My Collections, Part 7: Starman (David Knight)

Before James Robinson came along and rebooted and revitalized the Starman name, David Knight, oldest son of Golden Age Starman Ted Knight, appeared in exactly two comic books, both during Will Payton's series.

David was a dick in Payton's series, and he was kind of a dick at the beginning of Robinson's. To be fair, though, his little brother Jack didn't make things easy for him (do little brothers ever?). I kind of don't want to mention anything else about David for fear of spoiling the series, but c'mon, it's almost 25 years old. If you don't know that David gets murdered in the very first issue (which is actually the Zero Issue...don't get confused about it), then...crap, I guess I went and ruined it.

Like every Starman whom Robinson brought into the series, David grew as a person and a hero, and by the end of the series his death was even more poignant and important.

Yeah, David gets killed. Robinson did a great job of making us care about him right before killing him off at the end of the first issue. He had to do it, though, because we had to get Jack to take up the mantle and cosmic rod.





Have List

Blackest Night #6 (regular, variant, and sketch)
Starman Vol. 1 (1988 series) #26-27
Starman Vol. 2 (1994 series) #0, 3, 5, 7, 19, 36-37, 49, 64, 66, 75-77, 79, 81, Annual 2
Starman Secret Files #1
Zero Hour: Crisis in Time #1 (Zero Hour UPC, Direct UPC)

Want List

Blackest Night: Rise of the Black Lanterns TPB, HC

Imgur album of David's appearances that I have.

My Collections, Part 6: Starman (Will Payton)

I don't think there's any better time to get back on the horse with my Starman collection than with the entry for Will Payton.

But first, a disclaimer of sorts. Two things have kept me from updating this Starman collection retrospective of mine. First, I dropped my external hard drive a while back, and it contained ALL of my digital pictures, including my comic cover pics and original artwork pics. I'm almost done retaking all of the cover pics, but I haven't done the artwork yet. Second, I've started selling off my "NEVER SELL OFF" comic collection, which consists solely of Joe Hill comics and Starman appearances. Because of that, I may have sold some of the comics I had when I began this little endeavor. I definitely haven't bought anything new. So we'll see how this ends up looking. I'll post pics of covers I have, and I'll still include my "Have List," but my "Want List" is now out of date, and I'll be totally scrapping it until I'm in a place to start rebuilding my collection. Right now I'm thinking it'll be five years or so? Who knows.

via GIPHY

So, my first exposure to the Will Payton Starman was through the Superman storyline, "Krisis of
the Krimson Kryptonite." First off, I get why they misspelled Krisis and Krimson, but there is NO WAY that spelling would fly today. Other than that, though, it's a good, quick story that ran through all three Superman titles of the time and quickly crossed over into Payton's 1988 Starman series. the gist of the storyline was that Lex Luthor used a piece of red kryptonite (supplied by Mr. Mxyzptlx) to make himself as strong as Superman, but the twist was instead of making Lex super human, it took away all of Superman's powers. Since Superman gets his powers from our sun charging his cells (or some scientific gobbledygook like that), Starman was brought in first to give Supes a super-charged dose of solar radiation (which should have killed him, right?) and then impersonating him (Will could alter his appearance somehow...I never actually read his entire series) until he could figure out a different solution when that failed. Honestly, Starman didn't really make an impression on me. The only time I actually bought an issue of his comic, it was a crossover from a bigger storyline (War of the Gods...it was War of the Gods).

Will ended up dying during Eclipso: The Darkness Within. Let's assume he died doing something heroic, saving the world and whatnot from Eclipso, because I can't remember what happened for the life of me. Yes, I could Google it, but I think we'd all rather be surprised, right? Will was probably only slightly less forgettable than Mikaal, who only appeared in one issue. Maybe the most important thing that happened in Will's series was the introduction of David Knight (last name sounds familiar, right?) and the rebranding of the Golden Age's Starman's nemesis The Mist into Nimbus. Yeah, that didn't stick.

If there were any die-hard Will Payton (testify in the comments if you're reading this!), I wonder what they thought about Will's return from the dead in Robinson's Starman series. Were they happy that he was back but upset because it was retconned that Will actually died in his first issue and was actually just Prince Gavyn with Will's essence? I'd probably be pissed.

In the New 52 post-Rebirth DC universe, there was no Starman...until this month's (Sept. 2018) issue of Justice League. Payton shows up, with Jack Knight's cosmic rod! Are we finally seeing the rebirth of the Starman dynasty? One can only hope.

Have List

Action Comics Vol. 1 (1938 series) #622, 644-645, 659, 675, Annual 3
Adventures of Superman #472, 482, Annual 4
Armageddon 2001 #1-2, 1 (2nd Print), 1 (3rd Print)
Blasters Special #1
Doom Patrol Vol. 2 (1987 series) #17
Eclipso: The Darkness Within #2
Firestorm the Nuclear Man #80-81
Green Lantern Vol. 3 (1990 series) Annual 1
Invasion #2-3
JLA in Crisis Secret Files #1
Justice League America #42, Annual 6
Justice League International Vol. 1 (1987 series) #24
Justice League Quarterly #5
New Titans Annual 7
Quasar #14
Starman Vol. 1 (1988 series) #1-45
Starman Vol. 2 (1994 series) #3, 36, 48, 58-60, 67, 71-73, 76
Starman Secret Files #1
Superman Vol. 2 (1987 series) #27, 50, 65-66, Annual 4
Superman: The Man of Steel #10, Annual 1
War of the Gods #1-4
Who's Who Update '88 #3
Wonder Woman Vol. 2 (1987 series) #61

Want List

Cover Run: The DC Comics Art of Adam Hughes

Justice League Vol. 4 (2018 series) #7

Who's Who in the DC Universe #2

Aaaaaand once again I forgot to post the pic album. Here you go.

