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Post by codystarbuck on Oct 25, 2017 14:55:04 GMT -5
The one I think you are referring to is there; in an altered context. However, that character (the man at the heart of that Starman) is still there, in his own revised context, in a crossover with Hellboy and Jack Knight. One you could say is absent, to a certain extent, is the original Star Spangled Kid, Sylvester Pemberton. He is dead, within that continuity; but, I believe he turned up in a flashback. He's certainly name-dropped, as part of the legacy. I was never keen on how he was killed off, myself. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Oct 25, 2017 15:43:34 GMT -5
Starman #5  "Talking with David, '95." For some inexplicable reason, Jack is walking into a cemetery, climbing over walls and walking down steps. Everything is in grey tones, until Jack comes upon this....  His dead brother, David. Jack asks if it is a dream and David says, "No."  David decides to show Jack what is going on an jumps him. What follows is a sibling brawl, writ large. It turns ugly as their weapons are soon involved, then bare fists. Jack starts pounding david and they fall off a mausoleum, and land on the ground, where Jack sees the rotting corpse of his brother. Jack is beside himself with horror and grief, then the corpse switches back to the "living" David Knight, who says, "Psych." They argue, like brothers, until they see the damage they have caused.  They fix things up things and they talk. Jack tells David he is sorry he is dead and David apologizes for needling him. he also admits he was jealous of Jack and tells him why; because he was always his own person. David depserately wanted to be their father but he wasn't the hero he tried to be. His mistake was never trying to be himself. Jack did what interested him, regardless of what others thought and David respected that. he tells Jak why Ted could never stand to be around Jack for long...  David tells Jack that he is his own man and that is great. Then, he has to go and he departs, flying off, looking like the hero he should have been, but wasn't within him. Jack looks up and smiles and looks forward to their next meeting, sometime in the next year. With this, Robinson establishes an annual tradition and one of the most unique facets of any comic series, a meeting with a departed love one, again and again. It serves as a summary of what has occurred, across the year, while also getting to the heart of the character. Jack finally gets closure with his brother, letting him know he really did love him, even if they couldn't get along in life. David gives Jack a gift, the knowledge that he is his own person, that David loved and respected him, and that part of the reason that Jack and Ted's relationship was rocky, in adult life, was that Jack was so much like his mother, for whom Ted still grieved. He also acknowledges that Jack is Starman and is better at it. Apart from a few pages of the mock battle, this is just two people talking, albeit in a weird setting, with some unexplained force behind it. Readers would come to eagerly anticipate these meetings and they never disappointed. In fact, the next one is probably my single favorite issue of the entire series, because of the ending. This story served notice that this was not your typical series, even if the previous 5 issues hadn't already done that, not to mention Jack's unconventional look and approach to superheroics. This series is as much about family as it is heroics, about relationships as much as combat, if not moreso. It also shows that Tony Harris was an artist who could make the most mundane scenes visually interesting, via angles, little details, body language, facial expressions, or what have you. Making two people talking visually exciting is a skill that far too few comic artists display. Next, we get our first Times Past story, which focuses on The Shade, as he spends time with Oscar Wilde, and reveals why he is a very deadly man, indeed. It also features our first guest artist, as James Robinson is re-teamed with Teddy Kristiansen (with some art assists from others). |
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Post by brutalis on Oct 27, 2017 8:04:48 GMT -5
Starman was just so damn cool a comic. It struck emotional nerves for many (myself included) telling the stories with true intelligence and adult attitudes without ever being condescending. Not sure how many "kids" if any ever picked this up but for certain many of us teens and early 20' somethings were there for the haul. It respected the 1940's Golden Age which birthed Starman and Opal City while bringing in the modern sensibilities. Opal City is a spectacular place I wish that was real and I could live in. And this new Shade is far more intricate and interesting than he ever was as a JSA villain. Jack starts off a as a bit of an ass which many of us were actually like at that age but that was the intent. Showing his growth as a hero and a person throughout the series. Amazing stuff here to delve into within the context of a comic book.
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Post by codystarbuck on Nov 8, 2017 17:43:35 GMT -5
Starman #6  Our story begins on a snowy night, as Jack is under a blanket, drinking some Irish coffee, cracking open the Shade's journal. The first tale he reads is from 1882, as the Shade entertains Oscar Wilde, in Opal City. They speak of Charles Dickens and how he created a character inspired by the Shade. They also speak how Dickens witnessed the Shade's transformation, making him effectively immortal and how it transformed the tone of Dickens' writing. Wilde speaks of another immortal, which intrigues the Shade, until they are interrupted by a young man. He wants to hire the Shade to intercede on his behalf and warn off a vaudeville performer. There is a theater, with a troupe of performers, including the mesmerist Lune. The young man, Jason Mayville, has inherited a fortune, along with his sister Annette; but, Annette is besotted with Lune and has promised to sign over her half of the money. The Shade agrees, provided his price is paid, which includes a favor down the road. Mayville agrees and the Shade attes the theater, though Lune isn't on the bill. The Shade passes backstage, where we see performers warming up and others enjoying the company of one another. There are freaks and clowns, acrobats and musicians, dancers and women in immodest dress. The Shade finds Lune and we see a fat, evil smiling man, in a dressing gown seated in a chair. he seems to expect the Shade and correctly assumes that Mayville hired him. Lune draws out Annette, who appears in Victorian underclothes, with no modesty. She says she is in love and has promised her fortune to Lune. The Shade finds it obvious that she is under a spell and warns Lune to leave, immediately, or face the consequences. Lune calls the other performers and tells the Shade that he has promised half of the fortune to the rest of the troupe. The Shade smiles and shows why he is a very dangerous and very shadowy man. Lune tries to run and grab weapons. he tries to use them on the Shade with no effect. In the end, there is ony the Shade and Annette, who is returned to her brother. Later we see the Shade and Oscar, and the Shade holds a rose. It is a very special rose, grown on a piece of land that Mayville owned, which is now his. He is quite happy and implores Oscar to speak of the other long-lived man. At this point, there are pages missing from the Shade's journal and Jack thinks it is probably for the best.  