Just how many DC heroes have been called Starman over the years? When Ted Knight emerged as the first Starman in Adventure Comics 61 in 1941, little did the DC creative team know that they were creating what would become an institution of other heroes with the same name, all of whom may be linked to astrogeology, but most had their own worlds and stories to tell. For instance, you not only have Ted Knight’s version, but you have both of his sons taking up the same mantle. There was also Will Payton, created by Roger Stern in the late-1980s, along with Stargirl and Starboy. The list goes on. However, one of the forgotten Starmen over the years has to be the one who appeared in Adventure Comics. A prince from an alien empire, his tales appeared briefly in short bursts during Adventure Comics published throughout 1980. Written by Paul Levitz, it’s certainly true that this incarnation of Starman has remained somewhat memorable because the art is supplied by the great Steve Ditko. However, is this Starman a lost classic, or a relic that should remain in the past…
Adventure Comics 467-478 was published from January to December 1980. All stories were written by Paul Levitz, with art by Steve Ditko and Romeo Tanghal. I’ve read all of these issues in The Steve Ditko Omnibus: Volume Two. Also, it’s worth including DC
Comics Presents 36 here too (released in August 1981). Although Levitz returns alone, he pens a conclusive story to his Starman run with some help from Jim Starlin. I’ve read that issue in the Superman Vs Mongul paperback.
First Encounter/Uneasy Lies the Crown/Death in A Dark Starred Void/To Die A-Borning
Originally written as short stories consisting of about eight pages each, Starman was a feature in Adventure Comics that often shared the cover with the title’s other star hero, Plastic Man. By this point, Adventure Comics was basically an anthology title for DC and was the home of several ideas that never really took off. Starman is unfortunately one of them, and starting with Adventure Comics 467, we are introduced to this Starman. Originally, there is a real sense of mystery surrounding this Starman’s background. A wanderer of the stars, Starman one day finds himself on a spaceship belonging to Oswin, a Lord Protector with evil ambitions to rule the Empire. Although an ignorant Starman rescues Oswin’s ship from destruction, the Lord Protector is secretly a villain who is torturing Jediah Rikane, a royal servant of the Empress who has heard rumours of rebellion against her. Obviously, Oswin is the source, and this pretty much sets up the core storyline for much of Starman. As for the hero himself, he is a cosmic vigilante who saves people from injustice, and here he rescues Rikane and flees to safety from Oswin. Just to conclude a decent (albeit brief) introductory tale, we’re introduced to Mn’Torr, an alien who acts as a Yoda-like figure for Gavyn. He is perhaps the most mysterious aspect of this whole run. Who is Mn’Torr? Overall, Levitz creates a world which is clearly based on Star Wars, but it’s good science fiction fun with an air of mystery. Hey, maybe we should end it there…
Levitz and Ditko expand this universe with the following story as Starman heads to Throneworld. Yes, it may have a dreadful and hugely unoriginal name, but the story facilitating it has some drama. Despite his renegade status, Starman must wade his way through royal security guards to save the Empress on her coronation day. Although Oswin is behind an assassination attempt to kill the Empress and take her place, he is present to watch as Starman rescues the Empress from a crown which will, if worn, kill the wearer. Sure, a simple bullet-to-the-head might solve things quicker, but its comics. The real shocker comes at the end when Starman’s identity is revealed. By birth right, Starman is an heir to the Throne, and he is next in line. Despite the silly assassination plot, it’s worth it for this ending and the following two inserts to the Starman story.
The third and fourth Adventure Comics tales conclude the first phase of Levitz and Ditko’s Starman run; the character is fully set up and the main story begins with Adventure Comics 471. Sometime in the past, one Prince Gavyn was summoned to the palace upon the death of the Emperor. Gavyn, and his sister, Clryssa, are thrown into the running to succeed their father. However, the Council selects Clryssa to become Empress, and by the rules of the planet, Gavyn must be executed. Basically, any heirs to the Throne who aren’t successful must die. Gavyn himself decries the law as foolish, but his sister isn’t too keen to revoke the law and the unsuccessful prince is thrown out into space. If it wasn’t obvious enough already, Gavyn is Starman, and his return to Throneworld will cause some problems because they think he is dead. Lady Merria, who was once and remains Gavyn’s main squeeze, is one of only two characters from Starman’s past who are present in this story. But Levitz and Ditko somehow manage to create a believable world in just a few pages. Sure, the premise is not at all original and it is very cliched, but it works.
