Line #6 ComicBook/StarBrand


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/844ac2d1_161f_4740_8a47_0bae80ce5fac.jpeg]]
2	%%[[caption-width-right:350:some caption text]]
3
4	''Star Brand'' (later slightly renamed to ''The Star Brand'') is a 1986 comic book series published by the Creator/NewUniverse imprint of Creator/MarvelComics.
5
6	Ken Connell, a mechanic from UsefulNotes/{{Pittsburgh}}, encounters a disguised, dying alien (the Old Man) and is gifted the titular Star Brand, which grants him vast cosmic powers. After clashing with another alien, he initially attempts to become a genuine superhero, but discovers that’s going to be much more complicated than he expected.
7
8	The series was one of eight titles launched to introduce the New Universe, a shared world unrelated to the existing Franchise/MarvelUniverse. It was initially billed as “the world outside your window”, a setting which only diverged from the real world when a single MassEmpoweringEvent - a huge flash in the sky referred to as the White Event - granted some people superpowers.
9
10	''Star Brand'', with its aliens and transferable powers, didn't initially fit well with those guidelines, so later stories revisited the events of early issues to show them in a very different light. The Old Man and his inhuman pursuers weren't actually aliens, and were manipulating Ken. As for the Star Brand itself, it didn’t follow the same rules as other powers bestowed by the White Event because it wasn’t a result of that event. Instead, the Star Brand was the thing that ''caused'' the White Event, a twist that reinforced Ken's role as the most powerful paranormal on Earth.
11
12	Faced with such a huge responsibility, Ken eventually decides to get rid of his powers and lead a normal life. However, his attempt to do so goes horribly wrong, resulting in the "Black Event” - a second world-changing MassEmpoweringEvent, but this time with tragic, devastating consequences.
13
14	After the Black Event, the Star Brand was passed on to other wielders and the comic's storylines no longer focused on Ken. The final arc revisited Ken, the Old Man and the Star Brand's history, revealing what was ''really'' going on and bringing the saga to a definite conclusion.
15
16	The series lasted for 19 issues, from October, 1986 to May, 1989.
17
18	A one-shot ''[[ComicBook/UntoldTalesOfTheNewUniverse Untold Tales of the New Universe: Star Brand]]'' comic was published in 2006, as part of an event to mark the 20th anniversary of the New Universe.
19
20	Several different Starbrand [[LegacyCharacter Legacy Characters]] also appeared in the ''ComicBook/{{newuniversal}}'' reboot of the New Universe concept, with the modern day version closely based on the original Ken Connell.
21
22	Another Starbrand, Kevin Conner, appeared in Creator/JonathanHickman's run on ''[[ComicBook/TheAvengersJonathanHickman The Avengers]]'' and then went on to co-star in ''ComicBook/StarbrandAndNightmask''.
23
24	----
25	!!''Star Brand'' includes the following tropes:
26	* AlternateCompanyEquivalent: Star Brand's more-than-passing resemblance to Franchise/GreenLantern was noted almost immediately, and became the topic of several parodies and critiques of the New Universe. After its cancellation, Jim Shooter admitted in an interview that the earliest concept behind the New Universe was to do the DC universe "Marvel-style", but it mutated along the way; by the time the books reached the stands only Star Brand -- the Green Lantern {{expy}} -- remained from that original idea.
27	* AndYourRewardIsInfancy: Ken Connell is reborn as a Star Child ''a la'' ''2001''.
28	* AngstNuke: The Star Brand wielder has this as one of their powers.
29	* ApocalypseHow: Ken accidentally obliterates Pittsburgh when trying to neutralise the Star Brand itself. The crater is 15 miles deep and 50 miles across - and everything within it was utterly annihilated. Beyond that line, there's still massive destruction from the blast itself, plus some nasty long-term effects from the Star Brand's unique energy.
30	* ArmedWithCanon: When John Byrne took over the series back in TheEighties, he proceeded to launch one TakeThat after another at the departing figure of ousted Creator/MarvelComics editor-in-chief Creator/JimShooter. ''Star Brand'' was one of the Shooter-initiated ''ComicBook/TheNewUniverse'' titles, and was the one that Shooter himself wrote personally. Byrne not only took ''ad hominem'' shots at Shooter personally, but had exposition characters [[LampshadeHanging hang lampshades]] on how implausible the events of Shooter's run was, and how [[IdiotBall stupid]] the protagonist Ken Connell had been. Early on in Byrne's run, Connell's girlfriend (a major cast member) got killed off; Connell later broke down and [[IJustWantToBeNormal tried to get rid of his powers]], destroying UsefulNotes/{{Pittsburgh}} (the hometown of both Connell and Shooter) in the process.
31	* TheBabyTrap: Ken clearly ''wrongly'' accuses his girlfriend Debbie of this.
