On Stan Lee

Today we lost a legend in the comics industry. His name was Stanley Martin Lieber and he was the co-creator of Spider-Man, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four and really most of the Marvel Universe. He was an icon who inspired legions of people from all over the world myself included. I remember first reading Stan Lee's works back when I started reading comics in the late 1980s. Immediately I was hooked! I was blown away that this was the guy who created Spider-Man, a character I was watching on Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends at the time. I was hooked and I was never the same since.

Stan Lee inspired me to create the Starbolts. I always wanted to create my own superheroes like he did. Ironically, he and I share some similarities in that regard. He always said that he couldn't draw very well. Neither can I. That was another thing that drove me to him. He never seemed to let his inability to draw get in the way of his imagination and we all know what kind of a wild imagination "The Man" had. That's why he was an inspiration. He inspired legions of fans to create, draw and dream about characters that are larger than life.

Do I regret not meeting him? I do. But, if you've been reading my blog for a long time, you may recall a post of mine from 2012 where I talked about how my friends' Rich and Laura got Stan to do a personalized video message. They had him drop everything and deliver me a message. He wished me good luck with everything I was doing and he seemed very, very sincere. Fans would agree that he is genuine. There's no mean bone in his body and I think that's why people were drawn to him. I guess in a way I did meet Stan Lee. Sure it would have been nice to see him in person, but,  that moment is something I'll always cherish. It was a personalized message given to me by two good friends. I need to find a way to immortalize that video. It probably means more to me than the Stan Lee biography I have.

Stan Lee was a powerhouse who will be remembered for many years to come.

Just one last thing to add before I go. Though he may be gone, his creations will live on on the comic page and on the big screen. I guess one man really can make a difference. 'Nuff said.

Thank you for being an inspiration.

EXCELSIOR!

Starbolts #411: Homecoming

Hail!

It's been a long time coming and now Sara has returned to the Starbolts! Just so you know, the adventure is far from over. We still have Clive to track down and we need to figure out who he called. There are still plenty of mysteries to solve and over time Sam and I will reveal everything. For now Sara Whitefox has returned to the Starbolts. Ten years may have passed in real time. However, it's been about two years in comic time. Gotta love those sliding timescales!

As you can see it took a long time to work on this sixty panel behemoth of a comic. It was well worth it and I think next comic will be about the same length. We're still working on the assorted odds and ends. I tried to include as many characters as I could in the two-panel spread up there. Too bad Tanis is still in sickbay. He'll be fine. He'll meet Sara soon enough.

At least the Starbolts have cause for celebration and it couldn't have come at a better time since this year is the comic's tenth anniversary. Funny how things work out, huh? Now it's time to turn the mic over to my good friend and co-writer, Sam! Sam, take it away!

Sam: 

She's back! After ten long years Sara Whitefox returns to the Starbolts. Firaxil gets his girlfriend, the Whitefox clan get their missing member, and team science gets their third scientist. A little bit of good after all of the hardships Chris has been putting his creations through.

I have to say, when Chris told me Sara was coming back, I was equal parts ecstatic and terrified. On one hand, I had the chance to work with a character I have loved for over a decade, on the other, I knew that the Sara I had once created wasn’t fit for the world as it is now. Too much had changed over those ten years. Chris and I are different people and the Starbolts are a different team. We needed Sara to adapt too.

Chris and I have spent months redeveloping Sara’s character into someone whose return would really have an impact on the whole team. Some changes were easier than others. The original prose, for example, had Sara’s parents as Apollo and Isis. But Apollo was changed for the comics and there’s no Isis so that no longer worked. We toyed with a few ideas but ultimately we knew that Clive Marshall had to be Sara’s father. That alone gave us plenty to work with. Who would her mother be now (aka, who in their right mind would get into a relationship with Clive?), how would her powers initially manifest, how would this information affect her going forward? It’s been exciting to explore and we’re really looking forward to showing off the answers to those questions (and more) in the coming months.

*****

The Starbolts really were a different team ten years ago. When your writing style improves, your characters tend to as well. Some things are the same. And now this Sara is poised to fit right in with her old friends. Welcome home, Sara Whitefox.

Time for me to update a few things around the site. See ya next time!

Starbolts #410: Days of Sara's Past (Part 2)

Hail!

There is a lot to unpack this week! Sam and I decided to move Sara's return up a bit because of a few factors. Something that is going to happen a bit after Sara's return is going to take a little bit longer than expected. That's okay. Sara's coming home and I know Sam couldn't be happier! Expect him to say a few words next week as we're getting a special sixty panel comic! That is going to be fun to do!

This one was fun as well if a little emotionally draining. Let's review shall we?

Crystal and Sara didn't hit it off at first. By the time of her disappearance, the two had started to become closer and started to behave like sisters. This is why Crystal has been behaving like she has been in the last few comics. She's really upset that she never got a chance to fully make it up to her.

