Star Brand #1 (October 1986)

The New Universe. We've visited this 80s imprint before in reviews of D.P. 7 #1 and Psi-Force #1. This imprint introduced its fair share of characters, and among the most prominent of them was Kenneth Connell, aka the Star Brand. 

Created by Marvel's then editor-in-chief Jim Shooter, Star Brand was intended to be the flagship title of the New Universe line, and it was originally titled "Will Power". An unused concept by the late Archie Goodwin would provide Star Brand with its name. The original Star Brand title lasted three years, 19 issues and an Annual. 

Despite its short number of issues, the title had numerous creative teams. When the New Universe imprint was dissolved, Mark Gruenwald would use characters from its titles in Quasar to tie things up. However, this would not be the end for the Star Brand.

In 2007, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the New Universe, the series newuniversal was released. Written by Warren Ellis and with art by Salvador Larocca, this was a reimagining of the New Universe's characters and concepts, including the Star Brand. This version of the Star Brand was one of four powerful glyphs given to mortals to help guide Earth through an upcoming paradigm shift. 

A version of the Star Brand would eventually appear in the mainstream Marvel Universe. This version of the Star Brand first debuted in Avengers #7 (May 2013), originally wielded by a college student named Kevin Connor. This version of the Star Brand is currently (as of this blog entry's original writing) being wielded by Brandy Selby. So, with that out of the way, let's take a look at Star Brand #1!

The cover is a John Romita Jr. piece. It's a simple cover that basically shows our man Star Brand flying in space, seemingly over the Earth. It gives us an idea of the power that this man has. I think it looks really cool because the idea of being able to fly over the Earth is awesome to me.

"The Star Brand"
Writer: Jim Shooter
Penciler: John Romita Jr.
Inker: Al Williamson
Colorist: Christie Scheele
Letterer: Joe Rosen
Editor: Michael Higgins
Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter

The story begins with a young man dirtbiking in the mountains of Western Pennsylvania.

"WHEEEEEEEEEE AWW NOT THE GOOD CHEEK!"

This man is Kenneth "Ken" Connell. And his life is about to take a turn for the weird. And it all starts with him finding what looks like a burned-out clearing.

"...Aw man, the Hulk got drunk again..."

Ken wonders what could have caused something like this. It couldn't have been a forest fire. Too neat. It looks like everything was bombed out. He goes to get a better vantage point, when he finds a weird old man hanging out by his bike.

"Pardon me, but do you know where a man can get some steamed hams?"

The old man claims that he almost didn't make it here. And he's on his last legs. He was hoping to find Ken here today, as he has a gift for him. All Ken has to do is look into his eyes...

Connell wakes up and finds out he spent the night seemingly out cold. He then finds himself recalling what happened last night. It seemed like a dream. The Old Man explains that he didn't cause the clearing. He was there because he wanted to check it out. He's glad it did, because it brought him to Ken. You see, the Old Man sees himself and Ken as a rare breed of man, a man worthy of the gift he wants to give. The Old Man is dying, and before he goes, he wants to pass his gift on to Ken.

"And yes, I was drunk when I got it. Next question."

It seems to be an ordinary tattoo. Ken notices that it's now on its palm, showing it not an ordinary bit of body art. But it can be moved around if he wants to. Ken wonders where the Old Man wandered off to. He finds some tracks and follows them to the edge of a cliff. He finds the Old Man's corpse, seemingly fallen off the cliff. He also notices that the Old Man's appearance has changed, making him look like an alien being. Ken gives the Old Man a proper burial by lifting up a massive rock and putting him in the cave it creates. He flies back to his bike and rides back to the Pittsburg suburbs. 

When he arrives home, he starts thinking about the newfound power he has, and tries to figure it out. He describes the titular Star Brand as a kind of warmth. When he concentrates, this warmth fills his whole body. He discovers that he's likely invulnerable and incredibly strong. He also decides to take a flight to visit a friend who lives over in West Mifflin.

"So what if it's bent in half and has no wheels? It's still good! It's still good!" 

Meet Myron Feldman. He found a bent-up wheel-less bike by the side of a road and plans to fix it up. He's actually a psychiatrist in his day job. Ken bends the bike frame back into shape...while floating in the air, which gets Myron all like "HOLY COW".

