Every saga needs its finale. In a sense, every event and moment during James Robinson’s Starman (vol 2) epic has been building up to a Grand Guignol, a sequence of great drama and shock that fundamentally changes everything we know. Ever since Nash pledged to avenge her brother’s death, the clock has been ticking and Jack Knight must face his greatest challenge yet. Robinson clearly planned much of this from the start, being the considerate and clever storyteller that he is. Readers will feel almost nervous entering Grand Guignol, and that is how it should be. Questions have been darting around our minds for some time – is the Shade a villain? What is Nash planning? What will become of the O’Dares? These are questions which Robinson has masterfully been teasing with us, and it’s with that veil of mystery that we enter the finale to Starman’s epic saga…
Grand Guignol – a lengthy twelve parter – was published in Starman (vol 2) 61-73 from January 2000 to January 2001. Written by James Robinson, Peter Snejbjerg provides nearly all the artwork, quite an achievement considering how long the story is. Paul Smith does provide some additional art too! Grand Guignol makes up most of Starman Omnibus Volume Six, the last in the series!
As one long continuous story, Grand Guignol has got it all. From surprises and revelations to an ultimate showdown teased for years, Robinson’s monolithic conclusion to this titanic run begins with much promise. Brilliantly, Robinson has been leaving a trail of the sweetest and most enjoyable breadcrumbs in the build up to this story. The mystery surrounding the Shade – and other character plotlines ongoing during this era – are made stronger and better by the simple fact that Robinson has established the personalities and people of this saga. We know these characters intimately, meaning the weight of Grand Guignol is awesome indeed.
It's very fitting that Jack Knight has been away from it all while the Shade has been causing trouble around Opal City. Starman (vol 2) 61 is an introduction of many moods. Firstly, we are home. Jack’s reaction is returning to Opal is magical and emotive, in tune with the readers who too have come to discover Opal as a home. But secondly – and more pressingly – the mood is one of unease. Jack quickly finds Opal is under the spotlight, with the likes of Elongated Man and the Phantom Lady present in the city. Jack learns of the Shade’s apparent murderous crusade, and also that people – like Sadie – have been going missing. This includes Mikaal, who returned to Earth shortly before Jack did in Starman (vol 2) 60. Still, at least Ted Knight is still around. Although he was a constant feature in the Stars My Destination storyline thanks to a hologram, the moment of his return is a warm one. But even with that, the feeling of anxiety and unease cannot be shaken off in this first issue. It’s obvious that something soon will happen, and there are huge questions to answer. One of them revolves around this cheeky flying little red-eyed demon called Smudge, linked to the Shade in some form. What is his role in the story? Time will tell…
When destruction suddenly reigns supreme over Opal City at the end of the first part, that is when Grand Guignol really begins! Fires and explosions erupt around the city, and its many heroes come to save the day. Featuring the likes of the Black Condor and Elongated Man may not add a great deal to the overall story, but it’s always good to see Robinson finding roles for characters previous writers have often sadly ignored. But with Starman (vol 2) 62, the O’Dares appear in their quest for the Shade. This is – finally – where the police family have their time in the spotlight. For too long, little has been done with them, and whenever Robinson has expanded upon their lore and relationships, it has only been in a one-off story. The O’Dares – furious with the Shade, considered once to be a friend of the family – play a huge part in this tale. But for these early issues, the suspense builds. Unlike previous Starman tales whereby Robinson filled the stories with detailed plots and lots of content, Grand Guignol is different. The pacing is much slower, and therefore the mystery and suspense is greater. In addition, there is more time for the large cast of characters to shine and each have their great moments. The return of the Black Pirate, working alongside Sadie, to free his soul after placing a curse on Opal City, is something of a surprise, but once again, Robinson set this up marvellously in a previous story. But its with this huge cast of characters that come the villains – and there are a lot of them. Think of every baddie in the saga, and they get an appearance here. While we have the Shade, the Black Pirate and Sadie are confronted by the Bodines, two mercenaries who fought Will Payton in Starman (vol 2) 36. Congratulations if you managed to remember those two without using DC Database! What’s more, it’s revealed – very much out of the blue – that a villain has been lurking in Opal City for quite some time, disguised under a costume of heroism. That villain is Barry O’Dare – without a doubt the most forgettable of the family, but his betrayal is still biting!
