In this third collection of Starman comics, reluctant superhero Jack Knight finds himself caught up in an adventure with the original Sandman, Wesley Dodds, while visiting New York. Returning home to Opal City, he soon finds himself battling a demon to rescue the Shade and Matt O'Dare...

The Starman series improves with each installation, as the reader gradually becomes more involved in Jack Knight's world. His complicated relations with his father, his poignant communications with his dead brother, and his ambiguous feelings about his role as "hero," all make for fascinating reading. As I mentioned in my review of Starman: Sins of the Father, the comic-book neophyte can sometimes feel a little lost when reading a series of this nature. I myself don't know much about the figure of Wesley Dodds (or the Shade, for that matter), and get the sense that I would better appreciate some of the subtleties if I did.

However that may be, Robinson's Starman: A Wicked Inclination was so engaging that I soon forgot to feel like an uncomfortable outside observer. I committed to reading the first three issues of Starman for a book club, but have found them so involving, that I have decided to read the entire ten-book series. Congratulations Michael, you've won a convert! ( )