Myron wants to see the Old Man's body. The two discuss the Star Brand and why Ken ended up with it. However, their conversation is tabled by an unwanted guest.

"Pardon me, but do you have any Grey Poupon?"

Ken realizes this Yautja wannabe is after the Star Brand itself. Ken flies off, luring the alien bounty hunter to a slag dump. Ken tries to hide behind some railroad cars to ambush the alien, but the cars get blown away. Ken tries to throw one of the busted-up cars at the alien, but his Star Brand power seems to go out on him.

The alien tries to force Ken to give it the Star Brand, claiming the Old Man lied to the young dirtbiker, that Ken is being duped into a role that will ruin his life. The alien claims he is more worthy of the Brand than Ken is. Ken manages to summon the Star Brand power, thanks to his anger coming from his fear of the alien killing him. He then makes the area explode.

Myron finds him. The alien seems to be gone...and so are Ken's clothes. Whoops. In Whitehall, a woman is watching news coverage of the explosion. 

"🎵 Doin' alright, gettin' good grades! The future's so bright, I gotta wear shades...🎵"

Meet Madeline Felix, aka "Debbie the Duck". I have no idea why she's nicknamed that. She and Ken do like to greet each other by saying "Quack", so maybe it's that?

Anyway, Ken comes to her place, as he needs a place to crash for the night. You see, when his clothes got vaporized, he lost his keys and his wallet. 

The next day, she heads to work, promising to tell Ken's boss he can't make it today. As Ken gets dressed, he remembers he has a date with a woman named Barb tonight...as well as get a new driver's license and visa card. They got vaporized, remember? he flies off to the makeshift cave where he buried the Old Man. The body is gone, but a costume is left behind.

"...aw great, I got a naked zombie to deal with..."

That night, Ken is enjoying some dinner with the lovely Barbara Petrovic at her place. A single mother, Barbara sends her kids off to bed. Ken and Barbara are about to make out on her couch when he hears a thumping from outside. They go to check it out, and they find that Barbara's daughter Laurie is holding a strange golden toy. Ken takes it, recognizing it as one of the alien's blasters. Laurie herself seems to be in a trance, like she's under hypnosis.

An angry Ken rushes out and takes to the air, trying to find the alien. But the search is fruitless. He heads home and calls Myron. Myron reveals that the FBI have been asking questions, piling on to Ken's worries. Madeline comes over, telling him that Ken's boss has a message: If you don't come in tomorrow, don't bother coming in ever again. 

"Four-day weekend!"

Debbie's visit made him realize something important. The next day, Ken is hard at work. He works at the car repair shop at a dealership. Yeah, dealerships do have repair centers in them. His boss John asks him to bring his car down from the roof lot. Ken does...with his powers. Later on, Ken suits up. He's in a fighting mood.

"Time for evil to get Branded! ...I'll work on that."

He finds the alien and its craft in the Laurel Mountains (I'm assuming Shooter meant the singular mountain, which is part of Pennsylvania's Forbes State Forest). Star Brand is easily able to overpower the alien. He tosses the extraterrestrial malcontent into his ship and tosses him away. The story ends with Ken proclaiming he was the right man to be the Star Brand, and he's going to keep it...even if he has to fight the whole universe to get it.

I admit, I did enjoy this comic. It's your standard origin story, and it sets up some interesting mysteries...despite the presence of the alien violating one of the rules of the New Universe (one of the rules of the New Universe was that it was not supposed to have any of the more fantastical elements of the Marvel Universe, like gods and aliens). 

You know, reading this comic, I can't help but wonder if some inspiration was taken from Green Lantern for Star Brand. Think about it. How Ken gained the Brand seems to be somewhat similar to how Hal Jordan became a part of the Green Lantern Corps. Yeah, some details are altered, but the basic idea is still there: Man gets powerful weapon from alien being. Only here, there are no Star Brand Corps to train Ken in the usage of the Brand and help counsel him on how he can use his power.  Ken does possess some bravery and smarts, but he'll be struggling with his power as time goes on. It does feel like Star Brand is a slight deconstruction of Green Lantern.  

If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2016 trade paperback Star Brand: New Universe Vol. 1. Thanks for reading this blog entry!