With the run’s first eight issues, James Robinson had placed the foundation blocks of Starman, a much larger and towering building that was to contain many characters and stories of heroes, families, and tragedy. It was to be a tall tower indeed – after all, the run lasted seven years and concluded with issue eighty, notwithstanding annuals, crossovers, and additional one-offs. A saga can only remain intriguing to readers with fresh ideas and concepts. After the tales of ‘Times Past’ and ‘Talking with David’ we return to the present to uncover yet another star character of Robinson’s run. Although this saga especially focuses on Jack Knight and his hereditary legacy, Robinson reminds us that he is not the first, second, or third Starman, but the eighth! And as Starman (vol 2) nears the end of the first year, we are met with one of Jack Knight’s forgotten predecessors…
Starman (vol 2) 7-11 was published from May to September 1995. Written by James Robinson, all the issues were drawn by Tony Harris and Wade Von Grawbadger, excluding – of course – issue 11, another Times Past tale pencilled and inked by Matthew Smith (not of Doctor Who fame). Reprinted in the wonderful Starman Omnibus Volume One, these are the final issues before Sins of the Child, one of the run’s major storylines.
A (K)night At The Circus --- Written by James Robinson with art by Tony Harris and Wade Von Grawbadger
A (K)night At The Circus may only be a two-parter – published in Starman (vol 2) 7-8 – but it stands as one of the most important stories in Robinson’s saga. In the plains outside Star City, Jack Knight is on a journey. It’s a quest not to find a supervillain or emerging danger, but collectibles and bargains for his antique shop. With reams of dialogue and references in the story’s early pages, the sense of enthusiasm and interest can be felt by the author can be felt with each word. As Robinson wrote in an afterword to Starman (vol 2) 0, “Starman is about superheroics and shadows and nighttime horrors and all that, but it’s also about old books and records and collectibles and all the odd facts and details that drift through and around the mind of a fellow such as Jack.” James Robinson understands Jack Knight, mainly because they are one and the same – at least in terms of their interests. But it’s a brilliant way of expanding our knowledge and proximity to the mind of the protagonist. Jack’s quest takes him to a circus, one which has the usual gimmicks and tricks you expect. But within the circus, there is the Cosmic Geek. A blue-skinned tragedy of a man chained to a wall, this attraction speaks no comprehensible language, but upon touching Jack, images of aliens and cosmic events flash in his mind. To journeyed DC readers, they would recognise this alien to be Mikaal Tomas, the fourth Starman, an alien from outer space created by Gerry Conway and Mike Vosburg for 1st Issue Special 12. This great expansion of Starman’s world is balanced with mystery – we aren’t told much at all about Tomas’s return for some time to come, but his return is a nice surprise. But here, the plot thickens. The circus owner, a Mister Bliss, hopes to get Jack out of the way by unleashing the circus performers on him in order to protect the secret of the Cosmic Geek. Although defeated at first, Jack soon returns with his Cosmic Staff…
With a vast majority of the plot established in the first part, Starman (vol 2) 8 presents a dive in quality. Jack returns to the circus is met with the circus acts who attacked him under the orders of Mister Bliss, the most bog-standard of bullying bosses. This time, Jack witnesses the circus act recalls their plights and tragic stories. Robinson tries desperately for readers not just to feel sympathy for these characters, but to take interest in their dialogue. While the former is easy to do, the latter is near-impossible. The characters just aren’t particularly interesting. Excluding the tragedy of the Jewish dwarf who is forced to dress as a Nazi, all the other characters are forgettable and only act to fill in the pages of the story. Sure, Robinson treats us to a two-page interlude whereby the man-eating poster of Hell is depicted, but as for the rest of A (K)night At The Circus, it’s standard stuff. Jack teams up with the circus acts to defeat a plain bullying villain. It is nice how Mikaal gets a moment in the spotlight in delivering the final blow to the enemy, but the overall ending whereby the circus acts secure their freedom is too predictable and boring. Perhaps the joys of freedom could have been enjoyed more if the characters were actually interesting and the villain wasn’t a boring bully. But despite its terrible averageness, its importance cannot be understated. With the mute Mikaal Tomas now on the scene, the mist of mystery continues to surround the future of Jack Knight…
Despite the story’s mediocrity, Tony Harris shines here with his great use of shadows and darkness. The deep darkness of the circus helps create a mood of despair which I only wished the writing could have also displayed. Like previous issues, this one continues to convey why an inker like Von Grawbadger is excellent for an artist like Harris.
