It all began with one panel. In Zero Hour’s penultimate issue, with every member of the Justice Society (bar Alan Scott) dramatically aged (or killed) by the powers of the time-distorting villain known as Extant, the end came for the careers of some of DC’s oldest and grandest heroes. Starman was one of those. Created in 1941, Ted Knight was no longer able to continue his heroic duties and he passed the baton – or, more appropriately in this case, rod – to his son David. With this, the legacy of Starman was destined to continue, but it required a writer (and a particularly unique writer at that) to transform a world of Ted, David, and his brother Jack, from one panel into a colossal near-100-issue run. To describe James Robinson as a Tail End Charlie of the famous British Invasion of American comics would be hugely unfair, but he did appear long after the likes of Moore, Morrison, and Gaiman. Robinson was first noticed as the writer of London’s Dark, a gothic war-time tale published in 1989. Four years later, he conformed to his love of the 1940s and wrote The Golden Age, a terrific miniseries detailing the story of the Justice Society. With a clear love of history and culture, along with an adept talent for writing comics, James Robinson was to create a world of his dreams – a titanic run that reached new creative heights with old and new characters. Let the era of David Knight’s Starman begin…
Published from 1994 to 2001, Starman has been collected in several trade paperbacks, but latterly DC have reprinted the entire run (including the bonus issues and miniseries) into two compendium volumes. I’m reading the run in the six omnibus volumes. For the first review, I’ll be diving into Starman (vol 2) 0-6, published from October 1994 to April 1995. Written by James Robinson, most of the issues here are pencilled by Tony Harris and inked by Wade Von Grawbadger.
Sins of the Father --- Written by James Robinson with art by Tony Harris and Wade Von Grawbadger
So then, with Starman (vol 2) 0, a whole new saga begins! In the bright skies of Opal City, there is a hero. As Starman, David Knight watches over his city ready to protect it and continue the legacy of his father. Robinson launches the title with a sense of child-like adventure, echoing the relative innocence of the golden age of the forties. Within four pages, that mood is shattered – David Knight is shot. His body falls to the empty street below – our hero is dead. And that is perhaps the greatest introduction to a run ever produced, one that stays with readers for the rest of the run. This event is made all-the-more powerful because ultimately, Robinson’s Starman is about people and family. In flashbacks were shown that Ted Knight idolised his work as the original Starman, a feeling shared by David. Meanwhile, there is Jack Knight. He is the cocky, arrogant, and somewhat emotionally unintelligent brother of David who laughs at the very idea of superheroes and their colourful costume. This is a family drama that only really plays out in flashbacks, but Robinson doesn’t explain all here – after all, he has dozens of issues for that very purpose. A lover of tattoos and collector of anything old – the point where he runs an old antique shop – Jack Knight is not exactly an original character. According to Robinson and artist Tony Harris in the introductions and afterwords of the hardcover omnibuses, Jack has the mind of Robinson and the body of Harris. This title is very much theirs, and its why Jack has a tendency to talk in cultural references. But thus far, we don’t even scratch the surface. The plot emerges with the villain behind David’s death – that same foe destroys Ted’s observatory and then comes after Jack. Who should be the one behind the woes of Starman’s world but, once again, his most famous foe – the Mist!
Sins of the Father, although an introduction to a much larger series, was at first written to be a four-issue miniseries. This was mainly because editor Archie Goodwin was unsure whether the readers and bosses of DC would want an ongoing Starman series. It’s for this reason why the Mist starring as the main villain makes sense. It’s with Starman (vol 2) 1 that Jack, after surviving a near-death experience with Kyle, the Mist’s son, visits an injured Ted in hospital. After reading many of the latter issues of the title, revisiting this scene is much harder than reading it from the original position of ignorance. Ted effectively lambasts Jack, believing that he should have died rather than David. Jack is forced to feel guilt for previously making fun of being a superhero – its in moments like this where I find it hard to believe that Jack remains so calm. Throughout, he takes events – such as the death of his brother and his fight with Kyle – too much in his stride, an attitude which makes sense later, but less so here. Regardless, it’s here where we are introduced to the O’Dares, a family of three brothers and a sister. There’s not much to say about them here, but again, this is the writer establishing the Starman world. But with ongoing riots and the Mist’s son and daughter destroying the city just to spite Ted Knight, Jack builds up the personal courage to pick an old, battered gravity rod to fight evil. And does it work? No. Issue one ends with Jack Knight seemingly dead too…
Starman (vol 2) 2 introduces us to another constant in Robinson’s run. Enter the Shade. Created in 1942 as a foe for the Flash, this immortal being is composed of shadow and mystery. Although regarded as a villain in the days of the JSA, to describe Robinson’s version of the Shade as one would be insulting. This is a grandiose figure who readers know very little about. He is equidistant between the Knights and the Mist on the moral scale. Sometimes good, sometimes bad, although never a foe of Starman here, one consistency is his love of Opal City. He is also a great link to the past – this story displays brilliantly with a two-page dialogue scene between the Shade and the dementia-suffering Mist. It has elements of humour mixed with sadness, with the Shade never aging and watching his contemporaries age, wither, and die. Aside from the Shade, issue 2 includes Jack’s first meeting with the Mist’s daughter, a character who will reappear in later issues. And there’s also a fortune-teller who cleverly hints at what future stories readers can look forward to. This penultimate part of the opening story is a breather from the main plot, but it sows the seeds for the future.
