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Pojo's HeroClix "Click of the Day"
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WMNOE |
Starman Veteran
OK, this one I don’t have to look up on
Whoclix. I’ve got the entire run of James Robinson’s Starman, and what a
fantastic run it is. Robinson started out with a beginning, middle and end
for Starman, and over the course of 80 some odd issues he revolutionized the
way that Super-hero comics were done. Of course, things are back to normal
now, but at least we’ve still got a fantastic run of post-modern heroics to
re-read over and over again.
Jack Knight was the younger son of the
original Golden Age Starman who took up the mantle when his older brother
David was murdered on his first adventure as the bearer of the cosmic rod.
Based out of the beautifully designed Opal City, and always reluctant to get
involved in super-heroics, Jack surrounded himself with other heroes and
villains, including the reformed Shade, Solomon Grundy and the alien Starman
who headlined one issue of DC Comics Presents back in the disco 70’s. Along
the way he clashed with the daughter of his dad’s greatest nemesis The Mist,
and actually begat a son by her. His solo adventures with some real and
made up Golden Age characters directly led to the reformation of the Justice
Society and paved the way for better post-modern Super-hero stories. Yeah I
guess you could say I kind of liked Starman.
Cost: 66. Health: 7. Ranged 10
Attacks: 1. Flyer.
SSADD: 10/9/16/2. Powers: Incapacitate,
Toughness, Energy Shield Deflection, RCE.
Hmm…low cost, good powers, flyer with
RCE, nice. Don’t know why he’s got Toughness, he’s not really all that
tough in the comics, and he has no intrinsic powers, everything derives from
the Cosmic Rod, now a huge staff. Also I think I might disagree with RCE,
he’s no sharp-shooter in the comics. Being one of my favorite comics
characters, I’m a little more pre-disposed to liking his clix, and was
excited to pull one out of my first boosters. Still looking forward to
making a team with him, because at this low of a cost, you can’t lose. The
only thing missing is the JSA team ability.
I was a little disappointed with the
sculpt though. Not that it’s a bad pose, there aren’t many kneeling
characters, no, what I’m disappointed with is the jacket. In the comics,
Jack, who is a collector of rare items such as Bakelite and other odd
antiques, has this kick arse appliqué on the back of his jacket. Check it
out on a T-shirt design here:
http://www.hillcity-comics.com/tshirts/starman_II.jpg (Thanks Puni!) In
any case, WK didn’t bother to put the appliqué on the back of his miniature;
it’s just all black. I guess if I had any artistic talent whatsoever I
could paint one on myself, or just make a sticker that can be placed on his
back. Being a level 5 rare from the Cosmic Justice set used to have some
panache, but no longer. The Vet Starman can be had for a few dollars on
line.
My Ratings:
Playability 3.5 of 5.
Collectability 2 of 5. |
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Shooter |
Starman
63 points
Range 10; 1 Target
Incapacitate (4 clix); Toughness (1 clix); Energy Shield/Deflection (4 clix);
Ranged Combat Expert (4 clix)
Hmmmm….what can I say about Starman. He’s…interesting. A speed of 10 for his
first three clix, and then it drops to 8 for his last three. His attack
starts at a decent 9, but drops down a couple of points throughout the dial.
Defense of 16, damage of 2 (4 with RCE), all pretty standard for a ranged
attack flyer of his price.
There are a couple of ways I see of playing Starman: you could use him as a
quick tie-up piece, either using his incapacitate to prevent him from being
damaged by the tied up piece too badly or using the new flyer rules to tie
up one piece while blasting others away with RCE. You could also use him as
an early taxi and later as sniper piece. But since his stats are not
phenomenal, he might be difficult to use in higher point games (where you
would expect to use a figure of his cost) with more powerful figures.
In my opinion, that first click of Toughness is totally wasted on this
figure. I would much prefer another click of ES/D. The only thing the
toughness could really be used for is if you decide to use him as a tie up
piece, especially for lower power figures, like medics. He’d probably be
better if he had running shot too.
Ratings
100 points: 2.5 out of 5 (a slightly expensive centerpiece, but workable)
200 points: 3 out of 5
300 points: 2.5 out of 5
400+ points: 1.5 out of 5 (maybe if you really needed a decent taxi who
could double as a way to take out medics)
---Shooter |
Ironman
1110 |
Starman:
Not a bad peice at all, folks. For the most part, his numbers stay pretty
consistant. He has 4 clicks of RCE, the first two making him able to shot 10
squares for four damage! Also, he has some incapacitate, a power I have a
new respect for, and a click of toughtness followed by a healthy dose of
Energy Sheild/Deflection. My only gripe is his 9 AV. Make it a 10 and I'd
play him. But at 63 points, you can get a Rookie Firelord for only 3 more
points. But in an all DC game...
100: Too expensive here:--- 1.5/5
200: Still a bit costy, but may be worth the points:--- 2.5/5
300+: A nice addition to any team:--- 3.25/5
Sealed Box: Now we're verging on brokeness:--- 4/5
The Bottom Line: 2.75/5 |
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Aeril Blade |
Starman
Starman, Starman, Starman. 63 points of pure hell. Let's break down the
stats.
(R)ange: 10
(T)argets: 1
(L)ife: 6
(S)peed: 10
(A)ttack: 9
(D)efense: 16
(D)amage: 2
There are two basic strategies in team building. The star method that has
one core character that's the focal point of your team, and the support team
that is an ensemble of characters that bring out the best in each other.
What we've got here is someone who could work on either. Flyer with 10
speed. Good. Attack of 9. Good. Defense of 16. Good. Damage of 2. Good. He's
good on all fronts. Plus he gets Incapacitate, Ranged Combat Expert,
Toughness, and Energy Shield. He would butcher in a 100 point game, he's the
star. He would dominate in a 200 point game. Use him to carry in anyone and
soak the damage with Toughness, then BOOM, Energy Shield. Have a fun time
trying to hit him at range. Any higher, and I think he would be a bit out of
his league as the star, but would make a good supporter.
100 Pnt: 3/5
200 Pnt: 4/5
300 Pnt: 3/5
400 + Pnt: 2/5 |
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