Starman #2 (November, 1988)
"Field Testing"
Writer/Co-Creator - Roger Stern
Pencils/Co-Creator - Tom Lyle
Inks - Bob Smith
Letters - Bob Pinaha
Colors - Julianna Ferriter
Editor - Robert Greenberger
Cover Price: $1.00
If I were to guess how long ago it was that we discussed Starman #1... I'd probably say something like... it was six-months ago. Well... as it turns out, it's nearing on two-years and six-months ago.
Time is certainly a weird and cruel S.O.B., ain't it?
Well, let's get to it!
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We open with our man Will Payton revisiting the Rocky Mountain campsite where he was blasted with Starman-making-rays last issue. He is surprised to find that he's not the only interested party lurking the area. From here we get a quick and dirty retelling of some of the events of last issue. Will decides to leave, he's late meeting his sister as it is... and doesn't realize that one of the fellas on the ground noticed him... and even snapped a few pics.
He arrives a few moments later in the Arizona desert to meet his sis, Jayne. She runs him through a few tests of endurance to ensure he hadn't lost any of his Starmanniness. He hasn't! She goes to check his heartbeat... and, get this... dude doesn't have one! What's more, he hasn't had to go to the bathroom since the incident!
We hop up to Utah, and meet up with Dr. Melrose... that guy who's trying to create superhumans in a lab... the guy behind the satellite that inadvertently blasted Will while he was camping. He is handed the photo that was snapped a few pages back... and he's kinda ticked off. After all, all the power that Will sucked up was being reserved for his team. A staff member suggests hiring a freelancer to capture Starman.
We rejoin Will back in his Phoenix abode. He's flipping through the classifieds trying to find some work. On the front cover of the paper he learns that there is a killer on the run... and also that the local police are looking to question Starman about stuff that happened last issue... this gives him an idea. And so, a little while later, Starman pays a visit to the Phoenix P.D.
Captain Estevez busts in on the curious scene and pulls Starman aside. When asked what he wants, Starman simply says... he wants justice to be done. He suggests they team up to take down that on-the-run mass murderer. He then... makes his skin tone a fair amount darker so he could go "undercover". Hmm... okay. It looks like a coloring error... but, it's not.
Suddenly, over the police band... we learn that the baddie has been spotted coming out of Yuma. Before Phoenix's Finest know it, Starman's already headed thaddaway. I've been to Yuma once... ate at a KFC that had a buffet. Totally blew my mind.
Along the way, Starman comes upon a flipped over patrol car. A female officer is knelt before her downed partner and is calling in for backup. Will sets down to get a closer look... and the downed officer refers to him as "a brother". So, yeah... not a coloring error! Anyhoo, turns out... they were hot on the trail of the mass murderer, when he... get this... threw a grenade at them! Yeah, a friggin' grenade!
A ways up the road, the mass murderer (and his hostage) cross into Mexico. He then dumps her out on the ground... and prepares to shoot her in the head.
Lucky for her, Starman got there just in the nick of time!
The baddie unloads his gun into Starman's chest... which proves to be rather the futile endeavor. He goes to flee, but Will snatches him up... and delivers him back to Phoenix. We're going to assume he also returned the hostage to someplace safe too... but there's no evidence of this having occurred.
So Starman's a hero, and all that jazz. That doesn't mean Captain Estevez is quite ready to trust him though. Back home, Will's mom gets on his case about looking for a job... so, all's well that end's well.
We close out with Dr. Melrose meeting his new free-lancer. Are ya ready for this...? It's... waitforit... drumroll please... budda-budda-budda-budda-buddaaaaaaaaah......... Bolt?! Oh, c'mahhhn.
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Another fun issue with our "everyman hero", Will Payton.
It's probably not a terribly novel take to suggest that Starman is very much a Marvel-esque hero. Hell, I'm sure I've even made the "observation" a time or two before. Will is... a pretty normal fella... when he's not wearing his PB&J's, that is. Kind of a sad sack... still lives at home, can't find work... trying to make a name for himself (on two fronts). It's a pretty refreshing thing to see coming out of this era of DC Comics.