Starman (Will Payton)

My Collections, Part 5: Starman (Prince Gavyn)

This Starman was the last one introduced before I started reading comics. Once again, we've got another character calling themselves Starman, and there's absolutely no connection to Ted Knight. I was vaguely aware of him as a character before Robinson's series, but only in an off-handed way. He pretty much kept to himself, appearing for about a year as a feature in Adventure Comics, then he was "killed" during the Crisis on Infinite Earths.

Robinson did a WONDERFUL job of working Prince Gavyn's story into the overall Starman mythos, integrating the death of Gavyn into the birth of the Will Payton Starman...but we'll get to all that next time.

Gavyn was the 2nd Starman to be truly from the stars, but as opposed to Mikaal, there was actually an attempt to flesh him out. That said, his tenure was short-lived. As I stated earlier, he had year-long run in Adventure Comics, then he met his end in Crisis on Infinite Earths. A couple years later, we got a NEW Starman, and then a decade or so after that, Gavyn returned. I won't spoil how that happened; it's a great read.

Nobody did much with Gavyn after Robinson ended his series. It wasn't until DC was ramping up their Infinite Crisis mega-crossover that Gavyn was brought back into play. Rann and Thanagar were at war, and Gavyn's Throneworld was drawn into the fray. This played out through the Rann/Thanagar Holy War, then Jim Starlin, the writer of Holy War, kept the majority of this rag-tag group of heroes around for a Strange Adventures mini-series, where Gavyn was transformed into the new hero Fusion. I don't know what happened after that. Sorry.

Gavyn has yet to appear in DC's post-Flashpoint continuity, but Rebirth is doing a good job of bringing in heroes that were forgotten in New 52. As I keep saying, I'm hoping for SOME Starman to make his return.

Like with Mikaal, I only have two Gavyn sketch cards by Rob Retiano (one in the red suit and one in the blue), and a sketch from Derek Fridolfs.

I've also got some great pictures of my youngest kiddo as the red-suited Gavyn. I'll post pics when I talk about Jack, but just as a heads up, the whole fam damily dressed up as Starman characters to go to the 2014 Wizard World Nashville. It was awesome.

Have List

Adam Strange Special #1
Adventure Comics Vol. 1 (1938 series) #467, 468, 469, 470, 471, 472, 473, 474, 475, 476, 477
Crisis on Infinite Earths #10, Deluxe Edition
DC Comics Presents #36
Hawkman Vol. 4 (2002 series) #49
History of the DC Universe #2, TPB, HC
Infinite Crisis #1 (Lee Cover), 1 (Perez Cover), 1 (Sketch Cover), 4 (Lee Cover), 4 (Perez Cover), 4 (Sketch Cover), 6 (Lee Cover), 6 (Perez Cover), 6 (Sketch Cover), TPB
Rann/Thanagar Holy War #1, 1 (Variant), 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Rann/Thanagar War #1, 1 (2nd Print), 2, 3, 4
Starman Vol. 2 (1994 series) #58, 59, 60, 71, 73, 76, Annual 1, Omnibus Vol. 2, 5, 6, Omnibus TPB Vol. 2, TPB Vol. 4, 8, 10
Starman Secret Files #1
Strange Adventures Vol. 3 (2009 series) #1, 1 (Variant), 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Superman/Batman #32, 33
Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #22

Want List

Adventure Comics Vol. 1 (1938 series) #478
Crisis on Infinite Earths Absolute, HC, TPB
Infinite Crisis #1 (Lee Cover no UPC), HC
Justice League Unlimited #10
Rann/Thanagar Holy War TPB Vol. 1, 2
Rann/Thanagar War TPB
Starman Vol. 2 (1994 series) TPB Vol. 9
Strange Adventures Vol. 3 (2009 series) TPB

Sigh, there's always something I forget. Here are pics of the Prince Gavyn comics in my collection.

My Collections, Part 4: Starman (Mikaal Tomas) edited

For the one or two people who are reading about my collections, I apologize for the tardiness in updates. I've been having some financial urgencies, I've since decided that I'm going to start opening up the majority of my Starman and Joe Hill collections for purchase, but all of my Jack Knight and Locke & Key stuff are staying with me.

That said, I'm going to continue with my blogs as if I've still got everything. I've actually sold very little, and most were issues I already blogged about in Ted Knight's entry. So I'm 99% sure that, at least for Mikaal, I've still got everything I say I've got.

Mikaal is strange and wonderful character, and his history is somewhat marvelous. He was first introduced in 1st Issue Special #12 in 1976. From what I understand, DC's copyright on the name Starman was about to run out, so they needed to get a character introduced...or something like that. I don't know why they just wouldn't do some more Ted Knight and JSA stories, but that's above my pay grade. So he was introduced...then he was abandoned and not seen again until James Robinson started his own Starman series. I would gladly argue with anyone about Mikaal's one-page appearance at the very end of issue #3 that gave us the first clue as to how deep Robinson's series would delve into the storied history of the name Starman, not just the Knight lineage.

Robinson took that one issue and crafted a wonderful history for this blue-skinned character. He gave him a full life with loves and enemies and struggles...lots of struggles. He also did something pretty awesome and a bit ahead of its time while staying under the radar. Robinson effortlessly and naturally gave us a wonderful gay superhero without being a stereotype. He and his partner Tony just WERE. There was no fuss, no spectacle, no "READ THIS COMIC BOOK BECAUSE SOMEBODY IS GAY." They were just characters on a natural progression, which is really how things should be.

After Robinson's Starman series ended, Mikaal was able to live a peaceful life for a bit...until Robinson took over writing duties on the Justice League and had Mikaal join up. Dude's had a rough go of things, and Robinson really didn't let up. Poor guy.

