DC Super-Stars #16
Published and © by DC, October 1977
Title: “The Star Hunters”
Synopsis: Coerced by the Corporation, swashbuckler Donovan Flint has no choice but to join in the search for an ancient artifact.
Writer: David Michelinie
Penciler: Don Newton
Inker: Bob Layton
Review: To be honest, this reviewer expected to like this one a whole lot more. David Michelinie is a writer known for both interesting plots and interesting characters, neither of which are on display here. Perhaps Star Hunters will evolve into something cool, but this debut is a pretty bland collection of sci-fi standards. The art, by the team of Don Newton and Bob Layton, is certainly more of a draw. Stylistically, Newton is cut from the same cloth as Michael Golden, but his rendering isn’t as consistent and his storytelling can be a bit awkward at times.
Grade: B-
Second opinion: “An excellent debut.” – Hassan Yusuf, FantaCo’s Chronicle’s Series Annual #1, 1983
Cool factor: Early work from the classic Iron Man team of Michelinie and Layton.
Notable: First appearance of the Star Hunters. … According to “The Story Behind the Story” essay in this issue, other names that were considered for Star Hunters included The Survivors, The Outcasts and World Tamer.
Character quotable: “For instance, there’s this dandy little gadget from Regulus IV that has a most intriguing effects on …” – Donovan Flint, trying out the best pick-up lines of the 22nd century
Editor’s note: This review was originally published by Comics Bronze Age on Sept. 28, 2009.