After locating his father’s secret storage lock-up, Jack Knight officially becomes the new Starman with Starman (vol 2) 3.
Visually, he is what a 1990s Starman should be – not wearing that colourful retro costume, but continuing its legacy with a new star rod, or in this case, a staff which gives Jack the ability to fly and unleash cosmic energy! The issue is a confrontation between Jack Knight and Kyle (not exactly a great name for a villain). Instead of writing an ordinary predictable fight, Robinson tugs at the inner-emotional feelings of Jack as he recalls memories of his brother. And these aren’t memories of happy times, but times of arguments and anger. But this part of Jack’s life has been cruelly taken from him, and in a truly shocking moment (suitably given a full-page spread), Jack vaporises Kyle into oblivion. This doesn’t really give way to a more aggressive or darker Starman, but it is the moment where David Knight is avenged. Unlike Batman, Jack Knight, nor his father, have a strict code against killing, but the death of Kyle remains a one-off. It’s long-term effects in the run are enormous – the Mist falls deeper into the pits of dementia, while his daughter vanishes – for now. But this is where the adventures of Jack Knight begin – his relationship with his father is restored, and Ted is a constant companion to his son throughout this series. As opening stories go, Sins of the Father is a very good one. Tragedy is always a great theme to launch an origin story, and we witness how Jack Knight, in only four issues, begins to grow and change as a character. Although devised as a miniseries, Robinson plants dozens of future stories here and each promise of future stories continually hook the reader. The final pages of Starman (vol 2) also prove that this title isn’t just about the Knights, but about the other heroes called Starman in DC’s continuity. Ultimately, Starman is a title about characters, and that is an aspect which Robinson excels in. I do feel the spotlight could have shone down on the Mist a bit more, but that is a minor flaw considering just how well the title is set up with these first four issues.
James Robinson has said that for the visual direction of Starman (vol 2), he wanted an artist who was comfortable with shadows and darkness. Tony Harris was a remarkable choice. Not an especially known penciller, Harris was chosen because he is brilliantly suited to conveying the deep darkness and shadows that feature in Opal City. As a storyteller, it only improves from the first issue. He begins to grow more comfortable and aware of the world he is creating, a world inked beautifully by Wade Von Grawbadger. Like Robinson, Harris makes the title his own. It’s been known that the two creators – both of whom, I believe, are very confident in their own talents and ideas – would argue over particular aspects of the run, but overall, Tony Harris is the right artist to translate Opal City from an idea to amazing double-page spreads and skylines.
A Day in the Opal --- Written by James Robinson with art by Tony Harris and Wade Von Grawbadger
Like all good writers, James Robinson understands the creative necessity of one-offs. Constant multi-part tales may bring threat and interesting foes, but inevitably the title’s structure and stories become predictable and stale. With Starman (vol 2) 4, we are given a one-off which conveys more to the reader not just about Jack Knight, but about Opal City too. Its vibrancy and mystery make it hugely different from the unrelenting grimness of Gotham, or the impressive heights of Metropolis. Opal is a varied place, and one which Robinson desperately wants to bring life and flair to. He succeeds in doing this – this issue simply lays the foundational concrete blocks of Opal City. Some elements – like a poster coming to life and absorbing helpless Opalites into a hellish realm return later. But it’s here where Robinson adds another feature of the run – the Shade’s journal. As an immortal, the Shade has seen Opal’s history, encountered thousands of personalities, and got himself involved in the supernatural more than once. At the end of certain issues, we’re treated to tales of the Shade’s life. I’ll get into those later – as of now, the Shade rightfully remains a total enigma. To me, these aspects of Starman (vol 2) 4 stand far taller than the issue’s plot, whereby a millionaire collector sends a lackey to Jack’s shop to locate a particular Hawaiian shirt which is apparently a gateway to Heaven. A lover of wacky shirts, this is where James Robinson’s interests morph more with the pages of Starman. While this is no bad concept, I feel Robinson’s delivery is too subtle and directionless. The lackey visits Jack’s shop and takes the shirt, almost by force, but that’s really it. Sure, there’s some nice mystery surrounding the fate of the millionaire collector who vanishes after obtaining the Hawaiian shirt, but overall it feels as if this idea doesn’t receive the right amount of time in the spotlight for it to shine. Nevertheless, A Day in the Opal is a strong one-off which continues to establish the new title – the scenes of people-eating posters and the Shade’s journal are more memorable than the Hawaiian shirts…
Tony Harris is very suited to bringing James Robinson’s Opal City to life. It’s also in this issue where Harris’s collaboration with Von Grawbadger stands out, especially with the deep darkness that is forever present when the Shade appears. While we have the colour of Opal City, we always have the darkness of the immortal…
Talking with David ’95 --- Written by James Robinson with art by Tony Harris and Wade Von Grawbadger
