The Darkstars #15

Dec 1993 · DC · 1.75 USD; 2.25 CAD; 1.25 GBP

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“The Unkindest Cut of All!”

★ 1st appearance — Merayn Dethalis

About this Issue

Darkstars #15 represents the dramatic payoff of the John Flint betrayal arc — the moment Ferrin Colos is forced to face his former human deputy, now physically and psychologically remade as the alien syndicate's weapon, Annihilator 171. The issue captures the street-level, morally grounded sensibility that distinguished the Darkstars series from other cosmic DC titles of the era: where Green Lanterns wielded willpower constructs, these intergalactic cops wrestled with loyalty, corruption, and the cost of duty. The issue also sits within the Eclipso crossover period of late 1993, with the indexed presence of Amanda Waller, Bruce Gordon, Mona Bennett, Sarge Steel, and Eclipso himself reflecting DC's practice of weaving content from the concurrent Eclipso ongoing series into satellite titles across its line.

writer Michael Jan Friedman · artist Christopher Taylor · inker Ken Branch · colorist Patricia Mulvihill · letterer Bob Pinaha · cover Randy DuBurke

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VF+ $1.65 VF/NM $1.99 NM $1.99 VF+ $1.99 VF $2.9 NM $2.95 VF $3.98 The Darkstars #15 Dec. 1993 DC Comics $1.79

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History

The Darkstars series was conceived by writer Michael Jan Friedman, who pitched the concept after being told there was too much inventory on both Green Lantern and Martian Manhunter solo stories; the result was a deliberate mashup of the two characters' core appeals — a cosmic corps and a lonely alien on Earth. The series launched in October 1992 under editor Brian Augustyn, and by issue #15 the editorial desk was shared with Paul Kupperberg, with Ruben Diaz as assistant editor. Christopher Taylor handled interior pencils for this issue (replacing earlier series artists), with Ken Branch on inks and Trish Mulvihill on colors, while Randy DuBurke provided the cover.

Trivia · 8 facts

Cover-dated December 1993 (on-sale November 25, 1993); story titled 'The Unkindest Cut of All!'
Written by Michael Jan Friedman; interior art by Christopher Taylor (pencils) and Ken Branch (inks); colors by Trish Mulvihill; cover by Randy DuBurke
Editors: Brian Augustyn and Paul Kupperberg; assistant editor Ruben Diaz
Central conflict: Ferrin Colos (Darkstar) is trapped by the alien Syndicate and forced to battle the brainwashed, physically mutated John Flint, now operating as Annihilator 171 — a persona created when the Syndicate subjected Flint to a mind-and-body altering procedure after he resigned from the Darkstars
Colos ultimately attempts to break through Flint's brainwashing by appealing to his memories as a police officer, temporarily redirecting Flint's aggression at the Syndicate itself before both are incapacitated by Syndicate guards
Parallel subplot: deputies Carla White and Mo Douglas pursue a high-tech theft case, connecting the alien hitman Bindar Kleeg (under witness protection) to robberies at advanced facilities including a S.T.A.R. Labs building in Houston, with the stolen item identified as an interplanetary folded-space drive
A third subplot set on the mining world Ovendrar involves a squad of Darkstars pursuing a female fugitive who escapes by stealing their spacecraft
The Eclipso-related characters indexed for this issue (Amanda Waller, Bruce Gordon, Mona Bennett, Sarge Steel, Eclipso) reflect the concurrent DC Eclipso storyline running through the Eclipso ongoing series at the same cover period; their presence signals a crossover segment embedded in the issue consistent with DC's 1993 publishing practices