The prologue of Grand Guignol comes to a conclusion with Starman (vol 2) 63. Black Condor confronts the Shade only to discover that he is indeed a villain, while Nash returns to cause more havoc in Jack’s life. Seems like a normal day then! While many plots are ongoing, Robinson has the unenviable task of weaving such complexities together, and in such a fashion which isn’t overly complicated or counterproductive to good storytelling. As ever, he succeeds. The Shade has a plan – by harnessing the power of the Black Pirate and his curse on Opal, the Shade envelopes the city in a sphere of darkness, trapping it from the outside world. I’m not sure if Robinson – or the Shade for that matter – had watched The Simpsons and noticed the dastardly plan of Mr Burns in his quest to destroy the sun, but the similarities are glaring. Nevertheless, Jack is on the backfoot and there is a genuine air of danger and oncoming drama.
Although Grand Guignol is a continuous tale, since it ran throughout the whole of 2000, the year wouldn’t have been complete without a Talking With David issue. Starman (vol 2) 64 takes Mikaal on an adventure with David Knight, and it is a bumpy ride indeed. As well as discovering more about the diverse and varied life of Mikaal, it’s another time for a casual catch up with David and it is just as enjoyable as ever.
In these circumstances, it would be very easy for a story like this to fall outside the mould and stick out like a sore thumb. After all, Grand Guignol is quite the tale with lots going on. However, Robinson delicately places this Talking with David insert into the story, with the flashbacks to the past balanced out with scenes of the present, the most gripping of which is when Mikaal is seemingly killed by the Shade at the end of the issue. So, while a full-on Talking with David tale would have been impossible, we get something pretty close to it.
Chaos of all kinds erupts in Starman (vol 2) 65, with Robinson providing a mixture of Opal’s dramatic destruction and cameos from some notable foes of the saga. It’s on the theme of evil that the main villain of the story – Doctor Phosphorus – rears his ugly head to battle once again with Ted Knight. This rivalry has been consistently on-and-off during the run, and its impact will be long-lasting. While the Shade has unleashed destruction upon Opal and the death toll must be enormous, the Shade appears live on TV to gloat about his victory. It’s odd witnessing such cruelty in a character who we have come to trust, making the betrayal even more painful and dramatic. His wickedness has no limits, for beloved characters seen during the saga are now his slaves. It’s at the end of this issue where the great revelation – possibly the greatest one of the entire saga – is unleashed with drama and complete outlandishness. A burst from Jack’s cosmic rod leads to a literal explosion within the Shade. His black-soaked innards explode, and his body is ripped open, revealing the most terrifying monster of them all.
Culp has been mentioned only scant times in the past. A foe of the Shade, Culp too is an immortal, one whose mysterious experiences with Shade back in the Victorian era led to them both enjoying the fruits of immorality. The picture of the Shade’s origin remains hazy – a story for another day, perhaps – but like the Shade, Culp too has shadowy demons without him. There are differences. Culp is a cockney, while the Shade is an aristocrat. And unlike the Shade, Culp is a dwarf. He has been there for decades, even though we haven’t noticed him. Robinson takes us back to an old Times Past tale where Culp actually featured in a background role! The rivalry moved to the next level in 1941 when, during the London Blitz, a bomb illogically thrust Culp’s mind into the Shade. It means that the Shade really has been two personalities – all of the crimes he has committed, whether it be in the era of the JSA or more recently, have been when Culp is in control. Even the Shade didn’t realise that he was sharing his body! Of course, it would have been impossible for readers to work this one out, but with hindsight, we can see how creative Robinson has been in leaving hints and subtle clues. A classic example of this is when, in a previous issue, the Shade referred to Oscar Wilde’s famed novel The Picture of Dorian Gray as The Portrait of Dorian Gray. It’s a subtle touch like that which readers may have noticed but then forgot about quite quickly afterwards. While some may think that this radical change of the Shade’s character is fundamentally wrong, I think it finally provides some logical to this complex character. It finally explains why he sometimes go down the path of heroism, but then stray into the depths of infamy. While Robinson retains much of the mystery, it’s indisputable that Starman (vol 2) 66 is one of the most startling and gripping issues of the entire run.
While we will return to the callous work of Culp soon, Starman (vol 2) 67 displays some of the other villains in what really is a glorified villain catwalk. Not only are Nash and Grundy back, but we also have the return of Rag Doll. His return is something of a shame really, since his death at the hands of Ted in the past had a real impact. There are some other pretty bizarre characters to feature too – like Crusher, a villain from the circus where Mikaal was trapped for so long. Even a Ludlow is there, taking up the bow and arrow after his father and becoming the new Spider! Although there is little purpose for such a large number of foes other than to please the readers – and sometimes it can be so easy to please us – it plays into Culp’s ultimate aim, which is to destroy Opal City, its inhabitants, and to simply just wreck the Shade’s life. But this is where the fightback begins – thanks to the help of Adam Strange, Jack escapes from the scene! Plus, other heroes once trampled on now make their return. Bobo is a classic example – that famed defender of Opal was apprehended by Culp, but now he is back too!