This is the first Times Past story, where Robinson would explore the back history of Opal, the Shade and the Starman legacy. He starts with the Shade, further cementing this Shade as something bigger than a minor criminal with a blacklight gimmick, as seen previously. His darkness is not merely the absence of light, it is the darkness of fear and terror, manifested in demonic, living forms. This Shade is a walking terror, who does not age or die. This is Vandal Savage with culture and style, rather than brute menace and insanity. The Shade is cunning and charm, the kind of charm you find in Faust and other tales of diabolical dealmakers. When the Shade offers his terms to Mayville, he sounds like he is bartering for a soul, adding an air of future menace to things. When he enters the theater backstage, he is in his element, as we see what the Victorians would term depravity, as we see elements of gypsy camps, lewd behavior, drunkenness and debauchery. When we see Lune, he is another fat, bloated demon, tempting young ladies into the den of impropriety, stealing away their worldly goods and their virtue. It is a very Victorian tale. It is a clash of the demonic. I said once before that Starman is very much a Vertigo title in superhero drag and that is never more evident than here, and in future Shade tales. Many of the plots we will see here have supernatural elements to them, demonic figures and dark powers. Lune is the first in a series of dark power-seekers, who will clash both with Jack's cleansing light and the Shade's enveloping darkness. The fight is brutal, though mostly left to imagination, as the Shade lays waste to the entire troupe. Teddy Kristiansen's (and collaborators) art is suitable moody, with a harsh, angry edge to the linework. It looks like a razor-slash of ink, yet quite suitable to the Victorian setting. This is old horror, as seen in morality plays and Grand Guignol stage shows. Bear that in mind, for the future. Robinson also gives us more detail about Opal City and its foundation. Burnley Ellsworth (a portmanteau of Jack Burnley and Whitney Ellsworth, creators of Starman) was a miner who made his fortune in Australia, then settled in America, in what would become Opal City. Here, we learn that others of new fortune joined him, including some French citizens, who created a three street Parisian enclave, which Oscar Wilde notes. We will later see other quarters of the city, which will reflect other cultures. The French aesthetic is quite deliberate, as Paris, at the turn of the century, was undergoing a wild cultural upheaval. Paris was considered quite shocking to the staid Victorians, with their French Postcards and their night attractions, such as the Moulin Rouge and the original Grand Guignol theater.   Le Theatre du Grand Guignol was founded in 1894, by Oscar Metenier. It was housed in what had once been a chapel and the original religious and gothic iconography lent a greater eeriness to the often horrific and grotesque show. Central to it was Guignol, a puppet, which mixed political satire with a Punch and Judy style performance. Here, the Shade enters this world a cuts out a dangerous cancer, at its center. It's a very English Victorian viewpoint, as this theater of horrors houses evil, rather than revealing the greater evil of the society at large, as the Grand Guignol often did. The theater produced plays that focused on prostitutes, street urchins, and others of the lower classes, often showing how they were exploited by the wealthy and powerful. France had undergone a great upheaval during the reign of Napoleon III, including defeat in the Franco-Prussian War, which led to the downfall of the emperor and the formation of the Third Republic, which stood until WW2 and the French surrender. The period that followed was known as the Belle Epoque and was a period of political stability and economic growth, as well as a boom in the arts. However, social divisions led to much conflict and the Grand Guignol and the works of Oscar Metenier reflected that social division, often giving voice to the underclasses, who provided the cheap labor that built the French economy (as well as colonial exploitation). The theater and its performances were subversive entertainment for the masses, with private boxes (originally used for nuns to observe religious services outside of the eyes of the public) were available (at great cost) for viewers to react to what they see (arousal being a common reaction). Robinson adds these touches to this story, showing how Annette Mayville was drawn into it and became the catspaw of Lune. The very Victorian Shade lays waste to these subversive figures, freeing Annette, quite probably to return to her boring life and eventual marriage to someone of the correct social status to live a life of status and unfulfilled desires. The story makes it obvious that she is under Lune's control; but, you do wonder how much is his control and how much is the relaxing of inhibitions in Annette. Unfortunately, Robinson never explores this, something that a writer like Neil Gaiman would have more likely pursued for another issue or two. In this, we see how the superhero element of Starman pulls back from the Vertigo element. In the end, good must defeat evil. Robinson also teases us a bit, with the identity and story of this other long-lived man. Since Oscar Wilde is the man with the tale, we are left to assume that this is the "real" Dorian Gray. We will come to, eventually, know more about this person, though only after being teased by snippets, in future stories. We will also learn more of the Shade's transformation, who witnessed it, and how the relationships evolved. Fr further fictional exploration of the Grand Guignol, I recommend Kim Newman's recent work, The Angels of Musik. The book is an expansion of the two Angels stories he wrote for Jean-Claude and Randy Lofficier's Tales of the Shadowmen anthologies. Those books feature stories of French pulp literature characters (Fantomas, Arsene Lupin, Dr Omega, The Nyctalope), as well as those from early French cinema (Les Vampires and Judex), often mixing them with other characters of literature and film (and tv). Newman's was a mix of Charlie's Angels (with Charlie being Erik, the Phantom of the Opera and the Angels being characters like Irene Adler, Trilby O'Farral, Eliza Doolittle, Gigi, and Rima the Jungle Girl) and things like Les Vampires (a tale of rival criminal gangs, centered around the female thief Irma Vep). The latter third of the book features Guignol and an intrigue surrounding the performances at the theater. Also, the Tales of the Shadowmen stories often dwell in similar territory, though there is a wide swath of styles. Xavier Maumejean has written of the birth of The Village, from The Prisoner (featuring Sherlock Holmes, Nayland Smith and Winston Chruchill) and a meeting of Jeeves & Wooster and Hercule Poirot, which features a bet between the two great minds (not Bertie Wooster, obviously). Lots of great pulp adventure and mystery, a bit of comedy and plenty of great writing and characters. |
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Post by Reptisaurus! on Nov 8, 2017 21:20:03 GMT -5
...