Mikaal, like the other Starmen before and after him, has not been reintroduced into the post-Flashpoint New 52 Universe. There is a slightly better chance of him or the rest of the Starmen showing up in the post-Rebirth multiverse now that some pre-Flashpoint continuities have been folded into some post-Flashpoint continuities.

Edited to ad: I forgot to mention the non-comic stuff I have featuring Mikaal.

Here are my current haves and needs for Mikaal. I don't know if any action figures of Mik were ever made. I don't have any, and I don't really recall any popping up during my brief eBay searches for action figures.

I do have some original art. Of course Mik is represented in my sketch card set by Rob Retiano. I've even got two versions of him, from his intro and from his later stint in the Justice League. I've also got a sketch of him from Derek Fridolfs. But that's it.

I also had to do another edit to include a link to the Imgur album. I kind of dropped the ball on this one. Going through the album, I realized that until recently I had the entirety of the Return of Bruce Wayne mini (regular covers), but I ended up selling that. I made a profit, and I don't think it'll be difficult at all to replace, and I bet I can get it for less than I paid. So, win-win?

Have List

1st Issue Special #1
Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne #3 (variant), 6 (variant), TPB
Brightest Day #15, 15 (variant), 16, 16 (variant), TPB v2
Justice League of America Vol. 2 (2006 series) #42, 43, 43 (variant), 44, 44 (variant), 45, 46, 46 (variant), 47, 47 (variant), 48, 48 (variant), 49, 49 (variant), 53, 53 (variant), 54, 54 (variant), 55, 55 (variant), 56, 56 (variant), 57, 57 (variant), 58, 58 (variant), 59, 59 (variant), 60, 60 (variant)
Justice League: Cry for Justice #1, 1 (variant), 1 (sideways), 2, 2 (2nd Print), 4, 5, 6, 7
Justice League: The Rise and Fall Special #1
Justice League: The Rise of Arsenal #2
Justice Leagues: Justice League of Aliens
Justice Society of America Vol. 3 (2007 series) #41, 41 (variant), 42, 42 (variant), 43
Starman Vol. 2 (1994 series) #3 (Signed by Tony Harris), 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17, 25, 27, 28, 29, 33, 35, 45, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 63, 64, 65, 67, 69, 70, 71, 73, 76, 80, TPB Vol. 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10
Starman Omnibus Vol. 1, 2, 3 (Signed by Drew Geraci), 4 (Signed by Drew Geraci, John Lucas), 5, 6, TPB 1, 2
Starman 80-Page Giant #1 (Signed by John Lucas, Drew Geraci)
Starman Secret Files #1
Starman/Congorilla #1
Supergirl Vol. 5 (2005 series) #65
Superman: War of the Supermen #4, 4 (variant)
Superman: War of the Supermen Double Feature #2
Superman/Batman Annual #5
Titans Vol. 2 (2008 series) #36, 38, Annual #1

Want List
Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne #3, 5, 5 (variant), 6, HC
Brightest Day HC v2, Omnibus
DC Universe: Origins TPB
Justice League of America Vol. 2 (2006 series) #42 (variant), 45 (variant)
Justice League: Cry for Justice TPB, HC
Justice League: The Rise and Fall Special #1 (variant)
Starman Vol. 2 (1994) TPB Vol. 5, 7, 9
Subway Presents: Justice League #3
Superman: War of the Supermen TPB, HC

My Collections, Part 3: Starman of 1951

Not a lot to show here. The Starman of 1951 was a throwaway character in an early issue of Detective Comics (#247 from September 1957). Spoiler alert, it's an alternate hero Batman poses as...for some reason. I don't have this comic, although I'm always searching eBay for a complete, cheap issue.

During James Robinson's Starman series, he brought in ALL characters who have ever used the name Starman. Now, he couldn't actually bring in Batman as a former Starman, so he retconned the character into Dr. Mid-Nite posing as the character while...well, y'know, go read the comics. Seriously, it's worth it.

These are the few appearances and pieces of artwork I have. The art pieces are from sets mentioned in the last post.

My Collections, Part 2.2: Starman (Ted Knight) - The Stuff

It wasn't until I started REALLY collecting Starman comics that I decided I was going to get ALL things Starman related. This includes toys, trading cards, prints, posters, miscellaneous collectibles, and original art.

One of the good things about collecting a character like Starman is that there isn't a ton of stuff out there to collect. Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, Iron Man, etc....fuggedaboutit. With Starman, there's just enough stuff out there to make the hunt fun, but not enough to overwhelm me. And there aren't a lot of high-dollar items out there. Statues and original art will always be expensive, but the character just isn't sought after enough to make his action figures or trading cards all that sought after.

First up is my original art. This part of my collection started about 10 years ago. I was a member of an online graphic novel trading group called Sequential Swap. I was contacted by member Derek Fridolfs to see if I would be interested in trading for one of my books. He said he was an artist and would trade one of my books for a sketch of a character of my choosing. He showed me some samples of his art, which was a little cartoony but still good, so I jumped on the chance. I ended up getting six different Starman sketches from him, ultimately wanting him to do each character for me, but I never got around to having him finish the series. I'm pretty sure the first sketch (Jack Knight) was the only one I traded for, and I probably paid for all of the other, no more than $30 for each character.

The Fred Hembeck sketch is on a blank card the size of a trading card. I ran across this piece on eBay, where he was apparently selling a bunch of cards like this but with different characters. I picked it up for $10, which I thought was a bargain.

