Starro-ing James Robinson – Starman, Earth 2 And Marginalized Groups

Published Fri, 29 Mar 2013 18:40:06 -0500

Last updated Mon, 01 Apr 2013 10:36:31 -0500

Will Romine writes;

Hey-o,

It's your old friend Will Romine here from the Wondercon James Robinson panel. He's a wonderful man who probably won't revisit Jack Knight any time soon. A great magician doesn't revisit the same trick. If this is the whole reason why you clicked on this article, keep reading. There are still some nuggets to enjoy.

The format was very unstructured, allowing for fans to ask questions at a leisurely pace without making a mad dash for the mic. Many of the questions focused on Earth 2. Robinson explained the challenge of bringing these Golden Age characters into Earth 2 and maintaining their authenticity. He gave the examples of Solitare and Rhapsody. These characters are no doubt unfamiliar to the reader, but they're updates to classic Golden Age villains. (If you send me a tweet, I'll tell you!). He explained how he stripped away the hokiness while maintaining what made the characters endure. Here are some other Earth 2 factoids that your favorite starfish manage to catch.

-Starman? There will be A Starman of Earth-2.
-Plastic Man? Plastic man is hard to do right, so most likely no.
-Dr. Midnight? Johnny Thunder? Green Arrow? yes, yes, and sort of.
-Sort of? The Red Tornado will have other "red" cohorts, including Red Bee and Red Arrow, who might be named Roy McQueen, and might be an amputee.
-Wildcat? Issue 19
-Doiby Dickles? Intreaguing, but don't hold your breath.
-Earth 2 Batman will meet Bruce.

I asked Robinson about applying attributes of traditionally marginalized groups (homosexuals, amputees, etc.) to characters, whether those traits develop with the characters, or if they're applied at a different time. He responded that it's a very deliberate process for him. He wants to give representation to these groups, but doesn't want the marginalizing characteristic to define the character.

I'll be at Wondercon all weekend, so tweet me right! @notacomplainer

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