You're making this look kind of cool.
Oh God, what if I was wrong? Do I need to re-read Starman?
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Post by codystarbuck on Nov 8, 2017 23:19:04 GMT -5
... You're making this look kind of cool. Oh God, what if I was wrong? Do I need to re-read Starman? Well, I always thought Starman was cool; but, it took a few issues for me to fully fall on the side of cool. "Talking with David" was a key element, as Jack gained some closure and we saw that he wasn't a total a-hole. This certainly intrigued me about the past history of Opal and the Shade. The next few issues had me squarely in the camp of being a total fan, as we see Jack commit deliberate heroics, because it is the right thing to do, not because of a personal stake, we see one of the past Starman who wasn't part of the Knight family (Mikaal Tomas) and we get a tale of ted and the JSA which makes them seem heroic, yet also puts them more into a modern and realistic light, emotionally. I was nearly 28 when Starman debuted and it was a mature superhero title that really spoke to me when most felt like a rehash of 20 year-old work. This was something new and fit well into the comics that were interesting me, whether they were maturely-themed works or idiosyncratic pieces, by a fresh and talented voice. Robinson was such a voice in the 90s, as just about everything that seemed to come out of him was fresh and reverent to what had come before, whether it was the JSA or Grendel, or just an alternate history thriller, like 67 Seconds. meanwhile, Tony Harris quickly impressed me with his art, as he was adept at fashion, action, architecture, facial expression and body language, and artistic composition. Many of his peers could manage part of that list; but, few could handle all. Once in a while, I thought he went a bit overboard in the stylistic touches, at the expense of story; but never dangerously so. Also, the guest collaborators brought a lot to their stories (usually Times Past pieces) and that is where artists like Gene Ha really came into my field of vision. As I say, it is a Vertigo sensibility, which meant mature and tinged with darkness, in a superhero drag, with bright colors and heroic archetypes. Robinson made the mixture work, when few others did. Unfortunately, afterward, he didn't seem to be able to do the same thing with more purely superhero titles and he never felt the same after getting his shot in Hollywood. It was like his failure to achieve in the arena he originally set out to work in really took away his confidence. I also think the loss of Arche Goodwin really affected him personally, as well as personal issues, to which he alludes in the omnibus editions. It sounds like he had some substance issues, as well as relationship issues (probably intertwined), as well as some other compulsive behavioral problems. Starman isn't a perfect work, as I still feel that Grand Guignol ends on a sour note, especially after the build up of some elements. I don't think Nash ever becomes what Robinson seemed to be building when she first re-enters the series. I think Robinson lost several narrative threads, in part due to parting ways with Harris. Peter Snejbjerg did change the look of the series drastically; but, I think he comes into his own when To The Stars comes to Rann and Adam Strange, and remains strong afterward. By that point, I think he had found his footing and was in sync with Robinson. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Dec 6, 2017 14:55:45 GMT -5
Time to plat a bit of catch up... I thought I'd shift these to discussing storylines, since that's the way the series was primarily structured (and I don't have a lot of artwork available). When we last left Jack, Ted, and the Shade, Jack had defeated the Mist and his family (with the Shade's help), we met the O'Dares, we saw the Shade's murky past, and Jack met up with his dead brother. Now, Jack has assumed the mantle of Starman and is headed off to refill his stock, for his new store (the old one having been destroyed by the Mist).   Jack Heads outside of Opal. Robinson tells us there are no suburbs for Opal City; there are mountains and forests on one side, and plains on the other. They are the plains of Turk County and that is where Jack heads. He tells us that farms are a goldmine for old ephemera, while he implies that they are also a haven for mental illness and murderous secrets. Speaking as someone who grew up in the country, whose family includes several farmers, Robinson can go f@#$ himself with those stereotypes! Oh, I know, he is setting a mood, foreboding, building as Jack nears the scene of his next battle; but, still. Robinson comes across as more than a bit of a superior a-hole, at times. Anyway... Jack ends up finding a circus and freak show out in the boonies, where Tony Harris throws in caricatures of the creative staff (Robinson, Harris, Chuck Kim, Archie Goodwin, Wade Von Grawbadger, etc, etc...). He looks around and enters the tent of the "Cosmic Geek," where he finds a blue-skinned man, with a golden amulet embedded in his chest. He touches Jack and a jolt runs through him, revealing visions of battle, discos and abduction. Jack stumbles out. He goes and talks to the circus owner, Bliss, who tells him it is all an act, the Geek is Greg Bailey and the skin is dyed. He says he will speak to him. He offers Jack a chance to look at some old posters, in one of the trailers and has his man Crusher (real name is Lyle) take him around. Crusher looks like he stepped out of a Warner cartoon and isn't much for conversation. He takes Jack to Greg Bailey's tent, where he is attacked by the freaks (Tod Browning is a big reference in this issue). Jack fights his way free and flees. However, he just goes back to Opal long enough to get his Cosmic Rod, goggles and Jacket and heads back. Jack returns to the circus and is jumped by the freaks. He is told that they are the prisoners of Bliss and that he is an incubus, feeding off the energy of their pain and torment, until they die. The blue man has been there since 1985, yet still lives; he is Bliss' favorite. Jack goes on the attack; but, Bliss is powerful and Jack is in a fight. As he battles, the freaks and performers gather round, beginning to hope for their