Starbolts #714: Under Her Spell

 

 Hail! 

    This week the engagement party ends on a very high note for our heroes and now that I think about it I think both Marcus and Crystal would be under each other's spell. No magic is involved. But, there is that mutual attraction they have for each other. Thankfully, it goes beyond a physical attraction.  I've said it many times before. Those two basically complete each other. He makes her feel safe and loved and makes her laugh. That's a big deal considering her history. She makes him feel accepted. That's why they love each other so much.

    I did have a fun time trying to figure out the disastrous side effect of a "love potion" in this universe. I wanted to make something gross and befitting for someone who dared to try and use such a thing. Turning green with envy and getting covered in warts seemed like the best way to go. Of course that ultimately ends in the person dying. So there's that.

    It's good to note that the bonding ritual isn't a love spell either. It's just something that heightens a bond that's already there. Does it improve things? Probably. Ever since Crystal and Marcus achieved their bond (After several tries) she has been a lot more confident in her love for Marcus as evidenced by the kiss on the dance floor and her actions later in the comic. I don't think I need to explain any more about those two. The comic kinda speaks for itself at this point.

    Other than Crystal and Marcus learning about love spells,we've got Tanis officially returning to the ranks of the Starbolts. In the original draft of this week's comic, I had the conversation between Shrall, M'anta and Tanis and it basically had him say to Shrall that he wanted to leave Xemplara and rejoin the Starbolts. Shrall was very eager to let him go since things with Shenra haven't been too cozy. Plus he had that unfortunate incident in Cyclone Consulting where he dressed up as a Mosqukatara. Not a great look dressing up like a space Nazi.

    I don't think Xemplara was too sad to see him go. At least now he's back where he belongs and Carter will be watching him like a hawk. You might recall how those two didn't always get along. Crystal believes in second chances because she and her sister are living proof of how second chances work. He better not fail Crystal. If he thinks Carter would get mad just imagine how mad she'd get. Crystal is a passionate person. She loves hard and if you cross her, she will strike hard.

   Next time we'll see what else Cyclone is gonna throw at our heroes. What did that VP nominee want? We'll see him again next week!

See ya then! 

Starbolts #713: A New Dragonfly

 Hail!

    Leave it to Medea to go above and beyond to ensure her son's future. Now, the question is did she sleep with Garazo or not? I don't know about that. I think it's best to let that be a mystery. If anything, I'm sure they just discussed Tanis in a less crowded setting. Could they have done it? It's possible. But, I think I'll leave that for readers to decide. Some things are best left ambiguous.  

    In any event, Tanis has a desire to leave Xemplara and return to the Starbolts. He originally left the team after falling out with them over his tryst with Shenra back in Starbolts #437. Shenra will be happy he's leaving Xemplara. I doubt they've remained on friendly terms once her mind was in the right place. She'd be throwing a party once Shrall tells her the news.

    I wonder if the Starbolts will welcome Tanis back with open arms. That remains to be seen. For now this is basically the start of Tanis's redemption tour. I'm getting tired of making him the punching bag. So, look to see some development on this front.

    We still will have to deal with the guy who's been poking around the academy. He was caught hanging around the science building and already changed his story. What exactly is that man up to? 

Stay tuned!

Starbolts #712: One Quiet Night

 Hail! 

    The first comic of 2025 and already things are off to an interesting start. Garazo gave some great tips to Marcus and we gained some insight into the world where our cat-like friend came from. His people are polyamorous and have many significant others at the same time. As a result, he has many children including the Starbolt Carra. 

    I wonder if we'll ever see any of his three wives and the rest of their children. We might someday. For now it looks like Medea has her heart set on becoming wife number four. Will it happen? Who knows. Right now it looks like our heroes might have another problem.

    It turns out that the  guy introduced last week was not only a Vice Presidential hopeful but a Gladstone as well. If you recall, a man named H.P. Gladstone made life a living hell for our heroes several times. He's currently residing in a maximum security prison for his role in the resurgence of the terrorist organization Terra Nova and even old crimes including the kidnapping of Crystal and Carter when they were just embryos. Sufficed it to say, H.P. was not a nice man.

    So, how is Harold related to him? Well, they are both gingers. That's all I can spoil right now. There is a connection there. I was tempted to make a few other people a V.P. candidate. But, we may see them again as members of the cabinet or something. That's just assuming Roger wins the election. He and Gladstone do seem confident don't they? It'd be a real shame if something were to happen to them. Real shame indeed.

See ya next time!

Starbolts #711: 2024 in Pictures

 

 Hail!

   Here we are at the last comic of 2024! I know I promised a party last time and we'll definitely have one. I just wanted to get a recap out of the way before we got there. Though, I have to admit this recap is heavily biased toward Crystal. It could be argued that this is all Medea's fault. Or it could have been her plan all along. Crystal is a main character now so it stands to reason that she'd get some of the spotlight. As always feel free to check out the archive for all the comics mentioned here and even the ones I've missed. The past year was a big one in many ways and the comic was no exception. Check out the archive for details! https://starbolts.blogspot.com/p/comic-archive.html

   Next year is bound to be just as action packed as the last year was for our heroes. Will there be a wedding? Most likely. I'd be hard-pressed to not include Marcus and Crystal's wedding at some point in 2025. When will the wedding be? I'm not sure. I have a few ideas running around in my head. We'll see what happens down the line.

