The (not so) amazing origin of Megastar -- Part 1

So today I thought I'd toss out a post talking about how Megastar came to be. I've already talked about the overall, sweeping concept that enables me to write stories about Megastar, but the character itself has a long and vibrant history, and I thought it'd be fun to share it with you.


Megastar was created nearly twenty years ago when I was about 12 or 13. I was a voracious comic book reader back then (and now), and I fueled my habit however I could. I scrounged for pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters to spend at the local 7/11 (they had comics available in convenience stores back then, don'tcha know?) or at the bookstore (yep... had 'em there too) in the mall. I borrowed from or exchanged with friends and classmates as often as I could, and when the money ran out and the bartering system failed me, well... I created my own. The first comic I ever created was called "The Shuriken".

Check out that incredible cover! Notice the attention to detail, the incredible background effects such as clouds and a random rocketship. Marvel at the color-coordinated "soldiers of death"! One of them has a hat! Yeah, that's right... I drew this. There's no shame in my game.


Anyway, the Shuriken was a hero like, uh... pretty much any other hero, just not as well-drawn. He got his powers in an accident (fell into a nuclear reactor during a field trip), he had a gimmick (tossing throwing stars... or shuriken if you prefer), and he created his method of getting around (boot jets!). Don't ask me how a high school kid created a pair of boot jets. I was twelve.


His powers consisted of enhanced strength, agility, blah blah blah, and he could infuse inanimate objects with energy. For the look, I tried to give him one of those eye-pieces that Cyclops of the X-Men wears, and my reasoning was that I'd never seen that look combined with a mask before. The logo on his chest was the same as the shurikens he tossed around. I drew the cover above, and a full first issue of The Shuriken before I discovered...

Shuriken! For those not in the know, Shuriken (and later another series titled The Blade of Shuriken) was a pretty great comic created by Reggie Byers back in the '80s. Reggie also drew shurikens a lot better than I ever could, as if you couldn't tell. Of course, that's what I know about the series now. Back then I think I was on a family trip in Atlantic City at the time, and found it in some obscure book store on the boardwalk... and I was crushed! My brilliant character was ruined! There was no way I could keep going with a character that had the same name as a character that was already established! I could get sued! Again... I was twelve.


So what happened? How did I recover from a state of utter despair and devastation to eventually transform The Shuriken into Megastar? Find out in the next (not so) exciting episode of "The (not so) amazing origin of Megastar!"