| Darkstars | |
|---|---|
.png) Ferrin Colos and his Darkstar deputies, inDarkstars #3 (December 1992). Art byLarry Stroman (pencils), Scott Hanna (inks), and Juliana Ferriter (colors). | |
| Group publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Darkstars #1 (October 1992) |
| Created by | Michael Jan Friedman (writer) Larry Stroman (artist) |
| In-story information | |
| Member(s) | 2nd Generation Tomar-Tu Guy Gardner Countless unnamed members 1st Generation Aliens Administrator Sleer Prigatz Captain Zifor Ferrin Colos Chaser Bron Munchuk Merayn Dethalis Nuvah Jeddigar Xax Varix Lotta Hollika Rahn Galius Zed G'nort Medphyll Humans John Stewart Donna Troy Carla White Mo Douglas John Flint Charlie Vicker |
| Darkstars | |
 | The heroic Darkstars made their debut on the issue ofDarkstars #1 (October 1992). Art byTravis Charest &Larry Stroman. |
| Series publication information | |
| Schedule | Monthly |
| Format | Ongoing series |
| Genre | Superhero |
| Publication date | (vol. 1) October 1992 – January 1996 |
| Number of issues | (vol. 1): 38 |
| Creative team | |
| Writer(s) | Michael Jan Friedman |
| Penciller(s) | Larry Stroman Travis Charest Patrick Zircher Mitch Byrd Mike Collins |
| Creator(s) | Michael Jan Friedman (writer) Larry Stroman (artist) |
The firstDarkstars were a group of intergalactic policemen that appeared incomic books published byDC Comics.[1] They were introduced inDarkstars #1 (October1992), and were created byMichael Jan Friedman andLarry Stroman.[2] The series lasted a total of 39 issues, ending with issue #38 (Jan.1996), with an issue #0 (Oct. 1994) published between issues #24 and 25 during theZero Hour: Crisis in Time! crossover event storyline.[3]
In an interview, Michael Jan Friedman spoke on the genesis of the group stating,
"I went to the justice league editor and said 'you know I would like to do aMartian Manhunter story, and he goes you know we have so much inventory on Martian Manhunter solo stories and I said well I would like to doGreen Lantern, well we got so much inventory on Green Lantern, and I was like alright okay I get it, those were two of my favorite superheroes at DC growing up, and I said boy someday I'll do a green lantern story or a Martian Manhunter story, so anyway I go to lunch with Bob and Brian and they can see I'm a little disappointed, so they said well what is it about those characters you really like and I was talking about green lantern and how he's part of this corps...and I thought that was cool and that made him a little different from other characters and then the Martian Manhunter was the last of his kind, he was lonely, he had super powers that were very much likeSuperman's but he was bald and green and just not as popular and that appealed to me, so they said well what if you were to put Green Lantern and Martian Manhunter together what would you get ? and next thing you know I get home and I'm writing notes and by the next day I had a little proposal for Brian, a thing called Darkstars and it was really a mashup of Green Lantern and Martian Manhunter.[4]
The Darkstars were created and run by theControllers, an offshoot of theGuardians of the Universe. Though their goal was to establish order in the universe, the ancient Maltusian race known as the Controllers were isolationists by nature.[3]
The Controllers created NEMO, theNetwork for theEstablishment andMaintenance ofOrder, for the purpose of isolating the troubles of the galaxy away from the Controllers' domain. Over the millennia, the Controllers realized they would have to take a more active stance by attacking chaos at its roots. Despite all the good they did, there were too many NEMO operatives in too many different places. NEMO and the Controllers devised a new plan to ensure order, which resulted in the creation of the Darkstars. The first of these new protectors was named Druu, one of a thousand to carry the name Darkstar.
The first Darkstar to arrive on Earth was named Ferrin Colos. He arrived on Earth while tracking the supervillainEvil Star. He was authorised to appoint two humans as his deputies, giving them less powerful versions of the Darkstar uniform.
The Controllers expanded the Darkstar project after the collapse of theGreen Lantern Corps Central Power Battery onOa. The Darkstars would fill the void left by the failure of theGuardians' legions. After the Corps' collapse, many former Green Lanterns served in the Darkstar organization. Former LanternJohn Stewart was appointed field leader.Donna Troy also joined their ranks.[5]
As time went on, the Controllers expressed concerns about the effectiveness of the Darkstars. More specifically, they were troubled that Darkstar agents were mostly looking after their own agendas rather than those of the Controllers.
They withdrew their support from the Darkstars. This made many of the early Darkstar uniforms useless, as they relied on energy transmitted from the Controllers. The later, self-contained suits were unaffected. Many Darkstars were killed or lost their battlesuits in combat againstGrayven, son ofDarkseid, on the planetRann. Grayven also crippled John Stewart, paralyzing him from the waist down.Green Lantern Kyle Rayner ended the battle, but the Darkstars were shattered by the losses. In the end, only four Darkstars remained to help rebuild Ranagar.[3]
Later, the last of the Darkstars (Ferrin Colos, Chaser Bron & Munchuk) gave their lives saving the universe from the energy vampireStarbreaker. They siphoned off a considerable amount of power from him, which helped save the day, but their suits ruptured and all of them were disintegrated.
In the 2006Omega Men andMystery in Spaceminiseries, an organization called the Darkstars is active in theVega system, serving asclergy and missionaries forLady Styx. It is implied that Styx merely appropriated the old Darkstars' uniforms and equipment and gave them to her minions.
Among the equipment stolen by prosecutor Kate Spencer when she becomes the eighthManhunter is an exo-mantle which formerly belonged to an unnamed Darkstar. As seen inManhunter #32 (September 2008), the exo-mantle reacts adversely to a Reach scarab bonded toBlue Beetle Jaime Reyes. It appears as if the Controllers programmed an instinctive hatred of the Reach into all exo-mantles, just like the Guardians of the Universe did with thePower Rings worn by theGreen Lantern Corps.
The Controllers reveal themselves to be on the brink of extinction, and started kidnapping the Guardians of the Universe in order to use their DNA to create new conditions. By trapping them in a machine, the Controllers mined the Guardians' ancient Maltusian genes and twisted them into their own image, transforming them into Controllers. They are able to add three Guardians of the Universe to their number before being defeated by the Green Lantern Corps. It is also revealed that they possess a new set of Darkstars' exo-mantles which they plan to launch into the universe in order to match the power of the Guardians of the Universe.
It is later revealed that whenBatman,Wonder Woman,Hal Jordan,Aquaman, and Superman used the tenth metal, which as the ability to create or destroy matter based on its wielders' desires, to defeat Barbatos and rebuilt all the destruction made by him and his Dark Nights, they inadvertently added sublimated desires into the Universe, being the new set of Darkstars' exo-mantles one of the new things forged from their own dark desires.[6]
According to the Controllers, the new set of Darkstars' mantles took decades to perfect, are far more lethal than the previous generation and possess tactical capabilities that surpass those of the Green Lanterns; however, to the Controllers' dismay, they soon discover that the Darkstars' mantles are beyond their control when one activated itself and began searching for a suitable volunteer, all the while ignoring the Controllers' orders.[7]Tomar-Tu later reveals to Hal Jordan that the mantles gained consciousness of their own and, after bonding with a suitable volunteer, it trapped all the Controllers in order to use their psionic powers to link all Darkstars' thoughts and use the cosmic energy inside their bodies to fuel their foundry.[8] During the last stand against the Darkstars, Hal Jordan with help from Hammond is able to break the connection between the Controllers and the Darkstars and after using his own willpower, Hal is able to make all Darkstars' mantles malfunction, ending their apparent threat.
