, it is pushed back until March 2006. The series is drawn by Brent Anderson.

Project of films

From January 2003 in October 2004, Straczynski suspended the delivery of the scenarios of the last three episodes because of a disagreement with Top Cow and MGM on the adaptation of Rising Stars out of film of cinema.

After the signature of an agreement between the author, MGM and Atlas Entertainment, this first delivered a film scenario based on the first act in December 2001. Discovering that the scenario had been rewritten without it being able to amend it, Straczynski decided to block the publication of the comics. The disagreement with Top Cow was solved at the end of 2004; meanwhile, Straczynski signed a franchise agreement with the editor Marvel.

At the beginning of 2005, the option of the MGM on the adaptation to the cinema expired fault of having been able to buckle a project.

Publications in France at Semic

Each number of the French edition includes/understands two episodes of the version states-unienne. These numbers were sold in the bookstores and the newsagents like periodicals.

Rising Stars 1 (2000)
Rising Stars 2 (2000)
Rising Stars 3 (2000)
Rising Stars 4 (2000)
Rising Stars 5 (2000)
Integral 1 (2001) ISBN 2-914082-42-8
Rising Stars 6 (2001)
Rising Stars 7 (2001)
Rising Stars 8 (2001)
Integral 2 (2002 ) ISBN 2-914082-66-5
Rising Stars 9 (2002)
Rising Stars 10 (2002)
Integral 3 (2003) ISBN 2-84857-015-6

See too

External bonds

Card on the site Worlds off JMS

Random links: