So, with Jack Knight beginning his crusade into the depths and mysteries of space, the Starman title entered its second phase. All of the events from the title’s launch in 1994 has been building up to the Stars My Destination tale, which in itself sets the stage for Grand Guignol and the run’s finale. But before we follow Jack’s quest, it is best to look at the miscellaneous tie-ins and other stories connected to the Starman saga. Although Robinson’s run sticks largely to its monthly title – a rarity in comic books of that era – there were a few one-offs, specials, and other miniseries featuring the world of Jack Knight. This includes one of the most bizarre of crossovers. Although Starman has met Batman in his quest to revive Solomon Grundy, the heroes meet again here, coming face-to-face with the most unexpected of characters. This creation is not of Jack’s world, nor the world of DC Comics. Created in 1993 by Mike Mignola for Dark Horse Comics, Hellboy comes to Opal City…
In this review, I’ll be looking at some of the miscellaneous content reprinted in the Starman Omnibuses Volumes Four and Five. This includes the Starman 80-Page Giant, a special Mist issue, Batman/Hellboy/Starman 1-2, and Starman (vol 2) 1000000. These stories were all released in 1998/1999, with Robinson penning them all.
Good Girls and Bad --- Written by James Robinson with art by John Lucas and Richard Case
Before we can look inside the promising pages of Batman/Hellboy/Starman, we must go back to the start. And by that, I mean the earliest published story. Throughout 1998, DC published several one-offs under the Girlfrenzy, a sub-series displaying some of the female heroes – and villains – in DC’s expansive universe. For The Mist 1, released in June 1998, the star is of course Nash, the daughter of the original Mist. She has made it her goal to ruin Jack’s life and destroy his beloved Opal. But her life isn’t as simple as it seems. Although Jack’s enemy, she is the mother of his son, a child who she protects with her life. In the one-off, Nash’s child is stolen by the Black Hand, a Green Lantern foe who requires Nash’s help on a mission. Blackmailing her with threats about her baby son, Black Hand orders Nash to commit a robbery for one of his projects. This robbery goes well until Nash comes face-to-face with Mary Marvel, an interesting but suitable choice for a foe in this case. Her hard-headedness, mixed with the innocence of youth, means that she is more understanding of Nash’s plight than other heroes may be. In tears, Nash begs for Mary Marvel’s help; she accepts. The story ends with a hero fighting alongside a villain to rescue a baby. Of course, with her baby back, Nash returns to her devilish ways, but her thanks to Mary Marvel are genuine. This one-off isn’t an essential story in the run, but it is a good personality portrait of Nash. Despite her attitude and apparent strength, she is an immature child full of stress and weak points. It is why a character like Mary Marvel makes sense to feature in a story like this. Aside from readers learning more about Nash, there isn’t much else to be gained – or lost – by reading this decent and enjoyable one-off.
John Lucas’s layouts – while relatively appealing – are transformed into pretty standard and dull artwork by Richard Case, famed for his Doom Patrol art. It is by no means terrible, but it lacks energy and excitement.
All The Starlight Shining --- Written by James Robinson with art by Peter Snejbjerg and Wade Von Grawbadger
We may be slightly jumping the gun an inch by discussing Starman (vol 2) 1000000 at this stage. After all, it is a tale which takes place several issues into Jack’s space travels. However, Jack doesn’t feature here, and this issue is more timeless than those around it. DC’s One Million event featured our usual 20th century heroes meeting the futuristic titans of the 853rd. Justice Legion Alpha, the league of the future, contains a roster so familiar yet so different. One of those heroes in the team is Starman, and it’s this Starman who Ted Knight meets in Starman (vol 2) 1000000. It begins with an assassination attempt, specifically Ted’s. A colourful supervillain named Deathbolt tries to kill the old hero, but that is when the Starman of the future appears to save the day. The assassination attempt is bizarre, especially as little reasoning or explanation about it is given. Nonetheless, Ted learns that this new Starman is Farris Knight, a direct descendant. The dialogue scenes between Ted and Farris make for some of the best scenes of this era in the Starman saga. With utterances of unknown names, and the mentioning of events never heard before, it is exciting to learn what the future of Starman holds. These scenes also hold some genuine emotional weight, with Ted learning that Jack isn’t one of the more remembered Starmen in the 853rd century. Ted even learns that some Starmen were actually villains rather than heroes. It’s this revelation which forms the surprise ending of Starman (vol 2) 1000000. Despite the wonderful legacy of Starman, Farris Knight is not a happy man. He reveals his loathing of Ted creating what he sees as a hereditary illness for the Knights – the burden of Starman passed down through blood. Farris comes close to killing his forefather, but he cannot bring himself to do it. He simply escapes, never to be seen again. Although Robinson’s writing of Farris is somewhat confusing, with the character being pretty schizophrenic in his attitude towards Ted Knight, it is a very powerful story and one of the best Starman tales. Robinson reveals just a fragment of the future, and although Farris may be a bad egg, it gives Ted hope for the future of the universe. Written with such engagement and interest, Robinson delivers a real treat.
Get used to hearing the name ‘Peter Snejbjerg’ often. With Tony Harris’s departure, Snejbjerg becomes the regular penciller. Readers must also become familiar with my high praising of his work - as with Harris, his sense of drama and atmosphere is fantastic. With Wade Von Grawbadger providing his masterful inks, with its dark colours and deep blacks, it is stunning. Overall, it is a relief that the magic of Opal’s majesty is captured by Peter Snejbjerg as exceptionally as Tony Harris.
Gotham Grey Evil/Jungle Green Horror --- Written by James Robinson with art by Mike Mignola
The 1990s were a time when those great once-impenetrable barriers between comic book companies became softer. Although the tensions between DC and Marvel were still strong – at times very personally so – DC’s relationship with Dark Horse Comics was friendly. It was in that sprit of cooperation that Hellboy/Batman/Starman 1-2 was released in January-February 1999. Mike Mignola had made a name for himself with both Hellboy and his idiosyncratic art style. Although Hellboy and Batman may seem like a natural pair, Starman seems slightly out of place. Sadly, Robinson has little to say about this two-issue miniseries in the afterword of Starman’s fourth omnibus, but clearly, Starman (vol 2) must have been doing well enough to team up with the Dark Knight and the Beast of the Apocalypse.
Issue one begins in the darkness of Gotham, with Batman tackling the Joker on another of his crime sprees. Right from the start, the quick pacing of the miniseries is established. Mignola isn’t (usually) one for long dialogue scenes. It doesn’t take long for Bruce Wayne to meet Ted Knight, giving a lecture about his Starman technology and how he plans to use it to improve the world. But all of a sudden, the lecture is crashed by Nazi skinheads and Ted is abducted. With an intriguing plot established, Batman quickly meets Hellboy, whose presence – despite being a literal devil – isn’t questioned.
Hellboy is a strange character. With a hard-headed attitude and seriousness, he works for the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defence. He is present because the Nazis belong to the Knights of October – basically fascists who use magic. This is where the story begins to fall apart. After shouting a chant, one Nazi cuts a gapping hole in himself which acts as a vacuum, literally absorbing people into a hellish void. Alongside this silly idea, the villains are just boringly evil. Evil only because they are, not for any tangible reason. Even the Nazi-side to their personalities is never really explored. But a big kicker comes at the end of the first issue. Because the Joker is back on the loose, Batman cannot accompany Hellboy to South America to defeat the magical Nazis (what a phrase that is). Yep, Batman is just written out of the story, and he never returns! This is when – by sheer co-incidence – Jack Knight suddenly turns up and says that he can help Hellboy. Why Jack didn’t turn up sooner – especially with the abduction of his father – is impossible to know. But it means that in effect, this isn’t really a three-way crossover. It’s a Hellboy story – Batman helps out for the first half, and then Starman comes to the rescue in the second.
Issue two is much duller than the first. Hellboy and Jack Knight make it to South America and get involved in a long-drawn-out battle scene. Ted Knight has been captured to help the Nazis raise some kind of evil god from legend into reality. The chief Nazi villain – with his crusty scars and overly-dressed military garb – just oozes evil, but he is pretty bland and forgettable. In one respect, the second issue is superior to the first. That is in respect to character. Hellboy and Batman were two grim vigilantes whose styles were too similar for any meaningful dialogue. But with Jack Knight’s humour and colour, it creates some funny moments of dialogue with Hellboy. This is the most redeeming feature of a pretty dull and silly story, ending with the defeat of the Nazis and the rescue of Ted Knight. Overall, it’s difficult not to look at the Hellboy/Batman/Starman story as anything other than a cash-in, a crossover simply to make money. Its plot is too silly and unbelievable to work, the villains are drier than sand, and Robinson makes little use of Batman. It isn’t intolerable, but I was hoping for more.
Mike Mignola’s style of art is very unique, and it cannot be understated that his skills as a storyteller are excellent. His deep style of inking is appropriate for a story of this nature too. However, I personally am not a great fan of his visual style, which is pretty ugly and unusual. His Hellboy certainly looks impressive, but I’m less convinced by his portrayal of Batman and Starman. That all said, it does add some excitement into a pretty dry story.
STARMAN 80-PAGE-GIANT
Giant-sized issues were common back in the silver age, but they seemed to die a death in the bronze age. They had something of a minor comeback in the late-1990s, with Starman’s 80-page-special hitting the news stands in January 1999. It is a collection of stories, covering the wide array of characters from Robinson’s saga, but there is a story which brings all the content together.
Chain of Possession --- Written by James Robinson with art by John Lucas
Chain of Possession makes for the beginning and ending of the 80-page-giant – it’s the first part and the last part of this mega-lengthy title. It has the feel of a one-off story from the regular Starman (vol 2) title, with Jack Knight living normal life with Sadie and his antique store when suddenly, Opal City is hit by a string of murders, seemingly committed by Ragdoll. This foe is one who has left his mark on the world of the Knights. After reading Starman (vol 2) 9 and 11 – where readers learn that Ted and a few JSAers killed Ragdoll decades ago – this once-mediocre villain now has the reputation of a real terroriser. Ragdoll continues to haunt Ted Knight, but his return here is different. Ted doesn’t believe it’s the original villain. Jack does some digging and finds that this Ragdoll is killing schoolfriends of a man named Tyrell. But Jack quickly learns that Tyrell isn’t the next victim, but Ragdoll’s employer. This reveal makes for a shocking but satisfying end to the first part.
Ragdoll makes his escape in the second part, but the plot develops into a pretty heavy-going murder plot, where Tyrell is revealed to be a murderer just for personal enjoyment. Although the story devolves into an overly-complex murder plot which has little to do with Ragdoll – the Ragdoll is revealed to just be a killer working for Tyrell and nothing more – there is one point of interest – a unique dagger, a weapon passed from hand-to-hand over the decades. In a stroke of ingenuity, it’s this dagger which brings the faces of the Starman saga together in this giant-sized issue.
Relative Loss --- Written by James Robinson with art by Mike Mayhew
The story of the daggers goes back to an adventure with the Shade and Scalphunter in 1894. This duo deal with a racist mob who disrespect the black population of Opal City, and a South African statue. That same statue is the one who holds the dagger seen by Jack Knight in the present. It is a quick tale bold enough to explore the racism of 19th century America, and as ever the Shade and Scalphunter a formidable duo. Robinson’s dialogue has the capacity to be humorous, and at other times, deep and thought-provoking. Artist Mike Mayhew captures the grittiness of the era.
The Weak and the Strong --- Written by James Robinson with art by Stephen Sadowski
We then move in the 1940s with a tale focusing on the golden age Starman. By now, the dagger has found its way into the hands of a millionaire, one held hostage by the Mist. The villain, blackmailing the millionaire, is shocked when the millionaire kills his own wife using the dagger just to foil the Mist’s plans. But it’s revealed that the dagger has been passed down to her family through blood, thereby creating a link to some of the characters in the Relative Loss story. It’s another brief tale, but one with a few surprises and classic moments. Robinson recreates the golden age with a mixture of colour and bleakness, especially when a tale like this one has a pretty dark plot. Stephen Sadowski may look a bit underwhelming, but its smooth and polished finishes are stunning.
The Getaway --- Written by James Robinson with art by Wade Von Grawbadger
While other stories here may be somewhat typical, The Getaway is one of the more interesting tales. That isn’t just because it stars Bobo, our favourite villain-turned-hero in the present, but because of who he is pitted against here. In 1951, at the height of his crime phase, Bobo fights against a Starman rarely seen before. This Starman stands in bright yellow and red and is a complete mystery man. This is story gives little away about this Starman as he fights Bobo, who escapes after a robbery (leaving only the South African dagger as ever). But with Wade Von Grawbadger delivering some beautifully retro art and Robinson giving very little away about this new Starman, a wonderful mystery is established. Who is the Starman of 1951?
The Old Codger --- Written by James Robinson with art by Dusty Abell and Drew Geraci
The Old Codger is among the sillier stories of the saga. With a charmingly simple art style from Abell and Geraci, Robinson focuses on Mason, Barry, Hope, and Matt O’Dare as kids in Opal City. Inspired by their own Clarence O’Dare as their local patrol officer, they land themselves in trouble when Mason loses his own little police officer hat, and the children ask for help from a seemingly charming old lady. However, it’s revealed that she is hiding a criminal in her house. It’s a story about judging people based on their attitude, with the charming old lady not being so charming after all. Clarence comes to the rescue and the kids are saved. Even though Robinson does force the dagger into the story as a prop more than a talking point, it doesn’t subtract from the story’s entertaining dialogue and silly attitude.
No Mercy --- Written by James Robinson with art by Tim Burgard
Lastly, we have Mikaal Tomas in No Mercy. It’s a pretty unfocused story, darting from scene to scene and character to character without much gluing the pages together, other than Mikaal Tomas fighting a leather-dressed muscular man who simply wants the South African dagger. There isn’t much which really hooks the readers, but it doesn’t last long. Tim Burgard’s artwork is too scratchy for my tastes, but it doesn’t look flat. Despite this a few other stories being pretty average, the Starman 80-Page-Giant is a good title. The use of the dagger may be a slightly forced link to the wide array of characters, but it is good to see Robinson explore all the characters in the saga. Perhaps it feels as if Jack Knight has been hogging the spotlight for too long…
VERDICT
Overall, these Starman oddities are mixed in quality, but when it is good it is outstanding. Starman (vol 2) 1000000 is a fantastic sneak-peak into the future, while the Mist one-off provides something fresh and different. Hellboy/Batman/Starman is a perfectly fine idea in theory, but in practice is falls very short. And lastly, the 80-page giant has its faults, but with a good cast of characters and a decent range of stories, there is something in there for everyone…
Next Week: DC Rebirth: The Button (Batman (vol 3) 21-22, The Flash (vol 5) 21-22). Written by Tom King and Joshua Williamson, with art by Howard Porter and Jason Fabok.
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