While Death in a Dark Starred Void details the origins of Gavyn’s world of royalty, To Die A-Borning features the true origin of Starman. Floating in space, Gavyn is rescued by the mysterious Mn’Torr, who nurses him back to full health and, with the help of some magical bracelets and a red and yellow costume, transforms him into Starman. Like every other hero ever named Starman, Gavyn’s powers are pretty standard: he can create light, absorb the blast of explosions and radiation, and he can fly. He then goes across the stars and creates a little legacy for himself by saving those in need. Because he is officially dead back home, he is, or was, forced to travel the stars. I think that it might have been good if Levitz and Ditko started with some of those stories. You know, just to establish Starman more. When we meet him in Adventure Comics 467, he is already an established name and it’s only the following story when he returns home. Either way, Starman is forced to keep his identity a secret on Throneworld, but either way, he is home and ready to protect his sister from Oswin’s attacks. Overall, Adventure Comics 467-470 set up the main story of Starman very nicely. It isn’t at all Starman’s powers or origin that really add anything great, but an interesting and somehow believable planet with an interesting upcoming plot that makes Starman somewhat memorable.
Starman Must Die/…And Only One Shall Survive/’Twixt Hammer and Anvil/The Chains That Bind/In Battle Joined/Crown or Coffin?
Adventure Comics 471-476 really is the meat of Levitz and Ditko’s run. It focuses on Oswin and his battle for the throne, one of the few elements of this run which isn’t a complete copy from Star Wards. Still, a revolt against an Empire isn’t exactly new. Nonetheless, Starman is training with Mn’Torr and Rikane when Oswin’s fleet attacks Akadame, a planet home to merchants across the galaxy. On the planet’s surface, Starman confronts a minion of Oswin named Captain Krydd. This metallic warrior (continued)
appears brutal and genuinely poses a threat to Starman, but as the story has to be only eight pages long, Captain Krydd is defeated pretty easily by molten metal from Rikane’s destroyed ship. Although I think that Levitz really could have padded this out more and presented the villain much better, it sets the scene for a battle that will surely be epic.
The war truly breaks out in Adventure Comics 472, with Starman investigating a destroyed ship which, seconds before, housed the Empress and Merria. This story is interesting because it shows Starman at as his best as a rebellious hero outside of the established order. Although he swears to protect the Empire and his sister, that doesn’t stop him from fighting royal guards who get in his way. Either way, Starman manages to rescue Merria, who warns that the Empress has been kidnapped. Next follows a pretentious and pretty-nonsensical scene where Starman heads into a hyperdrive to locate the stored-away Empress. It’s a great instance to convey Ditko’s brilliant storytelling and imaginative use of ink, but the explanations to any of the hard science is indigestible. All you need to know is that Starman rescues the Empress, who for some reason cannot work out that her brother may be the man behind the mask. Typical monarch when it comes to intelligence.
Despite its ridiculous name, Twixt Hammer and Anvil is when the story really gets going and the pacing is brilliant. With his eyes and weapons everywhere, Oswin manages to pin Starman down in the Empress’s prison, but the hero cleverly blinds the villain using his powers and therefore escapes with the Empress. Levitz writes some entertaining dialogue here as the Empress becomes attracted to Starman for his saving her, a moment which summed up the typical, albeit funny, dialogue of most women characters in the bronze age of comics. Either way, the characters are in for a surprise when they arrive back on Throneworld. In the time that the Empress has been missing, the throne has been claimed by none-other than Oswin. Okay, he is technically the Regent of Throneworld, but it’s the closest thing to Emperor. While it’s really not much of a surprise, it’s good to see the stakes are finally high. Most of these stories have been, by-and-large, self-contained. There may be elements and an overall story which links every issue, but this revelation provides the main story with the kick it really needed.
To keep the Empress safe from Oswin’s new power, Starman basically hides her and himself away for a time on an alien world which turns out to be a prison planet. The basic gist of this story isn’t terrible, but it does feel out-of-place after such a huge surprise at the end of the previous issue. Really, this is a glorified break from the story, and it doesn’t do it any favours. The interesting content appears during Adventure Comics 474, with Oswin’s continued rise to power. But this story is only worth reading because of the hugely important ending. Throughout this whole run, Mn’Torr has been presented to guide Starman on his journey, but we still know very little about him and he is one of my favourite characters because of this. Therefore, when he confronts Oswin at the end of this story and seems to threaten him, it opens up so many questions and possibilities. Will Mn’Torr kill him? What will Starman think? Will Mn’Torr become the villain? These questions are what makes Starman interesting, and the mystery over Mn’Torr’s background and purpose make him a character to watch out for.
