Starbolts #615: A Ghostly Present

 

 Hail!

    This week the plot thickens and gets into high gear. Who sent Jack that necklace? More importantly how did it get to Earth since D.I.S.C.O.R.D. island both exploded AND was transported to another dimension! The island itself is now in the Outlands as last seen in Starbolts #455. So, how did it get back here? Was Scarlett wearing it when she died? These are all good questions and they will be answering them when the time comes. For now, let's just be glad that help has finally arrived for our ghostly friends.

    Speaking of ghosts. It's clear that Scarlett has taken a shine to Crystal. She is fiercely protective of her and her twin. After all she was supposed to be their godmother and likely would have accepted the role if Snake hadn't faked their deaths AND killed her in cold blood. If you thought Andrea was protective of her girls, you haven't seen anything yet. Expect a scene with Crystal and Scarlett soon. They have much to discuss.

    In the meantime, the ghosts of Soldier Six need the help of their successors. Will they succeed or will they be too late? This storyline is just getting started!

See ya next time!

Starbolts #614: The Soul Cleaver

 Hail!

     This week Sara finally learns about the weapon that ripped her soul apart. What exactly is a "soul cleaver"? What did it do to her? More importantly....Where is it now?! With Terra Nova gone for good, you can bet that the knife is in nefarious hands. There's no good use for a soul cleaver. So, the person who has it now has GOT to be bad. We'll find out about the new user sooner or later. For now let's take a step back and look at how far Sara has come now.

    She finally learned about the weapon. This means she can begin the healing process and eventually become a powerhouse in her own right. Crystal is part of the way there. But, just picture how awesome it would be to have two fully functional void witches in the Starbolts roster along with a newly minted Iron Eagle. You might see something like that for the fourth of July this year! Just imagine the grandchildren of Iron Eagle taking their place as heroes in their own right. The three of them have had long and dangerous journeys to get to this point. I think they'll be ready for whoever has that glowing blue knife.

 We also learned a fair bit about what happened to Andrea after Carter "passed away". Andrea was more or less raised by her grandmother and she taught her most of what she knew. Was she flippant? Oh, yes. That attitude is hereditary! We might get more snippets of the original Crystal's backstory sooner or later. Keep an eye out for that. Looks like 2023 is going to be quite the epic year. Stay tuned!

 Oh, I should probably note that Velocity is the clone in stasis. She was on her way to being planted in the Guardians team for Zarantha's little plot.

See ya next time! 

Starbolts #613: Talking with Myself

 

 Hail!

    The new year starts off with a bang as Sara encounters a great-grandmother who shares the same name as her twin sister. I think Crystal will be happy to learn this because Clive was the one who named her all those years ago. Clive called her "Crystalline skeletal mutate zero zero one" when she was born and that was later shortened to Crystal. Charming, right? Yes. Sufficed it to say Crystal will be MUCH happier knowing that her name and her middle name are from two ancestors. For those keeping score it's "Crystal" and "Ahyoka". 

   Now, what about Sara? Well, she's going to have to take a trip down memory lane isn't she? I've already referenced her trial in Starbolts #416 and the basement scene in Starbolts #421.She has a long road of recovery ahead of her and I am confident she will emerge from all of this a whole new person with a complete soul and everything. How do I know? The power of advanced plot points! It's handy to have. I can't say how it will be accomplished. But, have patience because it is going to be a wild ride. And don't worry. I haven't forgotten the snake at the academy.

   As far as the original Crystal goes, here's her info. She was born in Ireland in the late 1890s and dabbled in the mystic arts. She's the mother of the fame heroine Spitfire aka Peggy Tennant. She helped to raise Andrea along with Carter, the first Lady Liberty, when her parents were killed. She lived just long enough to see Andrea marry Stan in the 1970s. The rest as they say is history.

More on her story will be discussed soon. For now, let's see how she will help her great-granddaughter piece together her soul.

See ya next time! 

 

Starbolts #612: Year-End Retrospectives

 

 Hail! 

    Happy New Year, everyone! Welcome to the Starbolts year-end extravaganza! I thought that I would create a jumping on point for new readers of the comic this week instead of just recapping the Starbolts greatest hits in 2022. At over 600 comics it'd be hard to figure out the origin of the Starbolts and their mentor team, the Agents of S.T.A.R. so I thought I'd have Richard "Cobalt" Dastara reflect on his past and the role he played in the formation of the Starbolts.

    The Agents are their world's mightiest heroes and the Starbolts have a lot to live up. However, in the coming year you will see them break out of that mold and carve out their own legacy. Will they be bigger than the Agents? It's possible. New threats are looming in the shadows like our friend Cobra in the last panel.

