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Volume Four is maybe the weakest part of Starman. A lot of it feels like biding time. At the end of Volume Three, Sadie asks Jack if he will go into space to look for her brother, because (susprise!), she is secretly the brother of a previous Starman. But that doesn't happen in this book, and indeed, there's no emotional fallout from the fact that Sadie has basically been lying to/manipulating Jack their entire relationship. I get that she grew to love him, but there should be something to deal with it.

Also: the crossover with Captain Marvel doesn't quite work, though I don't have a good feeling as to why. I don't think the worlds are incommensurable, but the fight is forced, and the contrasts aren't hit quite the way one would hope.

While the book bides its time, it does have its highlights: a "Time Past" story of Ted Knight and the ever-lovable Etrigan, the cleverly constructed 80-page giant anthology (especially the appearance of "Those Li'l O'Dares (and Patrolman Clarence)"), and the story of the Mist's "team-up" with Mary Marvel, the exploration of the relationship between Ted and his cousin Sandra (the Phantom Lady) all stand out to me as some of the more memorable standalone Starman stories. Mike Mayhew's art on the latter is especially superb.

Also featuring superb artwork: issue #45, where Jack finally leaves for space. Tony Harris pulls out all the stops for his last issue on the title. The two-page spread of Jack and Mikaal boarding the rocket, saying goodbye to friends and family, is superb, and a worthy final effort from Harris, whose talents visibly grew over the course of the series. The rocket's launch is also magnificent.

Finally, I don't know why someone out there thought that Batman/Hellboy/Starman was a must-have crossover, but I could look at that beautiful Mike Mignola artwork all day. Combined with Matt Hollingsworth's colors, it's a stunning use of light and dark.

The Starman omnibus project continues in this fourth volume, which, although a little scattered in comparison to previous installments of the series, was still an immensely enjoyable read! Here we have the four-part Lightning and Stars story arc, in which Jack and his father team up to help James Barr (once the superhero Bulletman) out, when he is falsely accused of having been a Nazi spy, during WWII. The Shade and Matt O'Dare return for another adventure together, as do the entire O'Dare clan, in the amusing Those L'il O'Dares (and Patrolman Clarence) in The Old Codger, a retro, childlike comic-adventure, in which Opal's most renowned police family are (mostly) still kids. More Tales of Times Past appear - including an entertaining story about Ted Knight's cousin, Sandra, the super-heroine known as the Phantom Lady - and a two-part adventure involving Batman, Hellboy and (the current) Starman.

As another reviewer has noted, this felt a bit like an elaborate set-up, for Jack's big adventure in space (I cannot WAIT for volume 5!), but I enjoyed it, for all that. I particularly liked: the deepening of Jack's relationship with Sadie, to whom he proposes, before heading for the stars; the continuation of Matt O'Dare's redemption, on his journey from crooked cop to genuine good guy (although I could live without the stereotypical "western" elements of his story - Seriously, James Robinson? He's seriously a reincarnation of a lawman from the Old West, a lawman called Brian "Savage?" And don't even get me going on the whole "Scalphunter" thing); and the growth of the father-son bond, between the two Knights. All in all, an engaging entry in a series that has really won me over, in terms of the value of comic books! I will be waiting anxiously for the next installment... ( )