Created in 1994 by James Robinson and Tony Harris, the Jack Knight version of the Starman character appeared in 80 plus issues of a self titled series and also served as a member of the Justice Society of America.

From Wikipedia:

Jack is the son of Ted Knight, who, as Starman, was a Golden Age super-hero. Although Jack was fascinated by his father’s heroic life as a child, he became more and more rebellious as he grew older. By the time he reached adulthood, Jack was disdainful of his father’s past. Jack’s older brother David was the one who takes over his father’s mantle, while Jack often regards the superhero role with open disdain.

I think it was the father/son/brother relation that made the book so powerful for me. Never before had I seen such a relation or exploration in a book (or a comic). Robinson used the format to explore generations of one family and the legacy of the hero Starman that was attached to their name.

Several of the trades of the book have long been out of print, so it’s great news that DC Comics finally announced nice hardcover editions will be released starting in 2008.

STARMAN, the acclaimed DC Universe series created by writer James Robinson and artist Tony Harris, will be collected for the first time in hardcover, on high-quality paper, in THE STARMAN OMNIBUS, a series of six volumes beginning in May.

This series will feature new covers by Harris, and will measure 6.75” x 10.25”. Collecting the entire STARMAN series, plus the STARMAN ANNUALS, SECRET FILES, 80-PAGE GIANT, THE SHADE miniseries and much more, these volumes include stories illustrated by Harris, Peter Snejbjerg, Chris Sprouse, J.H. Williams III, Phil Jimenez, Gene Ha, Guy Davis, Teddy Kristiansen, Lee Weeks and many others, as well as several stories co-written by David Goyer.

Scheduled to reach stores in May, THE STARMAN OMNIBUS VOL. 1 HC is a 448 page title collecting STARMAN #0 and 1-16, with a cover price of $49.99 U.S.

Amazon already has Starman: The Complete Saga HC, Vol. 1 up for pre-order at a steal for only $31. That should make for a nice edition to any bookshelf.