A couple years ago I looked at that uncompleted Derek Fridolfs project of Starman sketches and thought I need to try again (by this time Derek was really making a name for himself, and I assumed his sketch prices were going up), but one a somewhat smaller scale. I came across artist Rob Retiano through a Facebook group where we were both members. He posted some of his art and mentioned he was open for commissions, so I brought him my idea for the cards. One card for each person to ever take the mantle of Starman, as well as his arch nemesis (all three Mists) and The Shade. There were also two versions of Ted (in costume and when he was older) as well as two versions of Prince Gavyn, Mikaal, Will, and David (Blacked Night David was included). He drew and colored a total of 20 cards for me, and I couldn't have been happier with what I received.

The two Brett Jones pieces were done as a trade through a Facebook group, but I do not remember what I traded for the piece. He included the finished piece (with an interesting new color scheme) as well as a preliminary drawing he did to get warmed up for the final piece. He also included a signed copy of the first issue of his comic Radiation Day!

The splatter print was kind of a lark. I liked the idea of the pictures, but I ended up having a bit of buyers remorse. I wasn't paying for original art or a print of an original piece by the artist. I was basically paying for a piece from another artist that was recolored. When I asked the artist about his process, this is what he told me: "I paint these digitally in Photoshop with various brushes." When I brought up that the pictures greatly resemble works by other artists, he said, "I typically look at a reference photo so it is possible they resemble other work ... I'm not familiar with the artists though." I realized that this kind of work isn't my thing, but if it's yours, check the guy out. His Etsy store has been offline since April, but it says it'll be back.

I don't have anything illuminating to say about the trading cards or the action figures. They are what they are. Same with the cup, but I thought it was a neat find. 7-11 having superhero cups isn't all that surprising or exciting, but putting the Golden Age Starman on a cup? That seems pretty out there.

Here are the pics for the collection. Enjoy!

My Collections, Part 2.1: Starman (Ted Knight) - The Comics

This is going to be the first image-heavy post. Rather than clutter up the actual post with a bunch of images that I can't rearrange all that well, I've decided to upload them to an Imgur album. Easy peasy. The link will be at the bottom of the post.

I don't really have much of a connection with Theodore "Ted" Knight, the original Starman. My love of Starman comes from Ted's son, Jack, and the series that follows his exploits. But because I love Jack, I love Starman, and because I love Starman, I love ALL the characters who have taken up the mantle and used the name, and that includes Ted.

This is going to be the most difficult character in which to collect. It's not that he has a ton of appearances, it's just that most of them, at the least his main appearances and not just when he appears in the background as a member of the JSA, are in the Golden Age. I'm looking at about 40 issues of Adventure Comics and about 15 issues of All-Star Comics. Even rough copies of these comics are going to cost me some serious scratch. These will probably be the last issues I'll end up acquiring, if I ever do.

Like I said, Ted isn't my go-to Starman, There is, however, one story that he's a part of that is amazing, and it's no coincidence that it's written by Jack's guiding hand, James Robertson. The Golden Age predates Robinson's Starman series, both in publication and setting. The series takes place following WWII, and the heroes of the time are adjusting to life after the war...The War? Do we capitalize it? Or is that only when we call it The Great War?

Anyways, the story is an Elseworlds series. If you're not familiar, that's the banner DC used to give their alternate reality stories: Batman: Red Rain and Gotham by Gaslight, Superman: Red Son, etc. They even devoted an entire year's annual to Elseworld stories. I REALLY want to talk about the story and what it's about, but even though the story is 24 years old, I don't want to spoil it. I CAN say, though, Ted's character (and he really is more Ted than Starman here) has some great characterization that Robinson actually brings over to his Starman series.

If you're a fan of the story, I just found this old webpage that has annotations on the series. I'm going to be diving into that sometime this week.

Besides The Golden Age, there are a few personal highlights of my Ted Knight collection. I've acquired some of the Silver Age Justice League issues, including the first appearance of the Silver Age Red Tornado. I was lucky enough to snag it for a good price right before it was announced he was going to be on the Supergirl TV show. I've also got the hard-to-find Golden Age and Starman uncorrected preview editions.

I can remember only three times when reading a comic book made me cry. The second time was Ultimate Peter Parker's funeral in Ultimate Fallout #1, when the little girl asked Aunt May if she was the one who made Peter breakfast. Oof, I'm almost tearing up just thinking about it. The third was issue #134 of Fables where Bigby Wolf is reunited with his child (I won't say which one or why they're being reunited...GO READ FABLES). It was beautiful and sad and happy and probably my favorite part of the series, and that is saying A LOT.

The first time I cried when reading a comic book, though, was the memorial service for Ted. The memories were spectacular, and somewhat simplistic art by Peter Snejberg perfectly captured the mood. With the Ultimate Fallout issue, I read it thinking about me surviving the death of one of my kids, and with Fables I read it thinking about having a reunion with one of them. With Starman issue #73, though, I imagined what kind of stories I'd be hearing about my own father if this were his memorial service. It's one thing for a writer to write...that's their job. But those who can put you in the scene and make you feel so many emotions...for an imaginary character...that's talent.

The Jack Knight I grew to love could not have happened without Ted. I don't say that in a snarky way to suggest that without his dad he wouldn't have been born, because duh. Robinson's Starman series was about family and legacy. There were eight different Starman beginning with Ted. There was a Starboy as a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes. There was a Stargirl. Without Ted, there wouldn't be this rich heritage. Don't believe me? Look at DC's rebooted line. There was no Golden Age of Heroes once DC introduced the New 52 universe in 2011. There was no Ted Knight/Starman (there MAY have been a Ted Knight, who knows, but there was no Golden Age Starman), so there was no Jack Knight/Starman. There was/is a Stargirl, but she had nothing to do with the Knight family and the Starman legacy, at least that we've been told. She still found her step-dad's cosmic belt and a cosmic rod, but as far as I know their creator has not been named. Maybe it was Ted?

I'm hoping that Ted is one of the characters brought back when the Justice Society eventually returns. C'mon, it's going to happen. I would have even been happy with a new Starman in the Earth 2 series, but that never happened. So we'll just have to keep looking to the future and see what DC has in store.