liberation. Something stirs in the blue man. His medallion glows and he takes to the sky. he unleashes energy and aids Jack in the battle. The rising hope in the prisoners saps Bliss' power and the pair of Starmen defeat him. In the end, the people are free and they celebrate with Jack, who has done something because it is right, not because he was attacked. he has committed a deliberate heroic act. This is one of the best interludes in the series, as we see the 1970s alien Starman, from First Issue Special #12, Mikaal Tomas. Jack gets a peek at his past, reminding us of that obscure Bronze Age tale. Robinson and Harris foreshadow future stories, as we get a glimpse of a pirate in the night mist and a dwarf in the freak show speaks of the "bad dwarf," the one that stole his intellect. The pirate and the bad dwarf will return, much, much later. These two issues also kind of reveal the formula of things, as we spend a lot of time on character moments, talk of collectibles and trivia, before we get brief spurts of action. The action is often violent, but short, rarely getting too gratuitous. This is a writer's book, where we spend a lot of time in character's heads and listening to their dialogue, though with plenty of visual flair to keep it from getting too bogged down. Robinson knows how to tease us to come back for more, while Harris adds great character design and expression, bringing them to life visually, while Robinson gives them inner dimension. Like I said before, a Vertigo book in superhero drag. Reading it, it is very 90s, with plenty of cynicism, pop culture reference, hipster dialogue, and ironic tone. That said, it still stands up well. We also get a couple of interludes, as we see yet another victim of the mysterious poster and, Matt O'Dare, one of the police family, who is a crooked cop. He lives well, drinks and takes drugs, coerces prostitutes into his bed, and is haunted by dreams of Brian Savage, aka Scalphunter. Savage was Opal's first "starman," the law in the city. We see images of his life as Scalphunter, as a western gunfighter/sheriff and as a Wild Bill Hickock dandy, who is shot while playing cards. Again, more foreshadowing and a hint to the Shade's previous question to Jack, if he ever dreamed of an old lawman. Jack doesn't; but, someone does.  Issue 9 is all about prelude. Jack breaks up a bank robbery, while wearing a t-shirt with a ragdoll face on it. Later, he meets up with Ted and tells him that he is starting to enjoy the feeling of taking crooks off the street. Ted says that's the addiction, and it is a large part of why the costumes do it. He admonishes Jack about the t-shirt and Jack goads him into explaining why. The image is the supervillain Ragdoll, a contortionist who was a minor petty thief. One day, however, he became something more. he was a powerful orator and drew a crowd of disaffected losers around him and launched a spree of violent crimes that had the city paralyzed with fear. Ted called in some of his JSA friends and they put a stop to the Ragdoll's mob and the leader, permanently. One of them killed that night. Jack tells his father he swore not to kill; but, he would if someone threatened his father. Matt O'Dare shakes down crooks and makes evidence disappear. He tips off mobsters to the location of stoolies. He is plagued by visions of a western lawman and hears voices, telling him his actions are wrong. He drinks to quiet the voices. It doesn't work. The poster takes more and the Shade comes along the spot where it had been, before the mysterious bald man rolled it up and took it away. Nash, the Mist's daughter, is in her cell, thinking of the three prison guards she has seduced and the two inmates, as well. They are her puppets and she brought them under her control easily, taking what she needed from them. She now uses it to escape, leaving behind the note, "See what I have become/" Prelude. We learn of how Ted faced something more than just a thief with a gimmick, how the noble JSA, when faced with threats to their identities and loved ones had to make a choice and one of them made a fatal one. We learn of a gimmick villain who became a real threat to life. We are teased more by the horrific poster and Matt O'Dare's connection to Brian Savage. We see the Mist on the trail of the poster. We see that Nash has become more than the stuttering daughter of an old supervillain. She has become a spider in the center of the web, a female moriarty who is about to return and show Jack how she has grown. Robinson makes a few interesting statements here, about the nature of heroism and the positive energy of doing good. He also shows that the idea of superheroes is challenged, when true psychopaths are at stake; it isn't just a colorful battle. Real people are hurt, innocents die; it isn't a game. He also makes a statement about pop culture and making "celebrities" out of mass killers and psychopaths, equating the Ragdoll t-shirt to a Charles Manson t-shirt worn by Axel Rose, in a Guns'N"Roses video. Jack argues that it is an ironic, hipster symbol, Ted argues that it is glorifying a psychotic killer and manipulator of killers. It is celebrating the lowest forms of human life and I agree with Ted. When I worked as a bookseller, I loathed the True Crime section, as far too much of it was exploitive trash, wallowing in sensational, horrific crimes and murders, for the sake of "entertainment." Far too many of the people I encountered who frequented that section seemed like they could use a bit of therapy. Far too little of it was real scholarship. It reminded me of when I was in a grocery store, after the death of Princess Diana, where the store had signs saying they would not display tabloids exploiting the death (just commemorative magazines doing the same); yet, still had a tabloid on display with Joan Benet Ramsey's face on the cover. What was worse, the death of a public figure or the brutal murder of a child who had lived a short and unhealthy life?  