Unfortunately, Adventure Comics 475 throw us back into the boring events of prison planet, but this isn’t for long as the whole main cast is reunited in time for the ending. Oswin appears, grinningly evilly while possessing Mn’Torr’s staff. Again, more questions as Levitz excellently avoids any exposition here and leaves it up to Ditko’s visuals. As for In Battle Joined itself, it’s just a bridge. How did Starman go from the prison planet to here? This tells that story, while some pretty pointless fights along the way.
Adventure Comics 476 is perhaps the most famous and dramatic story in the whole Starman saga. It begins and ends with a fight to the death, bridged in the middle with an imprisonment scene which is actually quite touching. It turns out that Oswin (continued)
survived Mn’Torr’s threat because the latter vanished into thin air after being summoned back home by his people for committing crimes. Although this may sound like a random scene you’d hear about in Monty Python, this actually sets up a great story following this. Don’t worry, the story of Mn’Torr continues! Anyway, Starman is beaten by Oswin, who locks the hero and the Empress in prison. There is a really interesting and touching scene where all the characters are fully aware that their deaths will soon be with them. It’s a moment of reflection that Levitz captures well. However, we all know it is for nothing as Starman manages to break free and, seemingly at the cost of his own life, kill Oswin. They both die in the face of a ray cannon, but that bleak note does not end the story as Starman, somehow harnessing a strange power of communication, tells his sister, Merria, and the rest of the gang that he is alive and well. What’s good about this ending is that Oswin does die. There’s no hint of a return and he had never come back since, at least to my knowledge. Overall, Oswin may be a very flat villain with predictable aims, like most baddies who want to rule the galaxy, a decent story was formed around him, and he at least clashed with a decent cast of characters. As for Oswin’s story as a whole, perhaps it defines too much of the Starman run. Sure, the stakes are high and there is a real sense of drama, but there is quite a bit of padding here too. Of course, there are some great issues here and, as it progresses, the pacing is incredible. Despite a standard plot, once again Levitz creates a believable galaxy with a good cast. It doesn’t try to be anything other than good fun.
The Search for Mn’Torr/…And Death’s Icy Touch Shall Come Searching
While the previous issues may have, on the whole, concluded Starman’s main storyline, Adventure Comics 477-478 just make it all-the-more painful that Starman’s time in the title was coming to an end. So, Starman isn’t dead, and his next mission is to locate Mn’Torr, the last of whom we saw when he was taken away by his own people just as he was confronting Oswin. Much of the first part is, for the lack of a better phrase, spatial bullshit. Starman parades around the stars in search of his mentor but ends up in another gorgeous-looking Ditko environment, with wavey lines and strange shapes everywhere. Like I said, it looks great and exemplifies the genius of Ditko’s storytelling, but there is little going on with the plot. However, that changes at the end of part one as our hero finds Mn’Torr. However, he is on death-row. Like the Time Lords in Doctor Who, Mn’Torr’s race is not allowed to dabble in the affairs of other planets. Mn’Torr’s saving Gavyn and aiding Starman in his battle against Oswin has resulted in the end of his life…
With that stunning revelation, Levitz and Ditko conclude this run with an absolute gem. Enraged, Starman attempts to rescue his mentor from death, but the plan fails as both Starman and Mn’Torr are captured, with the latter’s magical staff broken. With that, Mn’Torr is powerless. But what follows next is perhaps one of the most powerful pieces of writing you’ll ever find in Adventure Comics, aside from that time Proty died saving his Legion of Super-Heroes allies four issues after his debut. Seriously though, Mn’Torr and Starman may escape from death in the end, but the wise mentor decides that his people are correct. Mn’Torr has taught all he can to his young student, and he presents him with a new staff. He confides in Starman to carry on rooting out injustice and evil in the galaxy, before he willingly accepts his fate and vanishes into the ether. This moment is made powerful by Starman’s screaming reaction (which is the final panel of the whole original run) and by the fact that the two characters have been bonded for so long. Their relationship feels special and when Starman does lose his mentor, it is like when Luke Skywalker loses Ben Kenobi. Yeah, I know I keep using Star Wars references here, but Starman is clearly based on it. Levitz does well to (continued)
leave the story on a tragic note, but you really want to know what happens next? Where would Levitz and Ditko have gone with the title next? The only reason I ask is because, perhaps rather forcefully, they create another storyline in the background. It turns out that the Empress has been poisoned and will die. What happens next? Well, you won’t find out in Adventure Comics bucko. The addition of this story point just confuses things really and takes the drama away from the pure emotion here. Who cares about the death of a boring Empress when Mn’Torr has died? Levitz and Ditko may end the run beautifully, but on such a powerful note, I really do wonder what they would have done next…
How much Steve Ditko was involved with Starman’s story is something of a mystery. However, it is plain that he was hugely involved with the story’s artistic and visual image. The Ditko stamp of creative and imaginative art is very clear here as he breathes energetic life into a storyline which could have, with the wrong artist, been dull and boring. His sense of storytelling is wonderful, and design of Starman is both modern and classic at the same time. Starman may not be remembered as one of Ditko's great works, but he clearly put a lot of effort into this saga, and it would not be remembered as fondly without him.
