My god. This is war, all right. 
- — Starman
Starman #5 is an issue of the series Starman (Volume 1) with a cover date of Holiday, 1988.
Synopsis for "Don't You Know There's a War On?"
Starman has been captured by the Power Elite and is being held in the Hutchings Institute.[1] Harold Melrose is determined to steal his powers, and top scientists examine the body while the Elite bicker amongst themselves. They are interrupted by reports of the great Invasion! and the Alien Alliance's attack on Australia.[2] Debating over the validity and seriousness of the threat, they are unaware of a Durlan spy who takes Melrose' form and uses it to kidnap Starman, with the intention of sending him to the mothership for experiments. On the trip back, he awakens from his containment and bursts out, defeating the pilot assigned to them. Still inside of a strange spaceship, he meets up with Firestorm, Firehawk and Power Girl, who have been enlisted by the government into the combat against the invaders.[3] Starman is surprised to see that professional superheroes would want his help, as he has never been around any before.
They pilot the craft into the fleet of Khunds stationed in the Fiji Islands, and jettison at the last second out of the explosion caused when they are fired upon. Easy Company is also stationed there, and as soon as they see the cavalry, they begin launching an infantry offensive of their own. They decimate the alien fleet, their encampments, and their soldiers. Will notes how cold-bloodedly his fellow heroes fight against the attackers in the heat of combat. In the midst of it all, they find Adam Strange imprisoned, being tortured and interrogated. As the battle is won, he is liberated, and so is his intelligence. Triumphant in this one skirmish, everybody pitches in on the clean-up crew paying respects to the dead and handling prisoners. Strange reports with news from Captain Atom, a super-hero summit is being held to coordinate forces for the duration of the crisis and they are all invited.
Appearing in "Don't You Know There's a War On?"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
Locations:
- Arizona
- South Pacific
- Utah
- Hutchings Institute
- Hutchings Institute
Notes
- This issue is an Invasion! First Strike extra, and a tie-in to the larger story told in the Invasion! miniseries. These crossovers take place in between Invasion! #1 and Invasion! #2, largely dealing with the Alien Alliance's assault on Earth and the way heroes around the world were participating in the initial war effort.
- This story is continued from Firestorm the Nuclear Man #80 which explains where Firestorm, Firehawk and Power Girl were prior to the start of this issue. Although some events are concurrent, it makes more sense if you read that issue first.
- At the end of the issue, Power Girl remarks that the Justice League can be heard in the middle of a fight on the island over. She is referencing events that take place in Justice League International #22.
Trivia
- This is really Starman's first team-up. He hasn't met any other legitimate superheroes until this point.
- In this issue, Firestorm is a composite of Martin Stein, Ronnie Raymond and Mikhail Arkadin although only the dominant Stein personality appears.[4]
See Also
Recommended Reading
- Starman Recommended Reading
- Firestorm Recommended Reading
- Firestorm (Volume 1)
- The Flash (Volume 1): The Flash #289– #304
- Firestorm (Volume 2)
- Justice League of America (Volume 1): Justice League of America #179– #225 & Justice League of America Annual #1–2
- Extreme Justice (Volume 1)
- JLA #69– #82
- Identity Crisis #5
- Firestorm (Volume 3)
- Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men (Volume 1)
- Legends of Tomorrow (Volume 1)
- Supergirl Recommended Reading
Links and References
  Invasion! Crossover Adventures of Superman #449 • Animal Man #6 • Captain Atom Vol 2 #24 • Checkmate #11 • Daily Planet Special #1 • Detective Comics #595 • Doom Patrol #17 • Firestorm #80 • Flash #21 • Justice League International #22 • Manhunter #8 • New Guardians #6 • Power of the Atom #7 • Spectre #23 • Starman #5 • Superman #26 • Swamp Thing #81 • Wonder Woman #25 |