Issue 10 is more prologue, as the Shade tells Jack about the poster and a man named Merritt. Merritt was an Oxford student, obsessed with the occult, who made a bargain with a demon, to care for a portal that allows the demon to cross worlds and steal souls. No, seriously. In exchange, he is practically immortal, which intrigues the Shade. Oscar Wilde wrote The Picture of Dorian Gray (mistakenly called The Portrait of Dorian Gray, by The Shade), based on Merritt (as related in the Times Past story, a few issues back). The Shade warns Jack, as the city's hero. Meanwhile, Jack gets a call from another hero, Jade, the daughter of Green Lantern Alan Scott. Solomon Grundy is headed for Opal and she wants to keep him from getting hurt! (relates to a storyline in Infinity, Inc.). Being an idiot for a pretty girl, Jack goes off to find him and encounters him in the sewers. they fight, but Grundy cries out when hit with a blast of energy, speaking like a child. Jack ends the fight and takes grundy home. Well, that was different. Here, again, Robinson is playing against convention. Solomon Grundy is a big bruiser, one of the prototypes for the Hulk; but, Robinson has the fight between Grundy and Jack end with common sense and reason, rather than fists and energy (though they are present, in the fight). This isn't your father's superhero. Grundy is a swampy man-child and he will stay a while. There are interludes of Ted studying the silent Mikaal, who utters the name Teddy Pendergrass (R&B and disco favorite, of the late 70s). Jack goes to see Charity and runs into the same bitchy woman he met at the circus. She really gets under his skin. She will return, and she will bring Jack more trouble. Her name is Sadie Falk. Nash goes to one of her father's hideouts and finds his machinery, and uses it to transform. She now has the family power and the reunion with Jack is at hand.  It's another tale of Times Past, as the Shade gives us his version of Ted's battle with the Ragdoll. It is 13 years past and the city is in the grip of terror. The Ragdoll was a joke, a gimmick thief who was a minor annoyance. he failed at everything, was abused in prison. He found a gift. His father had been a side-show barker and he had the gift. He became a nexus for the lonely and downtrodden, the failures of life (shades of Adolf Hitler). He amassed an army and unleashed then in a series of senseless killings and crimes. There was no pattern, no way to track them. The police were hopeless and Ted Knight knew he was in over his head. He called friends and the JSA came. Starman has info of three targets: kidnapped twins, children of a banker who has been told to open the vault and not call the cops; a community of retired veterans, accessible only by a bridge, and a church. Dr Midnite goes after the twins and uses his blackout bombs to bring night to the Ragdoll's minions. He takes them down and saves the innocent children. Hourman holds the bridge against a mob. His Miraclo-induced strength fights the mob and he stands triumphant, at minute 59. Flash, Starman and Green Lantern go to the church and stop the horde and Starman brings down the Ragdoll. He is tied to a chair, as they await the police. He threatens the men from prison, via his followers. He reveals he knows Jay Garrick's identity and that he has a wife. He knows Alan Scott has a broadcasting company and Ted Knight has two sons. All will die by his order. He breaks free and confusion reigns, until the Ragdoll lies dead, by whose hand no one knows. Ted had said by all of their hands, really, when he told Jack. The Shade admits, via his journal, that he is the one who tipped off Ted, anonymously, while he was off sparring with Barry Allen. This is one of my favorite Times Past adventures. In one story, Robinson establishes the greatness of the JSA, whom DC had been trying to kill off, as not relevant. Robinson changed that course with one tale and the JSA soon returned. Where Roy Thomas and Len Strazewski had failed (despite great stories) Robinson had succeeded. He modernized them and had them face a newer, more malevolent threat. They remark that they haven't smiled much lately, haven't scooped up villains into green energy ice cream cones. It hints at why they retired, to deal with more of life's real meanings. Robinson and guest artist Matt Smith showed what true heroes the JSAers are. This is why I love this series. Robinson revels in true heroism. In a dark and cynical age (the 90s), where "heroes" were gun-toting psychopaths, with little to differentiate them from the villains, where Batman is a damaged victim of crime whose obsessions rule all, where Superman has to die to sell comics, where the Punisher, Wolverine and Ghost Rider appear in every other comic, Robinson, Harris et al give us true heroes. These are three-dimensional, mature people, who do what's right because it is right, because it makes them feel good, because it is addicting. People look up to them. They stumble and fall and even fail; but, they get back up again and take another shot. They are Don Quixote, rescuing a tavern maid because she is a lady in distress and he is a knight, they are the Scarlet Pimpernel, rescuing innocent children from the guillotine and the vengeance of the mob, they are Gary Cooper standing alone against men coming to kill him, shaming the townsfolk for their cowardice, in the face of danger to the man who protected them. They are the men and women who rode bottled explosives into the heavens to see what is there and expand our universe. They are everyone who steps forward, when everyone else steps back. and, a blast from the 90s, from a group who was known for tilting at society's windmills... |
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Post by brutalis on Dec 6, 2017 15:28:13 GMT -5
Nice catch up covering several issues@codystarbuck. At this point Robinson was really starting to hitting his stride with set up and teasing just enough to draw you in with a strong follow through down the line and with some really great characterizations. And yes there are many times throughout the series that I thought to myself boy what an a$$ hat. Thankfully those times are few and there are more better moments outweighing the winces.
Robinson made the JSA what they should be: men and women of character who have seen and dealt with and survived some of the worst of life/war/villainy there is. The JSA stopped being the stereotypes of the funny book superheroes (which they were mostly remembered as) and were being treated now as adults doing heroic things in a more real world existence.