32	* BettyAndVeronica: Star Brand had this, with {{Jerkass}} Ken Connell mainly concerned with who he was attracted to more; mom Barbara and TheDitz Debbie "Duck" Fix. He eventually goes with the Duck, because she seems to be blindly devoted to him due to apparent self-esteem issues whereas Barbara and her kids would be in danger from the Star Brand (one of which seems to already have been altered by a Star-Brand powered MindScrew). To be fair, Connell cements his {{Jerkass}} status by being temporarily attracted to Barbara's 15-year-old babysitter and sleeping with anyone.
33	* {{Capepunk}}: Ken Connell briefly tried to be a traditional superhero, but it didn't work; in one memorable scene, he met an AuthorAvatar of writer Creator/JohnByrne, who explained to him that it would be easy for someone to learn his SecretIdentity.
34	* ChestBurster: Debbie goes into labor and then her baby, a FetusTerrible empowered by the Star Brand, effectively punches his way out through her stomach, killing her.
35	* ClingyMacGuffin: The Star Brand, an energy source that can do anything the user wants to. However, even if you do find a way to get rid of it, a piece of it will still live on in you and recharge itself.
36	* ComicBookTime: Averted, as with other New Universe books. Some events are given a specific date and time - and data pages give Ken's date of birth and date of paranormality.
37	* CruelMercy: Gladiator is strong enough to hurt Ken despite the Star Brand, seems to be ''completely'' invulnerable, and is determined to march into Moscow and kill the Soviet leadership, potentially starting World War III. As the Star Brand grants the power of flight and Gladiator can't fly, Ken lifts him into orbit and considers [[HurlItIntoTheSun throwing him into the sun]] - but then decides he doesn't want to kill him, so throws him into deep space instead.
38	* DarkMessiah: Ken Connell slips into insanity after the destruction of Pittsburgh. Two months later he's ranting about how he's the messiah and the chosen one, able to remake the world.
39	* DeflectorShields: This was explicitly the defense of Star Brand, but he can control how far out it extends or turn it off, which meant he didn't have any problem getting his hair cut, or need a special costume.
40	* FutureSelfReveal: The Old Man who gave Ken Connell the titular Star Brand likewise lied about being [[FlyingDutchman a centuries-old Dutch trader]], and was later revealed to be a version of Ken who was thrown back in time 500 years.
41	* GenreSavvy: Demonstrated by a [[Creator/JohnByrne comic book writer]] [[SelfInsertFic attending a convention]] along with Star Brand (who was at the time attempting to be a masked hero in the traditional mold). The writer methodically dismantled all the comic book tropes that Connell was depending on to demonstrate why comic book-style heroes were unrealistic and unworkable. In particular, he showed just how much identifying information he could get from physically seeing the cowled Star Brand (height, build, eye color, skin color, and the approximate size and shape of Connell's nose, among other details), which he pointed out could then be used to significantly narrow down a search of, say, driver's license records.
42	* GivingTheSwordToANoob: Ken Connell repeatedly screws up with the Star Brand and then tries to get rid of it, with horrible consequences.
43	* HurlItIntoTheSun: Ken very nearly does this to WellIntentionedExtremist Gladiator, who's even stronger than he is, and seems totally invulnerable, but can't fly. In the end he opts for CruelMercy and throws him towards deep space instead.
44	* IJustWantToBeNormal: Ken "Star Brand" Connell.
45	* ImaginationBasedSuperpower: The Star Brand easily fits this trope. It can do just about anything the user wants, from flying to immortality. However, it has a tons of downsides to it, including being unable to be fully rid of the power (passing it leaves you with 10% of the power and you can drain it completely, but there's the possibility that you'll get it back or accidentally pass it on) and it can only be held by living beings. Ken Connell was severely lacking in imagination and functioned mostly as a FlyingBrick.
46	* ImpliedRape: Two months after the destruction of Pittsburgh, Connell's become a delusional DarkMessiah. He also has a captive, a traumatised woman in ragged clothing, and he claims he saved her from a "fate worse than death" at the hands of looters. When she desperately pleads for her freedom, saying that he hasn't let her rest for three days, she says that she's already thanked him for the rescue, and then adds that she's thanked him in "every way" she could.
47	* {{Jerkass}}: Kenneth Connell.
48	* MagneticPlotDevice: The Star Brand is a WeirdnessMagnet and a weirdness ''generator'' all in one, it's the MetaOrigin of [[DifferentlyPoweredIndividual Paranormals]]... And it [[ArtifactOfDoom blows up cities]] if you mishandle it.
49	* NewSeasonNewTitle: A minor one, but the series shifts from ''Star Brand'' to ''The Star Brand'' at the start of Johm Byrne's run.
