Starman (comics)

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Starman, in comic books, refers to several different fictional characters in the DC Comics universe. Ted Knight and his son Jack are the two most prominent Starmen; see Starman (Ted Knight) and Starman (Jack Knight), respectvely, for more information on each. Image:Starmen.jpg

In chronological order of activity (not of appearance), the people to have used the name "Starman" include:

  • Starman II, aka the Starman of 1951, is a superhero who operated in the DC Comics universe in 1951. In actuality he is a retcon who appeared in the 1990s Starman series (q.v.) and whose identity was revealed towards the end of that series as being the original Dr. Mid-Nite, Charles McNider -- and later a time-displaced David Knight, son of the original Starman Ted Knight, after some training by McNider. In pre-Crisis continuity, the Starman of 1951 was actually Batman who briefly took up that mantle in Detective Comics #247.
  • Starman III is Mikaal Tomas (a.k.a. Michael Thomas), a 1970s DC Comics superhero. Tomas is an alien who travelled to Earth to help conquer it, and instead turned against his people in defense of Earth. He has blue skin and a power gem embedded in his chest allows him to fly and fire bolts of energy. He first appeared in First Issue Special #12 (1976), and later suffered amnesia until he turned up in the 1990s Starman series, where he was notable for being portrayed as openly having a gay relationship.
  • Starman IV is Prince Gavyn, a 1980s DC Comics superhero. Gavyn wielded armbands which allowed him to fly and shoot bolts of energy, and he became the ruler of his people. He first appeared in Adventure Comics #467 (1980), and was believed to have died in the Crisis on Infinite Earths. The 1990s Starman series (q.v.) revealed that his fate was different from previously believed.
  • Starman V is Will Payton, a 1980s DC Comics superhero, created by Roger Stern and Tom Lyle. Payton was struck by a bolt of energy from space which transformed him into a human shaped fusion reactor, and was empowered to fly, was superhumanly strong, could fire bolts of energy, and could change his appearance. He first appeared in Starman vol 1, #1 (1988), and seemingly died fighting the supervillain Eclipso. The 1990s Starman series (q.v.) revealed that his fate was different from previously believed.
  • Starman VI is David Knight, a 1990s DC Comics superhero, the son of the original Starman and older brother of the 1990s Starman. He first appeared in Starman vol 1, #26 (1990), having taken up his father's mantle, and was killed by an assassin in Starman vol 2, #0 (1994), although later in that series his ultimate fate was revealed to have been somewhat different from previously believed.
  • Starman VII is Jack Knight, a 1990s DC Comics superhero and the son of the original. He did not wear a costume and wielded a cosmically-powered staff. He was the protagonist of a popular comic book series written by James Robinson.
  • Starman VIII is Danny Blaine, a DC Comics superhero of the near future whose identity (but not his full story) is revealed in the Starman series (q.v.). Danny Blaine was eventually revealed to be Thom Kallor, aka Star Boy, a DC Comics superhero in the 30th century, and a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes. He originally had powers similar to Superboy, but later lost them and retained only his innate ability to increase the mass of nearby objects. Thom takes on the mantle of Starman in the 21st century with the full knowledge that he will lose his life there. The Danny Blaine/Thom Kallor version was inspired by the Kingdom Come/Alex Ross depiction of the character.

In addition, Stargirl is Courtney Whitmore -- formerly Star-Spangled Kid II -- a superheroine who inherited Jack Knight's cosmic staff after he retired from being Starman. She is a member of the 2000s Justice Society of America.

The Starman of the 853rd Century is Farris Knight, who is also a member of Justice Legion Alpha. He is a descendant of Ted Knight, and was a major character in the series DC One Million.

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Other Versions Of Starman

In JSA #72 (current series), a female calling herself Starwoman is revealed to be Patricia Lynn Dugan (the half-sister of Courtney Whitmore), one of the individuals Thom Kallor mentioned as continuing the Starman legacy. In JLA: Age Of Wonder, Starman is portrayed as a fellow inventor alongside of Superman, Thomas Edison, and Nikola Tesla, who invents his cosmic rod with technology gleaned from the rocket ship which brought Superman to Earth. In JSA: The Unholy Three, Starman is an intelligence agent working at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, and is code-named "Star".

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Other Media

The Prince Gavyn version of Starman made several background appearances in Justice League Unlimited. Stargirl also appeared, utilising the staff that she inherited from Jack in the comics (though it may have a different origin in the DC Animated Universe).

There was a series planned based on Jack Knight's adventures, but was last referred to in 2003 as being 'indefinitely on hold'.[1]it:Starman (fumetto)

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