Rating: ** 1/2*
I was a big fan of James Robinson‘s Starman in the 90s. So much so that I got a tattoo of the insignia on my shoulder. When I heard this idea of having the Blackest Night “resurrect” canceled titles I thought it was great, especially as it would be resurrecting this long-time favorite of mine. Unfortunately, like the material that writer James Robinson has been doing since his return to comic books full-time, this issue is sub-par compared to his old work.

For those of you not familiar with the old Starman series, the Golden Age Starman, Ted Knight, had finally retired thanks to the events of Zero Hour and his son, David Knight, decided to take up his father’s mantle as the new Starman and protector of Opal City. In the very first issue (really issue zero), David is killed by the son of the super-villain, The Mist. As a result, Ted’s younger son Jack takes over the role of Starman for the duration of the series which ended with issue 80 when Jack retires to live in San Francisco with his son. One of the supporting characters of the book was the former super-villain, The Shade, and he along with another supporting character, Hope O’ Dare, are the focus of this issue of Starman.

First off, I really wish writer and co-creator, James Robinson, would have used Jack Knight in this special issue. I think it would have been cool to see Jack battle it out with Black Lantern versions of his father and brother. Maybe Robinson feels that he’s done and said what needs to be said with that character and that having him return would not be a good idea. I can respect that, but as a fan I would have loved to have seen it.

So the Black Lanterns invade Opal City and resurrect David Knight into a Black Lantern. As the Black Lantern version of Knight does his normal thing of ripping out people’s hearts, our story switches to The Shade and Hope O’ Dare. Hope is a member of the O’ Dare family who were descended from the Golden Age Starman’s policeman ally, Billy “Red” O’Dare. The family are also all cops and we see some of them battling with the Black Lantern David Knight.

Since the ending of the Starman series, it seems that The Shade and Hope O’ Dare have begun a relationship. This is the back story that intertwines itself with the main focus of the issue - the Black Lantern David Knight. The Shade has fallen for Hope, and although she has done so as well, she at first refuses to admit it to The Shade. She gives the excuse of her being a regular human and the Shade being immortal which she believes will eventually cause some friction between them down the road. In the end after defeating the Black Lantern, she is able to come to terms with her feelings for the Shade and it seems to be a new beginning for their relationship.

Every issue that I read from the original Starman series was just a gem. I loved everything that went on in this story because in many ways, the book was about the history of not only the character of Starman and his legacy with others that followed, but also the entire history of the DC Universe. I also marveled at how James Robinson was able to take third-rate characters like Mikaal Tomas the alien Starman and bring new life into them.

I was also a huge fan of the series artwork from the beginning with Jack Knight’s co-creator artist Tony Harris to Peter Snejbjerg, who was the artist when the series ended. A big minus to this special issue was the artwork, which was done by Fernando Dagnino and Bill Sienkiewicz. I put the blame more on Dagnino as Sienkiewicz was simply finishing his artwork. Why not get Tony Harris? He provided the cover, but maybe he didn’t have the time.

So, a big disappointment with this issue for this long-time Starman fan. If you’re a hardcore fan like me, I’m sure you’ve picked it up already. If you were an occasional reader of the title or if you’ve never read Starman, skip this one. To those who’ve never read the book, do yourself a favor and read the series. You will not be disappointed.