If Starman (vol 2) 66 wasn’t enough to send shudders around Opal, then Starman (vol 2) 68 adds another layer of surprise. Culp has been planning the destruction of the Shade for decades and he has been manipulating events since the saga began. Even minor stories which readers would be forgiven for forgetting – like the short Showcase tales of the Shade and Doctor Fate – are yanked out of the depths of the past and creatively tinkered with, with Culp revealed to have been playing a malicious role. Thanks also to Neron during the Underworld Unleashed epic, Culp returned Ragdoll to health – it’s revealed the villain wasn’t dead after all. Although his comeback isn’t among my favourites, especially due to ever-lasting impact his death left on Ted Knight, the return of Dr Pip from Infernal Devices is a nice surprise. Others make a comeback too, and overall the revelation of Culp’s plans and its intricate details make for rewarding reading because the truths of the past are revealed to be false.
Starman (vol 2) 69 is a time for the heroes to lick their wounds. It’s also a time for Jack to reunite with Sadie and then awkwardly tell her that she won’t be seeing her brother anytime soon. One character who doesn’t perhaps get the attention and praise they deserve in Grand Guignol is Smudge, that flying demon who is a part of the Shade. He tags along with Jack as a faithful ally and leads the heroes to Culp in their fight back. At the same time, the Shade – now awake and decontaminated from Culp – is tortured by the vengeful Ludlow. Returning that wonderful storyline from The Shade (vol 1) 1-4 was an unexpected masterstroke, even if there is little time or space here to really dive deep back into that bitter feud. Nevertheless, Grand Guignol also has its moments of personal reflection, with Ted Knight reflecting on his long life up until this point. This issue retells a wonderfully silly but adventurous story from the past, whereby the JSA were all kidnapped and their spouses dress in their husband’s heroic costumes to rescue them. There is something innocently Golden Age about such an idea, but it serves a purpose because – for that one adventure – Ted’s wife Doris Knight became another Starman. His legacy continues in all kinds of ways, and it’s Ted Knight’s life and times that come to add an invaluable structure to the saga. And when that structure vanishes, that is when the tears will come.
Personal battles engulf much of Starman (vol 2) 70. Whether it be Jack against Culp, the Shade against the Ludlow, or Mikaal against Solomon Grundy, these are all battles with weight behind them. In a story where Robinson wants to cram pretty much everyone in from the entire saga in some way, Grundy’s return and Mikaal’s attempts to return the friendlier persona within the swamp monster is welcome. The most powerful of the battles is the one between Doctor Phosphorus and Ted Knight, a duel made a great deal heavier by the fact that the once-unbeatable golden hero, once old and frail, is dying. Robinson has been planting the seeds for Ted’s demise from the start, ever since Ted fought the villain in the first year of the run. Doctor Phosphorus’s attacks have left Ted with deadly cancer. Because of the fast-moving quality of this story, we never have time to fully digest that shock discovery, but nor do the surrounding characters. That is how it should be, for the conclusion to Grand Guignol can only have its impact and brilliance when readers have followed and studied these characters for so long.
The final confrontation in Starman (vol 2) 71-72 between the heroes and the villains is gripping in every sense of the word. It’s a confrontation on many fronts but starting with the least interesting is the conclusion of the O’Dare family feud. As time goes by, the betrayal of Barry O’Dare sadly becomes emptier. He seems to subscribe to Culp’s love of chaos, but for what reason? It’s difficult to say, especially because Robinson doesn’t really go into much detail. That said, the final fight between the siblings is tragic – it’s no shock that Barry is killed, but it is a big moment when Matt is critically shot. Matt remains the only interesting O’Dare and thankfully we return to his plight later. But it’s also within this story where the tale of the Black Pirate comes to an end. Intuitively, Robinson harnessing the detective skills of Elongated Man to locate Hamilton Drew, a man who tried to prove the Black Pirate’s innocence back in the day. Cleverly, Robinson returns us to that painting that stole thousands of Opalites over time – Hamilton Drew didn’t die, he was stolen by the demonic painting. Once Jack Knight freed the inhabitants, Hamilton vanished, but with Elongated Man’s help, he manages to free the Black Pirate from the curse, thereby releasing Opal from the Shade’s black prison. This conclusion to the Black Pirate’s story is creatively done. Although it’s a storyline that may have benefited from being in its own separate issues, linking it to Grand Guignol isn’t a bad decision at all.
