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The RISING STARS story begins in 1969, when a mysterious
extraterrestial phenomenon impacts in the mid-western town of
Pederson, Illinois, U.S.A. The Flash, as the event came to be
known as, didn't have any discernible effects. Only until approximately
five-six years later, did the first effects come to be publicly
known.
On a dark and stormy night, Pederson Elementary was
holding their yearbook photo session. Apparently the storm caused
water damage to the aging school building. A portion of a ceiling
collapsed, about to crush a teacher. Matthew Bright moved underneath
the falling debris and caught it, lifting it up with superhuman
strength. The yearbook photographer took pictures of the incident.
The government immediately took notice. They swooped
down on the town with an army of doctors and scientists. They
performed batteries of tests on these "Special" children,
determining their powers, if any. They determined that the children
who were in utero, in their mother's wombs, at the time of the
Flash, received enhanced abilities. Those ranged from super-strength
to flying.
In the end, 113 children were affected.
Eager to continue surveilling the enhanced children,
the government set up a day camp, named "Camp Sunshine,"
where parents voluntary brought their children in to be observed
in a controlled environment away from the public. All of the children
met each other, and shared information on their powers, and played
games.
One night, Lee Jackson, a child whose powers hadn't appeared yet, was taken from his cabin by a camp counselor. This particular counselor had been sexually molesting Jackson for a while now. He didn't molest Jackson on this particular night, because the child had enough. His powers manifested themselves with deadly results.
The counselor was killed. The government, already paranoid
about the fact that there were over a hundred super-powered children
running loose, seized upon this incident as an excuse to take
all of the children in custody.
Their parents fought back, taking the government to trial. The case went all the way up to the Supreme Court. The Court ruled that the children had the right to freedom. The Court also affirmed the government's beliefs that the children were a potential danger to the public.
A compromise was set up. A physician, selected by both the government and the parents, would observe the children until they reached the age of 18. The doctor chosen was Dr. William Welles. It was his responsibility to determine whether a child was a clear danger to him or herself and the rest of the public. If that happened, the government would have the right to take the child in custody.
As for Lee Jackson, his parents took him and went on the run. Jackson would not use his powers until many years later, with similar castrophic consequences.
The children grew up into adults. Some used their powers for
good. Some- for criminal purposes. Others, their powers were 
neligible,
not even commercially viable. Some stayed in Pederson. Others
moved out. Those who moved out were required to wear a bracelet
identifying them as a "Special." On the back of the
bracelet was a phone number to call, if it were found. The bracelet
was a means for the government to track the Specials as they moved
about.
Some Specials went on to fame and fortune, while others lived in obscurity.
Then one day, a Special named Joseph "Joey" Drake, a low-powered Special also known as Shifter, was found dead. Cause of death wasn't clear. Several weeks later another low-powered Special, Peter Dawson, was found, clearly murdered. These two Specials were the first in a string of serial killings of Specials. John Simon, aka Poet, set out to investigate these murders.
In the end, sixty years after the Flash, all but one Special remained alive-John Simon. It is at this point in his life that he decides to tell the story of his generation, the story of the RISING STARS.
NEW INFORMATION! Possible Spoiler. Be warned!
From Issue 3 The energy phenomenon contained finite energy, which was then apparently divided between the group of Specials. Each time a Special uses his or her power, their power levels diminish. It is possible if a Special constantly uses his or her powers, they would go away. Conversely, if a Special dies, part of his or her power is transferred back to the other Specials. Randy Fisk aka Ravenshadow is possibly the first Special to discover this. John Simon aka Poet has been informed of this. He considered this as the possible motive behind the serial killings.
About the Comics
RISING STARS is a 24-issue maxi-series published through TOP COW comics. Its creator and writer is J. Michael Straczynski (or JMS as he is known to his fans). His claim to fame is the creation of the award-winning television series BABYLON 5, and its subsequent spinoff CRUSADE.
BABYLON 5 was reknowned for its utilization of a epic story arc. JMS has been a comic book fan for many years. With CRUSADE removed from production, JMS had the time to focus on a comic book project. His goal was to "write a book that would challenge comics like Watchmen and Kingdom Come." He hopes to shake up the comic book world in the same way he shook up sci-fi TV with BABYLON 5.
In his stories, he wants to do away with many of the clichés of comics. One is the fact that a superhero must be in a big city. That's why the main setting is a small town in Illinois. Another is secret identities. Most of the Specials don't have secret identities. And for those who do, while the public may not know their true names, all the other Specials do. They all grew up together. "The nearest parallel would be if you said 'What if Superman, Batman, the Joker, and Lex Luthor all grew up together and knew each other's true names? How would that affect their relationship?" JMS poses.
While there are 113 Specials, only about 30 will be focused upon during the series. John Simon (Poet) is one of those, serving as the narrative lynchpin of the series. Others include Jason Miller (Flagg), Elizabeth Chandra (Chandra), and the doctor who watched over them all, Dr. Welles.
"RISING STARS is an optimistic book...This is a book about heroes. It's about how people become heroes," JMS says.
If RISING STARS becomes a success, as many industry insiders believe it will, JMS may follow up the series with more stories set during the 64 year period. He wouldn't mind focusing solely on one or two characters, following their lives.
Already, JMS is receiving TV offers for RISING STARS. At the moment, he's preferring to actually finish the story and see if it's a bona-fide success. Although, part of the reason JMS brought his concept to TOP COW was their industry connections with TV and video games. The main reason was that he wanted complete creative freedom, and TOP COW was reputable in that department.
In the end, JMS sums up his creation. "It's character-based, where actions have consequences. It starts at the beginning. It has a middle and an end. It's about ethical choices that characters have to make."
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