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Post by codystarbuck on Jan 3, 2018 18:31:57 GMT -5
      Sins of the Child Each day is told through the point of view of a different character, starting with Jack. Issue 11 starts our with Jack and Ted leaving the Opal City Courthouse, where Jack has been cleared of any wrongdoing in the death of Kyle, the Mist's son. Jack asks if he got off because he is Starman and Ted says, maybe, a bit; but, that is part of what they do and even the judge saw the fight with the Mist was no cut and dried thing. Jack and Ted spend time together, where Jack learns that Ted met designer and architect Eero Saarinen (designer of the Gateway Arch and the TWA terminal, at JFK Airport) and Jack continues to be amazed at his father's life. Meanwhile, Nash, the new Mist, is committing a series of murders of prominent Opal citizens, with no apparent connection. Mikaal and Grundy are enjoying a day in the park; but, they disappear later, and Ted is worried. Jack goes looking for them and something occurs, which leads to fragmentary dreams. Jack wakes up, naked, with Nash standing there, smiling. She is going to test him. His weapons and clothes are spread through a maze of a building. Jack must run a gauntlet to get them and his freedom. He has little choice and goes on, snagging his shorts first, sparing us the sight of his "cosmic rod." he fight's Nash's thugs and picks a lock to enter a room and get out of the maze. he learns of the murders and uses the phone to warn Ted; but, hears a sinister voice on the other end, telling him it is too late. Issue 13 is Ted's day. We see the scenes of Ted and Jack leaving the park, after their court experience. They head back to ted's observatory for brunch, while Jack tries to guess his father's favorite artist. Jack assumes it is something cold, appealing to the scientist in him. Ted surprises him with Jackson Pollock, shutting Jack up. We see them part ways, and also see more of Nash's murders and Grundy and Mikaal in the park. Ted talks to Clarence O'Dare, head of the O'Dare police clan, and isinterrupted by the call that Mason O'Dare was wounded stopping a pair of the Mist's gang. Clarence heads off, while Ted goes back to the observatory. There, he runs into Dr Phosphorus. Phosphorus is powerful and dangerous and Ted fights to stay clear of him. He heads off into a trophy room, with the villain close behind. he hits him with a blast from a raygun, from a past case; but, not before Phosphorus connects with his burning skin on Ted's shoulder. The blast sends the villain crashing through doors into a lab, where Ted does his cosmic energy research. ted hits Phosphorus with the liquid coolant, used to keep his experiments safe. it incapacitates Phosphorus and Ted knocks him out with his cane. he slumps down in a chair and turns on a tv and hears a news bulletin about the Mist's murders. he wonders what the connection is and where Jack is. Issue 14 is focused on the O'Dares, and we see Barry O'Dare, headed off to work, his mind on a nurse, Claire, with whom he has a date. Clarence O'Dare is having lunch with a colleague, where he is looking forward to the big game tonight. Then, all hell breaks loose, as the Mist's gang launch their assault on the city. The O'Dares are in the thick of it, at different points in the city. We see the nurse, Claire, gunned down by Nash, as she has witnessed one of the murders. She dies pleading for her life, for her son. Mason O'Dare, the youngest and a beat cop drops from a building to an awning to take out a pair of the Mists's goons, who are cornered but have hostages. He saves them, taking a bullet to the shoulder. We see Matt O'Dare, watching over some drug dealers, as he is confronted by a vision of Brian Savage, the Scalphunter, who asks if this is the life he dreamed of and shows him a vision of what he was and could be again. Matt takes down the drug dealers (who are arguing about Sondheim musicals), in a Hollywood-style close quarters gun battle, where the crowd of criminals can't hit a single target. Hope O'Dare gets the drop on some goons on a rooftop, but the tables are turned. She is saved by the Shade. Issue 15 is Mikaal's day and we see he and Grundy taken to the park by Ted and Jack. They enjoy the wildlife, when they are drugged and taken away. We see Grundy and Mikaal subjected to horrible abuse and torture, before Mikaal finally comes alive and unleashes the power of his embedded amulet, blasting out the upper floors of a skyscraper. Issue 16 brings us back to Jack, who has been cornered by a group of Nash's men. He is bare-handed and must fight for his life. He grabs tools from a workbench and uses them as weapons. he survives the brawl and finds the rest of his clothes and his cosmic rod, just as Nash appears and has him at point blank range. However, she decides not to kill him. She wants him to become better as she will, herself. They will meet again and the stakes will be higher. Jack forces her to agree to leave Ted out of it, after learning that he is alive. We still don't know about Mikaal and Grundy. The killings were related to Ted's first battle with the Mist, back in the 40s. The fight ends as the Mist leaves, with promises to return, while Jack has promised to become all that he can. It's a strange ending to a different storyline. Once again, Jack doesn't quite achieve victory, even as order is restored. This is about character building, both in terms of Jack and Nash's development but in Robinson fleshing out the characters. It is also filled with his obsession with pop culture, as characters speak of old movies, art, design, Sondheim and other things, mimicking Robinson's aspirations to be the next Tarantino (he set out to be a screenwriter). It gets more than a bit self-indulgent; but, at the same time, it creates far more rounded characters than you would find in other superhero comics. Tony Harris art is first rate, as Robsinson's indulgences occur during battles and landscapes. Harris proves adept at handling a wide variety of scenes and actions and you really start to feel he is coming into his own here.   