From: [mac 7] at [po.CWRU.Edu] (Michael A. Chary)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.info
Subject: STARMAN: The General Information Post
Followup-To: rec.arts.comics.dc.universe
Date: Wed, 20 Sep 95 20:06:14 GMT
Reply-To: [mac 7] at [po.CWRU.Edu] (Michael A. Chary)

Here we go again :)

This isn't a FAQ. It can't be. There are no frequently asked Starman questions.
The closest is "Is this book worth reading?" Well, the answer to that is
"Yes." So, let's just call this a sort of overview.

In general, I would have no hesitation about recommending this series
to *anyone*, comics fan or not.

This post is supposed to enable you to pick up the next issue of Starman
and be able to read without having any questions about past issues.


The basic premise of the book is this:

There was a hero called Starman in the 1940's through the early 1950's. And
then, after a break, again from the sixties through the recent past.
After he was disabled in Zero Hour, he asked his son, David, to take over.
David was shot. Starman's other son, Jack took over but he was not ready for
the hero business as such. He was a dealer in collectibles. But heroing is in
his blood, so now he's stuck with it. The first  Starman was Ted Knight. He was
an astronomer. He was a normal guy physically, but he invented a device called
a Cosmic rod or, in the case of earlier models, a gravity rod. This device
converts starlight into a variety of useful effects. The user can fly and
project offensive energy beams. Occasionally, in the past, I have seen it used
to construct objects in much the same fashion as a GL ring might. I don't know
whether that was flukey or not. The device apparently is operated by controls,
though we never see the user actually operate these controls. One of the
themes of the book is that the superhero business is inherently weird.
Think about it. Flying aliens, superpowered wizards, dressing in tights.
It's not normal.  Jack is basically a normal guy thrust into a wierd
business. The book isn't more surreal than an average superhero book. It's
just more self-consciously surreal. Starman resides in Opal City.

The characters of the book that have significance thus far (it's only had 9
issues) are:

Jack Knight: the Main character. Starman. He is a dealer in collectibles.
He is also proficient, or relatively so, in the martial art called Ju Jitsu.

Ted Knight: the original Starman.

David Knight: Jack's older brother. Ted's son. Killed in the first issue.
Perhaps a bit of a jerk.  He showed up again in issue 5. His appearances
are apparently going to be an annual event.

The Mist and family: An old enemy of Ted Knight. The Mist has a daughter
and had a son. The son killed David Knight and was in turn killed by Jack
Knight. The daughter had let Jack go, and was then sort of Uncle Benned from
the villain side. She has sworn revenge. She has become something of a
seductress and recently escaped from prison. Jack Knight was cleared of
wrong doing in the death of the Mist's son.

Hope O'Dare: A member of a family of police officers. They feel they owe
Ted Knight for saving their father's life.

The other O'Dares. There are three(?) brothers. All red heads.

The Shade: A golden age villain. Apparently immortal and with a fondness
for Opal City. He seems very powerful. He can create a shadowy substance to
a variety of effects. Sort of the opposite of the light effects created by
the Cosmic(gravity) rod. He apparently uses a cane as a focus for this, so
the parrallels seem quite strong. He was primarily a Flash villain.

The Demon Poster: An immortal named Merrit has a deal with a demon whereby
the demon can use a poster as a gateway through which to steal souls. He's
an old acquaintance of Shade. He is sort of a subplot at the moment, but he
might rise up at any moment, so I am throwing him in here :)

Charity: A fortune teller. She told Jack that he was destined to fight in the
stars. She was the host of a DC Gothic anthology called "Forbidden Tales of
the Dark Mansion" in the 70's. She is friends with Sadie Falk.

The Native American lawman: So far we know these things. He was a non Indian,
raised by Indians. He was the best guardian Opal City had. The Shade
thought Jack Knight was his reincarnation. He *does* have a reincarnation
in the cast. Matthew O'Dare is the reincarnation. The character is
Scalphunter.

Sadie Falk: A rather, umm, aggressive young woman that Jack has encountered
twice. Both times resulting in instant hostility. Sort of the way Clark
Gable used to have instant hostility with women in the movies. :)

Mikel Tomas was freed from the freak show in issue 9 when he and Jack
Knight defeated the demon who ran the show. He now resides with Ted Knight
who is trying to help him get his memory back.

Solomon Grundy, a GA  villain of Green Lantern also recently moved in with
Ted after Jack fought him in the sewers of Opal City.

Ragdoll: A small timeGA Flash villain who became a Manson like figure in
his later years. He died in an encounter with Starman, Flash, and Green
Lantern (the GA versions.) His body was stolen from the morgue.

James Robinson has said that he will deal with all the other people to call
themselves "Starman." This includes: some guy for a year and a week in the
fifties that I have no clue whatsoever about, Ted. David. Will Payton who
had his own title in the eighties and early ninties. It was quite good,
check it out. Will is apparently being held captive on an alien world. The
Starman from Adventure Comics, when it was that Starman and Plastic Man. He
was killed in Crisis. His world is apparently the one where Payton is being
held. Mikel Tomas, a blue skinned alien from a world with a red sun. He
gained powers under our yellow sun. He is being held in a freak show. Thom
Kallor of the Legion of Superheroes. I bet James Robinson ignores him entirely.
And, of course, Jack Knight.

The comic book is very literary in it's mood, and makes several erudite
allusions, though nothing on the scale of, say, Sandman.  Occasionally,
there are references to Shade's journal. It will never be a Vertigo title,
according to the writer.

--
Court Philosopher and Barbarian, DNRC http://www.teleport.com/~knauer/mchary/
Happy Birthday, Glenn Gould, late pianist, 1932-1982.
"I have a lick that's better than Jeff Beck's and Jeff has a lick that's
better than mine, but Jimi Hendrix is better than either of us." - Clapton