Written by James Robinson
Art by Mike Mayhew; Wade Van Grawbadger; Greg Wright; & Kurt Hathaway
Cover Art by Tony Harris
SUMMARY:
Entitled “Things That Go Bump in the Night: A Tales of Times Past (1943),” DC Comics released this issue for July 1998. Told via flashback, a mysterious narrator recalls a mid-1940’s Halloween Night where the Prairie Witch’s bandit gang raids a Washington, D.C. gala for its wealthy guest list’s assortment of jewelry. Phantom Lady (aka socialite Sandra Knight) thwarts four ghoulishly-masked thugs, but their green-tinged ringleader escapes with the stolen loot. One outraged victim even puts out a $250,000 bounty on the elusive Witch.
After commiserating with her snobbish friend, Mavis, Sandra Knight departs for Opal City to reunite with her cousin: Ted Knight – the Golden Age Starman. Come November 10th, the Prairie Witch’s crew commences another deadly robbery. It’s up to the Knight cousins join forces to snare their elusive quarry and her new cronies.
Notes: 1. The present-day Starman (Jack Knight) doesn’t appear in this issue. 2. Despite her appearance, the Prairie Witch isn’t a bonafide Golden Age character. She is actually a co-creation of Robinson & artist J.H. Williams III. 3. According to historical research, both heroes debuted in 1941, though DC’s first Starman appearance predates Quality Comics’ Phantom Lady by four months. Hence, after acquiring rights to Quality Comics’ super-heroes, DC later retconned Phantom Lady as a member of Ted Knight’s family.
REVIEW:
Stylishly rendered, the art squad’s visuals are ideal for James Robinson’s retroactive Golden Age team-up. Including a classy (yet disingenuous) moment acknowledging that Sandra’s heroics helped inspire Ted to become Starman, writer James Robinson is on his game writing these two characters. As the intriguing cover implies, it’s really a Phantom Lady tale where Ted Knight’s Starman is the guest star.
Robinson’s plotting is worthy of these two heroic icons, who, combined, belong to the Justice Society, the Freedom Fighters, and, as applies to both, the All-Star Squadron. Though his Prairie Witch seems hardly a challenge for two All-Stars, a late twist confirms why this issue belongs to Phantom Lady. Her presence is well-played, as there isn’t excessive fixation on Phantom Lady’s notorious costume (or mostly lack thereof).
Still, there are two mildly confusing elements. First, the year in which this story occurs is contradictory – the cover states ‘1944,’ but the interior cover page states ‘1943.’ Secondly (at least, for casual readers), the narrator’s identity isn’t revealed. Given the Shade’s murky history with Jack Knight, it isn’t too difficult for regular fans to guess the narrator. Even so, Robinson should have thrown a fair bone to anyone who hasn’t previously read this Starman series come the concluding page.
Starman # 44, overall, is an old-school treat. In that sense, DC’s take on the original Phantom Lady justifies this welcome showcase.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
Watch This Space # 98-11’s primary hype is for Green Lantern # 100, as Kyle Rayner’s time-traveling puts him into contact with another rookie GL: Hal Jordan. In a two-page “Lost in the Stars” column, the late Archie Goodwin’s industry peers share poignant thoughts of their colleague.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 7½ Stars
