is for Starfire.
O.k, this character was so obscure that even I had a tough time remembering her.
Created by David Michelinie and Mike Vosburg, she debuted in D.C. Comic's Starfire #1 (August, 1976) and was the first heroine to headline a comic for D.C. since Supergirl, back in 1972.
Unfortunately, the series only ran eight issues before being cancelled.
Starfire hailed from an alien world which was a mixture of sword and sorcery and science....sort of like Thundarr the Barbarian. She was, basically, a freedom fighter who wanted to free all human slaves on the planet, which was ruled by two warring factions.
She was your typical sword and sorcery type....skilled in hand to hand combat, tracking, archery, and swords(wo)manship. I'm almost ninety percent sure I had an issue, or two, of this book, back in my youth because the character was familiar. Not vivid, but it still rang a bell.
At first, I was going to feature the original character to have the 'Starfire' name....Leonid Kovar. He was a character who appeared back in the original run of Teen Titans, back in 1968, and later, upon finding out the New Teen Titans had a new member codenamed "Starfire", changed his name to one more befitting a hero from Mother Russia....Red Star.
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| Red Star |
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| Starfire |
Check back tomorrow for a cowboy or an Indian....I haven't made up my mind, yet, but don't worry....you'll have your "T" :)
It looks like we're in the home stretch....how are you holding up? Still having fun?
49 comments:
Happy to say I finished all my A-Z posts so I can just rela...well actually get working on May's posts...so yeah. Glad I took part in A-Z and I only know Starfire and Red Star from Cartoon Network's Teen Titans. Good choice today, you can really find these heroes through A-Z.
i have 4 posts to go!
this challenge has really kicked my butt! guess its my fault for trying to get thru the list & visit them all...
you like big bang theory, dont you? if not, you should!
i love it!
I'm a DC guy and I don't remember her. And believe me, I would if I'd read any of the comics! (What guy wouldn't?)
Whoa, that is quite an outfit Starfire wears. Interesting that there were others with the same name. The challenge is still fun, but I'm struggling with my last post since I have to wrap up my crazy-ass story. It's already at 1300 words and I'm still not done. I kept all my other posts under 500 (most under 300) but that last one is going to be a mini-series.
I'm curious- how many comic books do you own?
Wow! You own an impressive amount of comic books!!
Mark- I had to defer to the husband on this one. I couldn't remember her at all. He did! And was very impressed by your diligence in this A-Z theme.
I am still having fun, but starting to get a little tired. I am glad we are in the home stretch. What about you?
'swords(wo)manship'
:)
She so needs a new costume designer. Seriously, how can someone fight if they're afraid of falling out of their uniform?
Based on that first costume, I can't imagine any young man forgetting Starfire.
There's never been a Starfire with a dignified costume, has there? Poor fellas and ladies.
John at The Bathroom Monologues
The finish line is in sight! Love Starfire's outfit! ROAR! Happy A-to-Z 2013! ~Angela, Whole Foods Living, http://www.wholefoodsliving.blogspot.com/
@Sheena:Sounds like you're good to go then...at least for the remainder of April :) Strangely enough, I never really watched much of the Teen Titans cartoon. I tend to get a bit 'nit picky' when I watch some of those comic book based shows...
@Tara: Haha...trust me, I know what you mean. I'm still a post a head, but not sweating it. I've seen it and I'm not really a Big Bang Theory fan. I think they poke a bit -too- much fun at us nerds and geeks. We're not all maladjusted oddballs...for the most part :)
@Alex: LOL....yes, I know what you mean :) Like I said, this was a very vague one, for me.
@Shell: That tends to happen in comics, you'll see the same name/concepts recycled here and there, but...yeah...that costume was a bit...odd. Though, I suspect it was aimed at a certain, male, demographic. I've been enjoying your series and hope you'll be doing more with it.
@Melanie: I've sold the collection I've had since I was a kid, a few years ago. I've bought a few, here and there, since then and have kept them, but I don't "collect" like I used to. The price (about $4.00 a book now) and crappy writing have really done a lot to deter me. What I like to do, now, is buy collected volumes of the older books which were, sometimes, silly...but still fun.
@Morgan: Heh, not anymore, but I used to have a ton, yes.
@jaybird: Wow, your hubby has a great memory for comics...give him a tip of the hat from me :) I've been having a good time, though getting out and about to all the other bloggers has been trying. I'm glad we're in the home stretch, as well :)
@Suze: I'm not really the 'politically correct' type but, in this case, it fits :)
@S.P.: There was a character from the 1940s (believe it or not), called the Phantom Lady, whose costume had an extremely LOW cut top and the explanation was so she could 'distract the criminals'...because all the criminals were males...lol. Maybe Starfire subscribed to that thinking??
@Lee: Haha...very true!
@John: LOL...I've never thought of that, but you're right. Actually, I didn't even post Red Star's other costume which wasn't much of an improvement over his original. Good point, though!
@Angela: You're the first positive comment I've had on her outfit..lol. Yes, we're in the homestretch and I'm wondering just how many of us will take a little 'break' after it's over :)
Dressed like that, I'm surprised she wasn't more popular.
I have to echo Diane's comment. I was going to say the same thing!
Well, her outfit would surly distract an entire blood-thirsty army. And speaking of her outfit, (which btw I have no problem with) it's the first so far that I can't see a correlation with her name. Usually the name and the threads go together. Not here, or at least it's not obvious.