So, whadda we got here? It's kind of a "layer adding" issue. We learn a bit more about Will's condition... he doesn't have a heartbeat, and doesn't need to use the bathroom. We get a good look at Dr. Melrose... and a better understanding of why he and Will might be (unwittingly) at odds. Also, some Phoenicians are fleshed out. Good old-fashioned comics stuff. It was a good time.
There were a few "eh?" moments though. First... not sure why Will changed the color of his skin at the Police Station. I gotta figure it was just to remind the reader that he can. Still... came off as a bit weird. Then, he rescues the hostage, right? But... just leaves her standing in Mexico so he could fly the mass-murderer back to Phoenix? Poor gal.
Overall... this was really fun, and I'd recommend checking it out. Looks like this series has finally been made available digitally (which it wasn't back in 2016 when we covered #1)! We'll just assume that we had a lot to do with that. Ahem. Sure we did.
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(Not the) Letters Page:
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Starman #45 (April, 1992)
"Star Shadows, Part Four: Starlight, StarBRIGHT!"
Writer - Len Strazewski
Penciller - John Calimee
Inker - Roy Richardson
Letterer - Bob Pinaha
Colorist - Tom McCraw
Editor - Paul Kupperberg
Cover Price: $1.25
Last stop before #BestEventEver! Tomorrow's piece will be the blog's "official" offering to the crossover, and we'll be checking out one of the Annual tie-ins... actually the only one I bought off the racks during the Summer of 1992.
But that's for tomorrow... Today let's focus on putting Starman to bed.
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We pick up with the arrival of the Solar Jet at S.T.A.R. Labs where a confused Kitty Faulkner looks on. She watches as her new associate Bruce Gordon de-boards... and de-helms, revealing himself to be, ya know... Eclipso! She frantically tries to get away, even resorting to transforming into her Rampage persona. Her hulk-out is short lived, however, as Eclipso nails her with some black energy.
A little ways away, Will careens back to Earth... splashing down in (I assume) Metropolis... bay? harbor? gulf? a body of water is what I'm trying to say. He crawls out of the drink and drags himself to a pay phone to contact the Justice League Embassy in... France? Not sure why he wouldn't call the domestic league, but whattayagonnado? Maybe they're still salty at him for turning down membership.
Back at S.T.A.R., Eclipso has Kitty shackled to a wall... which makes me wonder why S.T.A.R. has wall shackles in their labs to begin with. He reveals that he's wanting to use Starman as a storage device... which, I thought we already knew... Oh well, I guess "Part Four" wasn't going to write itself. Kitty ain't keen on hearing the news, and reacts accordingly.
After some more threatening small-talk, Starman finally arrives... putting yet another hole in the wall of S.T.A.R. Labs. This, sigh, actually messes with Eclipso's plan, as it was reliant on Will entering... through the front door. Ay yai yai.
Starman blasts the Black Diamond out of Eclipso's hand and breaks Kitty free of her bonds. The Black Diamond winds up under a table, and so we get to watch... Eclipso, God's vengeance... or something, crawling under a table to retrieve it. Not his best look my friends.
From here, our battle resumes... Will and Eclipso each get some good shots in. Kitty foolishly grabs Eclipso by the arm... and gets back-handed for her troubles. Will yells "Kitty! Stay Back!" about three panels too late... she's already kayoed. It looks as though everything is coming up Eclipso, until...
... Power Girl (and her bouffant) arrives! I know we joked about it on the podcast, but ho-lee cow, I'm not sure how she fits through a door with that hairdo. It's a good thing Will put that giant hole in the wall. Anyhoo, after complaining that the French JLI Embassy staff speak... French... the fight continues... Eclipso blasts Power Girl, Kitty recovers and blasts the baddie with a conveniently-wall-mounted gun... then, Starman and Power Girl play "volleyball" with Eclipso's limp body. Oof.
