A little spice can be nice.
Good day! Today we begin telling the story of that alien damsel, the spice that is as exotic as her namesake: I speak of course of Koriand'r of Tamaran, known simply as...Starfire!
It began quietly. October 1980's issue of DC Comics Presents (a Superman team-up publication) #26. The issue featured a new version of team that first made its debut in 1964, the Teen Titans. Writer Marv Wolfman and artist George Perez (one of my all-time favs, and I got to meet him!). The issue introduced four already known members (Robin, Kid Flash, Wonder Girl and Beast Boy renamed Changeling) with three new creations by the above-noted duo, Raven, Cyborg and our subject, Starfire. We first see her as she is being chased by alien creatures that have been sent from her home system to stop her escape from slavery. Princess Koriand'r of Tamaran, who was destined to become ruler of her home planet, had a bitter rivalry with her older sister Komand'r (love the names). Things came to a head when Tamaran was conquered by the Citadel. Komand'r furnished information to the Citadel in order to ease their conquest, taking her sister as a slave as a reward. Some time later, while in transit near the Sol system, Komand'r's armada was attacked by a group known as the Psions, giving Koriand'r the chance to escape. Making her way to Earth, she lands in New York where the rest of the group soon to be known as the Titans had gathered.
Using her ability to instantly learn languages by kissing Robin, she is able to tell the Titans what was going on, and they helped her defeat the Psions, and she decide to remain on Earth and as a member of the team.
While a member of the Titans, she becomes a fashion model under the name Kory Anders, and Wonder Girl quickly becomes her best friend. She also begins a relationship with Dick Grayson, which eventually almost leads to marriage. She discovers all of her powers as a Titan, including her flight ability, her star-bolts, immunities to radiation and the vacuum of space, and her excellent combat skills. In fact, she was trained so well as a warrior while captured by the Citadel that during periods of her Titan membership, she found it hard to control her rage and not kill the other combatants. Her rivally with her sister was a major story arc in the first two years of the New Teen Titans series, coming to a head in a climax in New Teen Titans Annual #1 (1982).
Over the years with the Titans, Koriand'r was shown to be a believer in the goodness of humans (almost to the point of naivete, especially compared to the Citadel and her sister treated her), and along with Garfield Logan, found it hardest to accept Terra's betrayal in the Judas Contract storyline. She and Dick almost get married, but she called it off when she began to feel that Dick didn't really want to get married.
Mostly because Donna Troy was her best friend, she joined her team in investigating the hol in the universe that emerged during the war between Thanagar and Rann. Arriving at the centre of the universe at the nick of time, she was able to contribute in the overall defeat of Alexander Luthor attempt at recreating the multiverse (Infinite Crisis- the various Crisis events will be a future topic hre at the blog.) When the dust settled, Starfire is listed among the missing heroes
.
We next see Starfire in the next big DC crossover event , 52. In Week 7 (pictured above) we discover that Starfire, Adam Strange and Animal Man were caught using Strange's Zeta Beam when ripples from Luthor's attempt to create the multiverse altered the ray and caused the trio to be transported to a paradise planet. In this period, she manages to get addicted to a strange narcotic fruit that grew here. She goes missing, and the teo men discover that an extra-terrestrial hunter by the name of Deliverance has caught her in his net (she is out cold at the time). Unfortunately, Adam and Animal Man fall victim to a similar trap, and it only when Koriand'r wakes up that they are able to escape. The trio then manage to repair their ship and they take off for Earth, only to attacked again by Deliverance. Then Lobo shows up and destroys Deliverance before he can do anything to them. She manages to convince Lobo to help him. They return to Lobo's stronghold, but after being attacked by a swarm of alien creatures, Starfire needs to use the Emerald Eye of Ekron to save them. Starfire ends up having to fight Lady Styx (hoe ended up being the enemy behind it all). She wins, but Animal Man is an apparent casualty. (This trio was popular as a unit so they appeared together again both in the Countdown to Adventure series and the Rann-Thangar War series.)
When the New 52 began, Starfire reemerged as a member of the new group Red Hood and the Outlaws, with former Titan Roy Harper (Arsenal) and Jason Todd (the second Robin) in his guise as the Red Hood. Her origin stayed similar, only now she and her sister had a better relationship at first and she sold Koriand'r into slavery in order to save her planet from the invaders. This version of Starfire has been criticized for being hyper-sexual , but we discover later that this was a cover for the fact that she actually loves Arsenal deeply (having had started a relationship with him in the early issues of the run.) Starting in issue 10, we discover that Starfire needs to return to Tamaran to help them out after Roy is kidnapped to ensure her help. The series ends with Roy and her breaking up as she needs to return to Tamaran for the time being. (Red Hood and the Outlaws # 40).
Starfire returns to Earth and gets her own series, at last. (However, it only lasts twelve issues.) Other than the introduction her friend Stella Gomez, this series is only remembered for the cheesecake art. In Rebirth DC, Starfire is again with the Teen Titans, and is currently as of this writing the team leader.
I hope you enjoyed this brief report, I could have made the Titans years way more detailed as I have pretty much read and reread the original New Teen Titans run (particularly issues 19 and 38) but I hope instead you are inspired to read them yourselves as they are easily available in trade paperback form.
Ottawa News and Notes - Not much to report this time. I have begun calling local stores to see what hey have planned for Free Comic Day and I will dedicate an entry to that next week.
I received notice from Rob Lussier that his comic sale (https://www.kijiji.ca/v- comics-graphic-novels/ottawa/ 25-000-comic-books-starting- as-low-as-0-80-each/ 1345360463? enableSearchNavigationFlag= true . )this weekend is SUNDAY from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm and not Saturday, like it is every other week currently. I have been reading the books I picked up from him, and most are of good to excellent condition.
