O’Dare to Dream

In a world where the long form, single storyline driven, comic book series seems to be in its twilight, so is one of comic books’ greatest archetypes. The people whose lives we have watched evolve alongside our favorite protagonists, who time again have proven they are their cities protector as much as the hero. Each series’ champion: the Side Characters.

Every great story has them. Every fan wants more of them. Yet, for some reason, once the series ends, so do the tales of those beloved friends.

I know many of you immediately starting thinking of that character for you personally. The one you can’t believe didn’t, at the least, get a four issue mini. For me, it was and will always be the O’Dare family from James Robinson’s 1994 “Starman”.

“The who?” I can hear you all say. And to that I reply, “Exactly!”

William “Red” O’Dare was created by James Robinson to have been a police officer/ally of Ted Knight, the first Starman and father of Jack Knight. This connection brought the entire O’Dare family into the world of Starman. Being a family of cops; Clarence, Matt, Barry, Hope and Mason O’Dare, were integral in Jack Knights success in his tenure as Starman and protector of Opal City. Clarence, the eldest of the family, often acted as the father figure, even if the rest didn’t need him to. As the Police Commissioner he acted as liaison to the cities heroes, as a man he loved his wife, Faith, his family and his friends.

Matt O’Dare may be the most interesting. His character arch is that of redemption and forgiveness. Introduced as a cop whom was more of a criminal, he accepted his role as black sheep of the O’Dare family and rebelled in corruption. That is until he was shown a vision, assisted by The Shade, that he was the resurrected spirit of Brian Savage, the first protector of Opal, and perhaps more importantly, one of The Shades only friends. After a brief stint in hell and taking up his mantle as the “Shades new BFF and resurrected city protector” he got to work cleaning his city, and himself, up. Tragically, Matt died saving Opal during the Grand Guignol storyline after being wounded by his brother Barry. However, before passing on, he is able to have some last words with his family and Jack. Informing them that he will one day be resurrected again as the Starman of the future. And with that he passed happy, knowing he will one day see his Opal City again, in another life.

Barry… oh Barry, Barry, Barry. The true black sheep of the O’Dare family, Barry was there to assist Starman with his siblings. However, keeping mostly to himself and not forming a bond with Jack like the others, it is revealed that Barry was on payroll of Simon Culp, a protagonist during “Grand Guignol” storyline. After shooting and kidnapping his family members as well as their partners, he ultimately meets his fate at the other end of Matt O’Dares revolver. Mortally wounding Matt in the process.

Hope is the only woman in a family of men. She is proud of her family and their Irish roots. Simply put, Hope is the most talented and feared of the O’Dares. Her temper and bullish attitude make her seem more like a vigilante hero rather than a cop at times. During the Grand Guignol storyline Hope, along with Matt, take up the role as Opal’s protectors and is shown to be a real hero. By the end of the series Hope is tired and expresses her want to get out of Opal for a while, However, before leaving she asks The Shade out on a date. Years later, during the Blackest Night storyline at DC, Hope is seen assisting the Shade and it is revealed for them to have been in a relationship for some time now.

Mason is the youngest of the O’Dare family and is treated as such. Not getting much say in anything family related he has taken the role of the “Quiet One” who would rather sit back, listen and learn. The only O’Dare still on the beat in uniform, Mason is the perfect example of an officer. His instincts are highly tuned and he doesn’t fear away from danger, jumping into any scrap to protect the innocent. Mason’s fear lie on the social side of things. Falling for Charity, a clairvoyant friend of Jack Knight, he clams up and would rather stay silent than say the wrong thing to her. Through assistance from Ted Knight on Christmas, Mason eventually begins a relationship with Charity and are engaged by series end.

A brief synopsis of every member of the O’Dare family and I think it’s easy to see the storyline potential that can be found. And that is only mentioning the O’Dares. I could go on with other Starman side characters; Bobo Benetti, Sully Grundy, Mikaal Tomas, Hamilton Drew, etc.

Why are characters with such rich backstory and development left for scraps when the heroes story is done? This is the give and take of the long form storyline in comics. You get to grow and love these characters, but when it’s done you don’t see them again. And most often, the hero will go on to bigger things never mentioning your beloved side characters, as if they never existed.

I don’t think it needs to be said, but I’m not a fan of the new Mainstream model of “slap a #1 on it and start over in 6 months.” But that is why we have independent publishers. There, the long form story is still going strong, chock full of side characters; the lovable jock, the nerdy best friend, the jerk that wouldn’t be accepted by any other group. They’re all there for us to love and lose.

So keep faith, the mainstream market ebbs and flows. It may seem that we’re losing a beloved character archetype, but that is only what “THEY” think sells right now. In a few years, when everyone acknowledges the depth of storylines that are coming out of Indy publishers, the Mainstream will come back to giving us our Side Characters. But don’t get too attached…

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All characters mentioned are from 1994’s Starman series by DC Comics

Writer: James Robinson

Artist: Tony Harris (occasional guest artist)

Inker: Wade von Grawbadger (and others)

Colorist: Gregory Wright (and others)