Now with the upper hand, the heroes start thrashing ol'clipso. The battle ends with Starman appearing to thrust his... midsection in Eclipso's direction and nailing him with light. The moon-face vanishes from the Gordon visage.
Time passes, and Bruce Gordon recovers. He's back in his lab coat... apparently still in the employ of S.T.A.R. Labs, for whatever reason. It's revealed that Will's problematic power is due to... "Super-Hero Puberty". Yup, really. Power Girl is quite tickled by the thought, and razzes poor Will about his pending acne and body-hair growth.
Kitty don't take too kindly to Power Girl's "flirting", and tries to refocus the discussion. Power Girl quickly grows bored, and takes her leave. Not before giving Will a peck on the cheek though.
With Power Girl gone, Will turns his attention to his... girlfriend (?) Kitty Faulkner. She immediately pulls away and jumps down his throat. She says there's no way she can compete with a woman like Power Girl... totally not getting that Will Payton isn't anywhere near being in Power Girl's league.
Will finally gets through to her that he's in it for the long haul, ya know, unless he gets killed sometime within the current calendar year... and the issue... story... and series (!) ends with the couple in a loving embrace, and what I can only assume to be a Beavis and Butthead style laugh.
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Welp...
Out with a bang, am I right?
Now, this whole chapter just feels "off". I can't say that this feels like it was rushed toward cancellation, because the story is anything but (excepting the final scene, but more on that in a bit). As a whole, this story feels like it should have filled two issues. I'm completely talking out my backside now, but it's almost as though the Lobo and Power Girl asides were just stuffed in to keep the series going to cancellation.
Eclipso's plan to use Will as a storage vessel for energy...was less interesting the second time around. The fight was pretty pedestrian. If Will just needed to use his gilded pelvic thrust to defeat Eclipso... why did it take him so long to try it? Seems so anticlimactic. I feel like Strazewski was struggling to get through this... almost as much as I'm struggling to get through this review!
It's not to say this story was outright bad... just uninteresting... and a pretty poor way to close out the volume. Speaking of "closing out the volume"...
The ending with Will and Kitty hashing thing out... oh boy, that felt tacked on. It's like they finished up a few pages short... and needed to throw in this odd little aside. Kitty flipping out on Will because she didn't "measure up" to a super-powered friend of his... eh, maybe if it wasn't so out-of-nowhere it would have read better... but, it really did feel like it didn't quite fit. It felt unnatural... especially with how quick Will was able to diffuse the situation. I know I can't be the only one who has had arguments with a significant other... if I had a dime for every time I was able to "fix" things with a couple of sentences... I'd have no dimes.
Overall... this really isn't a story you need to read. If you're a fan of Will Payton (or Eclipso... or Lobo) you'll probably get something out of this. Otherwise, you'd be perfectly fine letting this one pass by under your radar.
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Letters Page (and Farewell):
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The Darkness Continues...
Starman #44 (March, 1992)
"Star Shadows, Part Three: Dark of the Moon!"
Writer - Len Strazewski
Penciller - John Calimee
Inker - Roy Richardson
Letterer - Bob Pinaha
Colorist - Tom McCraw
Editor - Paul Kupperberg
Cover Price: $1.25
We're officially past the midway point of the dark journey that is #BestEventEver... if you squint a bit, you might just be able to see some light at the end of that there tunnel...
All joking aside, this has been a really fun event to take part in. I really want to (once again) extend my thanks to the community for allowing me in with their moon-faced reindeer games.
An updated listing of all the participants will be allllll the way at the bottom of this piece, and will be finalized once... well, everything's final!
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Picking up where we left off, Lobo has soundly pounded Starman into the ground... and Eclipso has made his presence felt. What he doesn't realize is that he just made Lobo's bounty-hunt all that much easier in the process!
