Starman (Jack Knight)
Encyclopedia : S : ST : STA : Starman (Jack Knight)
Starman is Jack Knight, a comic book superhero in the DC Comics Universe, and a member of the Justice Society of America. He is the son of the original Starman. Created by James Robinson and Tony Harris, he first appeared in Zero Hour #1 (September 1994). Starman is also the name of the popular comic book series chronicling Jack Knight's adventures, which ran from #0 to #80 (2001), as well as some annuals and special issues.
Jack is the son of Ted Knight, who, as Starman, was a Golden Age super-hero. Although he was fascinated by his father's heroic life as a child, he became more and more rebellious as he grew older. By the time he reached adulthood, Jack was disdainful of his father's past.
Although he apparently studied art, and had some talent, Jack's true passion was collectibles. He would eventually become the owner and operator of an antique and collectible store. Jack's older brother David was the one who took over his father's mantle.
Sadly, David was murdered by the son of the Mist, one of his father's old arch-foes. The Mist then attempted to murder Jack as well, who narrowly escaped by using one of his father's old gravity rods. Jack was resolved to track down the Mist out of a desire to protect his father. He would eventually kill the Mist's son in battle and capture both the Mist and his daughter Nash, who vowed revenge. The Mist himself succumbed to dementia after the death of his son.
Jack would reluctantly agree to become Starman if his father would agree to devote his "cosmic energy" to the betterment of mankind. There would be no costume for Jack, however. He wore his street clothes; the only accessories being his cosmic staff and goggles to protect his eyes from the glare.
Jack operated out of Opal City and had a few allies. First, there were the O'Dares, a family of Opal police officers. He also rescued Mikaal Tomas, an alien that had briefly operated in New York under the name Starman during the 1970s. Jack's most intriguing ally was The Shade, an immortal Golden Age super-villain who aided Jack simply because he considered Opal City his home and wanted it to remain quiet. Over time, it would be questioned whether or not The Shade's motives were more noble than he let on.
The Mist's daughter, Nash, would return as the new Mist in an attempt to become Jack's arch-foe. She drugged and raped Jack, in order for him to impregnate her during a hellish crime wave. She would eventually give birth to Jack's son.
Jack also fell in love with a woman he knew as Sadie. When she revealed that she was the sister of Will Payton, yet another hero to bear the name of Starman, he vowed to set off into space to find her missing brother.
After his return, he would face almost all of his foes in a massive battle that nearly destroyed Opal City. During the battle, Jack's father sacrificed himself to save the city. Following his father's death, Jack retired and took his son to live with him in San Francisco.
It is unknown what Jack is doing now, but it is presumed he is painting, living with Sadie, and raising his son (and, by now, his daughter, who was mentioned in Sadie's letter). He has passed his cosmic rod onto Courtney Whitmore (formely the Star-Spangled Kid II) who currently operates with the JSA, and now calls herself Stargirl. Jack's most recent appearance was a non-speaking cameo in Identity Crisis #1, sitting next to Stargirl at Sue Dibny's funeral.
According to Dan DiDio, Jack will make an appearance in 52, the weekly series that bridges the gap between Infinite Crisis and One Year Later. As well, preview information about the new Justice Society of America book claims that a Starman will be one of the characters. It is unknown if Jack Knight, Star Boy (Thom Kallor, who was destined to become Starman) or another character will be this Starman. The character can be seen in a large, two-page spread at the end of Infinite Crisis #7.[link] In addition, It has been recently revealed that Manhunter (Kate Spencer) is the granddaughter of Phantom Lady, who is Jack's aunt, making Kate Jack's third cousin.
Cosmic Staff
Jack Knight had no powers of his own. Instead, he wielded a 'Cosmic Staff'. This staff was a device invented by Jack's father Ted, and based on the earlier 'Gravity Rod'. The Cosmic Staff, sometimes called the Cosmic Rod, offered Jack powers including rapid flight and manipulation of energy. The staff absorbed stellar energy, which could be manipulated into defensive force fields, and offensive energy blasts of incredible power. Jack could use both powers at once, to protect himself from atmospheric damage in high velocity flight. Another power of the rod, seen late in the series, was that it was capable of receiving commands from a distance merely by Jack's thinking them. This was a feature of the device, an ability to 'attune itself to the user', and not a power of Jack's. At present, the staff is attuned to its current wielder, Stargirl, and it seems difficult to quickly change the staff's affiliation.Other Media
There was a TV series planned based on Jack's adventures from the creators of Smallville and Birds of Prey. Both Jack and his father would have featured, it would have been set in Opal City and would have apparently aimed to follow the comics as closely as possible. However, in 2003, after the failure of Birds of Prey, the series was described as 'indefinitely on hold' and there is presently no sign that it will ever be produced.[link]Collections
Most of the Starman series has been collected in several trade paperbacks.
- Sins of the Father, ISBN 1563892480 (collects #0-5)
- Night and Day, ISBN 1563892707 (collects #7-10, 12-16)
- A Wicked Inclination, ISBN 1563894092 (collects #17, 19-27)
- Times Past, ISBN 1563894920 (collects #6, 11, 18, 28, Annual 1, Secret Files)
- Infernal Devices, ISBN 1563896338 (collects #29-35, 37,38)
- To Reach The Stars, ISBN 1563897121 (collects Annual 2, #39-41, 43, 45)
- A Starry Knight, ISBN 1563897970 (collects #47-53)
- Stars My Destination, ISBN 1401200117 (collects #55-60)
- Grand Guignol, ISBN 1401202578 (collects #61-73)
- Sons of the Father, ISBN 1401204732 (collects #75-80)
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.