Post by codystarbuck on Oct 4, 2017 15:10:42 GMT -5
Back in 1994, DC Comics announced yet another mega-crossover that would change everything: Zero Hour
Every other day, DC or Marvel was announcing some crossover that would change everything (sound familiar?). The 90s were a miasma of speculator-driven junk, with gimmick covers, character placement (endless Wolverine and Lobo appearances), and derivative junk, with dark, cynical overtones. I was cancelling titles faster than I was adding, getting very picky about what I read. More and more superhero titles went by the wayside, in this period, and they were replaced by more idiosyncratic work, like Bone, Strangers in Paradise, Grendel Tales, and Negative Burn. Oh, I tried Zero Hour; but, it was the last straw for the crossovers. I had enjoyed the Strazewski/Parobeck Justice Society comic and they killed off JSA members like their last name was Frey and DC was named Stark.
As part of the Big Two m.o., a slate of new titles would accompany the crossover, with special Zero issues (thank you Valiant and Wizard for perpetuating that gimmick), in a further effort to squeeze smaller companies off the stands. Generally, these were lucky to last a year and most were new takes on old characters, though with little new on offer, when you actually read them, except a grimmer and grittier style. Quite frankly, I'm surprised neither DC nor Marvel tried to trademark the words "Grim and Gritty" for a comic book series. Zero Hour had that, with a new Manhunter series, featuring someone named Chase Lawler (who was not related to Jerry "The King" Lawler, which would have at least made the comic interesting). It leaned heavily on the Image house style and was pretty mediocre storytelling. They even revived Mark Shaw, last seen as cannon-fodder to Eclipso, alongside such luminaries as the Will Payton Starman and the female Wildcat and Dr Mid-Nite (from Infinity, Inc). The series was cancelled with issue 12, which was 11 issues too late, for my money.
I tried that Zero issue; but, no more. I also tried one other new title: Starman. I had read and enjoyed the Roger Stern and Tom Lyle series, with Will Payton. He was dead (Eclipso-fodder); but, the ad copy spoke of this being connected to the original, Ted Knight. In the Payton series, will runs into a son of Ted Knight, who isn't happy someone is using his father's name.
I wondered if it was going to be the same character. It was and wasn't. That was one element that made me want to give this a try. the other was James Robinson.
For those of us looking for interesting titles, in the 90s, James Robinson was a new name to watch out for. I had read his work on Grendel Tales: Four Devils, One Hell, which had originally been slated to be a Comico series, until the bankruptcy (which also took down the next Grendel storyline, War Child and the Batman/Grendel crossover, written and drawn by Matt Wagner). I read his graphic novel, 67 Seconds, with Steve Yeowell, at Epic, as well as the Witches mini, from Vertigo, with Teddy Kristianson. Those were all great, though hardly standard superhero fare. Robinson would soon prove to have interesting ideas in that realm. First, he was one of the writers for Malibu's Ultraverse line; specifically, Firearm. The series featured a human PI, who had previously worked for a shadowy government agency, dealing in supernormal threats. It didn't look like anything other than a standard gun-toting vigilante type, until you read Robinson's dialogue and narration. It was steeped in detective fiction and literary references, which pleased this book seller (then) and book lover (always). The line proved short-lived, thanks to Marvel's buy-out; but, it (and Witches) helped land Robinson a gig, writing a mini-series with the JSA and other Golden Ager heroes, The Golden Age, set in the post-war era.
The series was an excellent tale of the post-war days of the JSA, tapping into things like the anti-communist paranoia, atomic experiments, post-war unease by veterans, and distrust and a conservative swing to society. Paul Smith adapted his style to fit the era, mixing elements of Alex Raymond (Flash Gordon) and Reed Crandall (Blackhawk, several Quality Comics' heroes), and some others. Within the story, we see Ted Knight in a mental institution, dealing with guilt over the Manhattan Project and his role in adapting cosmic energy, which he believes was responsible for empowering most superheros; and, worse, most supervillains. He claims that is why potions worked, dead men came back to life, and other strange phenomena occurred when they shouldn't. Ted is able to take up his role again, later in the series. That said to me that Robinson had a respect for and a talent for writing classic heroes. The end result is Starman.