Shards –-- Written by James Robinson with art by Tony Harris and Wade Von Grawbadger
Starman (vol 2) 9 surprisingly begins exactly where the previous issue concludes. With Mikaal free, readers would naturally think that his story would be the focus of Shards. But that isn’t sadly the case – readers have to wait much longer of much of any plot regarding the former Starman. Instead, the title’s ninth issue focuses on Jack Knight, alongside doing his usual superheroing duties for Opal City, talking to his father. The conversations during the run between father and son are among some of the most memorable moments in the title. Ted Knight has the experience and anecdotes of the past to shape the knowledge of Jack and the lore of the title. Here, Ted Knight recalls the tale of Ragdoll, a cruel criminal who he fought as the original Starman – and a villain who threated the families of Starman, the Flash, and Green Lantern to the point where the three heroes were forced to kill the villain. It’s a story which adds a deeper layer to the character of Ted and the remorse he has for his past actions. This revelation leaves an impact, depicting the first Starman in a different light. Aside from this, Robinson uses the remaining pages of the issue to hint at future storylines or threats – the poster, the O’Dares, the Shade, and Nash – the daughter of the Mist – who has escaped from prison. Overall, Starman (vol 2) 9 is a nice break from the action of the title, but it’s a worthwhile break that leaves hints of what’s to come…
Harris and Von Grawbadger really shine with the final pages of this issue, whereby their presenting of Starman’s future threats is told with drama and impact.
The Day Before The Day To Come --- Written by James Robinson with art by Tony Harris and Wade Von Grawbadger
If pauses from the action are your love, then you’ll love Starman (vol 2) 10 as much as the previous issue. We begin with Jack meeting the Shade, discussing his journals and the rival immortal who was mentioned in Starman (vol 2) 6. Named Merritt this immortal made a pact with the Devil to eternally protect the soul-snatching poster which Robinson has weaved into previous issues with great skill. It’s great how more of this storyline is being slowly revealed, teasing readers with a genuinely creative and intriguing idea – one which, in the lore of Starman, was so influential that it sparked the imagination of Oscar Wilde’s novel The Picture of Dorian Grey. With some information revealed but much more to emerge, Robinson leaves that storyline be – for now. The main focus of the title’s tenth issue may come as a surprise. After a warning from Jade – the daughter of Alan Scott’s Green Lantern – Jack heads into the sewers to find everyone’s favourite knuckle-head Solomon Grundy. This immortal beast is usually not one to be reasoned with, but after a few pages of duelling, Jack realises that Grundy is in need of a friend. And with that a lovely friendship begins. This is very different from previous versions of Grundy we are used to, but it’s difference and Grundy’s inclusion in a Starman title is another creative stroke of ingenuity, helped brilliantly by the cringey but charming humour of Jack.
Starman (vol 2) 10 is simply another compilation of teases – there is more of Nash, but perhaps too little of her considering the potential sudden threat to Jack due to her escape. But there is also the appearance of a lady named Charity. It seems that James Robinson has a knack for introducing new plotlines tens-to-the-dozen. It’s genuinely a creative run that intrigues readers, exciting them for what’s to come. So overall, it’s a nice break again, but surely, it’s nearly time for a larger multi-part story?
Those sewer scenes featuring a visually different but still intimidating Solomon Grundy convey the artistic team at their best. But Harris and Von Grawbadger also make names for themselves as wonderful storytellers. The final double-page spread of the issue illustrates evening in Opal City, with nine portrait captions of the characters to feature in future stories. Some maybe major personalities, others not. But it’s due to this creativeness that the artists give this title a cinematic appearance – no great surprise as Robinson later enjoyed a brief career in filmmaking.
