Adventure Comics #469 [1980]

Adventure Comics #469 [1980] features the 9-page third (of twelve) chapter of the Levitz/Ditko/Tanghal Starman series, "Death In A Dark-Starred Void".  This was actually the last chapter of the story I read, as I first got chapter 2, got the book regularly from chapter 4 to 12 and had to later find 1 and 3 as back issues years later.  Terrible chapter to miss, as it's the first half of the origin of the character, and while there's enough recapping in later stories to catch up (as was the style of the time) there was some pivotal information I was lacking.

This story see's Starman, formerly Prince Gavyn, remembering his earlier life as one of the possible heirs to the imperial throne, who after the sudden death of the Emperor must deal with an odd tradition that insists all potential claimants to the throne (marked by permanent tattoo on their foreheads) are to be executed except the one chosen to rule. Seems like a poorly thought out law, but that's what they have.  Gavyn of course is passed over for the throne in favour of his sister, but clearly found a greater destiny after being blown out of an airlock into the vacuum of outer space.

I really like this chapter, Levitz does a lot of world-building, deeply rooted in genre tropes but still fresh and imaginative, and I think the art team of Ditko and Tanghal really start to click on this chapter.