I had to read this, based on The Golden Age and the Stern Starman. In that Zero issue, I would find out that the son we saw fight Will Payton was David Knight; but, the new series' hero was younger son, Jack, whose middle name must have been Ass, based on his personality at the beginning of the book. He is not a likeable character and you kind of hope he gets his butt kicked, so we can see David be the hero. Robinson and partner Tony Harris had other ideas. Across the series, we would see Jack go from jerk on the run, to reluctant hero, to enthusiastic hero, to true hero. Along the way, we would meet an eclectic supporting cast, including a family of cops, the O'Dares, a Golden Age Flash villain, the Shade, a fortune teller, the ghost of the Black Pirate, a bad dwarf, a new take on the minor villain, Ragdoll, and some great guest stars. We would explore the wondrous Opal City, where Art Deco skyscrapers mixed with Victorian neighborhoods. We would find out what happened to the alien Starman of First Issue Special, the other alien Starman, Prince Gavyyn, Will Payton, meet a Starman of the future, and unravel the mystery of the Starman of 1951. We would venture into Times Past, where we meet Brian Savage, aka Scalphunter, a western hero from DC's Implosion era 1970s comics, see past adventures of Ted Knight and the Shade, see members of the JSA and other heroes of the era. We'd see Jack and David meet every year, for a few hours, which brought a surprise each time.
Starman would prove to be one of the best comics of the 90s, certainly the best superhero comic, though it never really rose above cult favorite and critical darling. It had a Vertigo vibe, but a superhero sensibility. It was a sophisticated book for a sophisticated audience and a unique superhero for superhero lovers. It was mature in a way that meant something more than sex, violence and bad language. It featured real characters, in real and fantastic situations. It explored forgotten corners of DC lore and geographic (and cosmic) locations and probably helped keep alive more trademarks than any series, outside of Who's Who in the DC Universe. It also became one of the few intended finite long-form series in comics, joining the ranks of Neil Gaiman's Sandman and precious few others.
Sit back and enjoy the journey to Opal City. Turn on the radio for some appropriate music...
And, for those who don't get the title reference...
Every other day, DC or Marvel was announcing some crossover that would change everything (sound familiar?). The 90s were a miasma of speculator-driven junk, with gimmick covers, character placement (endless Wolverine and Lobo appearances), and derivative junk, with dark, cynical overtones. I was cancelling titles faster than I was adding, getting very picky about what I read. More and more superhero titles went by the wayside, in this period, and they were replaced by more idiosyncratic work, like Bone, Strangers in Paradise, Grendel Tales, and Negative Burn. Oh, I tried Zero Hour; but, it was the last straw for the crossovers. I had enjoyed the Strazewski/Parobeck Justice Society comic and they killed off JSA members like their last name was Frey and DC was named Stark.
As part of the Big Two m.o., a slate of new titles would accompany the crossover, with special Zero issues (thank you Valiant and Wizard for perpetuating that gimmick), in a further effort to squeeze smaller companies off the stands. Generally, these were lucky to last a year and most were new takes on old characters, though with little new on offer, when you actually read them, except a grimmer and grittier style. Quite frankly, I'm surprised neither DC nor Marvel tried to trademark the words "Grim and Gritty" for a comic book series. Zero Hour had that, with a new Manhunter series, featuring someone named Chase Lawler (who was not related to Jerry "The King" Lawler, which would have at least made the comic interesting). It leaned heavily on the Image house style and was pretty mediocre storytelling. They even revived Mark Shaw, last seen as cannon-fodder to Eclipso, alongside such luminaries as the Will Payton Starman and the female Wildcat and Dr Mid-Nite (from Infinity, Inc). The series was cancelled with issue 12, which was 11 issues too late, for my money.
I tried that Zero issue; but, no more. I also tried one other new title: Starman. I had read and enjoyed the Roger Stern and Tom Lyle series, with Will Payton. He was dead (Eclipso-fodder); but, the ad copy spoke of this being connected to the original, Ted Knight. In the Payton series, will runs into a son of Ted Knight, who isn't happy someone is using his father's name.