Stories: 7.5/10
Art: 10/10
What Happened to Starman?
Because of the abrupt, albeit powerful, ending to Starman’s story in Adventure Comics 478, it was only right that a decent conclusion was provided. In the 1980s, both of DC’s
most famous and successful heroes had, or were given in one case, unique titles. DC Comics Presents was a new title (launched in 1979) featuring Superman teaming up with heroes all across the universe, while Brave and the Bold had been teaming similar stories featuring Batman for more than a decade. For better or for worse, incomplete or small runs featuring obscure heroes were often bought back to sign off their runs. It happened to I, Vampire in Brave and the Bold and a few others. Starman joined Superman in DC Comics Presents 36 to finish his story, but does it live up to the solid storytelling of Levitz and the legendary art of Ditko? Beginning on a particularly grim note, Starman returns to Throneworld to find his Empress sister dead. Well, that’s that out of the way. A slightly odd beginning, but Levitz basically reintroduces us to Starman’s world, his origin, and the cast. Now as the Emperor of Throneworld, and a very miserable one at that, Starman is shocked to find his home destroyed, and his girlfriend Merria missing. With some wise, if wholly uncharacteristically negative and rude, words from Mn’Torr’s spirit (more Star Wars!), Starman tracks the attacker to Earth. Upon finding Merria, Starman also bumps into Mongul, the Superman villain who is always up for a fight. However, Mongul traps the hero in a miniaturised box instead, but Superman comes along and rescues him. It’s here that Levitz and Starlin basically try and force more lore in the Starman mythos. In short, Mongul aims to take the power of the sun, which is an augmented weapon created by one of the original emperors of Throneworld and be evil with it. As you’d expect, Superman takes out Mongul, while the weaponised sun is deactivated. Starman, with Merria, heads home to rule his planet in peace. Overall, What Happened to Starman isn’t so much a conclusion to a long-running tale, but a mere catch-up session. I like the change in Starman’s character and how he has become darker with power and events, but he and his world does feel hugely shoe-horned in here. The new lore also just isn’t much good, just imitating that which was right in the original Adventure Comics run. This isn’t bad or terrible at all, but it does leave even more questions and slightly ruins the idealised version of Starman who was, at heart, a rebel. The Superman side of the question is unflatteringly dull and pretty standard stuff.
Perhaps it is unfair to compare the mediocre Jim Starlin, himself a far better writer than penciller, to the majesty of Steve Ditko. In every way possible, Ditko outshines Starlin’s visuals as the latter’s art is very clinical in its dullness. The problem here isn’t that it isn’t trying hard enough to be Ditko, but more the fact that it isn’t trying to be anything. It simply doesn’t resonate at all.
Story: 6/10
Art: 4/10
VERDICT
Overall, Prince Gavyn’s Adventures as Starman may not be a classic lost to the ages, but it is certainly a good read that is full of the creative ingenuity of Steve Ditko. Paul Levitz’s writing may borrow heavily from Star Wars, and it isn’t at all original (but then again, neither is Star Wars), but he creates a good Starman hero who is surprisingly memorable, and the plot presents some good side-characters and a few surprises along the way. It’s just a shame that the DC Comics Presents issue left things a bit poorly…
Stories: 7/10
Art: 9.5/10
Next Week: Justice League International: Trouble in America and Europe (Justice League America 26-30, Justice League Europe 5-6. Written by Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis with art by Ty Templeton, Joe Rubinstein, Dick Giordano, Bill Willingham, Bart Sears, and Pablo Marcos.
Comments