One of the most intriguing elements of DC Comics' lore is its storied Golden Age past. Decades before the Justice League, the Justice Society was not only their World War II counterparts but also literally the first super-team created in the comics. Beyond the history, however, was the element of legacies and how they stretched and weaved in the modern age, and nowhere is this more evident than James Robinson and Tony Harris' Starman.
The first Starman was a genius inventor named Ted Knight, who appeared in Adventure Comics #61 in 1941. Fighting evil with the help of his cosmic rod, Ted Knight was the original Starman, but he was far from the last. There was a myriad assortment of other characters bearing the Starman name, including the blue-skinned alien traveler Mikaal Thomas or the super-powered Will Payton. However, the mantle of Starman would return to the Knight family in James Robinson's run on Starman, which ran for over eighty issues from 1994 to 2001.
With Ted Knight now an old man, the mantle of Starman fell to his now-adult son David, wearing an identical costume to his father. Less than forty-eight hours later, however, David is gunned down by a mysterious assassin, with the mantle passing again to Ted's other, estranged son Jack Knight. Unlike David, Jack has absolutely no interest in donning the cape and cowl. When Jack does take up the mantle - in order to protect his father from his arch-nemesis, the Mist - he does so on his own terms, with a minimalist costume consisting of a leather jacket and World War II aviator goggles. As the new Starman, Jack Knight must delve into the massive legacy of Starman, while confronting new threats to his hometown of Opal City.
Fortunately, Jack Knight has a considerable supporting cast backing him up. Jack's time as Starman slowly repairs his relationship with his inventor father, but Ted Knight isn't the only Starman in Jack's corner. Jack also befriends an amnesiac Mikaal Thomas, though the series would have Jack crossing paths with every version of Starman in one form or another. He also has quite a few allies on the force in the form of the O'Dares, an Irish clan of highly-efficient police officers. Strangely enough, Jack also finds a number of friends in Starman's former foes. Solomon Grundy, mainly known as a monstrous supervillain, regenerates into a gentle giant that Jack takes in. Bank robber Jake "Bobo" Benetti turns a new leaf after meeting Jack Knight. Perhaps the most intriguing character in Starman is the Shade, an immortal thief who lists Oscar Wilde and Charles Dickens as friends and fought the Justice Society simply for fun, but remains dedicated to defending Opal City for anyone who threatens it.
Opal City itself stands out as a character itself in the series and remains one of the most overlooked corners of the DC Universe. While Opal City retains the art deco sensibilities popular in Batman: The Animated Series, it does so by largely retreating from the Gothic architecture Gotham and so many other cities are known for. This isn't to say Opal's architecture isn't equally ornate, but it does so with a retro Parisian flare. In many ways, Opal City is the New Orleans of the DC Universe - with its character bursting from the seams in every street corner.
Still, Jack himself remains the shining star of the series. At times embittered and opinionated, Jack is a far cry from the ideal Starman his brother David seemed to be. Jack, however, matures over time in the role of Starman, which he comes to make his own. This is illustrated in his primary weapon - the Cosmic Rod - which he fashions into a staff to wield as a more formidable close-combat weapon. Jack himself is an antique dealer, granting him a passion and interest in the past that comes in handy on more than one occasion.
Ultimately, Starman is a series about growth, loss, legacy, and the ever-changing seasons which move from one stage of life to the next. Jack Knight's tenure as Starman comes to a definitive - yet satisfying - end (something that so rarely happens in superhero comics). His Cosmic Staff is passed along to the teenaged Courtney Whitmore aka the Star-Spangled Kid, who has quite visibly wielded the staff ever since in the role of Stargirl.
As Stargirl prepares to debut in a new series, Jack's presence in the current comics is nebulous at best, largely as the result of constant reboots and revisions. Both the Shade and his eventual love interest Hope O'Dare has appeared in several comic books following the conclusion of Starman, including Josh Williamson's The Flash in 2016. Still, the silver lining of this development is that maintains the status quo set by Starman's conclusion way back in 2001.
Looking forward, Starman's impact can be felt in other ways. Pat Dugan, played by Luke Wilson in the upcoming Stargirl, has some elements of Jack Knight seen in Stargirl's trailer. Like Jack Knight, his superhero brother is killed in the line of duty, and also like Jack, he is clearly no one's first pick to be a successor. Hopefully, other elements of Jack Knight shine through the series as it continues. Ultimately, however, both Starman and Stargirl seem to build towards the same sentiment: the future is in good hands.