Blackfire From Teen Titans is (Technically) Disabled in Comics (And Other Starfire Things)
Yeah. So, you probably remember Blackfire from the cartoon, right?
Well, in the comics, she looked like this:
And you will also be surprised to learn that she's disabled. By Tamaranian standards, that is.
First of all, let's get something out of the way. Starfire (and Blackfire)'s star bolt power? That's not natural. That's a superpower, even by Tamaranian standards. They gained that power after being experimented on by the Psions. Everything else? Standard biology for them.
Well...except for one little thing.
Blackfire, or Komand'r, cannot fly. Tamaranians are supposed to be able to fly from birth. It's just...part of being a Tamaranian, the same way reading minds is for Martians. But she can't. Because of this, she grew bitter and jealous at her little sister and eventually betrayed her planet and did other horrible, awful things to Starfire in retribution.
Also, I'd like to gush about the art. Starfire, in her initial creation, looked like so:
Compare the two sisters. With all due respect, in the Teen Titans cartoon of the early 2000s, Starfire and Blackfire are more or less a palette swap. Here, they're similar enough that you can tell they're sisters, but they are also clear differences.
Blackfire's hair, while also red, is a shade darker, with a lot more black ink added. Her face is also drawn completely different from her baby sister, narrower and sharper. It's simple, and maybe something like this--drawing unique faces--shouldn't be given all that much praise since it should be expected of an artist, but I love it a lot. George Perez was no slouch.
Also, some people may laugh at Star's 80s hair, but honestly? I adore it. I find her stunning like that.