Both look like cool characters. I have to say that I like the name change to Red Star for Leonid Kovar, though. Sounds stronger. And now I'm curious for tomorrow...I want to know about both the cowboy and the Indian...don't leave us hanging with only one :)
Never heard of her but she sounds good and looks even better.
If I can vote, I vote for the Indians over the Cowboys. :)
@Diane: Heh, true, but I guess even that outfit can trump a bad character/story
@Julie: LOL...great minds, eh?
@Elise: The outfit would distract if I wasn't distracted by a gal coming at me with a sword :) There are quite a few characters whose uniforms don't conform with their codename. A trend that got very popular in the 80s and 90s.l
@Rebecca: Haha...alright..maybe I'll do a small blurb about them both :)
@Al: Duly noted, though I have to admit that fire breathing dragons weigh in pretty heavily :)
Ooo I like her! And with a name like that??? Too bad she didnt last cuz I'd have been her for Halloween one year for sure.
With that outfit and all the fighting skills, no one had a chance! I guess they had to get rid of her to keep her from taking over everything (my best go at a theory tonight ;) )
I still haven't missed a beat, although I came close.
I've seen the last two Starfires you mentioned, but not the first.
I thought maybe I'd heard of her, but then I realized that was Star Sapphire. Man, you must have a colossal comic book collection, huh? I never knew there were so many characters. Ever heard of someone turning these stories into a novel?
I read the name in the title and was excited to think I knew her. I didn't! I know Firestar. Very different from Starfire!
Poor Starfire. She lasted only eight issues. Sounds like they were as trigger happy with cancelling comic book characters as they are with killing off new TV shows now. If they don't stick immediately, they are as good as gone. Although, in the comic book world, they might make those issues MORE valuable. ::scratches head::
Your collection is SO awesome!
@PK: Well, that would have been quite the interesting outfit, no doubt :)
@T: Haha....that could be a theory, as well :)
@Misha: Same here and I'm just glad we're in the home stretch.
@Nancy: Oh yeah, there are tons of characters. Comics have been around a very long time. There have been quite a few novelizations of different comic stories....the death of Superman, and a book called Kingdom Come,just to name a few.
@Christine: Hey, Firestar is kind of obscure too! :)
@Robin: If only that were the case on the value of a book, but it's not. I think you're right, though, they don't give a lot of books a good chance to find their audience. It's still true today.
@Kelley: Thank you very much! :)
My daughter is 3 and starfire and Spider-Man are her faves.
Of course still having fun, especially with this blog! I DO remember Starfire only because I loved her name, and she was a she, which as you have already pointed out was rare at that time. I didn't remember Red Star though. That was new. Love your skills Mark!
Mark
Actually, I'm just getting into these comics. It takes me a while. Ha
This Starfire gal.... she looks different in the each of the 2 comics covers. One she looks like a modern gal, curvy in animal print and the other, big red curly hair. Or aren't they the same. In fact it looks like the big hair has a tail.
Oh well, I just don't know.
Hi Mark,
So sorry for not been around much lately. My human is asleep and I'm trying to catch up with all of you doing the alternative alphabet challenge.
Starfire looks like one of Gary's action dolls. Interesting info on this obscure comic character.
Penny the Jack Russell dog and modest internet superstar!
I had never heard of Starfire. Your blog makes me feel like I'm watching Comic Book Men. Good fun! Your new follower, Shawn from Reading Practice & Laughing at Life 2
oh yes, still having lots of fun - but there's a reason it's called a challenge!
I have fun visiting your blog everyday and learning about lots of comic book heroes I never heard of. Seems like an endless resource for movie makers.
Science, swords and magic. That has the makings for an awesome superhero. And it must have been a great name if so many people used it.
@Danni: Your daughter has great taste :)
@Lisa: Thank you, I appreciate that :) You have a great memory to remember Starfire, for sure!
@Manzanita: They're three different characters though, you can never assume in the comic book world :)
@Penny: Well, I guess I can forgive Gary....this time! :) Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to "paws" for a drink :)
@Shawn: Hey, thanks for the follow and commenting. I hope you enjoy :)
@mshatch: Very true....very true!
@Susan: Thanks! I agree...I think they should tap more comics for movies. Provided they do them right :)
@Imogen: I agree...I wouldn't mind going back and checking out some of those old issues.
Hi Marc, do you think that the issues with female heroines didn't do as well because there are fewer women and girls who read comics? I know that when I was growing up, they didn't appeal to me because the female heroines weren't relatable for me...
I do take heart when even you have difficulty recalling a character or series. My tribute to the comics comes Saturday though.
One week left! :)
She sounds awesome. I wonder why she only got eight issues.
Gosh what kind of outfit is that for a superhero? I can imagine the wardrobe malfunctions during displays of swords(wo)manship. Lol.
I'm still having fun, yes. But at the same time I can't wait for "intervention" (to this obsession) to come.
<>Deecoded<>
I can see Angelina Jolie Pitt playing her in a movie. I'm surprised there wasn't a revival of this comic book.
Julie
Swordswomen rock!
Hi Mark .. she looks very much like sexy Starfire to me .. but obviously very agile around the universe with various tools ... I'll leave it there .. cheers Hilary
Those were all new to me!
I know Starfire from Teen Titans!
Hard to believe we're in the home stretch. It's been fun though :)
Starfire is pretty cool! Glad to see a lady on the list :)
It looked like her hair had superpowers too. Writer’s Mark
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