Issue 17 is kind of an epilogue, as we open with a pair of Nash's thugs, who have killed a store owner for cigarettes and take his daughter hostage, for a bit of rape, down the road. The leave the store and run smack into a pirate ghost. The ghost proceeds to gut them with a cutlass and saves the girl. She asks his name and he says he is Jon Valor, the Black Pirate. We cut to Jack, who is in bed with a ladyfriend. It doesn't end well, as he is still immature and she leaves him to take a job in Midway City. Ted looks over a sleeping Grundy, contemplating his past, including the death of the Star Spangled Kid, Sylvester Pemberton. ted contemplates Grundy's child-like state and wonders about whether to hate him or pity him, as Grundy hears him speak aloud and tears roll down his face. Ted leaves and finds an awake and lucid Mikaal, who has been waiting to talk to him. Jack visits Charity to learn more of his future. he is told that the winged man may not come (Hawkman was set to reappear here; but plans at DC changed), Jack is still going into space and he will hold the hand of his son. He will meet "they of the thunder and lightning," and a man with a "heart like a cool, green field." Jack tries to pick up Charity but she tells him she will love another. They still go to a movie as friends. The Shade gathers the O'Dares, except Clarence and asks for their help, in return for his aid whenever an O'Dare needs it. They go after Merrit and his poster and fight a battle that results in the demon entering the poster, chased by Matt, who reveals to the Shade that he is Brian Savage reincarnated, son of Matt Savage, Trailboss and father to Steve Savage, the WW1 aviator known as Balloon Buster. He tells Shade to look after his family, as he enters the poster to fight in hell, where he belongs. Shade is intrigued and goes after him. Jack gets a haircut and runs into Charity's friend Sadie, again. Issue 18 shows us a Times Past tale of Ted's first battle with the Mist. Ted arrives after the Mist has unleashed death at a party, as gases cause the deaths of everyone who drank brandy. One of his thugs was killed by the Mist for taking a liberty with a woman. Ted follows clues and runs into the Mist during a bank holdup; but, the Mist has a hostage and Ted is forced to remove a gas mask and passes out. The Mist leaves him alive. ted investigates and eventually tracks the Mist to a private railcar, on his way out of Opal. he takes him down and arrests him. he later assembles a group of men to explain what had happened at the party. it turns out to have been the cover for a murder, directed at the manager of a prominent artist, commissioned by a rival, to gain control of the artist's work. The men we meet are then showed to the Mists's lair. They are all the future victim's of Nash's murder spree. One of them stole a medal for valor, won by the Mist in WW1. This gives us the background detail for Nash's killings and sets up the next mystery, as to who has the medal. That will bring Jack together with Wesley Dodd and Dian Belmont. It also serves to establish ted's abilities as a detective, which are seen throughout the series, as well as Jack's. Several DC detective characters are referenced by the Shade, in his journal, as the story unfolds. The ending is the wrap-up, with everyone present, straight from the classics. Issue 19 is my single most favorite issue of the series. Talking with David '96. Jack is in a black and white dream, marooned on an island, where he is rescued by a small boat, with a pirate sailor. It turns into David, in color and our adventure begins. Jack and David board a pirate ship, where David can't tell Jack why they have a pirate theme this time, nor where he goes. Jack catches up David on the year's events and they have some fun, straight out of Howard Pyle, Robert Louis Stevenson and Michael Curtiz. After some swashbuckling and a few bottles of rum, David tells Jack his time is short. They are headed to a wharf, as Opal appeared in old days. David said there is a surprise waiting for him. David: "Someone wants to meet you."
Jack: "Who?" "You'll see. I've wanted you to have this moment, today especially.""Today?" "It's your birthday, Bro, you forgotten? You always forgot. There she is, waiting for you on the dock.""Who?" "Look."Jack looks and he finally sees. He stammers as tears well up in his eyes. He runs down the gangplank as the ship docks. There, waiting for him, is their mother, looking forever young and beautiful. David tells Jack, "You don't have long though. An hour, no more."
"Oh, Davey! Thank you, man. Thank you!" "Anytime, Bro. Any Time." David smiles as his brother is reunited with their mother, if only for an hour. Davey is in costume, looking every inch the hero he should have been, but wasn't. Jack is given a moment of pure joy that anyone who has ever lost a loved one would give all to have, no matter how briefly. The pirate business speaks to Jon Valor and Jack's eventual meeting; but, it is the payoff at the end that makes this the greatest story yet. It is a pure emotional moment that grabs you and touches your heart. I tear up every time I read it. It is humanity at its core. This is why James Robinson was tagged as the next great writer in comics; and, for that time, he was. Robinson wrote fantastical tales about real people, with real emotions, hopes, dreams, aspirations, faults and failures. His characters were rarely black or white; they were a mixture of greys but also of colors. They were hero and villain, depending on the circumstance. Just like in real life. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Jan 7, 2018 18:21:03 GMT -5
Starman #20-23: Sand and Stars     Jack is awakened from a dream, where he sees visions of Nash and the Sandman, Wesley Dodds. Jack undertakes a trip to New York, to meet Wesley and ask him some questions. In flashback, we see Ted answer questions about the Mist, and his missing medal, something Ted never saw. However, he tells Jack that Wesley first faced the Mist, before he took the name. He might have some info. Jack goes to a high rise luxury building, owned by Dodds, which is a home for the aged. There, Jack meets his true hero; not the (by post-Crisis continuity) first of the mystery men; but Dian Belmont, Wesley's partner and America's greatest living writer, in Jack's eyes. Jack is in awe of her and tongue-tied. Dian takes the gibbering Jack to meet Wesley and suddenly the weight of history and Wesley's role as the first mystery man hits Jack and he is in awe again. Jack finally finds his tongue, thanks to Wesley putting him at ease and is able to finally tell Dian what her writing means to him. They are interrupted by a scream, the nurse of resident John Blaine. he's been murdered. Jack pulls his cosmic rod out of a carrying case and flies after the killer, cornering him on the roof. It is a man dressed in black, with a smiling theatrical mask. Jack goes on the attack and the masked man gets the better of him. Jack is in trouble when he is saved by Wesley, wearing his gasmask and holding his gas gun. The killer leaps over the side and disappears. Jack, Wesley and Dian examine the facts of the case. Blaine was an investor, who was working on a scheme for modern airship travel, using new composite alloys and vertical take-off technologies. Blaine's wife, Helen, had a lover and had diverted much of their income to a different bank account. There was also a large amount deposited in a Swiss bank account and rumors of an international hitman hired. Helen is the chief suspect; but, Wesley never rests on the obvious. Jack offers to be Wesley's Archie Goodwin (as in Nero Wolfe, not Robinson's editor) to track down Helen's lover. meanwhile, Wesley and Dian go to talk to Helen. Jack notices that Wesley is more alive now than when he first looked upon him, an old man gazing at the sunset, out a window. Now he is vibrant and alive, sharp as a tack. Jack tracks down the lover; but he is shot by the killer before Jack can speak to him and the killer escapes in a hail of bullets. Wesley