If I've done my research, and I believe I have, here are my two lists for Starman (Ted Knight), my Have List and my Want List:

Have List

• 52 #7, 27, 38
• Action Comics Vol. 1 #663
• Adventure Comics Vol. 1 #61 (Millennium Edition), 466
• Adventure Comics Vol. 2 #1
• All-American Comics Vol. 2 #1
• All-Star Comics Vol. 1 #69-70, 74
• All-Star Comics Vol. 2 #1-2
• All-Star Comics Illustrated Index #1
• All-Star Squadron #1-5, 7, 10, 15, 17-19, 24, 27, 30-31, 34, 38, 41-43, 47, 50-51, 53, 57-60, 64, Annual #2-3
• America vs. the Justice Society #1-4, Trade Paperback
• Armageddon: Inferno #3-4
• Batman/Hellboy/Starman #1-2
• Birds of Prey #4, 4 (White Lantern Variant)
• Blackest Night: JSA #3, 3 (Variant)
• Brave and the Bold Vol. 1 #61-62, 182
• Countdown #20, 43, 46-47
• Crisis on Infinite Earths #4, 9, 10, 12
• Damage #12, 15
• DC 2000 #1
• DC Comics One Million #1
• DC Comics Presents: Superman - Sole Survivor #1 (Signed by cover artist Kevin Nowlan)
• DC Sampler #2
• DC Universe Holiday Bash #2
• DC Universe: Legacies #5
• DC/Wildstorm: Dreamwar #2
• DCU Heroes Secret Files and Origins #1
• Final Crisis Secret Files and Origins #1 (Border Cover), 1 (Full Cover)
• Final Night #2-3
• Flash Vol. 2 Annual #3
• Golden Age #1-4, Deluxe Hardcover, Preview, Trade Paperback
• Golden Age Secret Files and Origins #1
• Green Lantern Corps Quarterly #1 (Signed by Mark Bright), 3 (Signed by Mark Bright), 6
  
• Green Lantern Secret Files #1 (Signed by Kevin Nowlan, Darryl Banks)
• Green Lantern: Brightest Day, Blackest Night
• Green Lantern: Fear Itself
• Green Lantern/Sentinel: Heart of Darkness #1
• Hellboy: Masks and Monsters Trade Paperback
• History of the DC Universe #1-2, Trade Paperback, Hardcover
• Infinite Crisis #2 (Jim Lee), 2 (George Perez)
• Infinity Inc. #1-2, 8-9, 12, 20-21, 25, 27, 34, 48, Annual #1, 2
• JLA: Incarnations #4
• JLA: Year One #2, 4, 11, 12
• JSA #1, 18, 56, 69 (Signed by Keith Champagne), 70-72
• JSA: All-Stars Vol. 1 #4, 8
• JSA Classified #20
• JSA Secret Files and Origins #1 (Signed by Darryl Banks, Kevin Nowlan)
• JSA: Strange Adventures #1-6, Trade Paperback
• Justice League: Another Nail #3
• Justice League of America Vol. 1 #30, 64, 73, 82-83, 101, 193, 207-208, 219-220, 231-232
  
• Justice League: The Nail #1
• Justice Society of America Vol. 1 #1-3, 5, 7
• Justice Society of America Vol. 2 #1
• Justice Society of America Vol. 3 #8, 8 (Variant), 25, 25 (Variant), 50, 50 (Variant)
• Last Days of the Justice Society of America Special #1
• Legends of the DC Universe #1
• Manhunter Vol. 4 #13, 23
• Martian Manhunter Vol. 2 #20
• Red Tornado #1, 3
• Sandman Mystery Theatre #38-40
• Secret Origins Vol. 3 #7, 27, 50
• Smash Comics Vol. 2 #1
• Spectre Vol. 3 #20
• Starman Vol. 1 #26-27
• Starman Vol. 2 #0-4 (all signed by Tony Harris), 7, 9-13, 15-18, 20-22, 24-25, 27, 29-30, 32-35, 37, 39-53, 55-56, 61-72, 76-79, 1,000,000, Annual #1-2, Sins of the Father Trade Paperback
• Starman 80-Page Giant #1 (Signed by John Lucas and Drew Geraci)
• Starman Secret Files and Origins #1
  
• Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. #0, 2, 4, 8-9
• Superman Vol. 2 #226
• Superman/Batman #41
• Superman: Our Worlds at War Secret Files and Origins #1
• Tales of the Batman: Alan Brennert Hardcover
• Thrilling Comics Vol. 2 #1
• Vault of Michael Allred #4
• Wanted, the World's Most Dangerous Villains #6
• War of the Gods #2, 2 (Collector's Edition), Trade Paperback
• Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #12, 22
• Who's Who Update '87 #1
• Wonder Woman Vol. 1 #231-232
• World's Finest Comics #265
• Young All-Stars #1, 3, 9, 20, 27
• Zero Hour #1-3, Trade Paperback

Want List

• Adventure Comics Vol. 1 #61-102, 462
• All-Star Comics Vol. 1 #8-23
  
• All-Star Comics Vol. 2 #1 (RRP Variant)
• All-Star Comics 80-Page Giant #1
• All-Star Squadron #20-22, 25, 28, 32-33, 35, 44-45, 50, 53, 60, Annual #3
• Batman: Secret of the Batcave Trade Paperback
• Blackest Night: Black Lantern Corps Vol. 2 Hardcover and Trade Paperback
• Convergence #8
• Crisis on Multiple Earths Vol. 1, 2, 3, 6 Trade Paperbacks
• Crisis on Multiple Earths: The Team-Ups Vol. 1, 2 Trade Paperbacks
• DC 100-Page Super-Spectacular #DC-20
• DC 2000 #2
• DC Comics/Dark Horse Comics: Justice League Vol. 1 Trade Paperback
• DC Comics One Million Trade Paperback, Omnibus Hardcover
• DC Sneak Preview #1
• DC Universe: Legacies #5 (Variant), Trade Paperback, Hardcover
• DC Universe: Origins Trade Paperback
• DC/Wildstorm: Dreamwar Trade Paperback
• Fate #22
  