    Right now our heroes have to contend with a mystery man who seems to have some sort of grudge against the Starbolts. If you recall, this guy was the man who introduced Firaxil to Lady Liberty 925 back in Starbolts #702. Who is he? I'm not sure. However, it looks like he may just be Roger Stevens's new VP if he gets elected. 

    Whatever happens next year you can bet that our heroes will be on hand to continue righting wrongs while still trying to just live their lives. Despite what fate throws at them you know they'll be ready for what happens.

See ya in 2025!

Starbolts #710: The Gift of Love

 

 Hail!

    Happy holidays from the Starbolts! This week's comic takes place just after our heroes thwarted Roger Stevens's plan to make a robot version of Crystal his running mate. M'anta gave Marcus and Crystal some time off so that they could properly celebrate their engagement. There will be a party next time and that will also serve as our New Year's Eve comic. So, stick around for that.

    For this week's comic, I wanted to show the moment where Crystal decided she wanted to tell Marcus how she felt about him. The idea was running around in my head ever since I decided to make them a couple back in Starbolts #302. Since that comic came out back in 2016 I had to get back into Crystal's mindset in those days. In the comics before she found out the truth about her parents, she had a southern accent and was unsure about being in a physical relationship given her tragic background. Thankfully, she had years and years of therapy and reassurance by set of adoptive parents who actually were her biological parents all along.

    I like how the conversation with Andrea played out. She was always a mother to her girls even when she didn't know that they were her biological offspring. That's just the kind of person she is. I imagine that once the hug was over Andrea and Crystal discussed being in a physical relationship. That was likely going to come up given her past and it was definitely on her mother's mind. She likely wanted to make sure she was prepared for that given all she's been through.

    Anyway, she told Marcus the truth and now they're at the point where Crystal can now be confident in her love for Marcus and in her appearance. People constantly judged her because of how curvaceous she is. This is made clear by the fact that the American people had NO problem seeing Crystal step down as a Vice Presidential hopeful. Kinda says something about American politics, though. Aside from her looks she'd have been the first half Indigenous Vice President in American history. Would have been cool. But, I don't think the real Crystal has any plans to run for office.

    Marcus and Crystal were last at the Johnsons' house back in Starbolts #324 and while they were just starting to date at that point, Marcus never took advantage of Crystal. And there were many times where he could have. For example, she had a nightmare in Starbolts #328 and crawled into bed with her boyfriend. The temptation was there for sure. But, Marcus never wavered because of the guy he is. Crystal loved that about him and over time they grew more confident in each others' love.

 I hope you all enjoyed the comic! Next time we'll have our annual New Year's comic. Stay tuned for that one!

See ya next time! Happy holidays!

Starbolts #709: Woman and Machine

 Hail!

    Well, it looks like Roger Stevens has escaped justice yet again. Let's hope our heroes can finally capture that scumbag! I'm sure they will. You can't say Crystal wasn't clever pretending to be the Lady Liberty android. It's just a shame the plan didn't work because it was a good one. Perhaps the team just needs to disable the portable transporter unit in Roger's suit! That couldn't hurt.

    At least this excursion wasn't a total waste. We finally learn that the androids cease functioning whenever they encounter the being they were based on. It's a strange flaw, I know. Let's just keep in mind that the Setleth built these androids. The Setleth are a clever people. However, their creations tend too backfire every now and then. It's too bad that the original Sentinel died in Starbolts #271. With him gone, the Sentinel droids are free to wreak havoc. The Starbolts will have to find the factory and defeat the so-called master mold.

    That adventure will have to wait as next week we'll be having our annual Christmas comic and the week after that will be our New Years comic. Look forward to this storyline wrapping up in 2025. I have an idea for how it ends and I think Steve here might be getting his just desserts. We shall see.

See ya next time!

Starbolts #708: Outsmarting the Brain

 Hail!

    Wow! It looks like Cyclone Consulting isn't quite with the times, huh? Yes. Doug and Remy are indeed a couple and the baddies here are not exactly LGBT friendly. This does bring up an important question, though. If they are against LGBT and are on a quest for perfection, why did they recruit them to the group? It seems kind of strange, doesn't it? Well, you could argue that they were just hired based on their superpowers and that's it. Doug is super intelligent and that could serve them well. In time Remy could be a useful spy with his shapechanging abilities. They could be kept around just to serve them but not actually take part in the whole perfection angle. It's a cult, sure. But, they'll still use other people in their plans regardless of who they are and who they love.

    At least Crystal is finally face to face with Lady Liberty Unit 925 and I don't think she'll be reacting nicely to the android.

    I do like that there are parallels with Doug and Remy and Marcus and Crystal. Both couples took their sweet time getting together. Though the difference here is Doug and Remy couldn't because of their ties with Cyclone. Marcus and Crystal could have hooked up a long time ago. But, she had her own things to deal with before she could even consider being in a relationship.

 Next week's comic will see the end of this phase of the cult playing cat and mouse with our heroes. I'm sure the Starbolts will be fed up with their antics. The week after that will see the holiday comic. Be sure to check that out as we've got a lot of things coming. Rest assured 2024 will end on a high note in the comic!

See ya next time!