The first Darkstars were a group of intergalactic policemen that appeared in comic books published by DC Comics. They were introduced in Darkstars #1, and were created by Michael Jan Friedman and Larry Stroman. The series lasted a total of 39 issues, ending with issue #38, with an issue #0 published between issues #24 and 25 during the Zero Hour crossover event storyline.

Larry Stroman is an American comic book artist and writer. After first gaining attention illustrating the Epic Comics series Alien Legion, he went on to illustrate various Marvel Comics books such as The Uncanny X-Men, X-Factor, Ghost Rider and Punisher, as well as work for other companies, such as DC Comics' Darkstars and Dark Horse Comics' The Mark. He briefly published a creator-owned series called The Tribe with Image Comics in the early 1990s.