    New readers can now see just how the team was formed and get a feel of what the Starbolts are all about. They are the next generation of heroes trying to find a place in the world while dealing with alien invaders like the Mosqukatara, extradimensional despots like Demonstorm or beings from beyond time and space like the Professor. If you toss in Terra Nova, the Starbolts have had their hands full and have vanquished most of them. However, more threats are out there and soon we will be dealing with them. Will the Starbolts be ready? You bet they will.

 Eagle-eyed readers may notice some interesting developments in that Starbolts group spread in panels thirty-five and thirty-six. Angela has a new costume reflecting the Centurions and Valentina and Simon are hanging out with them. Interesting developments, indeed. Could they be joining the Starbolts? One never knows. The future is uncertain. But, our heroes will face that uncertainty head-on. Look out for more Starbolts action coming your way in 2023!

See ya next time!

Starbolts #611: Holiday Surprises

 

 Hail!

     Happy holidays from the Starbolts! It looks like this holiday comic reveals that our friend Ellie is in a relationship with one of the techies who run maintenance on the Watchtower and various equipment at the academy. One has to wonder how Ellie and Tricia met. Well, it's an interesting story and Sam and I might reveal it in time. For now, enjoy this little peek into their relationship. I know we've hinted at her possibly having a relationship with Richie. However, that wasn't going to happen any time soon.

    In the new year, Sam and I will be delving more into this relationship and you can bet Ellie's mom, Elisabeth, won't be too thrilled about this. But, wait! Isn't she in jail?! Well, yes. However, a lot can happen off panel. You'll just have to wait and see what's coming in 2023! Stay tuned for our sneak preview!

See ya next time!

Starbolts #610: The Twin Thing

 

 

 Hail!

    How's this for an amazing coincidence? This week's comic comes out on "International Twin's Day"! That's pretty cool, right? I don't know if Sam and I intended it to be like this or not because we were a little late working on the comic. Not sure what I can say to that but it is cool. 

    As you know Shrall and Crystal both have a twin, M'anta and Sara respectively. Both of them are younger than their siblings by a matter of minutes and so they have quite a bit in common. The only difference is M'anta tends to be more by the book than Shrall is. If someone were to ask Crystal and Sara who the "evil twin" was, Sara would shrug and say it was her and there would be no objections.

    The twin thing is a connection that twins have to their siblings. M'anta and Shrall have it along with their telepathic connection. Sara and Crystal do as well despite the fact that they were never in utero together. They still had a strong bond and it only got stronger when the truth about their parentage was revealed.  Crystal is not used to the connection and so it's a good thing Shrall was nearby so he could explain everything to her.

    Shrall and Crystal were friends before she even knew she was a twin so there's that connection. Now they have something to bond over. Their siblings are career driven workaholics who need some fun in their lives from time to time. But, Shrall is a bit more used to "the twin thing" than Crystal is and so she's going to be calling on him for guidance a lot more than she used to. 

    Now as for Cobra. It looks like the ghosts are going to be in deep trouble. How are four ghosts going to be able to contact the Starbolts and warn them? We'll find out in the new year. I promise. We'll have that and more coming your way. Stay tuned for the annual Christmas comic!

See ya next time!

Starbolts #609: Her Shattered Soul

 

 

 Hail!

    This week's comic sees Sara travel twenty thousand light years to a planet at the border of the Beta and Delta Quadrant and what does the first Terran out that far do? Yaks her dinner. That'll leave a lasting impression on the Venatii. Eh, I'm sure it'll be fine. Worse things have probably happened on their world. I will say that it was difficult designing their buildings. Sam suggested something we've never seen before in alien architecture. Round buildings with no straight lines in sight. I think I managed to get the right idea. It is a good one since so many buildings in the galaxy have corners and all that. As you can see, the planet is very flat. It's basically just grasslands and cities as far as the eye can see. It's amazing how the Venatii evolved in this fashion.

    Still, let's hope that the pools offer our heroine a solution to her soul problem. As seen in this week's comic, Stan worked tirelessly to try to help his daughter ever since she returned from Clive's captivity. As Earth's sorcerer supreme, he was able to detect Sara's fractured soul. He didn't want to alarm her and so sought out to fix things himself. Sadly, there were no Terran remedies at hand. Once again a daughter of Stan Whitefox needed to seek help far beyond the confines of Earth. He's okay with it. Trust me!

    Meanwhile, it looks like the Snake has gotten a bit more brazen in his observation of the Whitefoxes. Observing his prey at dinner probably isn't a good idea especially when you've got two super-soldiers, a couple witches, an alien shapeshifter and Earth's sorcerer supreme at the dining room table! On a scale of one to ten for bad ideas, this is probably an eleven and a half. What does he want? And why weren't Anya and Marcus at dinner? Well, I'm sure they had some other stuff going on. This was spur of the moment after all. They'll be filled in in time. However, the Snake is a looming threat. The Starbolts better beware because the Cobra will strike soon!

See ya next time!