Star Shadows: Starlight, Star Bright - Starman #45

 

STAR SHADOWS: STARLIGHT, STAR BRIGHT

STARMAN #45

Published: 25th February 1992
Cover Date: April 1992
Cover Artists: Mike Mignola
Writer: Len Strazewski
Penciler: John Calimee
Inker: Roy Richardson
Colourist: Tom McCraw
Letterer: Bob Pinaha
Editors: Paul Kupperberg

Introduction

It might be just me, and I'm not brave enough to ask those involved, but I always suspected that if it wasn't for her joining the JLE Power Girl would have been a supporting character in this book.

So it seems appropriate that for the very last issue in this run, Pee Gee appears in the final issue. This issue also has a clash with Eclipso, something that will become important later in '92.

Sypnosis

This issue is the end of a four-parter so we start in the middle of things with Eclipso arriving via mini shuttle. They surprise Kitty Faulkner, Rampage, who Doctor Bruce Gordon (the civilian identity of Eclipso at this point). She tries to Rampage up, but Eclipso quickly puts her down securing her to the wall with those sci-fi shackles that are common in comics.

Meanwhile, Starman comes crashing down from orbit into the sea, crawling out to go straight to a payphone to call the JLE. He calls Paris rather than London, which is a little out of date but then again I don't get the feeling that Will keeps up with global events. Whilst he's not getting through or forwarded to the Embassy (which may or may not be closed down at this point) Eclipso is gloating at Kitty, using the fact that the two have been working together STAR labs for some time. He's setting up a trap for Starman, which obviously he does by crashing through the wall like any good superhero!

Eclipso knocks out Starman and Kitty and is about to do his evil thing with the black diamond when Power Girl comes in more care looking a little confused about the whole thing.  She also has the biggest hair that the long 80s could produce, not a terrible look but you have to wonder if (female) Kryptonian Atlantians grow hair at a heightened rate considering how often you see her with different hairstyles.

Kitty and Kara double-team Eclipso, Pee Gee not seeming to take the villain at all seriously, including a great panel where she accidentally doesn't catch Eclipso to go crashing into some equipment. Kara gets zapped by the black diamond, something I'm sure won't have any effect in the near future before Starman actually gets to do something in his own comic. He uses his light powers to drive Eclipso out of the Bruce restoring him to normal

Plot over we get Power Girl playfully flirting with Starman, teasing him about his growing powers being described as "Super-hero puberty". Kitty is obviously jealous and breaks things up by asking if it's going to be any harm, and perhaps taking the hint Pee Gee leaves giving STarman a chase peck on the cheek before flying off to whatever disaster is befalling the JLE at where they are in the sliding timeline.

When then get a few pages of Starman assuring Kitty that she's the one that he wants, not Power Girl, the comic ends with a full page splash of the two embracing each other.

And that is the end of this version of Starman, ending not on superhero antics but the soap opera antics that have continued through the entire run, and if you know my taste that's not a bad thing at all! 

Final Thoughts

Even though this is the last issue of a four-part story I had no problem following along with the plot, though honestly it probably helps that I have a passing knowledge of all the characters. And to be honest, even the comic isn't interested in the fight itself but the soap opera parts involving the three characters (and Pee Gee) nicely wrap things up to give the characters something approaching a happy ending.