I wondered if it was going to be the same character. It was and wasn't. That was one element that made me want to give this a try. the other was James Robinson.
For those of us looking for interesting titles, in the 90s, James Robinson was a new name to watch out for. I had read his work on Grendel Tales: Four Devils, One Hell, which had originally been slated to be a Comico series, until the bankruptcy (which also took down the next Grendel storyline, War Child and the Batman/Grendel crossover, written and drawn by Matt Wagner). I read his graphic novel, 67 Seconds, with Steve Yeowell, at Epic, as well as the Witches mini, from Vertigo, with Teddy Kristianson. Those were all great, though hardly standard superhero fare. Robinson would soon prove to have interesting ideas in that realm. First, he was one of the writers for Malibu's Ultraverse line; specifically, Firearm. The series featured a human PI, who had previously worked for a shadowy government agency, dealing in supernormal threats. It didn't look like anything other than a standard gun-toting vigilante type, until you read Robinson's dialogue and narration. It was steeped in detective fiction and literary references, which pleased this book seller (then) and book lover (always). The line proved short-lived, thanks to Marvel's buy-out; but, it (and Witches) helped land Robinson a gig, writing a mini-series with the JSA and other Golden Ager heroes, The Golden Age, set in the post-war era.
The series was an excellent tale of the post-war days of the JSA, tapping into things like the anti-communist paranoia, atomic experiments, post-war unease by veterans, and distrust and a conservative swing to society. Paul Smith adapted his style to fit the era, mixing elements of Alex Raymond (Flash Gordon) and Reed Crandall (Blackhawk, several Quality Comics' heroes), and some others. Within the story, we see Ted Knight in a mental institution, dealing with guilt over the Manhattan Project and his role in adapting cosmic energy, which he believes was responsible for empowering most superheros; and, worse, most supervillains. He claims that is why potions worked, dead men came back to life, and other strange phenomena occurred when they shouldn't. Ted is able to take up his role again, later in the series. That said to me that Robinson had a respect for and a talent for writing classic heroes. The end result is Starman.
I had to read this, based on The Golden Age and the Stern Starman. In that Zero issue, I would find out that the son we saw fight Will Payton was David Knight; but, the new series' hero was younger son, Jack, whose middle name must have been Ass, based on his personality at the beginning of the book. He is not a likeable character and you kind of hope he gets his butt kicked, so we can see David be the hero. Robinson and partner Tony Harris had other ideas. Across the series, we would see Jack go from jerk on the run, to reluctant hero, to enthusiastic hero, to true hero. Along the way, we would meet an eclectic supporting cast, including a family of cops, the O'Dares, a Golden Age Flash villain, the Shade, a fortune teller, the ghost of the Black Pirate, a bad dwarf, a new take on the minor villain, Ragdoll, and some great guest stars. We would explore the wondrous Opal City, where Art Deco skyscrapers mixed with Victorian neighborhoods. We would find out what happened to the alien Starman of First Issue Special, the other alien Starman, Prince Gavyyn, Will Payton, meet a Starman of the future, and unravel the mystery of the Starman of 1951. We would venture into Times Past, where we meet Brian Savage, aka Scalphunter, a western hero from DC's Implosion era 1970s comics, see past adventures of Ted Knight and the Shade, see members of the JSA and other heroes of the era. We'd see Jack and David meet every year, for a few hours, which brought a surprise each time.
Starman would prove to be one of the best comics of the 90s, certainly the best superhero comic, though it never really rose above cult favorite and critical darling. It had a Vertigo vibe, but a superhero sensibility. It was a sophisticated book for a sophisticated audience and a unique superhero for superhero lovers. It was mature in a way that meant something more than sex, violence and bad language. It featured real characters, in real and fantastic situations. It explored forgotten corners of DC lore and geographic (and cosmic) locations and probably helped keep alive more trademarks than any series, outside of Who's Who in the DC Universe. It also became one of the few intended finite long-form series in comics, joining the ranks of Neil Gaiman's Sandman and precious few others.
Sit back and enjoy the journey to Opal City. Turn on the radio for some appropriate music...
And, for those who don't get the title reference...
... and you didn't even mention the 2nd wave of Vertigo 