Jayaprakash Satyamurthy
Knivesout no more
I've never read the Golden Age Starman tales, or any of the other versions that appear to have popped up over the decades, but DC's mid-90s revival of this classic star-powered hero was one of the best examples of Golden Age revisionism (that thing that was so popular in the 90,s remember) because it created a strong, believable and enjoyable comic that new readers, like me, were instantly caught up in, and that older fans don't seem to have ever been up in arms against.
For me, the 90s Starman run, written by James Robinson and mostly penciled by Tony Harris) stands somewhere in-between Gaiman's Sandman and John Byrne's Superman (remember him?) as a recreation of a classic character. This Starman is neither a totally new and brilliant character only tenuously linked to his older namesake, nor a back-to-basics reboot of a character. Robinson's Starman embraces all the previous Starmen - the new Starman is the original character's son, reluctantly forced to enter the family business when his elder brother, whop initially takes up the mantle, is called by one of Starman Senior's old foes. The other two characters called Starman who popped up in the DC Universe are eventually explained and integrated too.
Jack Knight, the reluctant Starman, was a character I really could identify with - more so than the science-geek Peter Parker or the timid farmboy Clark Kent. He is in fact a geek - an obsessive collector and seller of all matter of memorabilia and pop culture 'junk', from classic comics (naturally) to art deco lighters, old gramaphone records, and so on. He's sarcastic, self-deprecating and far from perfect, aware of the absurd and self-perpetuating aspects of the superhero phenomenon, but also willing to assume the powers he has no intrinsic interest in when something of real value to him is threatened. From that first step, it doesn't take long to step over into full-blown superheroics.
But even though the comic series pitted the new Starman against a host of fiendish foes, usually drawn from his father's villain's gallery in some way, the real story here was about a young fellow making his way in the world, working out his relationship with his dad and himself and figuring out how to be himself (he's a bit old to be an adoloscent who still has to figure who he is). And having some seriously freaky adventures along the way.
The series seems to have trailed of after a good run, and I'm not even sure if the title is still in print, but I've been picking up the trade paperbacks (got Sins of the Father and Day & Night so far) and the early years of the comic still hold up pretty well, both the stories and the art.
Anyone else read these comics? What do you think?
For me, the 90s Starman run, written by James Robinson and mostly penciled by Tony Harris) stands somewhere in-between Gaiman's Sandman and John Byrne's Superman (remember him?) as a recreation of a classic character. This Starman is neither a totally new and brilliant character only tenuously linked to his older namesake, nor a back-to-basics reboot of a character. Robinson's Starman embraces all the previous Starmen - the new Starman is the original character's son, reluctantly forced to enter the family business when his elder brother, whop initially takes up the mantle, is called by one of Starman Senior's old foes. The other two characters called Starman who popped up in the DC Universe are eventually explained and integrated too.
Jack Knight, the reluctant Starman, was a character I really could identify with - more so than the science-geek Peter Parker or the timid farmboy Clark Kent. He is in fact a geek - an obsessive collector and seller of all matter of memorabilia and pop culture 'junk', from classic comics (naturally) to art deco lighters, old gramaphone records, and so on. He's sarcastic, self-deprecating and far from perfect, aware of the absurd and self-perpetuating aspects of the superhero phenomenon, but also willing to assume the powers he has no intrinsic interest in when something of real value to him is threatened. From that first step, it doesn't take long to step over into full-blown superheroics.
But even though the comic series pitted the new Starman against a host of fiendish foes, usually drawn from his father's villain's gallery in some way, the real story here was about a young fellow making his way in the world, working out his relationship with his dad and himself and figuring out how to be himself (he's a bit old to be an adoloscent who still has to figure who he is). And having some seriously freaky adventures along the way.
The series seems to have trailed of after a good run, and I'm not even sure if the title is still in print, but I've been picking up the trade paperbacks (got Sins of the Father and Day & Night so far) and the early years of the comic still hold up pretty well, both the stories and the art.
Anyone else read these comics? What do you think?
