Starman I

STARMAN I

Real Name: Theodore Henry Knight

Class: Human technology-user

Occupation: Millionaire, astronomer, inventor

Group Affiliation: formerly Justice Society of America, All-Star Squadron

Known Relatives: Daniel Knight (father, deceased), David Knight (Starman VI, son, deceased), Henry Knight (uncle), Jack Knight (Starman VII, son), Sandra Knight (Phantom Lady I, cousin), unnamed wife (deceased), Kyle Theo (grandson)

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Opal City

First Appearance: Adventure Comics I #61 (April, 1941)

Powers: Starman was a brilliant physicist and a good fighter. He used a cosmic rod, which allowed him to fly, shoot bolts of cosmic energy, and repel attacks. Earlier in his career he used a less powerful version of the cosmic rod, called a gravity rod.

History: (Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #22) - <Spring, 1941> Ted Knight's cousin Sandra showed him a gravity rod, an invention of Prof. Abraham Davis. The rod lacked a power source, and Ted hit on the idea of using cosmic energy, a power source he discovered some months ago. When Sandra told Ted she was the crimefighter Phantom Lady, it inspired Ted to take on the identity of Starman, and use the gravity rod to fight crime. He became a celebrated mysteryman, serving with both the JSA and the All-Star Squadron.

(JSA All-Stars #4) - <November, 1941> Starman was contacted by Curtis and Gibson, two men who claimed to be F.B.I. agents. They told Starman they were giving him a trial run as an F.B.I. agent, and insisted that he accompany them on a mission. Starman knew the men were up to something, because he already had an occasional working relationship with the F.B.I. Curtis and Gibson turned out to be German spies out to steal his gravity rod, but Starman easily dispatched them and turned them over to a real F.B.I. agent.

(JSA #18 (fb)) - <1944> Opal City, Starman and the JSA fought Johnny Sorrow. During the fight Sandy damaged the subspace prototype Sorrow was wearing with his wirepoon, and the villain vanished into thin air.

(DCU Holiday Bash #2) - <December 24, 1944> Starman and the Justice Society put on the Justice Society Canteen for troops home for the holidays. They helped foil nazi saboteurs that tried to blow up the canteen, thanks to the help of Ensign James Gordon.

(Spectre III #20 (fb)) - <1945> At the end of WWII the Justice Society visited Auschwitz and learned the full extent of the Nazi's genocide. Spectre raged, and wanted to destroy every German in sight, but the Justice Society talked him down, telling him he had to rely on the justice of the Nuremberg war trials. Spectre would go on to spend years hunting escaped Nazis.

<1945> - Ted Knight got married and retired as a mysteryman.

(JSA #69-72) - <October 28-30,1951> Starman’s involvement in creating the atom bomb led to him feeling immensely guilty and he eventually snapped. He retired as Starman and was committed to a mental institution. Ted was frustrated that he could only work on equations at night when the stars were out; his mind was too clouded during the day to work. The time-traveling Stargirl visited him and told him he had to get backing action as Starman because Per Degaton was going to alter history to ensure the Justice Society would never band together again. Ted thought she was one of the hallucinations his pills caused, and orderlies from the mental institution locked her away. Stargirl broke out, and left the institution with Ted in tow. Stargirl flew Ted to see the stars and convinced Ted his life would go on and he would get well. Stargirl and Starman met up with the rest of the reformed Justice Society and the time-traveling JSA at the Justice Society brownstone. Hourman informed them Per Degaton was going to assassinate the President. The Justice Society and JSA went to Washington to warn Truman that his life was in danger. Degaton and the Red Morgue attacked Washington, but the teams were ready for him. Degaton used a time-disc to speed up Atom’s metabolism and turn him into a nuclear bomb ready to go off. If he exploded millions would die, but J.J. Thunder and Johnny Thunder summoned the Thunderbolt to turn Atom back to normal. Starman and the other heroes defeated Degaton, who fled into the timestream. The resulting time distortion caused Starman and the other Society members to forget their adventure with the JSA.

(Martian Manhunter II #20) - <1970s> Starman and Green Lantern teamed up with Bronze Wraith to take down Dr. Trapp, who’d killed the Justice Experience two years beforehand.

(Crisis on Infinite Earths #9, 12) -

Ted's son David took on the mantle of Starman, but was killed in a battle against the Mist's children. Ted's other son Jack became the new Starman.

(Final Night #2, 3) - When the Sun-Eater attacked Earth's sun Liberty Belle, Flash, and Wildcat offered Ted the chance to join them in dealing with the chaos on the ground, but he felt it was more important for him to keep studying the Sun-Eater through his observatory. Ted noted that the sun was collapsing in on itself and placed a call to S.T.A.R. Labs to warn them.

(Spectre III #62) - Corrigan decided to give up the mantle of the Spectre, at last seeking peace in death. Craemer arranged for his bones to be buried in a small grave, and performed a funeral service, with all of the friends Corrigan met as the Spectre attending, including Ted and his son. The Spectre-Force vanished and Jim ascended to Heaven.

(Flash II #134) - Flash I visited Jack to ask him if he knew where the Thinker’s Thinking Cap was, and to the best of Jack’s recollection it was last in the possession of the late Atom I.

(DC One Million #1) - Jack called Flash I to discuss the sudden appearance of Justice Legion A, heroes from the year 85,271. Jack and Flash agreed that it validated everything they fought for, and that the future heroes proved that good will triumph in the end.

(JSA Secret Files #1) - Ted Knight was fixing up Star-Spangled Kid II’s cosmic converter belt when Sentinel broke the news of Sandman I’s death to them and asked them to come to the funeral.

(JSA #1) - Knight was among a number of heroes who attended the funeral of Sandman. When the Sons of Anubis crashed the service Knight took the disabled Johnny Thunder to safety and left the fight to the younger heroes.

Ted died in battle against his arch-enemy the Mist.

Comments: Created by Gardner Fox and Jack Burnley.

In the pre-Crisis DC Universe Starman I lived on Earth-2.

Starman received profiles in Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #22 and Starman Secret Files #1. Starman received a profile in Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #12 under the Justice Society of America entry.

There was a flashback of Starman and the JSA’s battle with Ian Karkull in JSA #7.

A portrait of Starman was shown on display in the JSA Museum in JSA #32 and JSA #54. His portrait was on display in JSA hq in JSA #67 and 73. A statue of Starman was seen in the JSA Museum in JSA #60, 75 and JLA / JSA: Virtue and Vice.

Starman was pictured on the cover of JSA #38 and JSA #68.

Starman had cameos in JLA #76, JSA #56, JSA All-Stars #8 and Spectre III #24.

JSA #57 showed a portrait of Starman in JSA hq.

JSA #67 showed a HUAC poster of Starman and the Justice Society of America declaring them enemies of the state.

Villains United #3 had a flashback sequence depicting Starman battling Rag Doll in an unrecorded adventure.

Bizarro-Superman wrote and illustrated a comic book titled “Captain Marvel and the Sham Shazam” featuring Starman in Bizarro Comics #1.