See you next time, I still have to decide a topic for my next story/report, so any suggestions left in the comments would be appreciated.
It began quietly. October 1980's issue of DC Comics Presents (a Superman team-up publication) #26. The issue featured a new version of team that first made its debut in 1964, the Teen Titans. Writer Marv Wolfman and artist George Perez (one of my all-time favs, and I got to meet him!). The issue introduced four already known members (Robin, Kid Flash, Wonder Girl and Beast Boy renamed Changeling) with three new creations by the above-noted duo, Raven, Cyborg and our subject, Starfire. We first see her as she is being chased by alien creatures that have been sent from her home system to stop her escape from slavery. Princess Koriand'r of Tamaran, who was destined to become ruler of her home planet, had a bitter rivalry with her older sister Komand'r (love the names). Things came to a head when Tamaran was conquered by the Citadel. Komand'r furnished information to the Citadel in order to ease their conquest, taking her sister as a slave as a reward. Some time later, while in transit near the Sol system, Komand'r's armada was attacked by a group known as the Psions, giving Koriand'r the chance to escape. Making her way to Earth, she lands in New York where the rest of the group soon to be known as the Titans had gathered.
While a member of the Titans, she becomes a fashion model under the name Kory Anders, and Wonder Girl quickly becomes her best friend. She also begins a relationship with Dick Grayson, which eventually almost leads to marriage. She discovers all of her powers as a Titan, including her flight ability, her star-bolts, immunities to radiation and the vacuum of space, and her excellent combat skills. In fact, she was trained so well as a warrior while captured by the Citadel that during periods of her Titan membership, she found it hard to control her rage and not kill the other combatants. Her rivally with her sister was a major story arc in the first two years of the New Teen Titans series, coming to a head in a climax in New Teen Titans Annual #1 (1982).
Over the years with the Titans, Koriand'r was shown to be a believer in the goodness of humans (almost to the point of naivete, especially compared to the Citadel and her sister treated her), and along with Garfield Logan, found it hardest to accept Terra's betrayal in the Judas Contract storyline. She and Dick almost get married, but she called it off when she began to feel that Dick didn't really want to get married.
Mostly because Donna Troy was her best friend, she joined her team in investigating the hol in the universe that emerged during the war between Thanagar and Rann. Arriving at the centre of the universe at the nick of time, she was able to contribute in the overall defeat of Alexander Luthor attempt at recreating the multiverse (Infinite Crisis- the various Crisis events will be a future topic hre at the blog.) When the dust settled, Starfire is listed among the missing heroes
We next see Starfire in the next big DC crossover event , 52. In Week 7 (pictured above) we discover that Starfire, Adam Strange and Animal Man were caught using Strange's Zeta Beam when ripples from Luthor's attempt to create the multiverse altered the ray and caused the trio to be transported to a paradise planet. In this period, she manages to get addicted to a strange narcotic fruit that grew here. She goes missing, and the teo men discover that an extra-terrestrial hunter by the name of Deliverance has caught her in his net (she is out cold at the time). Unfortunately, Adam and Animal Man fall victim to a similar trap, and it only when Koriand'r wakes up that they are able to escape. The trio then manage to repair their ship and they take off for Earth, only to attacked again by Deliverance. Then Lobo shows up and destroys Deliverance before he can do anything to them. She manages to convince Lobo to help him. They return to Lobo's stronghold, but after being attacked by a swarm of alien creatures, Starfire needs to use the Emerald Eye of Ekron to save them. Starfire ends up having to fight Lady Styx (hoe ended up being the enemy behind it all). She wins, but Animal Man is an apparent casualty. (This trio was popular as a unit so they appeared together again both in the Countdown to Adventure series and the Rann-Thangar War series.)
When the New 52 began, Starfire reemerged as a member of the new group Red Hood and the Outlaws, with former Titan Roy Harper (Arsenal) and Jason Todd (the second Robin) in his guise as the Red Hood. Her origin stayed similar, only now she and her sister had a better relationship at first and she sold Koriand'r into slavery in order to save her planet from the invaders. This version of Starfire has been criticized for being hyper-sexual , but we discover later that this was a cover for the fact that she actually loves Arsenal deeply (having had started a relationship with him in the early issues of the run.) Starting in issue 10, we discover that Starfire needs to return to Tamaran to help them out after Roy is kidnapped to ensure her help. The series ends with Roy and her breaking up as she needs to return to Tamaran for the time being. (Red Hood and the Outlaws # 40).
Starfire returns to Earth and gets her own series, at last. (However, it only lasts twelve issues.) Other than the introduction her friend Stella Gomez, this series is only remembered for the cheesecake art. In Rebirth DC, Starfire is again with the Teen Titans, and is currently as of this writing the team leader.
I hope you enjoyed this brief report, I could have made the Titans years way more detailed as I have pretty much read and reread the original New Teen Titans run (particularly issues 19 and 38) but I hope instead you are inspired to read them yourselves as they are easily available in trade paperback form.
Ottawa News and Notes - Not much to report this time. I have begun calling local stores to see what hey have planned for Free Comic Day and I will dedicate an entry to that next week.
I received notice from Rob Lussier that his comic sale (https://www.kijiji.ca/v- comics-graphic-novels/ottawa/ 25-000-comic-books-starting- as-low-as-0-80-each/ 1345360463? enableSearchNavigationFlag= true . )this weekend is SUNDAY from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm and not Saturday, like it is every other week currently. I have been reading the books I picked up from him, and most are of good to excellent condition.
See you next time, I still have to decide a topic for my next story/report, so any suggestions left in the comments would be appreciated.
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