Throughout Starman’s (vol 2) seven years, there are two consistent features which Robinson masterfully created. The first of these concepts was introduced in Starman (vol 2) 5. Jack awakens in a strange greyscale world, but all of a sudden, a feeling of familiarity emerges when he comes face-to-face with his brother David. Talking with David is a yearly event in Robinson’s run whereby Jack speaks to his deceased brother about recent events. Whether these discussions are dreams or hallucinations, we never know, and it doesn’t matter. Just imagine. You have the chance to speak to a deceased family member or friend – it’s something which most of us have thought about from time-to-time. In this first exchange, there is the natural confusion experienced by Jack. How can this be happening? But soon enough, a playful atmosphere is cultivated as the two brothers enjoy a playfight, albeit with blood. But what makes the first Talking with David tale so poignant is that both sides recognise that – in life – they didn’t get on. Jack didn’t realise just how much he valued his brother until he died, and now that the mantle of Starman has been passed down from his brother, they bond and begin to learn things from one another. Robinson writes a deep exploration of characters and relationships during the run and Talking with David feature some of the most memorable and emotionally moving moments in the title. It’s not often that a relationship blooms best after death, but with Starman (vol 2) 5, Robinson displays his skill as writer of genuinely powerful and hard-hitting dialogue. This first instalment makes readers look forward to the next time these two brothers, destined in life to be distant, unite in death…
Tony Harris and Wade Von Grawbadger create this mystical and strange afterlife without colour. It’s a greyscale world – the only part in colour is David Knight dressed in his bright Starman costume. Not only does this detail provide the Talking with David saga a certain visual appearance, but it highlights what these tales are really about. The spotlight is on David, a lost brother who – only for a few pages – was the colourful hero of Opal City.
1882: Back Stage, Back Then --- Written by James Robinson with art by Teddy Kristiansen, Kim Hagen, Bjarne Hansen, and Christian Hojgaard
Starman (vol 2) 6 introduces us to the second consistent feature of Robinson’s run. Times Past is a sporadic feature during the course of the run – its purpose is best described by the writer himself in the afterword to the first omnibus: “I built the ‘Times Past’ device as a way for me to have fun with Opal City and Jack and all the historical things I liked. I also knew it was a way to give Tony [Harris] breathing room.” The DC Universe is highly expansive, almost infinitely so. Most of Times Past issues are written from the perspective of the Shade journaling adventures and tales of heroes in their youth or now-forgotten characters lost in the mist of time. These are snapshots of the world before Jack Knight. Robinson’s first tale stars the Shade in Opal City not in the modern era, but in 1882. Meeting the famed playwright Oscar Wilde, their discussions of America and memories of Charles Dickens (another face the Shade once knew) make for tantalising reading. With the weight of history constantly on the side of the Shade, whenever he reveals one fact about his life, another three questions magically appear – it is that mystery which makes him the most fascinating character of perhaps DC Comics. Back in 1882, the Shade has more of a reputation than a job – people come to him with problems they want solving. And these aren’t trivial problems. A man named Jason Mayville employs the help of the Shade to rescue his sister from Lune, a cruel man who has mesmerised her. And by rescue, he means for the Shade to tear Mayville’s sister away from the villain by killing Lune and his gang. The Shade has the power to conjure up violent demonic shadows which unfailingly do his bidding. Although the story is very basic and regular in its structure – a hero defeats a villain – it does raise big questions about the Shade and whether he can be considered a hero. The Shade is his own man, doing what he does purely for his own purposes. The Shade of the present is not the same villain who once fought the JSA, but that menace still remains, even if it is balanced out brilliantly by his charm and black humour. In the end, it’s revealed that the Shade is not the only immortal in town, but that is a story for another day.
As Robinson has said, Times Past issues gave much-needed breaks to Tony Harris. Here, Teddy Kristiansen, Kim Hagen, Bjarne Hansen, and Christian Hojgaard are the artists. I cannot detect a significant difference in their styles, and I think overall the less some of the art is spoken about the better. While very ugly and downright messy and tragic at times, the artists brilliantly bring life to the Shade’s demonic shadows, making them truly terrifying.
VERDICT
Overall, Starman: Sins of the Father is a great introduction to what appears to be a very promising series. The first four issues set the stage flawlessly, setting the scene of Opal City and introducing us to the faces and characters of Jack Knight’s world. A Day in the Opal is a nice breather from the action, but once again, future stories are set up brilliantly. Issue five is a good introduction to the Talking with David concept, a series which only gets better with each issue. Meanwhile, issue six launches Times Past with the most interesting character of the whole run, and one who readers will never tire of. All-in-all, to say James Robinson gives Starman (vol 2) a solid start would be an understatement. With all its promise and great characters, let’s see how well it delivers…
Next Week: Starman: A Knight At The Circus (Starman (vol 2) 7-11). Written by James Robinson with art by Tony Harris, Wade Von Grawbadger, and Matthew Smith.
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