• Final Crisis Companion
• Final Night Trade Paperback
• Golden Age Starman Archives Vol. 1-2 Hardcovers
• JSA Presents: Green Lantern
• Justice League of America Vol. 1 #29, 74, 100, 102, 209
• Justice Society of America Vol. 1 #8
• Justice Society of America Vol. 2 #9-10
• Legionnaires Annual #3
• Manhunter Vol. 4 Trial by Fire Trade Paperback, Origins Trade Paperback
• Power of Shazam #35-36
• Spectre Vol. 3 #62
• Wonder Woman Vol. 2 #159
• Wonder Woman 1972 Trade Paperback
• Young All-Stars #14

Here's a link to pics of all of my Ted Knight/Starman comics.

Tony Harris JSA project FINALLY announced!

You might remember a few months ago when I attempted to "report" on a "scoop" I had discovered about Tony Harris reteaming with James Robinson on an Earth 2 story arc. Well, about 90% of that was based on a couple of tweets from Mr. Harris.

Here, take a gander.

Turns out the artist IS working on a new JSA story, it's just not with Mr. Robinson and it's not about the "current" JSA. It's a crossover of sorts between his and B. Clayton Moore's creation, The Whistling Skull, and it's set in the Liberty Files/Unholy 3 universe.

I can't believe how off yet how close my rumor was to actual truth. That blog posting mentioned the wonderfulness of JSA: The Liberty Files and The Unholy 3, but my mind went straight to Earth 2 without even contemplating another Liberty Files sequel.

I know nothing about The Whistling Skull. I know nothing about it because the first mini, The Further Adventures of the Whistling Skull, while announced in the spring of 2010, hasn't actually been released yet. Harris has been posting his work-in-progress pages on his Twitter feed, and I just assumed the beginning of the series had already been released. Apparently not. So, good news, I've eventually got another series to had to my pull list at my LCS!

In researching the Skull and trying to crack the mystery of this series I thought had been released, I came upon some good articles that you might like to read. Here's one from iFanboy. Here's one from Comic Book Resources. This one is from Multiversity Comics. This last one is from Bleeding Cool.

I'd also be remiss in not directing you to Tony Harris' Twitter account. The guy posts TONS of his artwork during the various production stages. I would imagine this would be very instructive to any budding artists. For a fan, it's just amazing to see how these purdy pitchers get made.

Also, I just had a totally tangential thought: imagine Tony Harris doing an homage to Grant Wood's "American Gothic." Opal City, probably the Starman Museum, in the background. Jack Knight on the right holding his cosmic/gravity rod. The female Mist on the left. If I had a dump truck full of money, I'd back it up to Tony Harris and ask him nicely to create this for me. But alas, I don't, so now I'm sad.

What You Should Have Read #46

Last Week’s Comic Book Awesomeness

Amazing Spider-Man #671 – Hot damn. Hot damn hot damn hot damn. I don’t care what the issue is about (big lie), this issue wins because of the cover. Ariel ignited my love of redheads, but Mary Jane kept that fire burning. As for the issue, yeah, good stuff here. I’ve really, really enjoyed this book since “Brand New Day” started, and while “Spider Island” is a big deal, it hasn’t felt as big as “Fear Itself,” which has probably just as many spin-off minis, or “Schism,” which is probably bigger in scope but smaller in scale. Good lead-in, good story, good pace…this just feels good and reads well. And seriously, Mary Jane…amiright?

FF #10 – I’ve enjoyed the slow build-up of Crystal and Ronan’s relationship since, what, the Annihilation stuff? This quote by Ronan just got to me, and I’m happy to realize that yes, I don’t have a cold, cold heart. Romance and happiness are still alive and well inside me. Also, it looks like Hickman is winding this long story of his down. Since he took over duties on Fantastic Four, I’ve been back and forth on my enjoyment of his run. I’ve liked what he’s tried to do, actually bringing something fantastic of scope to this family, but sometimes I’ve been confused and let down by any follow-up. I do believe, though, when all is said and done that I will have enjoyed the story as a whole.

Generation Hope #12 – There’s a lot to like about this issue. Zero’s burgers. Rockslide’s secondary mutation. Velocidad’s admission. Teon’s…statement…well, statementS if I’m being specific. This was some damn fine writing and a great transition into the new direction that the X-Men books are taking.

Shade #1 – I’ve been waiting for this for a LONG time. In my list of favorite comic book runs, James Robinson’s Starman run is on top. I’ve been extremely underwhelmed with everything Robinson has done since (I loved his last JLA issue, though), but I think in everyone’s mind, Starman and Robinson are almost synonymous. And now we’re getting a 12-issue maxi-series focused on this supporting character, a laughable villain with a laughable power. When Robinson got done with him, though, he was so much more. Between his journal entries and the beautiful mini series, we’ve been given tiny nuggets about his past and origin. Now, I’ve only read one interview with Robinson since this series was announced, and he kind of brushes past calling this an origin mini. If we’re to believe the Shade as he’s talk to Mikaal, though, this isn’t going to be an origin. I don’t care. This first issue felt like I was reading Starman again, reading something well-written by Robinson. That made me feel good. Real good. And the way it ended, well, if that’s not a cliffhanger I don’t know what is. It was a wonderful issue on all accounts, and I’m so happy to have it.