50	* PersonOfMassDestruction: Ken Connell accidentally annihilates the city of Pittsburgh by trying to transfer the Star Brand to an inanimate object while ten miles above over the city.
51	* PowerTattoo: The Star Brand, literally. It's basically a [[AmplifierArtifact Cosmic Cube]] in tattoo form.
52	* RegionalRedecoration: Ken Connell accidentally obliterates Pittsburgh and everything 50 miles across trying to get rid of the Star Brand. This leaves behind a huge ForbiddenZone known as The Pitt. It's made especially notable due to the mutagen-like "Pitt Juice" and the seven mile-high "Mt. Pittsburgh" volcano.
53	* ResurrectiveImmortality: Anyone with the Star Brand (including the former wielders who've kept a percentage of the power) will keep coming back from the dead, temporarily adopting a monstrous form while they regenerate. The Old Man, Connell and Burnley all do this at least once during the series. The Old Man is also centuries old, suggesting that they won't age much, if at all.
54	* RetCon: Used to explain away the aliens in ''Star Brand'', which were originally intended to be taken at face value.
55	* SecretIdentity: Attempted briefly by Ken Connell as Star Brand, until a comic book writer he met at an SF convention demonstrated how unrealistic the standard comic book version was.
56	** Said comic book writer was Creator/JohnByrne, [[CreatorCameo who wrote that story]] and the title's final story-arc.
57	* SelfInsertFic: John Byrne inserted himself in an issue, when Starbrand attended a comic-con Byrne was in. Check GenreSavvy and TakeThat entries below for details.
58	* SoulFragment: Anyone who has the Star Brand transferred to them or is healed by the current wielder of the Brand will eventually have it completely manifest in them.
59	* SpecialOddHand: The Star Brand initially manifests as a mark on the palm of Ken's hand.
60	* StableTimeLoop: It is revealed that the Old Man is an older Ken Connell, who was thrown back in time and, thanks to the power of the Star Brand, lived for centuries before accidentally initiating the White Event and giving his younger self the Brand.
61	* StoryBreakerPower: The Star Brand, a mysterious power that can do anything, can regenerate from virtually nothing and has the potential to do bad things when mishandled.
62	* SuperEmpowering: Each user of the Star Brand can pass the Brand on to anyone or anything else, while still retaining a portion of the power. (Passing it into an inanimate object is... not recommended.) The Brand is also responsible for giving all the powers to all the Paranormals on Earth.
63	* SuperPowerMeltdown: Jacob Burnley depowers Philip Nolan Voigt, who copies the powers of other paranormals, by forcing him to trigger a huge number of contradictory paranormal abilities, overloading him.
64	* TakeThat: When Creator/JohnByrne took over the series back in the '80s, he proceeded to launch one TakeThat after another at the departing figure of ousted Creator/MarvelComics editor-in-chief Creator/JimShooter. ''Star Brand'' was one of the Shooter-initiated "[[ComicBook/TheNewUniverse New Universe]]" titles, and was the one that Shooter himself wrote personally. Byrne not only took ''ad hominem'' shots at Shooter personally, but had exposition characters [[LampshadeHanging hang some]] on how implausible the events of Shooter's run was, and how [[IdiotBall stupid]] the hero had been. Early on in Byrne's run, the hero's girlfriend got StuffedInTheFridge; the hero later broke down and passed the titular Brand onto some other poor schmuck, ''destroying UsefulNotes/{{Pittsburgh}} in the process''". Not coincidentally, the book's original hero [[AuthorAvatar bore a physical resemblance to Shooter]].
65	%%** Even after the title's finale it continued in a comic book of ''another company'': In the Creator/DCComics mini ComicBook/{{Legends\|DCComics}}, drawn by Byrne, Guy Gardner beats a villain named Sunspot, who is a transparent {{Expy}} of Star Brand. Guy doesn't even break a sweat, and Sunspot ends the fight by shooting himself in the foot while ranting about why the New Universes he tries to create keep exploding.
66	* ThereAreNoTherapists: Averted as Ken is friends with a therapist, but constantly ignores or runs away from his sound advice.
67	* UpUpAndAway: Ken Connell subverts this once or twice. Once while depressed he flew while in a classic moping pose, legs crossed as if sitting 'indian style', elbows on his knees and his cheeks resting on his hands.
68	* WellIntentionedExtremist: Gladiator intends to end the UsefulNotes/ColdWar by walking to Moscow and killing the Soviet leadership - as well as any Soviet troops who try to stop him. By the time Ken intervenes, there have already been two attempts to stop him with tactical nuclear weapons, raising tensions between the USSR and the West.
69	* WhamEpisode: ''Star Brand'' #12, which ends with the destruction of Pittsburgh.

Context ComicBook / StarBrand