Meanwhile, the main confrontation takes place on a building overlooking the beautiful Opal skyline. By using Smudge, the Shade absorbs his powers back from Culp, leaving him defenceless. It’s just when you think the big villain of the piece has been defeated that Robinson pulls the carpet from under our feet! It’s almost impossible to comprehend that Culp is suddenly shot through the head and killed. It’s even more of a shock when that killer is revealed to be the Mist – not Nash, but the original Golden Age Mist. His decay into dementia was destroyed by a wish granted by Neron. Together, the Mist and Nash worked together to take advantage of Culp’s plan. This is where the surprise of betrayal enjoys many twists and turns. The Mist only has one wish – to finally defeat Ted Knight. Witnessing the breakdown between the Mist and Nash, with the former cursing the latter’s baby for having the blood of a Knight reveals just evil and twisted the original golden age foe was. And that feeling is doubled when the Mist shoots Nash remorselessly. Seconds before she bleeds out, she passes her baby to its father, Jack. Her demise is a cold one, but it leaves an impact. Within seconds, all the bloodshed ends. Ted Knight arrives for a final confrontation that is bittersweet. There’s a feeling of true sadness, yet happiness, when Ted picks up his grandson, seeing him as the future. The goodbye between the father and the son is short, but this is Ted’s last move of heroism. His final meeting with the Mist isn’t one of fighting or argument, but of sad contentment. The two dying old men shake their hands seconds before Ted’s bomb explodes, killing them both and rescuing Opal. It was away fitting that Ted Knight should die not as an old man, but as Starman…
The greatest of all eulogies comes with Starman (vol 2) 73, as heroes past, and present come to Opal to pay their final respects to a great man. A diverse set of emotions – sadness, excitement, hilarity, and discontent – all flood throughout the different speakers at Ted’s funeral, with the Shade’s humble side getting a rare but deserved public show. Even Jack’s words – short and nervous – leave an impact. But sadly another loss comes with this issue. The Shade is allowed to convey more emotion as Matt O’Dare – the former Scalphunter – passes away from his wounds. It really does feel like the end of an era. What’s more, Robinson presents Jack with one last challenge – what is worth more? Starman, or love? Sadie reunites with Will Payton (who returned to Earth to fight Culp) in a satisfying scene, but Sadie begins to wonder if it would be morally right to bring up a child in the dangerous world of superheroes. It may seem random, but she decides to leave Jack alone in Opal, telling him that she cannot stay with Jack unless he retires. Our hero is provided with a real predicament, one that’ll shape the remaining issues of the run. It’s an epilogue of emotions, to put it mildly.
Grand Guignol is a strange beast. When you boil it down, there isn’t a great deal of plot. Robinson has twelve issues to convey a pretty simple villain vs hero plot, but with its amazing twists and turns, it has much memorability and uniquity. The gut-punch of every moment of drama is unimaginably strong, given how we have followed this saga and run its characters from start to finish. While Robinson’s tendency to compile every aspect of the saga into story may appear a bit too over the top or overwhelming, it is done with creativity and subtlety. Plus, Robinson doesn’t simply depend on old tropes. Featuring the likes of Black Condor or Elongated Man adds a new element with more plot and surprises. Grand Guignol doesn’t just shine from its great moments, but its great dialogue and relationships. Ted Knight shines here with his reflections of the past, building up to a noble death which is enough to bring a tear to the reader’s eye. There are often times when the plot stands still or little happens, but it’s the personalities and conversations which continue the drama, excitement, humour, and sadness. The pacing is absolutely spot-on. While some elements – like the O’Dare family storyline – may be half-baked, other villains – most notably Culp and the Mist – add surprise and colour to a story full of surprises. And unsurprisingly, this isn’t all down to Robinson. Peter Snejbjerg is a magnificent artist and storyteller, translating some brilliant dialogue into powerful drama. It’s his unique taste and style which adds memorability to some good scenes. He has come to define this title just as much as Robinson or Tony Harris did. The presence of Paul Smith shouldn’t be ignored either – his smooth and fantastic artwork from the golden age flashbacks in Starman (vol 2) 69 are stunning. With all its events, drama, and moments of great shock, Grand Guignol feels incredibly close to a motion picture rather than a comic book – very much a trait of a great Robinson story.
VERDICT
Overall, Starman: Grand Guignol’s impact cannot be understated one jot. As readers, we have come to love the cast and world of Opal City. To witness its sudden fall, its joyous rise, and the sacrifices along the way, evoke deep emotions. Robinson is a masterful weaver of different plot-threads, and the pacing of his work – aided by the drama and effect of Peter Snejbjerg – is flawless. Yes, the story does have its inconsistencies and elements which perhaps don’t work as well as intended, but overall, Grand Guignol certainly lives up to its name. Now for the big question – what happens next?
Next Week: Starman: Sons of the Father (Starman (vol 2) 74-81). Written by James Robinson and David S. Goyer, with art by Russ Heath, Peter Snejbjerg, Fernando Dagnino, and Bill Sienkiewicz.
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