What You Should Have Read #19

Before I get to the reviews and thoughts on last week’s comics, I’d like to take a moment to mention my excitement about something. Here is an excerpt taken from an article on Comic Book Resources regarding James Robinson’s current plans:

“James said he has no intention of ever bringing his fan favorite character, Jack Knight, back, but that if he did, it would have to be a big event and not something like the extra/final issue of “Starman” that was recently released.”

While I’m disappointed to hear that there aren’t any plans for Jack Knight, I’m pleased to know that Robinson would want it to be something big and not gimmicky.

“The upcoming "Shade" series will be 12 issues, but more will come if the need is there. The series will be broken down into three-issue arcs, with every fourth issue a "Times Past." Robinson wants to make sure the first 12 issues are perfect before he tries to continue on with the character in an ongoing. While he couldn’t reveal much, he did mention that the artist for the first arc is both highly regarded and an interesting choice that fans might not expect, but he can’t say who she is.”

This is the news that got me excited. I’ve always thought that a Shade series written by Robinson would be a no-brainer. The possibilities are endless, what with his age and the mystery surrounding him. He’s a virtual blank slate, even with all the attention Robinson paid to him in his Starman series. The only thing that would have made me more excited about the news would be hearing that Tony Harris would be providing cover art.

Okay, on to reviews.

Necrosha-X

So, that’s the finale in X-Force. Not bad, but the usual complaint still applies, and I assume that it will until a new artist is found. Not that I’m calling for one. I like Crain’s work when I can make out what it is, and the darkness really does fit the title. My main problem with this story is something I’m going to tackle more in Blackest Night #8 because it upset me more there than it did here, but that’s the mass resurrection of dead characters. I’m assuming though, as opposed to what happened in Blackest Night, the ones who escaped Selene’s destruction are still technically dead. I guess there are a bunch of mutant zombies running around now. But how will the demise of Selene affect their “programming”? Will the resurrected good guys go back to being good? Hmm, something to ponder.

Realm of Kings

Well, Medusa’s a bitch, isn’t she? If it hadn’t been for the fact that she beat the crap out of Gorgon, I’d think that Maximus is playing her. I like the take over in Imperial Guard at how Gladiator is handling being thrust into the political spotlight, rather than how Medusa has been handling it in Realm of Kings: Inhumans. I imagine that all of this will come back and bite her in the ass when Black Bolt returns, because you know he will. If Necrosha-X and Blackest Night has taught us anything (and really, comics during the last 30 years) is that nobody stays dead, not even Bucky.

Second Coming

I probably should have read all the X-Men books from the end of House of M until X-Men: Second Coming. I know the general details of what has happened, but I know nothing of specifics, and I think those would help a bit. Is it too much to ask that, for a few months at least, we lay of the events? Necrosha-X ends this week, and the Nation X banner just came off the books. We’ve still got Siege going on and Fall of the Hulks. Is there no time to just take a step back and relax? Eh, I guess that’s what the Kitty Pride story in Uncanny was for. Anyways, this issue does a good job to show us the villains and let us know the main thrust of the story: Hope and Cable are back and the bad guys want to kill Hope in order to destroy mutants for ever (wow, subtle much?). It’d be a lot easier to root for hope if we knew HOW she was going to save mutant-kind; fictional faith can only keep me interested in a story for so long.

Siege

Yet another issue of Dark Wolverine that didn’t actually happen. I feel so cheated when books do that. And how strong are his claws? I wasn’t under the impression that they were laced with adamantium like his daddy’s are. Aren’t they just bone? Is that enough to gut an Asgardian? So have we actually learned anything about Daken? I’m not so sure we have.

New Mutants was an odd little book. It carried the Siege banner, but didn’t actually impact the storyline. Remember when Osborn had the Avengers attack the X-Men and Moonstar went to Hela to ask for assistance? Well, Hela is calling due the marker now that a bunch of Asgardians are dying. This is actually a story that can be passed up by both New Mutant readers and readers of Siege…unless you’re a big fan of Thor and his mythos, then I guess you’d want to check this out. Casual readers, though, can bypass this.

 

Spider-Man

Raise your hands if you think that that is Professor X in the Captain Universe garb at the end of Amazing Spider-Man? Yeah, me too. This is yet another solid issue of Amazing Spider-Man, and the stories have really been harkening back to when I first got into comics, and Spidey specifically. There’s no mystical Spider-totem mumbo jumbo, no clones, and no organic web-shooters. This is a down-on-his-luck hero who fights the good fight. While there was no actual fighting to speak of in this issue, we got Spidey being all altruistic with trying to help the Juggernaut (of all people) out. I also like that the editorial boxes have been reinstated over the past few years. I never understood why they were removed.

 

X-Men

Is it too much to hope that Deadpool Corps is better than Prelude to Deadpool Corps? This mini was pretty bad. And we still don’t know what enemy the group is facing. At least we know that it’s of cosmic importance and who was responsible for tasking Deadpool with recruiting his corps.

I’m not quite sure what the point of the latest issue of Wolverine: Origins was. I assume Mariko or her death will play some part in this new storyline, otherwise we just got a recap of things we should have already known. I felt really cheated by the issue. And I miss Doug Braithwaite’s art. Scot Eaton wasn’t bad, just not what I wanted. And Daken shows up to help him out with whatever is coming next. Really? Does something happen during the end of Siege to where they can stand each other? THAT needs an explanation.

Other Marvel

I’ve never been much of a Cloak and Dagger fan, but this one-shot had a really solid story with some nice art. It wasn’t ground-breaking and a must-read, but it wasn’t a pile of crap, either. Lately, it seems like everything I’ve read has been at one end of the spectrum with no room for the middle. Sometimes, and nice middle-of-the-road story is all you need. We were quickly reintroduced to Cloak and Dagger, found out that they are not in fact mutants, and probably set them up for a new mini. Kudos to Stuart Moore and Mark Brooks for such a solid one-shot.