talks to Blaine's partner, who has surrounded himself with armed security and turns down an offer to have a superhero investigate. Dian speaks to Helen, in jail. She seems calm; but, denies involvement. She was going to sue for divorce and get at least half og Blaine's assets, a very tidy sum. Why risk all when she could get half easily? She says Jason wasn't bright enough for such a scheme and Blaine's partner would be hurt by the publicity and it would serve no good purpose. Jack discovered (via a computer diary)that Jason, the lover, had been recruited by an employee of Warren Gayle, Blaine's partner, and shown how to divert the money in the bank accounts. The Swiss money was his payoff. he wanted more and was killed for it. Jack infiltrates the airship facilities, using Wesley Dodds' gas mask, to guard against a gas used as a second line of defense. he is puzzled by the absence of armed guards, when he is zapped from behind. Wesley and Dian finagle passes to the launch of Gayle's airship, while discreetly checking for the missing Jack. Wesley dons the mask and goes in search of the young man. We see Gayle and the airship pilot talk of deliberately bringing the airship crashing down. Wesley flashes back to the 40s and the Gambler, who was hired to steal a priceless Michelangelo statue study. Ted Knight had tracked him to New York; but, disappeared. Wesley and Dian hunted him down and Wesley rescued Ted, who returned the favor when the Gambler got the drop on Wesley. Back in the present, Wesley decides, age or no age that he will risk his life against the armed guards to free Jack. Wesley attacks and is prepared to die; but, jack jumps in to distract the guard. They stop them without loss of life. Jack says they talked of something hidden in room 4-J. Turns out to be the real Gayle. Gayle is being impersonated by an old villain, The Face, who fought Wesley. The other man is Nobody, his protege, who is disguised as the airship pilot. he has commandeered the ship, tied up the crew, and intends to crash it, setting off a bomb. Jack takes to the air and stops it. It turns out an investor hired them after taking out insurance on the flight. he stood to make more from a crash than a success. Helen is cleared, though Nobody escaped. Jack tells Wesley about his original reason for coming, the Mist's medal, a Victoria Cross. This was a fantastic storyline, one of the best. Robinson constructs an honest to goodness mystery. Most comic writers of the time and since were/are incapable of writing mystery. They just set hero and villain into wrestling matches, upping the violence and mayhem. Most surprises were telegraphed a mile away. Robinson does it the old fashioned way, with clues, twists and turns. Harris is on fire and his art has evolved massively. The art deco touches are a perfect fit for a mystery of airships and skyscrapers and heroes in suits and gas masks. What really sets this apart is the depiction of the love between Wesley and Dian. Robinson shows them as an elderly, but vital couple who have shared a lifetime of pure love and exhilarating adventure. He even puts a few randy phrases into Wesley's mouth. The third chapter, during the flashback, has guest art from Sandman Mystery Theater artist Guy Davis. Robinson and Matt Wagner, the writer of that series, were among the very few who seemed to respect the mystery and the brainpower of heroes, rather than the brawn and power. That is what I miss from old comics, vs modern. When I was a kid, comics abounded with real mystery; who is the villain, how did he pull off the crime, how can you defeat someone who has you outclassed? heroes used their brains as much as their brawn. DC specialized in clever heroes a bit more; but, Marvel had Reed Richards, Peter Parker and Tony Stark all employing their brains to defeat their enemies, as much as their physical abilities and gimmicks. Robinson plays that up in spades. Meanwhile, he presents a real loving relationship, one that inspires Jack to question what he truly wants in life. Wesley had the adventure and wealth; but, what truly made him happy for decades was the love of Dian. Robinson respects relationships, not just for the hero to rescue the damsel in distress or to avenge when some hack writer kills them off in a graphic stunt. Starman is about people, first and foremost; and, people love one another. Meanwhile, Tony Harris is a master with body language. Wesley and Dian look old, but he infuses their beings with spirit. Wes stands taller when he wears the gas mask, even as he needs a cane to walk. When he steels himself to enter the room where Jack is being held, you see it in the stance, how his shoulders are erect and his body tensed. Wesley will sacrifice all to rescue a young man, with a life ahead of him. A theme throughout is the quality of life, not the quantity. Wesley has had quantity; but, the quality has far exceeded. He is ready to sacrifice his to allow another to have that quality. Starman is about heroes; but, not in the sense of people who dress in costumes and wear masks. I've said it before, when people reflexively refer to soldiers and sailors as heroes: uniforms and costumes don't make you a hero, your actions do. The military, police and emergency responders wear uniforms to identify them in their purpose; serving the public welfare. Their actions at any given moment make them hero or coward, the same as anyone dressed in any clothing. Jack and Wesley wear their daily clothes, yet they are heroes. Dian was right there with Wesley, helping him solve mysteries, risking her own life and safety and wouldn't have it any other way. Warner Brothers really needs to stop fixating on the Justice League and look to their other properties for tv and movies. Who wouldn't want to see Jack Knight come to life, with this level of writing and imagery? Who wouldn't want to see Wesley Dodds, the Sandman, and his love Dian Belmont fight crime and solve mysteries in an art deco world of the 30s and 40s? It would be magnificent! |
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Post by mikelmidnight on Jan 8, 2018 13:00:56 GMT -5
I was a huge fan of Sandman Mystery Theatre at the time, and I appreciated the flashback in the episode which was basically 'SMT-Lite.'
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Post by brutalis on Jan 8, 2018 13:40:21 GMT -5
The second year of Starman was magnificent. If you think in television terms it took Robinson and Harris this long to find their rhythm. Like any new series the 1st year is a feeling out process as writer and artist synchronicity takes a while to come together and then once they find their groove look out because then the fun really starts. I know the 1st year had lots to interest me and got my attention and by the 2nd year the comic was a must buy all the way to the end. It was that different and intriguing from all of the regular super shenanigans of the time. Anybody who picked it up had to be drawn into that mystical magical mix of science/fantasy/characterization!
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