Starman (comics)

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 (DC Comics Golden Age) and Starman (DC Comics Modern Age), respectvely, for more information on each.

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

• Starman I is Ted Knight, a 1940s DC Comics superhero who wore a costume of red tights with a fin on his helmet, and wielded a gravity rod (later cosmic rod) as a member of the Justice Society of America. For more information, see Starman.
• Starman II 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--having been trained by a time-displaced David Knight, son of the original Starman Ted Knight . In preCrisis continuity, the 1951 Starman 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 gay.
• 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 bold 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. For more information, see Starman.
• 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 Starboy, 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.
• Starman IX is Farris Knight, a DC Comics superhero in the 853rd Century, and a member of Justice Legion A. He is a descendant of the original Starman, and was a major character in the series DC One Million.

In addition, Stargirl is Courtney Whitmore, formerly the Star-Spangled Kid, 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. For more information, see Stargirl.

Unrelated characters

Starwoman is a superhero in the world of Kurt Busiek's comic book Astro City. Appranetly, in JSA #72 (current series), a female calling herself Starwoman is revealed to be Patricia Lynn Dugan (the stepsister of Courtney Whitmore). Its not proven whether this Starwoman is real or if she is from an alternate universe.it:Starman