Andrea is basically the fixer of broken teenagers. She fixed her son Jack, Firaxil, Crystal and Sara as best she could. One thing to note is that she always felt some guilt in not fixing Richard aka Cobra. You can't save people who don't want to be saved.

Sam and I wanted to show Sara's relationship with all three siblings. Crystal was a wee bit antagonistic to start with. I may go into what Cody did to her in the future. We'll see. Let's just say he was the real reason she was sitting on that rock, crying when Marcus found her.

We see how she was with Jack and more importantly we see her with Dennis aka Firaxil. Sam and I wanted to allude to his true history by saying his parents were travelers. Poor Dennis had no idea at that point. Still, he was going to propose the night Sara supposedly died. That's the reason why he has been so heartbroken during this arc.

Sadly Psyche had to pass away as well. I suspect all this trekking through the memories is what did her in. As powerful as she was, she couldn't control it very well. Still, it's going to turn out for the best. Sara is coming home! See her return next time!

Starbolts #409: Days of Sara's Past (Part 1)

Hail!

This week we begin our two part look into Sara's past. Sam and I figured these comics would fill everyone in on the backstory of our returning Starbolt. These flashbacks will serve as infodumps for anyone wanting information. It will also help heal Sara. She'll be coming home in three comics! So, we'd best be ready! I know Firaxil is. Poor guy.

Now, I alluded to the "bad thing" last week. I think it's safe to say what would happen next. I won't go into details here. But, if you remember last week, it...wasn't pleasant. At least now we know what Sara was like as a child. The bald lady little Sara talked about was Zarantha. She had her hand in both Crystal AND Sara. I think she was on Terra Nova's payroll.

We also find out this week that Sara and Crystal's pasts intersected at this point. Crystal's own parents gave up their rights to her when she was about the same age Sara is in that flashback. They were told to keep her safe and out of trouble. Five or so years later, Firaxil's ship crashed. And you know the rest of that sordid affair.

Next time we'll explore Sara's life as a Starbolt. Buckle up, everyone. We're in for a wild ride!

Starbolts #408: The Mama Bear

 Hail!

Major bombshells are dropped this week! Let's try to unpack these one at a time shall we? Yes, we shall!

1. Yes, that is a room full of Sara clones. Those are all Mark One clones who would technically be like the Sara clone who died way back when. Andrea had them killed and I am sure she will talk to Stan about it. She didn't mention it to the Starbolts as they are still young and idealistic. They see the world as black and white still. She wanted to relieve them of the burden and it was her call. She was protecting them. She'll talk to Stan and he'll admit that she made the right call killing those clones.

2. Yes, Clive Marshall is Sara's father. Did you see that one coming? It's a big bombshell. After all this time dealing with Clive in the comic, we find out that Clive is actually Sara's father. Her mother is a woman named Elisabeth King. You are not going to like that woman. Trust me. Yes, we'll be meeting her down the road. She's not good people. She kinda has to be if she fell in with Terra Nova's mad scientist.

3. Looks like other female metahumans caught Clive's eye. He's not so much a pervert. He's a man who wanted to create a master race. Firaxil was to be the father of a new generation of beings capable of incredible powers. Women carry the metahuman gene. He was to have them mate. But, it wouldn't have been through natural means. The DNA would have been extracted from each person and combined. The embryos grown in a test tube.

For the record, the women in his file were: Jenna, Angela, Crystal, Kaori, Sara, Selena from Nightstrike, and Valentina and Spectra from the Legion. Clive had access to at least three of those women. And now we know what he wanted Crystal for. Not just to make her a weapon against the forces of good. She was to be a broodmare as well. Clive Marshall is sick, man. SICK!

The question is. What's going to happen when the metahuman women find out about this? The line for Clive's blood is out the door at this point. Stay tuned for more Starbolts action! 

Starbolts #407: Loud Voices in the Night

Hail!

Psyche has arrived at the station. Is she friend or foe? I'm leaning toward "friend" only because we saw how she detested Clive. She's going to help her "sister", Sara out by any means necessary. It's going to be a major f-u to Clive. The first of many to be sure. I won't spoil things. But, that dude is in trouble! By my estimate, Sara should be back by Starbolts #412. That's almost four hundred issues from when she vanished. It's going to be a special one. And with Psyche here expect to learn more about Sara's backstory. That will be fun!

Now then. We have another couple to talk about. Kaori Harada aka Majo is romantically linked to Selena Reyes of Nightstrike. I never established either characters' sexuality. So, this should be a new thing to explore. I'll be sure to treat it with style, grace and maturity. =D

In the mean time, we got an Inobe to fix. I sure hope Psyche can fix Firaxil before time runs out. She's on borrowed time, so, she needs to work fast!

See you next time!

OH! And I saw Venom yesterday. It was okay. Not bad. Not great. Looking forward to Bumblebee, though! 

Comic Showcase #55: Fantastic Four #1 (2018)