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A Brilliant Opal in Blackest Night

// January 20th, 2010 // 1 Comment » // Comics, Review

Few comics have ever had the impact of me that James Robinson’s Starman series has.

Back in the hyper-stimulated days of the 90′s, Robinson offered an alternative to the grim n’ gritty era that gripped even DC’s comics such as Batman, Superman and Green Lantern.  He gave us Starman.   The story of Jack Knight is one of legacy and literature.  The story, the characters and the dialogue were all uniquely Robinson’s.  And at the center of it all was Jack Knight and the city of Opal.

The last issue, #80 shipped in August of 2001, the final panel fittingly was of Jack Knight leaving Opal City for the final time, his hero’s journey at an end.

In the 9 years since, it’s fair to say that “Where is Jack Knight?” has become the private bane of James Robinson, Dan Didio, and pretty much anyone who represents them.  Starman’s fans are legion.  And the fact is for all the character’s charm, Stargirl will never be an adequate replacement.

When DC announced that it was resurrecting several comics for one issue this January, it was only natural that Starman be one of them.  I nearly soiled myself with excitement.   FINALLY!  We would know what has become of the great Jack Knight!  —except that it seemed Starman #81 would not feature Jack at all, instead focusing on the Shade and Hope O’dare, both fairly important characters in the Starman mythos.

Having read the results only moments ago…  I have to call it a success.

Make no mistake, only one of the legendary Knights will make an appearance here, in the form of a Black Lantern, risen from the dead.  And yes, you will miss Jack’s presence.  But this is absolutely a return to the fictional world you once knew.

Some books are defined by the strength of their main character.  But Starman was a success in part because of it’s ensemble nature.  No character served to be window dressing.  And more than any other fictional city in comics, Opal was a character all it’s own, and in many ways it was equal to Jack for status as a main character.

The one issue revival of Starman is not significant because it’s a Blackest Night tie-in.  The real story is our return to the Opal and those therein.  We discover in brief the whereabouts and goings-on of many old friends such as Bobo Benetti, Mason and Clarence O’dare.   And we find Hope O’dare and the formerly villainous Shade in the midst of a relationship that can only be described as complicated.

Sure there’s a battle, but I won’t bother you with the details.  That’s not the point.  The heroes fight the good fight; they persevere in Blackest Night.  It’s the same old story, one you can find in any of the BK tie-ins.

What really matters here is that the Opal still stands.  And it’s just as beautiful as I remembered.

Jack Knight Returns???

// October 14th, 2009 // No Comments » // Comics, Rumor, Scifi

I guess Dan Didio got tired of being asked where the hell Starman is.

In this week’s edition of DC Nation, DC Editor Dan Didio’s version of Stan Lee’s Bullpen, he announced the reason behind January’s Blackest Night absence.   While the event takes a brief hiatus, DC will be resurrecting 8 cancelled comic series for one month only.

While each has it’s own interesting twist (Question #37 in particular), without a doubt the stand out of the bunch is Starman #81.

James Robinson will be returning to the book that launched him into stardom.   Starman is one of the best comic series of all time.  Period.   It is in many ways the pre-cursor for all modern comic book story telling.  Robinson’s nuanced writing of hero Jack Knight became an instant classic after spinning out of the Zero Hour mini-series.   Unlike most cape books, particularly in the adrenaline drenched 90s, it focused more on the relationships between characters than in muscle-broached adventures.  Jack is a young hipster who wants nothing more than a quiet life selling antiquities and pop culture collectibles.  Unfortunately as the son of legendary hero Ted Knight, he is called upon to protect Opal City, the home that has cradled him.  It’s a story about legacies.  More than that, it’s a story about a father and his son.

When last we saw Jack, he left Opal for the last time with his son.  Jack had passed the mantle on to the Justice Society’s Star Girl.  He’d set out to San Francisco to marry his girlfriend Sadie and live out his days in the quiet and peace he’d always longed for, raising his children.

So with the arrival of Starman #81 this January, what does this mean for Jack, if anything?  While the issue is definite, there hasn’t been any specific mention of the titular hero.   I wouldn’t put it past Robinson to pull a fast one on us.  That said, any return to the shores of Opal City are welcome.

It is worth noting though that these issues all relate to Blackest Night and the return of dead characters.   Jack has a history of talking to the dead, and even is said to have limited psychic powers.  ”Talking with David” was an annual feature in the book in which Jack conversed with his dead brother David.

Whatever the case, Starman fans will be exuding palpable excitement as the New Year draws on.    It’s been a long time, Jack. We missed you.

UPDATE:  Solicitations suggest that Jack Knight will not be a part of the issue.  Instead the story will feature the return of one of the Starmen of times past as a Black Lantern.  The Shade will serve as the story’s unwilling “hero” who protects Opal.  There have been a number of Starmen over the years, but the Black Lantern will most likely be one of the Knights.  Also of note, Weird Western Tales #71 also arrives in stores as part of the event.  Shade’s dead best friend, Matt O’Dare, had been the reincarnation of Scalphunter, a hero in the old west.  Scalphunter returns as a Black Lantern in WWT 71.  Does it mean anything?  Probably not, but it’s interesting.