The Beginning of Tomorrow!
It all starts here.
"Sins of the Father", Chapter One.
In the beginning there was Ted Knight. Ted Knight became Starman, and used the cosmic rod that he invented to harness the energy of the stars to fight crime.
In the goofiest costume on the planet. Red spandex with green trunks, boots and cape. Oh, and a fin on the head.
After returning from Limbo with the rest of the Justice Society of America and the events of Zero Hour: Crisis in Time, Ted Knight retires. He passes the torch - er, cosmic rod on to his oldest son David. Who is shot and killed not too long after by a sniper's bullet. The sniper is Kyle the oldest son of the Golden-Age Mist. The mist has brought his son and daughter, Nash, to Opal City for revenge on Ted Knight. The plan is simple, kill David, and Ted's other son Jack, destroy everything around the original Starman, and leave him to wallow in his grief.
With David murdered, Ted warns Jack to be on his guard. Heading to the morgue, Ted is shot and his observatory is blown up. Next, Kyle heads to Jack's store. Kyle shoots Jack, starts a fire in the store, and then drops a grenade for good measure. Jack manages to escape with a spare cosmic rod and learn that his father is wounded and in the hospital. The Mist family reunites to celebrate victory with a toast.
A couple weeks ago Dan Didio hinted that writer James Robinson would be coming back to DC and that he could maybe possibly be bringing Jack Knight with him. I thought it might be cool to go back through and re-read each issue of Starman from beginning to end. I've got every issue, except for the Sand and Stars storyline - and maybe a few others in the 20's - plus a few extra copies of the "Talking With David", "Times Past", and "Stars My Destination" stories. In that order those are my favorites. I didn't see a reason to get the trades because I had the issues, and unless there are some really cool extras, I don't see the point. I may be wrong on that, but that's me.
What grabbed me instantly from the beginning and still does is Jack. James Robinson has managed to create a character just like you and me, a guy with a quirky, eccentric, unique sense of nostalgia. Jack Knight is a collector and proprietor of old stuff. He's not a hero. Not like his father Ted was, and not like his brother David wanted to be.
And yet...
There is Opal City. Still a beacon of the Golden Age.
What struck me re-reading the first issue is seeing the house ads for Hawkman, Manhunter and Primal Force. Like Starman, they all came out of Zero Hour. Starman lasted the longest.
After all these years, I still can't wait to see what happens next.
Here's to you, Mr. Robinson.