| Starman | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Textless cover ofStarman #72 (December 2000), art by Andrew Robinson. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Adventure Comics #61 (April 1941) |
| Created by | Gardner Fox Jack Burnley |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Theodore Henry "Ted" Knight |
| Species | Human |
| Team affiliations | Justice Society of America All-Star Squadron Justice League |
| Abilities | Fine hand to hand combatant Gifted inventor Brilliant intellect Via gravity and cosmic rods:
|
Starman (Theodore Henry "Ted"Knight) is asuperhero appearing in media published byDC Comics, primarily as a member of theJustice Society of America. Created by writerGardner Fox and artistJack Burnley, he first appeared inAdventure Comics #61 (April 1941).
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Invited by editorWhitney Ellsworth to create a new superhero character, Burnley drew the Starman costume as a variation ofSuperman's famous outfit, topped with aBuck Rogers-style helmet.Gardner Fox developed the character, and science-fiction writerAlfred Bester also contributed Starman scripts. Later in the run, Emil Gershwin wrote the stories, with art byMort Meskin andGeorge Roussos.[1]
His first story inAdventure Comics #61 (April 1941) pitted Starman against the sinister Dr. Doog, who threatened the world with his invention, the Ultra-Dynamo.[2]
He continued to appear inAdventure Comics through #102 (Feb 1946), andAll-Star Comics #8 (Dec 1941) to #23 (Winter 1944).[1]
As Starman, Ted wears a caped costume of red and green topped with a helmet with a fin on the top. He uses a gravity rod (later cosmic rod) of his own invention which allows him to fly and manipulate energy.[3][4]
Initially intending the rod as a power source, Ted is convinced by his cousin,Sandra Knight / Phantom Lady, to use it to fight crime. In the original 1940s stories, Starman operated out ofGotham City,[5][6][7] but this wasretconned in the 1990s to Opal City.
Starman's first recurring villain isMist, an elderly scientist who wields an invisibility potion.[8] Starman's rogues gallery also includes Astra the Astrologist, Cuthbert Cain, Dr. Doog and the Secret Brotherhood of the Electron, and the Veil.[9]
He is a frequent ally of theFBI and a member of theJustice Society of America for much of the 1940s and, like other "mystery men" of the time, serves in the wartimeAll-Star Squadron. In 1942, Ted enlists in theU.S. Army Air Force and briefly serves as a pilot duringWorld War II.[10]
At this time, the love of Ted's life is a woman named Doris Lee, who often chastises her layabout playboy boyfriend for his pretended laziness andhypochondria, unaware of Ted's costumed persona. Doris is murdered in the late 1940s, leading Ted to suffer a nervous breakdown.
In the 1990s-eraStarman series, Ted returns to active duty, partially inspired by his time-traveling sonJack. Additionally, it is revealed that he had a brief affair with the firstBlack Canary (Dinah Drake) in the 1960s.
Like the rest of the Justice Society, Starman spends many years in retirement following the end of theGolden Age of heroes, but returns to help mentor the team's spiritual successors theJustice League of America. During this time, Ted Knight marries a woman named Adele Doris Drew and has two children, Jack and David. InZero Hour: Crisis in Time!, Ted loses his slowed aging and is forced into retirement.[11]
Ted later battlesDoctor Phosphorus, whose radiation gives him terminal cancer. He is killed in battle with Mist while stopping his bomb from destroying the city.[12]
Ted Knight has no natural, superhuman powers. His abilities stem from the use of his inventions, the gravity rod and the cosmic rod. These devices channel an unknown form of stellar radiation, which Ted is able to manipulate through the rod. As Starman, he possesses the ability to fly, project bursts of stellar energy, light, and heat, create force fields and simple energy constructs, and levitate objects. Extended use of the cosmic rod created a bond between it and Ted, allowing him to mentally summon the rod when separated from it.
Ted possesses a brilliant intellect, mastery of several sciences, and a gift for invention. In addition to the gravity and cosmic rods, Ted created the cosmic staff used by his son, Jack, and the cosmic converter belt worn by his JSA teammates, theStar-Spangled Kid andStargirl.[13]