IDW Publishing; $49.99

In the comics business, we throw the phrases “classic” and “legendary” so lightly that the words have lost most of their meaning, yet maybe here’s a book that can restore some of the intended luster of the terms. In the 1970s writer (and comics historian) Ron Goulart teamed with veteran DC and Marvel artist Gil Kane for a science fiction – action – adventure comic strip called Star Hawks.

It never had the widest distribution and it ran for less than four years, but with its blend of storytelling and Kane’s impeccable art, it was something to behold. Billed as a “comic strip with comic book sensibilities,” it lived up to that.

Now, thanks once again to Dean Mullaney and company at The Library of American Comics, readers get a chance to see how Star Hawks stands up nearly four decades later. The answer: superbly, and it benefits from the usual excellent LOAC presentation, which includes more than 300 double-sized strips, an introduction by Goulart, and an essay by Hermes Press’ Daniel Herman.

–J.C. Vaughn