Before we know it, we've got ourselves a three-way-dance. Lobo cinches Eclipso in a headlock for a little while... Eclipso breaks free and diamond-zaps Starman. It's all quite riveting. They briefly stop fighting and stare at one another... this would be the point in an indie wrestling match where the crowd would applaud. Starman pleads with Bruce to fight the darkness... Lobo promises there will be some fraggin' going on.
And the fight resumes. Lobo continues to kick butt, because that's kinda what Lobo does. Eclipso is pelted into a crater, and Payton gives chase. At this point, Bruce Gordon is briefly able to break through the darkness, and speak. He reveals to Will that Eclipso has been manipulating the two of them to bring them together... as, if there powers combine... they can produce black light! He also explains why Lobo might be after his hide. It's that Lords of Chaos thing from the Phantom Stranger mini (1988), but you already knew that. Anyhoo, they decide to team-up against their common foe.
It's not long before Gordon's face returns to its mooney visage... and before Lobo comes a'calling. It's pretty neat... Lobo pulls a headlight off the ol' spacehog to light the way. Starman sucker punches him, then gives him the nyah-nyah treatment... showing just how ugly this character can be. I mean, he's downright homely.
Starman continues cheapshotting Lobo... knocking the headlamp out of his hands. In the total darkness the combined forces of Will and Eclipso shine some light in Lobo's direction. Lobo calls Starman a "hippie"... and I'm not sure I've ever seen a hippie with a mullet. Maybe a leftover hippie who joined the work force or something... business in the front and all'at.
Starman and Lobo resume their tussle. Will hurls a blast at Lobo, who sidesteps it! The deflection causes the light to hit Eclipso... rendering him into a pile of smoking dust! Welp, that's good enough for Lobo, the turtle just wanted Eclipso offed. The Main Man grabs the tatters of Eclipso's tunic as proof and hops on his headlightless hog to claim his credits.
Once Lobo's outta sight (dy-no-mite) Eclipso pops his head out of his hidey-hole. Ya see, this was all a ruse to get Lobo gone. Will naively suggests they take care of their initial business... and Eclipso's all "stupid boy, don't trust Eclipso", because, duh.
He blasts Will with his diamond-eyes (you like dub-step?) before revealing his true intentions. He is going back to Earth to, get this, get Kitty Faulkner? Wha---?
The issue ends with Starman collecting himself and going Earth-bound himself... though, with a threat as big as Eclipso, he knows he's going to need some powerful help. Don't look at the next cover lest the power-ful guest-star be spoiled.
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Welp, it was a fight scene. Not much to discuss here, right?
Wron... er, no... that's right, actually. Just a fight.
I guess to differentiate it from, ya know, all other book-length battles, we can mention that Will and Eclipso had to briefly put their differences aside to take down a common foe. Hmm, now that I read that back, that doesn't really differentiate this from the rest.
Um, pulling a fast one making Eclipso appear to be dead was... a good idea, I guess. Not mindbendingly original, but a good enough way to take the stupidly-powerful Lobo off the stage. Can't think of another way they could've done that. 1992 Lobo was not to be messed with... I don't see him "doing the job" for Will Payton in the penultimate issue of his series. Hey, I set up a sentence in such a way that I could use the word "penultimate", how 'bout that? Here's hoping I used it right!
Um, other than that... Eclipso (duh) turns on Will. Tsk, tsk... c'mon Will this is the, er... penultimate... issue of your series, you really oughta be smarter than that by now. His plan of heading back to Earth... ehh, really feels like we're taking the long way around here, though, I suppose he had to leave Earth in the first place to Eclipso-up. I dunno, this whole thing feels a bit time-filly.
The art is back under the pencil of John Calimee... and it's, ya know... pretty uneven. It looks like he's got a keen eye for Lobo... but his Starman and Eclipso feel a bit "off". Very flat.
Overall... it's a fight scene. If you like fight scenes (and Lobo) you'll probably like this. If not... this bugger's safe to skip.
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Letters Page:
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The Darkness Continues...
you is here y'all