13 Years Ago: Five Friends --- Written by James Robinson with art by Matthew Smith
Although I did say that now would surely be the time for a multi-page tale, who can resist a Times Past adventure? Starman (vol 2) 11 – another insert from the pages of the Shade’s journal – takes us back to the days of Ted Knight, Jay Garrick, and Alan Scott. Once a third-rate villain regarded as a joke, Ragdoll has returned as a cult leader to bring chaos to Opal City. This scenario may seem very familiar to something mentioned in a previous tale. Yes – this is the story of Ragdoll’s death. This is an adventure which has a large element of suspense and excitement to it. But sadly, Robinson has already let the cat out of the bag. Readers know what will happen in this story. Much of the action is pretty standard – the heroes fight the cultists before they get to Ragdoll. When they do, Ragdoll threatens the families of Starman, the Flash, and Green Lantern. Instead of outright killing the villain, the heroes pause. Suddenly, Ragdoll makes an escape, but Starman uses his rod to unleash a blast to kill the villain. Speechless, the golden age heroes stand in silence. That sense of guilt is conveyed through the art, not through words. It stands as a powerful moment in the lore of Starman but think of the impact this would have had had readers not known it was going to happen. Since readers know what will happen, much of the emotional and raw response to the event is sadly void. Really, this Times Past issue should have been released before Ted’s conversation with his son in Starman (vol 2) 9. Then, the impact here would have been greater, and we could then witness how Jack learns from the experience of his father. Despite the overbearing familiarity of events, there is some wonderful dialogue here as the heroes reflect on how times have changed and how their hay-day of the post-war period has long since passed. It is undeniably a great and entertaining read, but sadly a pretty predictable one.
Despite Matthew Smith’s solid skills as a dramatic storyteller whose simplified art style echoes the likes of Jack Burnley (a hero of Robinson), the unavoidable issue here is that the art is just plain ugly. The proportions of the muscular characters are all out of whack, while it fails to look particularly three-dimensional. Although it does enjoy a good deal of dark and dramatic lighting, to me it looks far too close to the dismal effort displayed by Frank Miller in The Dark Knight Strikes Again…
Incident In An Old Haunt --- Written by James Robinson with art by Wade Von Grawbadger
With Sins of the Child the next major story in the Starman saga, at five issues, it would probably make this review too lengthy to digest. Instead, I thought I’d look at a story published in Showcase ’95 12, published in December of that title’s year. Like the original title of the same name, the Showcase title of the 1990s was a method of presenting tales linking to new titles or teasing new stories to hook readers. For this issue, James Robinson penned a ten-page tale featuring the Shade. On the hunt for Merritt and his soul-snatching poster, the Shade’s relentless quest leads him to kill many villains who get in his way. Although his search is unsuccessful here, he is met by Neron. This demonic presence is the same foe from Underworld Unleashed, a major DC Universe event that year whereby the villains of the universe are offered their heart’s desire in exchange for their soul. Despite Neron’s best efforts, the Shade cannot be bought, and Neron leaves unfulfilled. Although this tale is only a few pages long, it perfectly summarises the personality of the Shade. As an immortal, he has all he wants – and Neron’s threats mean nothing. With some great back-and-forth gentlemanly-like dialogue between the two supernatural beings, perhaps the least integral story in the Starman saga is one of the most entertaining.
Strangely, Wade Von Grawbadger is the lone artist here. His style is more basic than Tony Harris’s, but his ‘black and white’ approach to the visuals works brilliantly for a Shade title.
VERDICT
Overall, these Starman stories slot nicely between the crucial introductory story in Sins of the Father and the upcoming dramatic multi-parter in Sins of the Child. Starman (vol 2) 7-8 doesn’t make for a great story, but it certainly reintroduces us to a great character. Brilliantly, Robinson reveals very little – leaving enough mystery for the future. Starman (vol 2) 9 and 10 are very good one-off breaks from the action, but they certainly have their great moments. Starman (vol 2) 11 may disappointingly be predictable, but it’s still a great piece of lore in the saga. It cannot be forgotten that the run is still in its early stages – Robinson is still setting the stage, and a crowed and eventful stage it is too…
Next Week: Batman Beyond: Rebirth (Batman Beyond (vol 1) 1-6). Written by Hilary J. Bader, with art by Rick Burchett, Terry Beatty, and Joe Staton.
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