Was the irony intended in Fantastic Four when Medusa said, “Black Bolt has a saying.” No. No he doesn’t. And when a rocket is launched to the moon from the heart of New York City, where does the first stage fall to? When launched from Florida, the boosters or whatnot falls into the ocean, right? When Reed announces first stage separation, where does that first stage fall to? As for the story itself, it doesn’t suffer quite as much as the previous two issues of having too grand a scope in too little of a package. But where is this city traveling from that it hasn’t heard about the death of Black Bolt? Or are they viewing him as some sort of messiah figure? I think I’m going to need a massive, dumbed-down recap before Hickman gets to his big storyline that he HAS to be working on. This all has to be leading up to something great.

Blackest Night

This final issue of Blackest Night was a steaming pile of crap. Y’know, I should expect stuff like this from massive crossovers by now, but I still have hope. They almost always sound awesome and promising up front, then fall flat. Also, whenever there’s a main mini with other books that tie into it, I hate how the main book is usually filled with gaps that you HAVE to pick up the other books for. I’ve noticed that being more of a problem with DC than Marvel, as far back as Crisis on Infinite Earths, but especially horrible with events like Millennium, War of the Gods and Invasion. And real quick, let me say that Ivan Reis did a great job of providing definition and clarity to the amount of characters Geoff Johns made him vomit onto the page. There were just way too many characters in this, but Reis did an admirable job with it. No, I blame Johns for dropping the ball on this crapfest. Johns did a relatively good job at explaining why the formerly-deceased heroes became Black Lanterns, and then they just happened to become White Lanterns when Hal merged with the Entity? Why not when Sinestro did it? And now, thanks to the white rings, all the Black Lanterns are now alive? That’s ridiculous. Did that need to happen? EVERYBODY’S alive again? It’s stupid. It’s just stupid. There, I said it. And the line Hal said at the end, “I think dead is dead from here on out.” Sure, like we haven’t heard that before. That used to be the mandate over at Marvel, too, and that didn’t last. Sigh, at least it’s over…until Brightest Day starts, I guess.

Justice League/Society

James Robinson did an AMAZING job in Justice League this month of making sure all the characters are where they need to be for other books. It ended up whittling down a daunting line-up into just a team of four. I’m okay with that. It was too crowded and too Titans-centric to begin with. I hope that when all is said and done, Robinson picks a concrete line-up and sticks with it. There seems to have been a lot of turn-around lately. I don’t know what I think of the Multiverse angle yet. We’ll see.

Wait, did I miss something? When was the last time the Justice Society fought the Fourth Reich? Lighting seemed to know them, so it had to have been relatively recently, but I don’t recall them EVER fighting them, at least not since Geoff Johns brought the team back to popularity years and years ago. As for the current battle, well, I’m kind of tired of Mr. Terrific flaunting his terrificness around. What I enjoyed was the last few pages, the planning stages of a breakout that’s going to happen where the heroes, I’m assuming, will attempt to go back and alter the past. I liked the interactions and attention to detail (Michael’s beatings, using and disposing of toilet paper, etc.). After a ho-hum start, this could turn into a pretty decent story.

 

Last Stand of New Krypton

To rank the three stories in this issue of Adventure Comics, I’d have to put the Car-Vex story on top, with the Legion story following and the Superboy/girl story a distant third. That was just a bit too sappy and sugary for my tastes, what with bringing all the Kryptonians (sort of) together to fight the common enemy. It had to happen, but I don’t have to like it. I liked the Brainiac story for what it was, a comparison of Brainiacs throughout history. As much as I like Superman, though, I don’t like that he’s so important to all of time. His death by Brainiac destroys the universe? Whatever. But the Car-Vex story, a story about treachery and sacrifice, was definitely the high point of the issue. In such a small amount of pages we see Officer Romundi forced to betray one of her own and we’re shown why it hurts so much. Good job.

 

Red Circle

As with the Shield a week or so ago, I find that I’m liking The Web, rather enjoying it, but I can’t find any one reason. The art is good…not great, but good. Same with the writing, the characters and the plot. I’m a little disappointed, though, that the bit I enjoyed most was actually the inclusion of Oracle and Kitcat. I don’t mind that these books and characters have now been folded into the DCU, but you’d think they’d be good enough to stand on their own.

Other Stuff

This issue of G.I. Joe: Cobra II has thoroughly confounded me. I thought Chameleon and Le Tene were the same person. I Chameleon was masquerading as Le Tene to find Chuckles. I guess I don’t remember the first mini all that well, or came to an incorrect conclusion at the end of it. I should probably reread it. I thought Chuckles speech to Chameleon in his camp was very generic. “I’m a rebel. I’ve seen it all and my way is the only way.” It could have been from any buddy cop movie with a tough-as-nails system bucker and wide-eyed rookie. I am loving, though, seeing the more clandestine side of Cobra. I like this part of the reboot the most. All the cloak and dagger and mystery. The Joes are giving just about everything up to the reader, while Cobra is cloaked in this air of secrecy. That’s what is keeping me coming back for more.

Okay, I think I’m getting it. Irredeemable is heroes against THE hero, and Incorruptible is THE villain versus other villains. As an idea, I like it. As it is, though, it’s just falling flat. Both series are. If dude wants to be a hero, go after the Plutonian. Fighting your old buddies won’t do crap if the Plutonian is still going to kill everybody else.

Looking Forward To

• Boys #41
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 8 #34
• Deadpool and Cable #25
• S.H.I.E.L.D. #1
• Stephen King’s N #2
• Superman: Secret Origins #5
• Wolverine: Weapon X #12
• World War Hulks #1